51. Ben Webster
52. Eddie Harris
53. Bobby Keys
54. Richard Elliott
55. Chris Potter
56. Kirk Whalum
57. Dave Koz
58. Wilton Felder
59. Lee Konitz
60. Eric Marienthal
61. Gene Ammons
62. John Surman
63. Arnett Cobb
64. Lee Allen
65. Pete Christlieb
66. Sonny Fortune
67. Clarence Clemons
68. Plas Johnson
69. Harold Land
70. David Sanchez
71. Bud Shank
72. Big Jay McNeely
73. Lou Donaldson
74. Branford Marsalis
75. Alvin 'Red' Tyler
76. Yusef Lateef
77. Sonny Simmons
78. Nat Simpkins
79. Archie Shepp
80. Willis Jackson
81. Maxwell Davis
82. Joe Houston
83. Louis Jordan
84. John Zorn
85. Richie Cole
86. Hank Crawford

87. Billy Harper
88. Earl Bostic
89. George Coleman
90. Dave Liebman
91. Lenny Pickett
92. Lucky Thompson
93. John Gilmore
94. Red Prysock
95. "Daddy" Gene Barge
96. Zoot Sims
97. Brandon Fields
98. Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
99. Jimmy Forrest
100. Sam Rivers

The above 100 sax players are with courtesy of
Digital Dream Door Site
The list was NOT compiled by myself,
so I cannot meddle with it.

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"A Special"
KING BHAMIBOL ADULYADEJ

For over six decades, His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej has inspired,
entertained and encouraged the Thai people in countless ways.
One of these is through music, and His Majesty’s songs, ranging from jazz to classical to patriotic anthems, have been performed not just in Thailand but internationally by some of the world’s leading musicians and orchestras
CLICK TO READ MORE
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YOUR CHOICES
Here are some great Saxophone players from many different genre, which YOU would have liked
to have seen up on the above lists. I agree, there are far too many under-appreciated or over looked musicians & those who play in the studio shadows,
as well as a new younger generation following in the foot-steps of the greats.
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LANCE ELLIS

American saxophonist Lance Ellis, born in New Orleans, felt the musical spirit from a young age, learning jazz improvisation techniques from Ellis Marsalis and playing in Mardi Gras parades with his high school and college marching bands. Later, while working for the U.S. Post Office, he performed with the Postal Service Jazz Ensemble, during this time, moonlighting on Bourbon Street and riverboats allowed him to master his instrument and to pursue music full time. Lance has since shared the stage with and has lent his talents to the legendary 70’s funk/soul band WAR, the original Meters and Neville Brothers, Funky Meter bassist George Porter Jr., Mem Shannon, keyboardist Art Neville, and Zydeco rhythm & blues master Chubby Carrier to name a few. In addition to his two solo CD's, he appears on a number of other recordings by his fellow New Orleans musicians including Sunpie & The Louisiana Sunspots, Timothea, the "Blues Siren", The Adams and Tracy Griffin. Besides recording and performing in the U.S., Lance has had the good fortune of touring England, Germany, France, Holland, Austria, and Canada, contributing to history-making shows with WAR and Chubby Carrier.
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RONISHA STEWART

Young, up and coming saxophonist, Ronisha Stewart, of whom, I am sure we will hear a lot of in the future, has been named on the Distinguished Honor Roll every year of high school and the National Honor Society and National English Honor Society. Ronisha is able to navigate the rigors of a tough Honors and Advanced Placement course schedule while spending many hours at rehearsals and at home practicing for musical performances. She has performed with the West Tennessee Band and Orchestra Association’s All-West Tennessee Jazz Band the past two years. As saxophone section leader, Ronisha arranged several pieces of music for the band. She is, as well, a member of the Executive Band Board and a member of the marching band, jazz band, wind ensemble, and pep band. She also participates with the Key Club, Student Council and Bridge Builders.Ronisha gives back to the school and community by mentoring and tutoring her peers. She also learned to play five additional instruments besides her primary instrument, the tenor saxophone. She also volunteers by working with the elderly and the homeless. Quote: She is an absolute beast at the tenor saxophone. The best I've heard, I actually had the honor of playing with her. ~ Carl Palmer III
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BRUCE JOHNSTONE

New Zealand baritone jazz saxophonist born in Wellington; he was a member of the NZBC Radio Big Band while still in High School. He moved to Sydney where he did studio work and was assistant musical director at Chequer, a prominent Sydney nightclub. He next traveled to Europe where he played with Ben Webster and Dexter Gordon in Copenhagen, after which he did more studio work in London. 1972 saw Bruce touring the States with Maynard Ferguson’s band, with who he also recorded 3 albums. That same year he was voted No.3 in Down Beat Magazine’s Readers Poll behind Gerry Mulligan and Pepper Adams, a position he held for next ten years. In '76 he left Ferguson and moved to N.Y., where together with Joe Corsello and Rick Petrone formed the Jazz Fusion band New York Mary. Their two albums met with great critical success. While in N.Y. Bruce also recorded with Anthony Braxton and blues singer Luther Allison. 1977 saw him touring and recording with The Woody Herman Band until 1978. Since 1978, he has lived and worked in Western New York area and maintains a busy concert/clinic schedule including appearances with The Dave Stevens Big Band, The Buffalo Brass, The Erie Philharmonic Pops, The Bemus Bay Pops, his own small groups and with The Don Menza Octet. He is currently Director of Jazz Studies at SUNY Fredonia.
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FLIP PHILLIPS

