Jazz saxophonist, composer and educator
After years of performing at small jazz clubs, saxophonist Dennis
Mitcheltree is on the road to realizing the rewards for his years of
work, study and persistence. With an abundance of recent
concert and club appearances, combined with his 3rd CD
release as a leader and constant touring, Mitcheltree is in a
position to do what he does best; play his music.
“Things seem to have just taken off these last few years. I've
played a few concerts and jazz festivals with Bob Moses, Jim
McNeely, Howard Johnson, Gary Bartz, George Cables, Odean
Pope, Kenny Werner, James Williams, Don Sickler, Charli
Persip, Pete Yellin, Uri Caine and Ronnie Mathews. I've had the
opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall a few times. My quartet
has been touring the U.S. and Europe and the music has never
been better. I'm receiving some press attention. That kind of stuff
is great for the soul after years of being discouraged by the lack
of opportunities available to creative musicians.”
The 36 year old tenor saxophonist and composer was born and
raised in Milwaukee. Starting on oboe at the age of 12 and
picking up the baritone sax for his school jazz band, Mitcheltree
was interested in music from the outset. By the time he was in
high school he concentrated exclusively on the tenor saxophone
and discovering the rich history of jazz through recordings.
“The first jazz recording I owned was Miles Davis' Kind of Blue. I'll
never forget the chills that travelled down my spine the first time I
heard Coltrane play on that album. Like most teenagers, I was
looking for something in life that made sense to me and I had
this wonderful connection with Trane's sound and attitude.”
Mitcheltree became a frequent visitor to Milwaukee's few jazz
record stores, using his hard earned cash to discover the music
of swing, bebop, hardbop and 60's free jazz.
“I tended to lean towards the music of the 60's because of it's
spiritual sense, but Charlie Parker showed me the blueprint of
the music and it's soul. I was totally into Trane. When I heard A
Love Supreme I knew that I wanted to be a jazz musician. It
showed me that there were no bounds to the feelings that could
be expressed in music; that communicating with people by
performing this music can bring about so many ideas and
connections. Communication is what I strive for in the
performance of my music. It's the ultimate goal.”
Turning down a scholarship to the Wisconsin Conservatory of
Music's Jazz Program, Mitcheltree headed East where jazz is
centered, choosing to enroll at the Berklee College of Music in
Boston. There he met like-minded students and could be found
in the ensemble rooms of the college working on his music on a
daily basis.
“I didn't have much of a chance to play in Milwaukee. I would
practice about eight to ten hours each day but aside from one or
two small jazz clubs where I could sit in, like the Jazz Oasis,
there really wasn't much of a scene. There were even fewer
young musicians like myself who just wanted to get together and
jam. Going to Boston really opened up my eyes as to what's
going on in the jazz scene. I was out listening to live music until
three in the morning almost every night and up by eight to go to
class. It was a blast!”
After two years at Berklee, Mitcheltree decided that school was a
bit restricting and that he needed a change of scenery. He
decided to go to Japan and perform as a free-lance musician
while exploring a different culture.
“I had more fun in the three months that I was in Japan than I
ever had up to that point in my life . I got a chance to do some
wild, crazy things and meet and play with some really great
musicians. I got to play with bassist Chin Suzuki and
saxophonist Tosh Inoue, who are two of Japan's greatest jazz
musicians. When I returned to Boston I hoped that I could start
gigging with regularity and just perform.”
Unfortunately it didn't go quite as planned. With the absence of
steady, decent paying gigs Mitcheltree decided to re-enroll at
Berklee with the assistance of a hefty scholarship. He graduated
Magna Cum Laude with a major in performance in 1987, and
then made the big move to New York.
“I had performed quite a bit in Boston. My quartet played at jazz
clubs like the 1369 Club, Ryles and the Willow, but there weren't
quite enough opportunities in Boston. New York presented me
with chance to perform more frequently at a higher level of
musicianship.”
In addition to his free-lance work, Mitcheltree organized his own
quartet that continues to perform at clubs, concerts and jazz
festivals throughout the U.S. and Europe. He has played at
several jazz festivals including the Coleman Hawkins Jazz Fest,
the Habana Jazz Festival, the Celebrate Brooklyn Festival, the
Hot Prospects Concert Series, World Festival 2000, Brooklyn
Academy of Music concerts and the St. Marks Park Music
Festival. His composition for jazz sextet and string quartet, “Suite
No.1”, was presented at Carnegie Hall in 1995. His quartet has
been featured on a televised jazz special on CNN and various
live radio performance and interview programs countrywide.
“It's been great to play with musicians of the caliber of the cats in
my group. It's an exhilarating experience. I consider myself very
fortunate to get to work with these guys. We perform frequently in
New York and are touring the country every few months. This
gives us a chance to really delve into the music. I'm fortunate
enough to be working fairly steadily these days, but since I've
started teaching time has become a precious commodity. I long
for the days when I would get up at noon and practice and
compose and play a gig until three in the morning. I'm still
composing but not as frequently because of the time problem.
But it's actually easier to write now. It seems to have become a
very quick process, the tunes just basically pop into my head,
usually inspired by some event. I don't have to agonize over every
note like I did a few years ago.”
A former student of Joe Lovano, Billy Pierce and Ralph Lalama,
Mitcheltree is now a teacher in his own right. He teaches
privately and at the Greenwich House Music School and for Long
Island University in New York. He also does jazz workshops in
NYC at places like the Henry Street Settlement and the East
Harlem Music School in addition to clinics at colleges while
touring.
“As for the future, I'd like to continue performing and composing,
developing the musical base that I've established. My music is
definitely coming out of today's acoustic jazz scene and a quartet
can best represent what I'm trying to do musically. My main goal
is to present whatever I'm playing, whether it's standards or
original compositions, with the level of intensity and spirituality
established by Coltrane and his quartet. It's a real pleasure to
perform and have a listener come up to me afterward and tell me
that they could really feel my music; that it spoke to them. When I
hear this I know I'm on the right track.”
Mitcheltree has been a panelist for the Pennsylvania Council on
the Arts Jazz Fellowship program and the Brooklyn Arts Council
Regrant Program. He has twice been a recipient of the Eubie
Blake Award and the alternate finalist for the 1996 Evansville
International Jazz Saxophone Competition. His debut recording,
”Brooklyn”, on the Top Ten Jazz List at KZSU Jazz in Stanford, the
Top 40 Jazz List at WNUR Jazz in Chicago and jazz playlists
worldwide, is available on CD on the Dengor Music label(DCD
1013) at local jazz outlets. His third CD release as a leader,
”Union”, will be available.
