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Anton Schwartz

“What I require for music to really captivate me,” Anton says, “is groove and intellect working in tandem. Music that gets into your bones, into your head and into your heart.”

From Louis Armstrong and Lester Young to Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, jazz’s greatest improvisers create music that carries an emotional wallop. It’s a lesson that tenor saxophonist Anton Schwartz learned well. Like the giants from whom he draws inspiration, Schwartz approaches jazz as a vehicle for reaching the heart and the head. At a time when many of his contemporaries seem to be making music more for their musical colleagues than a wider audience, Schwartz stands out as a player determined to communicate with his listeners. Tenor sax legend Illinois Jacquet summed up Schwartz’s artistry succinctly when he told him, “You play the tenor sax like it’s meant to be played.”

His latest album, Flash Mob, surged to the sixth spot on the jazz radio charts and earned a coveted four-star review in Down Beat magazine, reinforcing his reputation as a passionate but poised improviser and smart purveyor of well-wrought melodies. Schwartz credits an upbringing immersed in jazz and adventurous popular music with shaping his approach to improvising, which melds irresistible rhythmic momentum with emotionally charged lyricism.

“I feel lucky because the music I grew up on was Earth Wind & Fire, Jimi Hendrix, The Police, Muddy Waters and Steely Dan… as well as Charlie Parker, Stanley Turrentine, John Coltrane, Lennie Tristano and Wes Montgomery,” says Schwartz. “I’ve never really been interested in making music for other musicians. I want to create music that conveys something complex and intriguing—through the rhythm, the structure, the interplay of melody and harmony—and distill all that into something clear and beautiful.”

Schwartz comes to his populist sensibility via a heady path. He took the full- time plunge into music relatively late when, at the age of 27, he decided to step away from high-level research in Artificial Intelligence. Since then he’s forged ties with some of jazz’s heaviest hitters, including pianists Russell Ferrante, Taylor Eigsti, Randy Porter, Josh Nelson, Art Lande and Eric Reed… guitarists Peter Bernstein, Bruce Forman, Ed Cherry, Julian Lage and Dan Balmer… Trumpeters Dominick Farinacci, Thomas Marriott and Scott Wendholt… and vocalists Ed Reed, Jackie Ryan, Denise Donatelli and Rebecca Kilgore.

Born in 1967 and raised in New York City amidst a family known for intellectual ferment, Schwartz began playing clarinet at 12 and switched to the saxophone at 14. Enthralled by jazz, he found invaluable mentors early on, studying with reed masters Warne Marsh and Eddie Daniels. In high school he had the chance to perform with the likes of Lionel Hampton and Woody Herman.

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12
Album Review

Anton Schwartz: Flash Mob

Read "Flash Mob" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


While attending Harvard University, Anton Schwartz held down the first tenor saxophone chair in its jazz band, yet relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he became a significant jazz force, also serving as an educator and mentor. Flash Mob--which is perhaps his most robust album to date--denotes his fifth venture as a leader and first album since Radiant Blue (Antonjazz, 2006). Schwartz reaps the benefits of nascent talent and possesses a commanding presence amid his full-bodied tone and ...

374
Album Review

Anton Schwartz: Radiant Blue

Read "Radiant Blue" reviewed by Ken Hohman


For a guy who has the blues, San Francisco-based tenor saxophonist Anton Schwartz sure seems happy. While the ten tracks on Radiant Blue are purported to be based on the twelve-measure blues form (I think there's a couple of sixteens in there), there is barely a blush of sadness to this decidedly upbeat release. But once you're a few measures into “Phantom Dance," you can forget about the overarching theme and just enjoy the ride. This modal opener presents Schwartz's ...

246
Album Review

Anton Schwartz: Radiant Blue

Read "Radiant Blue" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Tenor saxophonist Anton Schwartz picks his spots rather articulately here. Either as an accompanist or accelerator, the artist's penchant for making optimistic jazz looms in radiating fashion. Schwartz sports a resounding tone on this studio set, spiced up with grit and a soul-jazz drenched élan.

The quintet sustains interest from top to bottom, partly due to the saxophonist's strong compositions. Schwartz injects foot-stomping swing, New Orleans-style bump and grind, and expressive blues vamps into an irrefutably sparkling program. ...

338
Album Review

Anton Schwartz: Holiday Time

Read "Holiday Time" reviewed by J. Robert Bragonier


Holiday Time is the third recording by San Francisco Bay area resident Anton Schwartz, although this outing finds him fronting a new quartet. Schwartz is a native of New York, where he studied with the late Warne Marsh and Eddie Daniels, and his big, round sound is front and center once again. One does not generally approach a holiday album expecting to hear anything markedly new or original. Nonetheless, this specially priced, 27-minute CD still packs a pleasant surprise or ...

