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Caleb Wheeler Curtis
Saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Caleb Wheeler Curtis is a musician known for his "intensely focused and garrulously inventive" style, which draws from a wide range of influences including progressive bop and post-Coltrane/Ornette free improvisation. Based in Brooklyn, NY, Caleb is a leader and core member of several bands, including Ember, Orrin Evans & The Captain Black Big Band (2x GRAMMY Nominated), Walking Distance, and the Fat Cat Big Band. His third album as a leader, HEATMAP, was released on Imani Records in 2022 and features pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Gerald Cleaver. The album received widespread critical acclaim, with All About Jazz calling him "one of the more interesting alto saxophonists to emerge since 2000," and Jazzwise describing it as "exhilarating post-Ornette free-jazzmaking." DownBeat Magazine said HEATMAP "radiates with brilliance," and Musica Jazz (Italy) described it as "a masterpiece."
In 2021, Caleb was named a MacDowell Fellow and composed the music for HEATMAP during his four-week artist residency at the prestigious MacDowell campus in New Hampshire. The compositions were designed to become a set of music that leaves ample space for the album's remarkable improvisers to explore and invent.
In addition to his three albums as a leader, Caleb has also released two albums with Ember, two albums with Walking Distance, and a duo album with Swiss pianist Laurent Nicoud. He has been widely praised for his collaborative projects and has recently recorded on albums by Igor Lumpert, Jeff Miles, Anwar Marshall, Dierk Peters, and George DeLancey, among others. With an individualistic approach to improvisation and sound, Caleb has been hailed as "one of the most interesting altoists in a long time." He is a D'Addario Woodwinds Artist and holds a Bachelor's of Music in Jazz Studies from Michigan State University and a Master's in Music in Jazz Performance from William Paterson University.
Gear
Buescher True Tone Straight Alto "Stritch" with Ted Klum "New London" 9 (customized) mouthpiece, D'Addario Grand Concert Select 3.0 reeds, Francois Louis Ultimate Ligature
Buescher True Tone Sopranino Prototype with SYOS Custom Mouthpiece and D'Addario Rico Royal 1.0 Eb Clarinet Reeds
Yamaha YTR6310Z Trumpet, Bach 10 1/2 C
Tags
Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band: Walk A Mile In My Shoe
by Steve Plever
A glance through the track list--with covers of Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye and two swing-era vocal standards--could give you the wrong impression. Yes, this is a very accessible and soulful album, but it is serious and heartfelt jazz, with Orrin Evans' personal stamp making it work. Blues, soul and gospel sounds share the stage here with swing, straight-ahead and avant-garde influences--no surprise given Evans' decade of playing with the Mingus Big Band. Evans' piano sets the tone ...
Continue ReadingCaleb Wheeler Curtis: The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery (Deluxe Edition)
by Vincenzo Roggero
Musicista non ancora quarantenne, da noi poco conosciuto,Caleb Wheeler Curtis sassofonista, trombettista, compositore newyorchese, licenzia il suo album più ambizioso, un doppio CD che già dal titolo fa presagire qualcosa di assai lontano da un rassicurante mainstream. The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery, questo il titolo (ogni riferimento a Frank Zappa è puramente casuale), è un doppio CD che presenta due differenti trii, registrati a pochi mesi di distanza. Nel primo, che porta ...
Continue ReadingCaleb Wheeler Curtis: The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery (Deluxe Edition)
by Paul Rauch
Caleb Wheeler Curtis is one of the more daring musicians in jazz today, not only in his approach to playing the saxophone, but in his fearless dedication to his own musical conceptions, expressed clearly in his original compositions. That daring and dedication can be equally attributed to many of the shakers and movers of modern jazz, including one Thelonious Sphere Monk. On his double album release, The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery (Imani, 2024), Curtis ...
Continue ReadingCaleb Wheeler Curtis: The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery (Deluxe Edition)
by Troy Dostert
There has always been room in jazz for those creative minds who can bridge the gap between the heart of tradition and the leading edge of change. In the world of saxophonists, Thomas Chapin, Arthur Blythe, Julius Hemphill or David Murray easily come to mind. Multi-instrumentalist Caleb Wheeler Curtis has similarly explored this terrain for years, and like his forebears, he often does his best work in a trio format. His August in March (Imani Records, 2023) was an imaginative ...
Continue ReadingMonk Meets Bears on Caleb Wheeler Curtis's Latest
by Lawrence Peryer
Caleb Wheeler Curtis, the Brooklyn-based saxophonist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, is set to release his most ambitious project yet. The upcoming double album not only showcases his considerable talents but also reimagines the music of Thelonious Monk for modern listeners. The new release with the intriguing title The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery (Imani Records), manifests Curtis's creative restlessness through a willingness to place his own compositions side-by-side with a great. A Tale of ...
Continue ReadingInterview with Caleb Wheeler Curtis plus new music from Camille Thurman, Steve Coleman and the Five Elements and Delia Fischer
by Hobart Taylor
Hobart Taylor interviews saxophonist and composer Caleb Wheeler Curtis and celebrates other great sax players Camille Thurman, Steve Coleman, Jessica Jones, Vi Redd and Ornette Coleman. Playlist Camille Thurman"Pursuit With A Purpose" from Origins (Hot Tone Music) 0:00 Camille Thurman “Freedom" from Confluence, Vol.1: Alhambra (Epidote) 6:56 Host Speaks 19:55 Jessica Jones “Little Melonae" Nod (New Artists) 22:04 Steve Coleman “ Lush Life Cadenza" from PolyTropos--Of Many Turns (Pi) 31:00 Host Speaks 42:42 Elsa Nilsson “Neneo, Charcao, Chacay" ...
Continue ReadingOrrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band: Walk A Mile In My Shoe
by Angelo Leonardi
Il nuovo disco di Orrin Evans e della sua Captain Black Big Band ci ricorda l'importanza delle radici per la comunità musicale afroamericana: il gospel, il blues, le big band, i cantanti e strumentisti storici. Una risorsa che è anche identità collettiva e forza culturale. Come ha sempre fatto in passato, il pianista e bandleader di Philadelphia s'ispira alla tradizione per rinnovarla e arricchirla, con passione e freschezza. Stavolta le orchestrazioni sono funzionali alle interpretazioni di quattro prodigiosi ...
Continue Reading"explosive altoist" – The New York Times "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
Photos
Music
Oska T
From: The True Story of Bears and the...By Caleb Wheeler Curtis
The First Question
From: The True Story of Bears and the...By Caleb Wheeler Curtis
Surrounding
From: HeatmapBy Caleb Wheeler Curtis
Paradise
From: ParadiseBy Caleb Wheeler Curtis
Videos
Caleb Wheeler Curtis
Location: New York City
Instrument: Saxophone
Born: December 28, 1985
