The Tiptons Saxophone Quartet & Drums

THE TIPTONS SAXOPHONE QUARTET & DRUMS are an internationally renowned all-female saxophone quartet with drums, celebrating over 30 years as a band. Formed in 1988 in Seattle, WA by Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame member Amy Denio (alto sax, clarinet, voice), she is joined by co-leader Jessica Lurie (soprano/alto/ tenor sax,voice), Sue Orfield (tenor sax, voice), Tina Richerson (baritone saxophone, voice), and Robert Kainar (drums,percussion) from Salzburg, Austria.

The Tiptons' material ranges from micro-Big Band to Gospel, Bluegrass to Balkan, whimsical Chamber Jazz, and nocturnal Funk to Free Jazz Improvisation using saxophones, clarinet, their voices, drums, and inventive percussion to create a genre-busting ‘world soul’ sound. The band takes its name in honor of Billy Tipton, a female-born saxophonist who lived their life as a man in the 20th century to realize their dreams as a professional musician. Like Billy, the Tiptons have developed a personal, eclectic approach to their musical vision, creating some of the freshest sounds on the jazz/world/pop music scene today.

All members of the band are composers, bandleaders and experienced improvisers. Their dynamic and playful performances always feature high-energy interaction between these virtuosic musicians and their audiences.
The Tiptons have received multiple commissions and grants to compose, produce multimedia performances, and collaborate with international artists. The ensemble has performed at festivals worldwide since 1993, and led educational improvisation and composition workshops around the world to people of all ages and musical abilities. They have scored soundtracks for film, modern dance, radio and television internationally; most recently their signature sound was featured on an episode of the Norwegian TV series 'The Oil Fund.'

HIGHLIGHTS: Hammer Museum Jazz Series (Los Angeles); Snow Jazz Festival (Austria); Donauinsel Festival (Austria); Carega Jazz Festival (Italy); TAKTLOS Festival (Switzerland); North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands);
Clifford Brown Jazz Festival (USA); du Maurier Jazz Festival (Canada); MIMI Festival (France); Bumbershoot Music Festival (USA); Coleman Hawkins Jazz Festival (USA); Horfest (Austria); Klinkende Munt Music Festival (Belgium); NYC Gay Games (USA); Michigan Women's Music Festival (USA); Jazz Festival Goerlitz (Germany);
Women in Movement Festival (USA); Earshot Jazz Festival (USA); Jazzmiele Festival (Italy).

COLLABORATIONS and MAJOR PERFORMANCES:
Good Will Arts Festival (Seattle); Bus Horn Concerto/Hurry up and Wait (King County Metro); Sax House (Pat Graney); Shop of Wild Dreams (multimedia performance with film maker Aric Meyer and painter Daniel Zezelj) Mythunderstandings (multimedia performance with filmmaker Adam Sekular, with Saanich narrator Paul ‘Cheoketen’ Wagner); Mujer o Bruja (multimedia performance with pan-Latin duo Correo Aereo and digitalist technologist Jing ‘Jude’ Dai); as well as musical groups Ne Zhdali (Estonia); Stearica (Italy); C'mon Tigre (Italy); Kiahmocha (Austria); Michaelbeuern Abbey Choir (Austria); and jazz composer Wayne Horvitz.

DISCOGRAPHY:  Saxhouse (Knitting Factory,1993) • make it funky god (1994) • Box (New World Records,1996) • Pollo D’oro with Estonian band Ne Zhdali (No Man’s Land, 1998) • Sunshine Bundtcake (Zipa!/Spoot Music, 2000) • Surrounded by Horns (Stockfisch, 2003) • Tsunami (Zipa!/Spoot Music, 2004) • Drive (Zipa!/Spoot Music, 2005) •
Laws of Motion (Zipa!/Spoot Music, 2008) • Strange Flower (Zipa!/Spoot Music, 2010) • Tiny Lower Case (Sowiesound, 2014) • We Are Happy to Meet Again with Michaelbeuern Benedictine Abbey Stiftschor (Sowiesound, 2016) •
Cookbook (Sowiesound, 2016) • Wabi Sabi (Sowiesound, 2020)  • Mujer o Bruja (Sowiesound, 2023)

Awards

Gear

Jessica Lurie (soprano/alto/ tenor sax,voice)

Sue Orfield (tenor sax, voice)

Tina Richerson (baritone saxophone, voice)

Rick Wabbies (drums,percussion)