Results for "Saxophone"

Mitchell S. Kessler

Born: January 22, 1960

Mitch Kessler was born in Cheverly, Maryland, USA in 1960 and raised in New York City. He began playing saxophone at age 13 and studied in New York with Billy Kerr. Mitch later studied with the legendary Joe Allard (whose students included, among others, Eric Dolphy and Michael Brecker) at the New England Conservatory of Music. There, he also came in contact with the great Jaki Byard, with whom he performed on several occasions and studied arranging. Mitch also studied composition there with William Thomas McKinley. Mitch later chose a different path, pursuing a career as a lawyer. He never gave up playing Jazz

Neil Maya

As a teenager Neil trained as a clarinettist at the Royal College of Music. He took up the sax when he was fifteen and got the jazz bug soon after. He has since studied jazz sax with a number of eminent players including Jean Toussaint and Richard Ingham. In 2001, Neil moved to Devon, UK where he founded the NEIL MAYA QUARTET with pianist Tom Unwin. The NEIL MAYA QUARTET is one of the Southwest’s most exciting and talented bands, whose aim is to find fresh, new sounds within the wide scope of jazz whilst staying accessible to the public at large. The NEIL MAYA QUARTET is often rooted in the sounds of the cool jazz movement of the 50’s and 60’s, but loves playing other styles such as funk, samba, African and even folk rock

Mike Burton

Born: August 21

It may sound cliche, but Michael Burton was made for making music. Jackson native Michael Burton's musical gift was trained from an early age and honed through years of commitment. His mother was a singer with the Mississippi Mass Choir and his father a tenor saxophonist. In a home filled with music, he developed an affinity for soul and jazz. As a student in Jackson Public Schools, Burton took part in music programs offered at JPS's Academic and Performing Arts Complex (known as Power APAC) and after graduating from Murrah High School in 1996 he embarked on a journey to build on this musical legacy. Since completing both bachelor's and master's degrees in Jazz Studies

Sweet Sue Terry

"Sweet" Sue Terry began her professional playing career at the age of sixteen, playing for church performances and musical theater. She began playing Jazz gigs while attending the Hartt School, a well-known music conservatory in Hartford. Though she was accepted as a Classical clarinetist, her secret agenda was to study with the late Jazz legend Jackie McLean, which she did for five years. The Hartt School elected her Alumna of the Year in 2001. Sue first heard Jazz music as a child growing up in Connecticut, where her father had an extensive record collection and she listened to WRVR FM non-stop. As a teenager studying with legendary pianist and educator John Mehegan, Sue mentioned she would like to write a big band arrangement for her high school Jazz Ensemble

Ross Schneider

Songwriter, saxophonist, chromatic harmonicist

Brent Gallaher

Born: May 13, 1969

Brent Gallaher is a Cincinnati, Ohio based saxophonist and has resided there since 1988. He is an alumnus of the University of Cincinnati—College Conservatory of Music and was featured on their album Carnival of Life—1994, Alissa Records. While attending the CCM, Brent took a brief hiatus to join the Glenn Miller Orchestra. He toured with the ensemble from 1991–1992 and can be heard on their album Here We Go Again—1992 Victor. He returned to Cincinnati and the CCM in 1992 and in 1994 completed his Bachelors in Jazz Performance. In November 1998, Brent was called to tour with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra under the direction of Buddy Morrow

Ned Goold

Born: March 12, 1959

Charles Ned Goold is as distinctive an inside-outside tenor player as there is, and he should be a household name given the luck he's had with employment.

Besides fronting his own trio on several CDs, he has been a mainstay of Harry Connick Jr.'s bands since the early '90s. Goold's unique tone combines something of the cool, sharp delivery of Bird and Charlie Rouse with the breathy insistence of Lester Young and subtle phraseology of Dizzy Gillespie.

His modern system of harmonic improvisation (based on 20th century serial concepts) brings the swing approach into the new century. Ned Goold is perhaps best known as a member of Harry Connick, Jr.'s backing band, but he has also performed with artists like Ben Wolfe, Brother Jack McDuff and the legendary Haitian group, Tabou Combo. In the early '80s, Goold got his start as a session saxophonist, playing paying gigs at night while studying his craft during the day. By 1990, his solo improvisation skills were well known enough for Harry Connick, Jr. to invite Goold into his band, and an additional gig with Connick's bassist Ben Wolfe followed shortly after.

Larry Slezak

Born: 1946

Saxophonist Larry Slezak was born in Manhattan in 1946. He gravitated to the saxophone after hearing {{Bill Doggett = 6327}}'s hit recording of "Honky Tonk." Growing up in New York afforded him the opportunity, while still in his teens, to hear all the great musicians live: from Armstrong to Ellington and Basie. He was drawn to the music and was working professionally by the time he was 14. Since relocating to Houston in 1973, Slezak has mastered the entire reed instrument family and has performed in the orchestras for {{Johnny Mathis = 9164}}, {{Liza Minnelli}}, {{Burt Bacharach}}, {{Tony Bennett = 3785}}, {{Joe Williams = 11393}}, and countless others

Angela Davis

Born: June 23, 1985

Based in New York City since January 2010, Angela Davis was born in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. She started playing the saxophone at age nine, performed in her high school’s jazz band and toured Australia with The Jazz Ed Big Band which performed and recorded with saxophonist Don Burrows, one of Australia’s leading jazz artists. While still in high school Davis also earned an Associate of Music diploma in classical saxophone from the Australian Music Examinations Board. Davis received a Bachelor of Music with first class honors in 2006 from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and while there toured Australia and recorded with The Con Artists, a big band led by trumpeter John Hoffman a veteran of big bands led by Glen Miller, Buddy Rich and Woody Herman

Greg Wall

Saxophonist Greg Wall has performed and recorded with Hasidic New Wave ,Greg Wall’s Later Prophets , Zion80, The Wall/London Band, Neshama Carlebach, the Hi-Tops, Greg Wall’s Unity Orchestra, and has made many session appearances for record dates and film scores.

He was the musical voice of James Earl Jones in the feature film “On the QT”. Writing in Jazz Forum magazine Robert Buczek said, “Wall plays incredibly; his improvisations are well constructed and convincing.” The Cleveland Plain Dealer adds, “He plays with a consistent power and imagination.” His compositions for dance, jazz orchestra, and electronica have been widely performed and recorded. His critically acclaimed release, “From the Belly of Abraham”, with Hasidic New Wave and Senegalese master drummers Yakar Rhythms was named one of the ten best CD’s of 2002 by Jazz Times magazine.