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.

In college, however, Schwartz pursued other passions. He earned a B.A. in Mathematics and Philosophy at Harvard, graduating magna cum laude in 1989. Despite his demanding studies, he played first tenor sax in the Harvard Jazz Band, a chair he held after Don Braden and before Joshua Redman. As a National Science Foundation fellow at Stanford, Schwartz dove into doctoral research in Artificial Intelligence, but after several years he couldn’t resist the pull of music, plunging headlong into the Bay Area jazz scene in 1995.

His 1998 debut album When Music Calls earned national attention, and established Schwartz as a captivating new voice. Focusing on his engaging original compositions, the album earned effusive praise, with The San Francisco Bay Guardian declaring that Schwartz “has everything you want to hear in a modern jazz saxophonist—an appealing, consistent tone, an abundance of ideas fueling both his compositions and his improvisations, and superb taste in musical collaborators.”

He followed up in 2000 with The Slow Lane, a project that displayed his growing confidence as a composer while also including jazz standards by Wayne Shorter, Benny Golson and Billy Strayhorn. The album also earned rave reviews, with Billboard leading the way: “Schwartz savors the implications of each note, allowing the listener to delight in the endless melodies created by his stirring improvisations.”

Schwartz relocated to Seattle in 2010, but maintains a strong presence performing and teaching in California. He’s a longtime faculty member of the California Jazz Conservatory, where he has designed courses ranging from “Improvising Eighth Note Lines” to “The Physics of Musical Sound.” He is also a clinician at the Brubeck Institute, and has been Artist in Residence at Harvard University and the Brubeck Summer Jazz Colony, in addition to numerous jazz festivals and workshops.

“It’s especially gratifying to see so many people reacting so wholeheartedly to my music,” Schwartz says. Indeed, longtime aficionados and jazz newcomers alike rave about his performances.

A consummate self-starter, he hosts popular loft jazz concerts in Oakland and Seattle in which he performs with masters such as Julian Priester, Ken Peplowski, Taylor Eigsti and Lorraine Feather. He is also the author of a popular blog about jazz and music theory and has released five albums on his own Antonjazz label.

Over the past two decades Schwartz has performed at jazz’s most prestigious clubs and festivals, from the Blue Note in New York City and Yoshi’s in Oakland to Washington D.C.’s Blues Alley and the Monterey Jazz Festival. Recent highlights include two sold-out shows at Jazz at Lincoln Center and a feature as soloist with the Boston Pops in Boston Symphony Hall.

Minding his muse has led Schwartz to verdant musical fields, but he’s earned his avid following by heeding E.M. Forster’s timeless imperative, “Only connect!...Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted.” Marrying probing intelligence to a soulful and celebratory spirit Schwartz meets listeners where they live and takes them on an enthralling journey.

Read Schwartz's Resume

Gear

Selmer Super Balanced Action tenor sax (Serial number 50,9xx)
Otto Link 7* mouthpiece (metal)
Vandoren ZZ 3.5 reed

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Tags

Album Review

When Music Calls by Joel Roberts
When Music Calls by Jack Bowers
The Slow Lane by Glenn Astarita
The Slow Lane by Glenn Astarita
Holiday Time by J. Robert Bragonier
Radiant Blue by Glenn Astarita
Radiant Blue by Ken Hohman
Flash Mob by Glenn Astarita

"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

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

“Warm and intelligent playing... and a knack for composing memorable melodies” — San Jose Mercury News

“Soulful and precise, beefy-toned...” – Paul de Barros, Seattle Times

“Schwartz and his bandmates play with openness and honesty, creating melodies that linger in the ear, the way great pop songs do…. [Schwartz and Farinacci] create a seamless and powerful front line…. There’s an irreverence and spirit of fun which shines through." – WBGO Radar

“Good saxophone players can make their instrument talk to you. Anton goes a step farther... his music communicates with your soul.” — Ray Redmond, Jazz USA

“What a deep, guttural tone this guy has, full of flavor, inventive lines, just a wonderful sax player. All his lines contain the kind of complicated simplicity that makes the best music interesting and enjoyable... On [Radiant Blue] he is tender on the solos, funky and greasy on the tunes that are in the pocket, and he's always playing like he has a smile on his face.” — Mark Ruffin, Listen Here!

“Talk to other players on the scene and they'll give you the skinny on Schwartz: He's one of the brightest lights in the jazz community. The saxophonist is an immensely talented performer, one who blows with real heart and soul, and his understanding of jazz is superb. He's also simply one of the nicest guys I've ever met.” — Jim Harrington, Contra Costa Times

“Much like Chris Potter, Anton Schwartz is a nice and unassuming guy to talk to, yet both turn into modern day tenor titans as soon as they put the mouthpiece between their lips… There's a lot to like here with sharp arrangements and crisp straight ahead playing that seems to hit all the right notes.” — Tad Hendrickson, JazzWeek

“You play the tenor sax like it's meant to be played!" — Illinois Jacquet, Jazz Saxophonist.

“Schwartz has built a strong Bay Area following on the basis of his warm, generous tone, impeccably developed solos and infectious performance energy.” — Jerry Karp, San Francisco Chronicle

“Radiant Blue could make an excellent introduction to jazz for someone on the outside looking for a way in... because tenor saxophonist Anton Schwartz and his capable sidemen are deadly serious about their fun, there is enough musical substance here to make sure the jazz neophyte is exposed to the real thing." "As for Schwartz, he has a classic clear-throated tenor sound and kicks like a mule. His zeal to communicate is fervent yet sophisticated.” — Thomas Conrad, Jazz Times

“Schwartz has clearly won the respect of his peers.” — New York Newsday

“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

“Schwartz plays with an appealing grace and sophistication that allows him to say very much with very little.” — Marc Greilsamer, Jazz Editor, Amazon.com

“You'd expect a brainiac like Schwartz to make brainy jazz, and indeed he does. What surprises are the upbeat vibe, stong melodies, and unflagging sense of swing that he brings to this music.” — Ed Kopp, JAZZIZ

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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

Primary Instrument

Saxophone, tenor

Location

Seattle

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

"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

"I've really enjoyed your approach in the weekly workout sessions. Your teaching style strikes me as a rare combination of clarity, curiosity, creativity, and practicality." — Michael Gold, saxophonist

Anton enjoys sharing his love of the music and the craft of jazz with aspiring musicians, both recreational and professional. He is a faculty member of the Jazzschool and the Stanford Jazz Workshop, and a clinician for the Brubeck Institute. He also teaches privately out of his own studio. (To learn about Anton's credentials as a musician, visit here.)

Private Lessons

Anton teaches lessons out of his studios in SEATTLE, Washington and OAKLAND, California. He works with intermediate and advanced students of diverse instruments who have an interest in some or all of the following:

composing & improvizing melodies
understanding jazz music theory and putting it to use
expressing emotions powerfully through music
playing by ear
fluency in the many idioms of jazz, plus funk & blues
[for saxophonists:] saxophone technique, including sound
the physics of musical sound
efficient practice methods for a busy lifestyle

Anton particularly loves working with musicians who have studied scales and chords but are frustrated in their efforts to use those devices to make great solos. Lessons are normally 75 minutes long and cost $90.

Clinic/Workshop Information

Anton Schwartz offers open-ended question-and-answer style masterclasses, and has designed and taught dozens of highly successful, focused workshops on a wide range of topics. He is highly organized, but often does not refer to any notes while lecturing. He enjoys fielding questions and demonstrating concepts on the piano and saxophone.

[List of Anton Schwartz's Clinic offerings]

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