American jazz tenor saxophone and clarinet player, born Joseph Edward Filipelli in Brooklyn, New York. He was a member of the Woody Herman band, prior to going out on his own and before joining Jazz at the Philharmonic from 1946 to 1957.. He also played with the Woodchoppers, a small spin-off group that Woody Herman led. He recorded extensively for Clef Records, now Verve, in the 1940s and 1950s, including a 1949 album of small-group tracks under his leadership, with Buddy Morrow, Tommy Turk, Kai Winding, Sonny Criss, Ray Brown and Shelly Manne. He accompanied Billie Holiday on her 1952 Billie Holiday Sings album. Flip was a frequent player at the Odessa Jazz Party in Odessa, Texas, from 1971 to 1991 before he retired to Florida, but came back to music to recorded a CD when he was in his 80s
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EDGAR WINTERS

American musician Edgar Winters born in Beaumont, Texas, is a highly skilled saxophonist, keyboardist and percussionist and often plays an instrument while singing. His early recording of "Tobacco Road" propelled him into the national spotlight. He was most successful in the 1970s and 80s with his know legendary band, The Edgar Winter Group, which included Dan Hartman, Ronnie Montrose, later replaced by guitarist Rick Derringer and Chuck Ruff. Their hits include the songs "Frankenstein", "River's Risin'", "Keep Playin' That Rock 'n' Roll", "Hangin' Around" and "Free Ride". He has released 19 albums since 1971, the last being Rebel Road in 2008. Edgar also played with Ringo Starr in his ninth All-Starr Band in 2006, in his tenth All-Starr Band in 2008 and in his eleventh All-Starr Band in 2010-11.
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NICK SAVAGE

American saxophonist "Nasty" Nick Savage has recorded and performed on-stage with Bo Diddley for around 30 years, appearing on his 1989 album "Breakin' Through The BS". He has also appeared on-stage many times with Bill Haley's Comets and opened or appeared with for artists including Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Buddy Guy, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Artemus Pyle Band, Rick Derringer, Will Lee, Mark Farner and Dave Mason.
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GREG VAIL

American saxophonist Greg Vail, hails from Southern California and started learning the saxophone at the age of six. He continued to play throughout his education, graduating in 1984 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Cal State Long Beach. After graduation, he worked with many local area bands until joining smooth jazz super group, Kilauea, in 1991 and recorded four albums with them, before joining up with smooth jazz guitar sensation Peter White. Over the years he has toured and recorded with some of the big names in the jazz, pop, and Christian music scenes including Rick Braun, Peter White, Greg Adams, Josh Groban, Petra, Crystal Lewis, Natalie Cole, Al Jarreau, Michael McDonald, Earth Wind and Fire, and Smokey Robinson. He has also made appearances for everything from television and cable, BET Jazz, History, Fox News, TBN, to the national commercial for TimeLife Records promoting the renowned Sax by Candlelight and Sax by Moonlight CDs which sold in the millions worldwide.
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AL GALLOGORO

American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist, born in Chicago, but moved to Birmingham, Alabama when he was five years old. He made his first stage appearance at Birmingham's Lyric Theatre in 1926. After six years of playing nightclubs, speakeasies and vaudeville shows at the Orpheum Theater, Al moved to New York City and worked in radio bands. In 1933 he briefly joined Isham Jones' big band, making one record session with it. In 1936 he was hired to play lead alto saxophone in Paul Whiteman's orchestra, among the most popular performing groups of the era. After that group disbanded in 1940 he was hired to play bass clarinet in the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini. Among his credits is the famed opening clarinet glissando from the 1945 Warner Brothers film "Rhapsody in Blue", Al performed that particular piece over 10,000 times in his career. In 1947 his former bandleader invited him to join him as a live performer on New York's WJZ radio station. Al contributed countless saxophone solos to that station's programs over two decades and continued to do live radio work throughout his life. Bandleader Jimmy Dorsey praised him as "the best sax player who ever lived".
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EUGE GROOVE

American saxophone player Euge Groove, born Steven Eugene Grove, in Hagerstown, Maryland. He made his debut as professional musician in 1987 as sideman, when he Richard Elliot in the R&B-based horn section of Tower of Power. He also became a very much wanted session musician he performed on the Miami girl group Exposé No. 1 hit "Seasons Change," and on their 1993 hit "I'll Never Get Over You (Getting Over Me)". He has worked and recorded with many other greats including Huey Lewis and the News, Joe Cocker, Heart, Paula Abdul, Richard Marx, David Benoit, Aaron Neville, Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, The Steve Pryor Band to mention a few. Euge was also the sax player on The Simpsons Sing the Blues album. He launched his solo career in 2000 and between 2000-12, Euge has released 8 solo albums, which have produced several jazz No.1 hits, "Born 2 Groove", "Religify", "Sunday Morning" and "House of Groove" from his 2012 No.1 album of the same name. Other solo hits include "Sneak a Peek", "S7ven Large", "Slam Dunk", "The Funky Bunch", "Rewind", "Get 'Em Going", "Don't let me be lonely tonight", "Livin' Large" "Chillaxin", and "XXL". In 2008 he went on Tour with the legendary Tina Turner.
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MANU DIBANGO

