Kenny Pexton

A big dark sound and a penchant for melodic inventiveness are immediately apparent when Kenny Pexton picks up his tenor sax or clarinet. “If your tone is happening, then you can play whatever notes you want and it will sound good.” These words are at the heart of Kenny’s approach to music and he stays committed to this foundation across varying styles, meters, grooves, and harmonies.

Kenny spent the past five years in Boston and during that time he played with many great musicians including Dave Holland, Don Byron, Rakalam Bob Moses, Cecil McBee, Jason Palmer, Frank Carlberg, Zaccai Curtis, Andre Hayward, Dan Tepfer, Richie Barshay, Jorge Roeder and Esperanza Spaulding. “Boston has a great music scene and I was fortunate to get the opportunity to play with and learn from many amazing and inspiring musicians.”

Kenny is also a member of the Nicholas Urie Large Ensemble, the Beantown Swing Orchestra, and has led many groups of various sizes around Boston.

Kenny’s family, friends and teachers all anticipated his choice of music as a career, but most were surprised when his focus changed from classical clarinet to jazz. Kenny was very skilled at the clarinet and it seemed to come naturally to him. “I enjoyed playing sonatas, concertos, and orchestral parts, but one day I realized that ninety percent of the CDs I bought were jazz. I had begun playing jazz in the high school big band, but it wasn’t until after I graduated that I decided to make it my focus.”

Kenny continued to play classical clarinet with the Oakland Youth Orchestra where he won a concerto competition with his performance of Rossini’s Introduction Theme and Variations. Kenny has also played with Vallejo Symphony, Diablo Symphony, Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra, and was one of three finalists (the only wind player) for the Oakland/East Bay Symphony’s Concerto Competition with his performance of Copland’s Clarinet Concerto. During this time, Kenny began to intensify his jazz studies at Los Medanos College under the instruction of Mike Zilber. “Mike Z is a fantastic sax player who taught me a lot. He brought in musicians like Dave Liebman and Bob Berg to perform at the college, and he showed me a lot about the saxophone and jazz theory that opened new doors for my self-expression.”

Zilber encouraged Kenny to attend his alma mater, the New England Conservatory of Music, to further his studies. “I was more interested in jazz at that point, but I had more experience playing classical music, so I decided to submit applications for both.” Kenny was accepted into both programs, but he ultimately chose Jazz Performance as his major.

During his time at NEC, Kenny has studied privately with Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, Allan Chase, Danilo Perez, Frank Carlberg, and John McNeil. He has also played in ensembles coached by Herb Pomeroy, Bob Brookmeyer, Joe Morris, Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, Rakalam Bob Moses, Frank Carlberg and Allan Chase.

“I’ve had the benefit of a very supportive family, great teachers, and a wealth of opportunities and I am excited to share the fruits of these well-tended seeds with anyone who will listen.” Show less