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Caleb Wheeler Curtis
After studying music at Michigan State University and William Paterson University Caleb has become an active member of the New York City jazz and creative music scene. He can be seen with the Caleb Curtis Quartet, Walking Distance, Josh Lawrence and Color Theory, Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band, Curtis/Sperrazza/Garabedian, Asterids Alto Quartet, the Fat Cat Big Band, the Mike Sailors Nonet, and the Gregorio Uribe Big Band. He has performed at the Blue Note, Jazz Standard, Smalls, Smoke, Zinc Bar, and many other NYC clubs. Caleb has developed an individualistic approach to improvisation and sound, and has been hailed as “one of the most interesting altoists in a long time.” (Jazzwise)
In addition, Caleb has played with many extraordinary musicians including Jason Moran, Mulgrew Miller, Duane Eubanks, Houston Person, Orrin Evans, Eric Revis, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Kevin Eubanks, Buster Williams, Lenny White, Gene Jackson, Jack Walrath, Kevin Hays, Saul Rubin, David Gibson, Lafayette Harris, Ralph Bowen, Ben Williams, Justin Brown, Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Gregorio Uribe, Ben Wolfe, Luques Curtis, Seamus Blake, Marquis Hill, Marta Sánchez, Stacy Dillard, Jon Irabagon, EJ Strickland, Matt Clohesy, Vinnie Sperrazza, Jeremy Siskind, Glenn Zaleski and many others.
Caleb is a D’Addario Woodwinds Artist
Gear
Selmer Mark VI, 151xxx
Tags
Michelle Lordi: Two Moons
by Geno Thackara
The art of the jazz diva does not shy away from the dark and mysterious. From putting a spell on somebody to helplessly falling under that old black magic, the tradition always seems to include some small touch of witchery, and Michelle Lordi, for her part, does not let a modern-day sound obscure those roots. The mood of Two Moons sits somewhere between a late-night set in a small jazz club and a round of spooky stories around the campfire. ...
read moreEmber: August in March
by Troy Dostert
Reflective of its enigmatic title, the members of Ember--saxophonist/trumpeter Caleb Wheeler Curtis, bassist Noah Garabedian and drummer {Vincent Sperrazza--have created something both oblique and accessible on the group's third release, August in March. With an emphasis on well designed, engaging pieces that lead into a distinctive world of close collaboration, this is music that rewards undivided attention. Aside from a few turns on the trumpet on the winding, slithering Snake Tune," the elliptical Sink and Swim," and the ...
read moreEMBER Are A Jazz Trio With A Collective Mindset
by Lawrence Peryer
Today, the Spotlight shines On EMBER, a trio featuring saxophonist and trumpeter Caleb Wheeler Curtis, bassist Noah Garabedian and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza. Their album, August in March (Imani Records), is a vivid representation of the musical, interpersonal and community-oriented ideas that the three forward-thinking musicians that make up EMBER...care deeply about." This conversation explores the heady thematic elements of EMBER's music: humanism, community, place, and the importance of being a band of equals. Stick around after ...
read moreNew Music From Ember, Itamar Borochov, Michael Echaniz, And More
by Bob Osborne
On this show we present new music from Ember (Caleb Wheeler Curtis, Noah Garabedian and Vincent Sperrazza), Itamar Borochov, Michael Echaniz, Alex Louloudis & Zack Clarke, Melmac, Škvíry & Spoje, Gaea Schell, Rubim de Toledo, Steve Carrington, Heikki Ruokangas with Landon George and Jouni Isoherranen, and, Chuck Owen & WDR Big Band.Playlist Show Intro 00:00 Ember Snake Tune" from August In March (Imani Records) 00:54 Itamar Borochov What Broke You?" from Arba (Greenleaf) 07:46 Michael Echaniz Seven Shades ...
read moreAn Eclectic Selection Of New Releases
by Bob Osborne
On this week's show a host of new releases from Caleb Wheeler Curtis, Chris Torkewitz, Hendrik Meurkins & The WDR Big Band, The Relay, Kate Wyatt, Alessandro Sgobbio, Robert Lee and Pablo Moser. There are also two brand new albums from Gordon Grdina, the reissue of a 20 year live recording from Peter Brötzmann, Milford Graves, and William Parker, and music from 2018 from Helena Kay's KIM Trio.Playlist Show Intro 00:00 Caleb Wheeler Curtis Tossed Aside" from HEAT ...
read moreCaleb Wheeler Curtis: Heatmap
by Paul Rauch
It is mostly troublesome to make blanket assertions about jazz and the musicians that facilitate the art form. Such assertions are subjective at best, yet it would not seem unreasonable to assert that Caleb Wheeler Curtis is one of the more interesting alto saxophonists to emerge since 2000. His playing has a radiant, vocal quality to it, whether addressing strong melodies, or abstractions of the same. His approach is strong without being forced, and while his musical spirit has an ...
read moreCaleb Wheeler Curtis and Laurent Nicoud: Substrate
by Paul Rauch
The duo, in jazz or any musical form, is an intimate conversation that requires a large degree of artistic courage. The participants must be willing to expose themselves emotionally as well as musically. It is brutally honest, a practice in individuality within the context of mutual respect and humility. In the case of Swiss pianist Laurent Nicoud and Brooklyn based alto saxophonist Caleb Wheeler Curtis, it is a venture into the musical wilderness without being safely tethered to the efforts ...
read more"Saxophonist Caleb Wheeler Curtis negotiates taut, bop-flavored contours with a meld of Desmond-like coolness and blues-toughened acerb" – JazzTimes
"Color Theory introduces one of the most interesting altoists in a long time in Caleb Curtis" – Jazzwise
"wields his sax like a weapon of mass destruction" – The Classical Arts
Primary Instrument
Saxophone
Location
New York City
Willing to teach
Beginner to advanced
Credentials/Background
Jazz Saxophone Instructor - Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (MI) 2008 & 2009 Jazz Saxophone & Improvisation teacher - Ann Arbor Music Center (MI) 2008 Bachelor Of Music in Jazz Studies - Michigan State University Rates are: $50 for one hour, $30 for half hour
Music
Surrounding
From: HeatmapBy Caleb Wheeler Curtis
Paradise
From: ParadiseBy Caleb Wheeler Curtis