Cameroonian saxophonist and vibraphone player, born in Douala, Manu developed a musical style fusing jazz, funk and traditional Cameroonian music. He was a member of the seminal Congolese rumba group African Jazz, and has collaborated with many other musicians, including Fania All Stars, Fela Kuti, Herbie Hancock, Bill Laswell, Bernie Worrell, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Don Cherry, and Sly and Robbie. In 1998 he recorded the album CubAfrica with Cuban artist Eliades Ochoa. The song "Soul Makossa" on the album of the same name contains the lyrics "makossa", which means "(I) dance" in his native tongue. It influenced several popular music hits, including Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", as well as his re-recording of that song with Akon, the Fugees' "Cowboys", and Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music". The 1982 parody song "Boogie In Your Butt" by comedian Eddie Murphy interpolates Soul Makossa's bassline and horn charts while "Butt Naked Booty Bless" by 1990s hip hop group Poor Righteous Teachers heavily samples its musical bridge and drum patterns. He served as the first chairman of the Cameroon Music Corporation, with a high profile in disputes about artists' royalties. Dibango was appointed a UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2004. His song "Reggae Makossa" is featured on the soundtrack to the 2006 video game Scarface: The World Is Yours. In August 2009 he played the closing concert at the revived Brecon Jazz Festival.
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JOHN KLEMMER

American saxophonist, composer, songwriter and arranger, John was born in Chicago, Illinois and began playing guitar at age 5 and alto saxophone at age 11. He studied at schools that include The Art Institute of Chicago and began touring with various local midwest "ghost big bands" [Les Elgart, Woody Herman] as well as playing with small local jazz and rock groups. After switching to tenor saxophone in high school, John participated actively in the local Chicago jazz scene, and went on to lead his own groups touring the U.S. using the cream of the Chicago sideman such as Jodie Foster, William Campbell & Cleveland Eaton, while occasionally performing in tandem with good friends such as jazz artist Eddie Harris & Oscar Brashear, arranger Les Hooper & rock artists such as James William Guercio and guitarist Harvey Mandel. He did his first PBS special for WTTW TV Chicago. He founded his own record label, Touch Records, for "special projects & releases only". John's music has been sampled by a large number of Hip-Hop, Rap & DJ Artists primarily focused on his early Chess record recordings.
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MICHAEL BRECKER

Michael Brecker, an influential and versatile American tenor saxophonist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in Cheltenham Township, a local suburb. Michael who won 11 Grammys over a career that spanned nearly four decades. He was responsible for some of the most superior jazz fusion of the 1970s and 1980s: alongside his trumpeter brother Randy in their group, the Brecker Brothers; and on the solo albums he led from 1987 onwards. As well as recording 29 albums as a leader, he was also one of the most wanted, busiest and certainly one the most distinguished of studio musicians, he performed with bands, which spanned from mainstream jazz to mainstream rock, altogether, he appeared on over 700 albums, appearing on albums by Frank Zappa, Bette Midler, Bruce Springten, Carly Simon, Chick Corea, Chet Baker, George Benson, Quincy Jones, Charles Mingus, Jaco Pastorius, McCoy Tyner, Pat Metheny, Elvin Jones, Claus Ogerman, Simon & Garfunkel, Bonnie Tyler, James Taylor, Luther Van dross, Tina Turner, Ringo Starr, Billy Joel, Rick James, Jan Akkerman, Herbie Hancock, John Lennon, Andy Gibb, Steely Dan, Elton John, Aerosmith, Diana Ross, Frank Sinatra, Lou Reed and so many more.
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LEROI MOORE

LeRoi Moore was born in Durham, North Carolina, raised in Charlottesville, Virginia, and was influenced at an early age at home by his mother's organ playing. He took up alto, then tenor sax in his junior high school band and through high school. He continued to study the tenor sax & played soprano sax at James Madison University influenced by the greats like John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. LeRoi soon became a well respected jazz musician around Charlottesville and Richmond, Virginia before meeting up with Dave Matthews and joining his band, where he became the first saxophonist to play vital saxophone riffs that help define a rock band. He often arranged the music and had co-writing credits on many DMB songs, most notably "Stay" and "Too Much". Though very shy & retiring, he puts all his energies into his versatile playing, whether it be jazz, funk, rock or classical styles of music, he is extremely skilled in them all, and can turn on a penny from one style to the next, leaving us with some unforgettable performances, haunting us from the shadows of the band. LeRio is a muti-woodwind player, carrying eleven different instruments with him on tour and he become an inspiration to young and old sax players across the world. In addition to performing with the Dave Matthews Band, LeRoi appeared on Code Magenta's self-titled album and Soko's album In November Sunlight. His horn collection included a Buescher bass saxophone, Selmer Mark VI and Yamaha baritone saxophones, two Selmer Mark VI tenor saxophones, two Selmer Mark VI alto saxophones, a Yamaha soprano, and a Selmer Super-80 Series 3 soprano.
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JIMMY HEATH