172
Album Review

Anton Schwartz: The Slow Lane

Read "The Slow Lane" reviewed by Jim Santella


With a rich, brawny tenor saxophone tone, Anton Schwartz leads this quartet through a program of slow ballads and medium-tempo fare. His warm saxophone sound captivates the heart and lets you forget the harsh realities. Music for a rainy day? Could be. However, everyone solos and breathes so much subliminal creative energy into the session that things never dull.Schwartz's title track moves unhurriedly with a blues feeling that recalls the expressive wealth of Stanley Turrentine. His web site ...

225
Album Review

Anton Schwartz: The Slow Lane

Read "The Slow Lane" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


With his second release, West Coast-based saxophonist Anton Schwartz walks his tenor saxophone down the Slow Lane. Here, the Harvard and Stanford University graduate exhibits style, wit and a predilection for sublime, thoughtful phrasing amid a slightly hard edge, which counters any semblance of saccharine or smooth jazz ideologies. A nice blend indeed as Mr. Schwartz pursues the classics and a few nicely arranged originals augmented by a tight-knit ensemble who vividly demonstrate an acute awareness of Schwartz' stylistic attack. ...

199
Album Review

Anton Schwartz: The Slow Lane

Read "The Slow Lane" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


With his second release, West Coast-based saxophonist Anton Schwartz walks his tenor saxophone down the Slow Lane. Here, the Harvard and Stanford University graduate exhibits style, wit and a predilection for sublime, thoughtful phrasing amid a slightly hard edge, which counters any semblance of saccharine or smooth jazz ideologies. A nice blend indeed as Mr. Schwartz pursues the classics and a few nicely arranged originals augmented by a tight-knit ensemble who vividly demonstrate an acute awareness of Schwartz' stylistic attack. ...

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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Anton Schwartz

Jazz Musician of the Day: Anton Schwartz

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Anton Schwartz's birthday today!

“What I require for music to really captivate me,” Anton says, “is groove and intellect working in tandem. Music that gets into your bones, into your head and into your heart.” From Louis Armstrong and Lester Young to Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, jazz’s greatest improvisers create music that carries an emotional wallop. It’s a lesson that tenor saxophonist Anton Schwartz learned well. Like the giants from whom he draws inspiration, ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Anton Schwartz

Jazz Musician of the Day: Anton Schwartz

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Anton Schwartz's birthday today!

“What I require for music to really captivate me,” Anton says, “is groove and intellect working in tandem. Music that gets into your bones, into your head and into your heart.” From Louis Armstrong and Lester Young to Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, jazz’s greatest improvisers create music that carries an emotional wallop. It’s a lesson that tenor saxophonist Anton Schwartz learned well. Like the giants from whom he draws inspiration... ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Anton Schwartz

Jazz Musician of the Day: Anton Schwartz

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Anton Schwartz's birthday today!

“What I require for music to really captivate me,” Anton says, “is groove and intellect working in tandem. Music that gets into your bones, into your head and into your heart.” From Louis Armstrong and Lester Young to Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, jazz’s greatest improvisers create music that carries an emotional wallop. It’s a lesson that tenor saxophonist Anton Schwartz learned well. Like the giants from whom he draws inspiration... ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Anton Schwartz

Jazz Musician of the Day: Anton Schwartz

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Anton Schwartz's birthday today!

“What I require for music to really captivate me,” Anton says, “is groove and intellect working in tandem. Music that gets into your bones, into your head and into your heart.” From Louis Armstrong and Lester Young to Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, jazz’s greatest improvisers create music that carries an emotional wallop. It’s a lesson that tenor saxophonist Anton Schwartz learned well. Like the giants from whom he draws inspiration... ...

3

Recording

Saxophonist Anton Schwartz's "Flash Mob" Featured on the All About Jazz Home Page

Saxophonist Anton Schwartz's "Flash Mob" Featured on the All About Jazz Home Page

Source: All About Jazz

Don't miss one of the best jazz CDs of 2014! Available for a full week on the All About Jazz home page. Look for the Flash Mob SoundCloud player directly under the Featured Stories box Anton Schwartz's first solo release in seven years, Flash Mob, had a long Top Ten run on the U.S. Jazz Radio charts and made DownBeat's Best of 2014 list. And it's no wonder why—it's just so much fun to listen to, for the trained jazz ...

