Results for "saxophone, tenor"

Walter Smith III

Born: September 24, 1980

From an early age, Walter began taking music very seriously. “My first gig was playing at a McDonald's in Houston with another saxophone player. I took a solo on “Blue Bossa.” It was terrible. People clapped, and I figured if I could get away with that and get applause, how could I fail?”

Although it may appear Smith is a new voice on the scene, he is widely recognized as an adept performer, accomplished composer, and inspired educator. Smith’s recent release, return to casual, garnered critical acclaim from audiences and critics alike. “return to casual [is] Smith’s deeply poised first album as a leader for Blue Note... The whole enterprise rings of cool sophistication in a small-group style that Smith and his contemporaries helped define... In that sense, return to casual is not just a homecoming of sorts, but also an emphatic confirmation.” In September of 2024, Smith released his sophomore album for Blue Note Records, “three of us are from Houston and Reuben is not”, featuring a new offering of original music.

Aaron Rossi

Born: December 27, 1975

Bay Area saxophonist. Saxophone studies with George Garzone, Eric Person and Charles Davis. Graduate of New School jazz program in New York City, 2000. Studies or playing situations with many of the greats from that faculty including Chico Hamilton, Junior Mance, Cecil Bridgewater, Jane Ira Bloom and George Garzone. Classmates included now recognized jazz performers such as John Ellis, Matt Otto, Marcus Strickland, Evan Schwamm, Robert Glasper, Mike Moreno, and many burners that you will never hear of that are doing their own thing all across this great planet. Current performances with own duo and trio, the Nick Rossi Set (Hammond Rhythm and Blues combo), and The New Squatoolas sax trio (witch includes Bay Area saxophonists Charlie Gurke and Jim Peterson).

Adam Ray

Born: March 25, 1983

Adam Ray grew up grabbing every instrument he could lay his hands on. He studies jazz and music production in graduate school and has been performing and producing music for the last decade. Favoring progressive and electronic mediums, Ray strives to bring together sound and light for a result that stuns not only the senses, but the mind. Ray performs regularly in the OKC and Tulsa areas with his jazz trio, his dance bande, the AtomRay Funktet, and his electronic amalgam, The Phase. Adam Ray is also the owner of Phaze Studios.

Buck Hill

Born: 1927

Buck Hill is a living legend, who has been dazzling audiences for over forty years. Born in 1927, Buck Hill started playing saxophone at the age of 13. By the mid-fifties, he was married with three children and supporting them by driving a cab and delivering mail. Despite the family demands, he continued to practice and perform. He was discovered by Charlie Byrd and became a regular on the local jazz circuit, appearing with Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Shirley Horn. In 1957, he appeared on his first recording with Charlie Byrd and later appeared on numerous recordings with Shirley Horn on the Verve label

David Ronald

Born: April 22, 1958

Ian Tordella

Saxophonist Ian Tordella is an emerging voice on the West Coast jazz scene, and has worked with guitarist Peter Sprague, pianist Joshua White, saxophonist Jason Robinson, and others. His sound is rooted in the hard-bop players of the ‘50s and ‘60s, drawing inspiration from Sonny Stitt, Hank Mobley, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, and Coltrane. Tordella’s jazz compositions, however, incorporate sounds from trip-hop, rock, and electronica; he cites Meshell Ndegéocello, Stereolab, and Warp Records as influences, alongside jazz composers like Wayne Shorter and Kenny Wheeler. Raised in the Washington, DC area, Tordella attended the University of North Texas before transplanting to California in 2003, where he furthered his studies under altoist Charles McPherson.

Peter Sommer

Peter Sommer, saxophonist and composer, is in demand as a performer, clinician and recording artist throughout the state of Colorado. Since establishing himself among the area’s elite jazz musicians, Peter has contributed his muscular tenor playing and creative spirit to a wide variety of musical projects ranging from mainstream bebop to avant garde and beyond. Peter is a member of the Ken Walker Sextet, whose recent release on Synergy Music, Terra Firma, reached #6 on the CMJ Jazz Radio Charts and received rave reviews from JazzWeek.com and the All Music Guide Online. This fall, Peter will release his long-awaited debut album, Sioux County on Tapestry Records, which features his compositions and his long-time collaboration with jazz piano legend Art Lande. Peter has performed with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, and has appeared at many jazz festivals throughout the state including the Telluride Jazz Celebration, Jazz in the Sangres and the Vail Jazz Festival

Brian Woestehoff

I grew up in Minneapolis, MN and began my musical education in the third grade with piano lessons, which i kept up for 10 years. I started playing the saxophone at 11, but never paid it much attention until High School, where i began to learn to improvise. From there, i moved on to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, studying with local gurus like John Swana, Chris Farr, and Tony Salicondro. Around the year 2000, i formed the current quartet with Dan Monaghan, Erik Dutko, and Brian Howell. I've since graduated from Uarts, and have spent the time since graduation writing and recording music with the quartet

David Aaron

Born: April 4, 1966

Canadian saxophonist David Aaron regularly works as a freelance musician, as well as a private teacher, composer, arranger and producer and has scored a number of live theater pieces plus numerous films, including two films most recently featured at Cannes.

He was also the creator/producer of the Improv At The Khyber series in Halifax, Canada, which ran in conjunction with the Atlantic Jazz Festival. The series featured internationally-known musicians in an intimate gallery setting.

David has performed at legendary venues such as The Apollo Theater, Knitting Factory (NYC, Brooklyn & Hollywood), The Bottom Line, 55 Bar, Tonic, The Stone NYC, Minton’s Playhouse, The Bitter End, The Cutting Room, Hammerstein Ballroom, Fillmore NYC@Irving Plaza, Lincoln Center "Out Of Doors", B.B

Paul Ahlstrand

When the hectic summer touring season cools down, things begin to heat up in a cozy Cambridge, MA music venue. On Sunday nights you may find saxophonist Paul Ahlstrand at Toad in Porter Square, leading his stellar quartet through jazz as rich and satisfying as the dark brews on tap at this favorite neighborhood pub. The Sunday night shows have been a welcome wintertime hang for the past few seasons, and now Paul Ahlstrand and quartet have recorded a brilliant new CD titled, appropriately enough, “The Sunday Hang” (Gibraltar Records).

“The Sunday Hang” exhibits a sweet, soulful elegance that evokes at once serious jazz talent and also a casual cool of a very seasoned all-star band. Aside from Ahlstrand on tenor, the band features drummer Dave Mattacks (Fairport Convention, Paul McCartney, Elton John), bassist Jesse Williams (Duke Robillard) and pianist Ryan Claunch (Hal Sherfey Band, ex-Groovasaurus). Six of the eight tracks recorded by Nate Dube at Rear Window Studios are Ahlstrand originals and indeed "The Sunday Hang" makes clear that Paul Ahlstrand is a major force as composer, arranger, band leader, and producer.