Born in Philadelphia, American musician Jimmy Heath aka Little Bird, started out playing alto saxophone but switched to tenor sax in the late 40s. In the mid 50s he composed most of the 1956 Chet Baker and Art Pepper album Playboys. He did a stint with the Miles Davis's group in 1959, replacing John Coltrane, as well as working with Kenny Dorham and Gil Evans. During the 1960s, he frequently worked with Milt Jackson and Art Farmer. In 1975, Jimmy and his brothers, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Heath, formed the Heath Brothers, which also featured pianist Stanley Cowell. In the 1980s, he joined the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in the City University of New York. As a Professor, he led the creation of the Jazz Program at Queens College and attracted prominent musicians such as Donald Byrd to the campus. He also served on the Board of the Louis Armstrong Archives. In addition to teaching at Queens College for over twenty years, Jimmy has recorded as a leader for Cobblestone, Muse, Xanadu, Landmark, and Verve, and has also taught at Jazzmobile, which presents Free Outdoor Summer Mobile Concerts, bringing jazz musicians to the 5 boroughs of New York City, Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Essex County, New Jersey, Westchester County, and several cities in upstate New York. Jimmy was a recipient of the 2003 NEA Jazz Masters Award and in 2004 awarded an honorary Doctorate in Human Letters. Since 1948, Jimmy to date, has recorded 22 albums as a leader, 25 as a sideman
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HENLEY DOUGLAS Jr

Born in Boston, saxophinist Henley Douglas Jr.'s early career included stints with the Big Dig Saxophone Quartet and Skin, a Boston-based funk-rock outfit that opened for acts such as the Neville Brothers and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He then founded the Heavy Metal Horns, playing both tenor & baritone saxophones, the band reached international acclaim in 1999 with their self titled album. Next Henley fronted the Boston Horns, a 7-piece funk, jazz and soul band also featuring Garret Savluk. They released 6 studio albums, 5 live albums and 5 records for Japan between 1999 - 2011. Since leaving Boston Horns in the spring of 2011, Henley has branched out, bringing together a wide range of musical influences and experience he has gained in his near 30 year career, exploring other genres with several new groups including Soul Force V, a six-piece featuring Christina McGhie on vocals and guitarist Peter Fedele on guitar and also a sextet HD R&B, featuring singer Douglas Gimbel and guitarist Charlie O'Neal. Henley has also been one of the driving forces of the Salem Jazz & Soul Festival since the weekend music series began in 2007.
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KIM BARTH

Danish-German saxophone player Kim Barth studied at the University of Performing Arts of Mannheim in Germany and Long Island University, New York in Jazz Performing, Composition and Arrangement. After which he consecutively worked in the USA, Spain, Brazil and Cuba before he moved back to Germany where he is currently based. His first international project Morello And Barth Present The Bossa Nova Legends 2001-2006, featured those who made the legend in Copacabana in the Sixties including Latin grammy winner Leny Andrade, Pery Ribeiro, Johnny Alf and Alaíde Costa. The originality of their music catapulted Kim onto the international Latin Jazz scene while the project reached its climax through a three year-tour throughout Europe and South America. Kim is also a member of international Ensemble Banda do Patio, a pool of artists including UK composer Peter Lawrence, Chilean percussionist Claudio Estay, Californian trombone virtuoso Christy Belicki and concert pianist-composer Oriol Cruxiente, performing their own compositions and arrangements together with prestigious symphony orchestras throughout Europe.
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JIMMY WRIGHT

American tenor saxophonist, who author/scholar Peter Grendysa has called the equal of Red Prysock, Sam "The Man" Taylor, and Big Jay McNeely, among 1950s saxophone virtuosos, yet Jimmy has sadly always remained in the shadows. Jimmy Wright was one of the most influential musical figures in the history and development of early rock & roll, as well as a huge chunk of New York City-based R&B of the mid '50s. As the resident bandleader and a music director for George Goldner's Rama Records and Gee Records labels throughout the 50s, Jimmy had more to say about what most of the music on those labels, among the most successful and influential of their day, especially in New York City, sounded like than many of the artists themselves. The Jimmy Wright Band, also known as the Jimmy Wright Orchestra, variously included jazz veterans Skeeter Best, Jimmy Shirley, and Jerome Darr on guitar, Abie Baker and Al Hall on bass, Freddie Johnson or Jimmy Phipps on piano, and Gene Brooks on drums. Jimmy helped create a new sound that turned radio, the recording industry, and music on its head. And with his honking saxophone sharing space for the lead, he was as visible a musical presence as anyone on any of Elvis Presley's records from Scotty Moore, Bill Black, and D.J. Fontana on down, his instrument defining the texture and power of rock & roll on records like "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and a dozen other Rama and Gee sides. He created some of the wildest sax solos, including the screaming, soaring sax solo on the Valentines "Woo Woo Train", his was the band for most 50's NYC doowop groups.
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LAWRENCE "BUD" FREEMAN