4

Contest

Enter the "Anton Schwartz - Flash Mob" Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Enter the "Anton Schwartz - Flash Mob" Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Source: All About Jazz

All About Jazz members are invited to enter the “Anton Schwartz - Flash Mob“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on June 3rd. Click here to enter the contest (Tracking Anton Schwartz at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.) Good luck! About Anton Schwartz “What I require for music to really captivate me,” Anton says, “is groove and intellect working in tandem. Music that gets into your bones, into your head ...

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Website

Jazz Musician Database Retooled and Relaunched at All About Jazz

Jazz Musician Database Retooled and Relaunched at All About Jazz

Source: All About Jazz

All About Jazz's musician section, home to nearly 58,000 profiles, was redesigned for improved navigation and to shine a more intense spotlight on features including musician tracking, musician discovery, crowdfunding support, teaching credentials, and a musician's SoundCloud player and Bandcamp player. “A musician's profile is center to their activities at All About Jazz and is fully integrated with the website and with Jazz Near You," stated Michael Ricci, All About Jazz's founder. “We continue to add value to the profile ...

1

Recording

Tenor Saxophonist/Composer Anton Schwartz To Release "Flash Mob" Jan. 28

Tenor Saxophonist/Composer Anton Schwartz To Release "Flash Mob" Jan. 28

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

With Flash Mob, his first new recording in seven years, the expressive and swinging tenor saxophonist/composer Anton Schwartz delivers a disc notable for its well-crafted tunes, riveting ensemble work, and abundance of attitude. Schwartz’s Antonjazz label will release the CD, his fifth since his 1998 debut When Music Calls and first since 2006’s Top 5 radio staple Radiant Blue, on January 28. An audiophile recording, Flash Mob is available as a standard CD and also from HDtracks in high-resolution 96kHz ...

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Interview

An Interview with Anton Schwartz

An Interview with Anton Schwartz

Source: Groove Notes

I had the opportunity this week to speak by phone with tenor saxophonist Anton Schwartz. Anton recently moved to the Seattle area. I had the chance to ask him about what brought him to the Puget Sound, and how he has networked himself into the local jazz scene so far. We also talked about the differences between a jazz scene like Seattle versus the scene in New York, his recent project with vocalist Ed Reed, being in a high school ...

118

Recording

Tenor Saxophonist Anton Schwartz Celebrates The Release of "Radiant Blue"!

Tenor Saxophonist Anton Schwartz Celebrates The Release of "Radiant Blue"!

Source: All About Jazz

New CD Release from Tenor Saxophonist Anton Schwartz

Anton Schwartz (tenor saxophone), Peter Bernstein (guitar), Taylor Eigsti (piano), John Shifflett (bass), Tim Bulkley (drums)

Radiant Blue (Antonjazz AJ-1004) - Available on August 8!

“... an amazingly talented horn player with a great ear and oodles of stage presence." - Jim Harrington, The Oakland Tribune Anton Schwartz - Radiant Blue CD Release Concerts!:

Thursday, August 17 @ 7:00 PM, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320 Cedar Street, Santa Cruz. For tkts and additional ...

"Tenor saxophonist Anton Schwartz is a guiding light of both the Bay Area and national jazz scenes... [He possesses] the commanding tone and boundless creativity of a masterful jazz artist." — SFJAZZ

"Impressive and virtually impossible to resist." – Jeff Simon, Buffalo News

“A superior tenor-saxophonist from Northern California, Anton Schwartz has his own sound and a fresh conception of forward-looking hard bop… Schwartz has created a CD worthy of the best of 1960s Blue Note… there are several songs on [Flash Mob] that deserve to become future standards.” – Scott Yanow, L.A. Jazz Scene

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Primary Instrument

Saxophone, tenor

Location

Seattle

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

"Anton is an exceptional player and inspirational teacher, not to mention a lot of fun! He is organized and prepared, and so well versed in so many aspects of jazz performance and education... What more could a student want in a teacher?!" — Susan Muscarella, Director, The California Jazz Conservatory

"Anton is a superb teacher. He listens to my playing and singles out specific areas for me to focus on, which has improved my improvisation dramatically. He is engaging & enthusiastic..." — Terrigal Burn, pianist

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Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Flash Mob

AntonJazz
2014

buy

Radiant Blue

AntonJazz
2006

buy

Holiday Time

AntonJazz
2003

buy

The Slow Lane

AntonJazz
2000

buy

When Music Calls

AntonJazz
1998

buy

Swamp Thang

From: Flash Mob
By Anton Schwartz

Videos

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