American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, he is known mainly for playing the tenor saxophone, but also able at the clarinet. He was one of the most influential and important jazz tenor saxophonists of the Big Band era. His major recordings were "Tillie's Downtown Now", "The Eel", "Crazeology", "The Buzzard", and "After Awhile", composed with Benny Goodman. Bud was one of the original members of the Austin High School Gang which began in 1922, they began to formulate their own style, becoming part of the emerging Chicago Style of jazz. In 1927, he moved to New York, where he worked as a session musician and band member with Red Nichols, Roger Wolfe Kahn, Ben Pollack, Joe Venuti, among others. After WW2, he worked with groups such as Buck Clayton, Ruby Braff, Vic Dickenson and Jo Jones, and was a member of the World's Greatest Jazz Band between 1969 and 1970. In 1974, he moved to England for 6 years where he made numerous recordings and performances there and in Europe. Bud was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1992
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GARY BARTZ

American alto and soprano saxophonist and clarinetist, he broke into the music industry when he filled in with Art Blakey's band at his father's club in Baltimore. Gary graduated from the Baltimore City College high school and The Juilliard School. He has worked and recorded with Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Max Roach, and Jackie McLean. as well as The Rance Allen Group, Gene Ammons, Donald Byrd, Norman Connors, Phyllis Hyman, Antonio Hart, Alphonse Mouzon, Phyllis Hyman, Charles Tolliver, Sphere, Woody Shaw, Barney McAll, Pharoah Sanders, Grachan Moncur III, and McCoy Tyner. In 2005 Mark won a Grammy Award for playing on McCoy Tyner's album Illuminations. With his own group the "Ntu Troop" which combined soul, funk, the music of Africa, hard bop, and avant-garde jazz, he has recorded 29 albums from Libra in 1967 to Soprano Stories in 2005. He currently teaches at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music when not touring.
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RICH LATAILLE

American alto saxophonist Rich Lataille joined the blues and swing revival big band Roomful of Blues in 1970, and has been a member of the band for 42 years. It was Rich’s interest in the swinging bands of the ’30s and ’40s that led Roomful to forge the distinctive sound that has become the band’s trademark. They have had five Grammy Award nominations and many other accolades, including seven Blues Music Awards (with a victory as Blues Band Of The Year in 2005). The Down Beat International Critics Poll has twice selected Roomful as Best Blues Band. They often backed musicians like Jimmy Witherspoon, Jimmy McCracklin, Roy Brown, Joe Turner, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson and Earl King and recorded albums with Turner, Vinson and King during the 1980s. They have played many major festivals, including The San Francisco Blues Festival, The King Biscuit Blues Festival, The Beale Street Music Festival, Blues On The Fox, Illinois Blues Festival, Kansas City Blues Festival, Monterey Blues Festival, Santa Cruz Blues Festival, and overseas at The North Sea Jazz Festival, The Stockholm Jazz Festival, The Montreux Jazz Festival, Notodden Festival and the Belgian Rhythm & Blues Festival. They have gigged with blues stars ranging from B.B. King, Otis Rush and Stevie Ray Vaughan to rockers Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana. Rich and the band has toured virtually non-stop, hitting cities from coast to coast, and traveling abroad to Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey and Russia.
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"SAX" GORDON BEADLE

"Sax" Gordon Beadle was born in Detroit and gained his first musical experiences in Northern California with combos and big bands in the Sacramento area, eventually performing and recording with Bay Area Blues giant Johnny Heartsman before leaving for east coast's Boston where he has become one of the most sought-after saxophonists. Gordon has performed in Europe, Australia, South America, Africa, Central America, Scandinavia, the Caribbean, all over North America, and toured in opening bands for such notable acts as the Rolling Stones, BB King and the Neville Brothers. With his own groups or as a sideman Gordon has appeared at world-renowned festivals including the Monterey Jazz festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival (Holland), Luxembourg Blues and Jazz Rallye, San Francisco Blues Festival, Newport Rhythm & Blues Festival, King Biscuit Festival (Helena, AR), Istambul Blues Festival, Boston Blues Festival, the Handy Awards, Memphis in May, Imatra Big Band Festival (Finland), Tanglewood Jazz Festival, Nescafe Blues Festival (Brazil), Blues Estafette (Netherlands), Kabila Blues (Morrocco). He received the French Euroblues Agency's "Trophees France Blues - International Musician (Divers)" in 1998, 2000 and 2003. He continues working in the USA and overseas with his own groups as well as with other artists, and was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award in the "Instrumentalist - Horns" category in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005.
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DOUG “Mr. Low” JAMES

In 1970 American baritone sax specialist Doug James joined Roomful of Blues, one of the pace-setting bands of the blues revival, where he often backed blues and swing greats like Roy Brown, Helen Humes, LaVern Baker, and Jimmy Witherspoon, comedians John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd in the first incarnation of the Blues Brothers Band, and jamming with stars like Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Junior Walker, Buddy Guy and Bonnie Raitt was all in a days work. Doug's baritone was featured soloing on at least a half-dozen albums with Roomful as well as recordings backing such legends as Big Joe Turner, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Earl King, Lou Rawls, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Pat Benetar, Colin James, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, earning 5 Grammy nominations and a W.C. Handy Award along the way. Since re-joining his old boss and mentor Duke Robillard in 1998, playing bari and tenor saxes, Doug has continued touring worldwide and has appeared on CDs for Duke, Eddie Clearwater, Toni Lynn Washington, Jerry Portnoy, Jimmy "T99" Nelson, Jay McShann, Debbie Davies, Billy Boy Arnold, Sax Gordon, Kim Wilson, and Bryan Lee among others. As a member of numerous "W.C. Handy All-Stars" tours he's backed R&B heroes and contemporary stars like Charlie Musselwhite, Little Milton, Ruth Brown, Joe Louis Walker, Trudy Lynn, and Johnny Johnson. He also leads his own "Doug James Big Band" and occasionally co-leads an all-star lineup with frequent horn section collaborator Sax Gordon.
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GREG PICCOLO

American musician Greg joined his first band, The Rejects, at age 13, before joining Duke Robillard in The Variations, after which forming Groupe with Al Copley. He next worked with Duke in an early edition of Roomful of Blues, (a Roomful without horns), and he returned the following year, 1970, with his tenor sax. When Duke left in 1979, Greg became bandleader, and for much of the time, the band's singer too. The group’s blend of swing, rock and roll, jump blues, boogie-woogie and soul has earned it five Grammy Award nominations and many other accolades. They backed many swing and blues heroes such as Jimmy Witherspoon, Roy Brown, Helen Humes, Big Joe Turner, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Earl King, Lou Rawls, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Pat Benetar, Colin James, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds and LaVern Baker. In 1990 Greg cut his first solo album "Heavy Juice" a collection of mainly instrumental cuts. He left Roomful in '94 to follow his own particular musical vision... Greg Piccolo and Heavy Juice toured incessantly for the next five or six years, and cut two albums for Fantasy Records, "Acid Blue"-1995 and "Red Lights"-1997. Greg enjoys "playing" homage to a musical era, the late 40's and early 50's and to his tenor sax heroes Illinois Jacquet, Ben Webster, Red Prysock, Lester Young, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Gene Ammons, Joe Houston, and Clifford Smith. He is also an in-demand session player and more recently finished some sessions with Canadian superstar Colin James
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CHARLIE VENTURA

American swing tenor saxophonist and bandleader born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; before the swing era he was noted for his attempt at popularizing bebop during the tail end of the music's mid- to late-'40s heyday. He had his first successes as a featured soloist with Gene Krupa after joining the band in '42. In 1945 he won the Down Beat readers' poll in the tenor saxophone division. In the late 40s he ran a few successful ensembles and went on to be known for "Bop for the People" with Jackie Cain, and Roy Kral. After the 50s he did few recordings and led another big band, a highly acclaimed group called the Big Four with Chubby Jackson, Buddy Rich, and Marty Napoleon. He briefly ran his own night club in Philadelphia and continued to work with Krupa into the 60s. After Charlie worked with Jackie Gleason in Las Vegas and fronted various groups in the '70s and '80s
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VINCENT FALCONE

Canadian musician born Vincent Pellerin and hailing from Montreal, his instruments include tenor, alto and soprano saxophones, and the unusual electric sax Akai EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument). Either in solo with background tracks, in duo with a pianist or singer, or in a full band with live dancers, he delivers an energetic and powerful performance. During the past 16 years, 1995-2011, he has performed on many corporate events around the world, theaters, television shows, musicals, and many cruise ship lines such as Costa Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean, as a guest artist. Vinny is also a composer of music for advertising, theatre, circus acts and record labels. His talents cover a broad spectrum of musical styles such as jazz, pop, classic, new-age, ambient and techno ~ youtube
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CHARLES LLOYD

American jazz musician Charles, plays tenor saxophone and flute, he has also occasionally recorded on alto saxophone and more exotic reed instruments which include the Hungarian tárogató. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, he began playing the saxophone at the age of 9 and later he became a sideman in the blues bands of B. B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Bobby "Blue" Bland and others. From 1960-63 he played in the band of drummer Chico Hamhonistilton and became its musical director and in 1964 he played alto sax with Cannonball Adderley. Through 1966-1968 he led a quartet with pianist Keith Jarrett, bassist Cecil McBee, afterwards, Ron McClure, and drummer Jack DeJohnette. During the 1970s Lloyd played extensively with The Beach Boys both on their studio recordings and as a member of their touring band. Upon being approached by pianist Michel Petrucciani in the early 1980s, he resumed playing and from 1989, he toured actively and recorded for the ECM label. Although his playing had not changed much stylistically since his groundbreaking work in the 1960s, these recordings showcased his sensitivity as a ballad player. Noteworthy albums include Canto, Voice in the Night, The Water Is Wide ft. Brad Mehldau, John Abercrombie, Larry Grenadier and Billy Higgins; Lift Every Voice ft. Geri Allen; and the live Rabo de Nube.
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FRANK MORGAN

American jazz saxophonist with a career spanning more than 50 years. He took up clarinet and alto at an early age, and went on to mainly play alto saxophone but also played soprano saxophone on occasions. He moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1947 where he won a talent contest, leading to him record a solo with Freddy Martin. Frank worked on the bop scene of early-'50s Los Angeles, recording with Teddy Charles-1953 and Kenny Clarke-1954, and leading his own album for GNP in 1955. During the 50s he was known as a Charlie Parker protege and recorded several bebop albums. He started taking heroin at the age of 17, became addicted and ended up spending time on and off in a few Californian prisons. In the 60's while at San Quentin prison, he formed a small ensemble with another addict and sax player, Art Pepper. The Frank Morgan Quartet featured Dolo Coker on piano, Flip Greene on bass and Larance Marable on drums and in 1985 he started recording again, releasing Easy Living in June 1985. He suffered a stroke in 1998, but subsequently recovered and recorded additional albums. From '85 till his death in 2007 he relaesed 16 albums.
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KENNY BROOKS

Born in Oakland, CA, Kenny started playing reed instruments at the age of nine, and went to the New England Conservatory at age 17. He has played at the Monterey Jazz Festival in '83, '89, '90, '91, '92, '93, '94, '95 and '99. Other festivals include the North Sea, Montreaux, Istanbul, What Is Jazz? (Knitting Factory), Copenhagen, Molde (Norway), Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and many others. Gigs have included venues such as the House of Blues (New Orleans, Las Vegas, L.A., Cambridge, Anaheim, Orlando, and Myrtle Beach), Yoshi's, Knitting Factory, Red Rocks, L.A. Greek Theater, and Berkeley Greek Theatre, to name just a few. He has toured to Japan, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, England, Germany, Turkey and Holland. He has played and recorded with many notable musicians such as Mike Clark, Ohio Players, Steve Smith, Les Claypool, MMW, String Cheese Incident, and Josh Roseman. Kenny joined Bob Weir's (Grateful Dead) band Ratdog in 2000 and has been playing with them ever since. As well as his work with Ratdog, in 2006 he recorded on Chuck MacKinnon's new CD as well as DJ Teeko's "My Soundstation" and appeared with Teeko's 41Funk Jam Band. Moving to NYC in 2007 opened up a whole new world of musical opportunities including work with Anthony Pinciotti's Green Lotus Project, Brian Charette, Levon Helm and many others. Brooks can be heard regularly at places like the 55 Bar, Small's, Rockwood Music Hall and others
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ELDREDGE JACKSON

Born in New Orleans but his musical talent was infused with gospel and R&B while growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and performing at his father’s church. The encouragement he received from this large congregation helped him hone his skills as a musician and composer while performing on keyboards, piano, drums, bass, guitar and, of course, the saxophone. His influences also stemmed from the soulful jazz style of legends like David Sanborn, Grover Washington, Jr. and Dexter Gordon. Named El-Jack by his fans, Eldredge has opened for or shared festival stages with a talented cross-section of urban jazz and R&B greats such as Wayman Tisdale, Najee, Howard Hewett, Jeffrey Osborne, Angela Winbush, Stanley Jordan, Dru Hill, Shirley Murdock, SOS Band, Con-Funk-Shun, Tom Braxton and fellow Tulsans Charlie Wilson and The GAP Band. Recently he performed on the national Soul Food Festival Tour, bringing his trademark sound and sultry spontaneity to audiences as the sole instrumentalist on a bill with R&B legends Peabo Bryson and The Whispers. In 2005 he was honoured with the Legacy Tribute Award, given by the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and is a two-time nominee for Artist of the Year and Best Jazz Act in the Tulsa World’s Spot Magazine Awards.
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HAROLD "TINA" BROOKS

American tenor saxophonist born in Fayetteville, North Carolina; a short but much valued career, Tina Brooks began playing shortly after he moved to New York in 1944. His first professional work came in 1951 with R&B pianist Sonny Thompson, and in 1955, he played with vibraphonist Lionel Hampton. He is best known for his work for Blue Note Records between 1958 and 1961, recording primarily as a sideman with Kenny Burrell, Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, Freddie Redd, and Jimmy Smith. Around this time, Tina was McLean's understudy in The Connection, a play by Jack Gelber with music by Redd, and performed on an album of music from the play on the Felsted Label. He also recorded five sessions of his own for Blue Note, the first session was recorded on 16 March 1958, and featured promising young trumpeter Lee Morgan alongside seasoned professionals such as Sonny Clark, Doug Watkins and Art Blakey. Despite the calibre of the players and the quality of the output, Minor Move was not released for more than two decades, long after Tina had died. This started an unfortunate trend, as three of his four other sessions, Street Singer, Back to the Tracks and The Waiting Game did not appear during his lifetime. The exception was True Blue, a session recorded 25 June 1960 with Freddie Hubbard, Duke Jordan, Sam Jones and Art Taylor. The release of True Blue coincided with the release of Hubbard's Blue Note debut, Open Sesame, which also featured Tina.
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BOB "COOP" COOPER

American jazz saxophone player born in Pittsburgh, and known primarily for playing tenor saxophone. He studied the clarinet in high school, took up the tenor saxophone in 1941, and became a member of the Stan Kenton Orchestra in 1945 and added the oboe to his musical equipage. In 1947 Coop married June Christy, one of Kenton's most accomplished vocalists. While with Kenton he played behind Nat King Cole and alongside Art Pepper. In 1951, Cooper he became a West Coast session man, absorbing fresh new currents of bop while refining and updating his musicianship. He added the English horn and bass clarinet to his arsenal of wind instruments, as well as the flute and both baritone and soprano saxes. By 1954 he had joined forces with Pete Rugolo and Shorty Rogers, was sitting in with mambo king Perez Prado and leading his first recording sessions on Capitol. During the second half of the 50s he gigged with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars, accompanied June Christy on numerous recordings and tours to Japan, Sth Africa and Europe, collaborated with Buddy Rich, Bud Shank, Bill Perkins and Jimmy Giuffre, who also joined Coop and Shelly Manne in a group backing the R&B vocal group known as the Treniers. He recorded extensively with the Buddy Bregman and Russ Garcia Orchestras backing vocalists Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby and Anita O'Day; with the Marty Paich Dek-tette behind Mel Tormé and in the Pete Rugolo Orchestra with Patti Page. In 1957 he recorded with Max Roach and John Graas, and went on over the next 36 years to play with many greats from The Monkees, the Frank Capp-Nat Pierce Juggernaut band, pop singer Paul Williams, the Michel Legrand Orchestra backing jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan, Ernestine Anderson, to Madonna's Dick Tracy-inspired album I'm Breathless, followed by recording with Sue Raney, Doc Severinsen's featured tenor Pete Christlieb. He was heard on the soundtrack to Neil Simon's racy romantic comedy The Marrying Man, and in studio bands backing vocalists Manhattan Transfer, Rosemary Clooney, Jackie Cain and Roy Kral. Bob's last studio recording was on Karrin Allyson's album Sweet Home Cookin in 1993.
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PETER LEHEL

German jazz saxophonist and composer, Peter Lehel was born in Karlsruhe in the Upper Rhine Plain. He took up saxophone at an early age and from 1988-1990 he studied Jazz and Pop music, major study field saxophone at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart and one year, where he studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music and he completed his study in Stuttgart in 1993. His works comprises parts for jazz quartet, saxophone quartet, big band, saxophone & organ, string quartet, jazz quartet with string orchestra, chamber music and symphony orchestra with jazz soloists. As an arranger he has worked for Barbara Dennerlein - CD "Change of Pace", and Sabine Meyer Trio Clarone. He is co-owner of an independent record label, Finetone Music and since 2004 he is Professor for Jazz / harmony / improvisation and big band at the Karlsruhe's University of Music. Peter is also leader of his own groups such as Peter Lehel Quartet and he is a member of groups: Pipes & Phones; SaltaCello; and Hoppel Hoppel Rhythm Club.
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DICK HECKSTALL-SMITH

English jazz and blues saxophonist, Dick Heckstall-Smith played with some of the most important UK blues-rock and jazz fusion bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Born in Ludlow he was an active member of the London jazz scene from the late 1950s. He joined Blues Incorporated, Alexis Korner's groundbreaking blues group, in 1962, recording the album R&B from the Marquee. The following year, he was a founding member of that band's breakaway unit, the Graham Bond Organisation; the lineup also included two future members of the blues-rock supergroup Cream: bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. In 1967, he became a member of John Mayall's prominent group the Bluesbreakers. That jazz-skewed edition of the band, which also included drummer Jon Hiseman and future Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, released the album Bare Wires in 1968. From 1968- 70, he and Hiseman were the key creative members of the pioneering UK jazz-rock band Colosseum. The act was a showcase for the saxophonist's writing and his instrumental virtuosity; like American saxophonist Rahsaan Roland Kirk, he could blow two saxophones simultaneously. After leaving Colosseum, Dick fronted several other fusion units, including Manchild, Sweet Pain, Big Chief, Tough Tenors, The Famous Bluesblasters, Mainsqueeze and DHSS. He participated in a 1990s reunion of the original Colosseum lineup and played the hard-working Hamburg Blues Band. In 2001 he cut the all-star project "Blues and Beyond", which reunited him with Mayall, Bruce, Taylor, ex-Mayall and Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green.
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FAUSTO PAPETTI

Italian alto saxophone player, born at Viggiù in Lombardy. He began his career in 1957 playing in jazz orchestras, before playing with the group “I Campioni” /The Champions, which at the time was backing the singer Tony Dallara on disk and in concert. He left the group in 1959 signing with Durium as a session musician, where he recorded with many and varied artists at the recording house. His arrangement of "Estate violenta" was released in 1960 under the name "Fausto Papetti Sax and rhythms", it's success exceeded the original soundtrack of the film. This led to his debut album, simply titled "Raccolta"/Collection the same year. Throughout the '60s and the '70s, all his albums reaches the top of the sales charts, and were also released on the Latin American market. Fausto recorded two "Raccolta" a year, the best-selling being the 20th one in 1975. The albums are also characterized and famous for their covers, especially in the '70s, with girls in undressed winking poses. He became a founder of a genre, and in the 70s had many imitators, like Johnny Sax and Piergiorgio Farina. As well as his famed Collections, he recorded many other albums including "Old America", "Evergreen", "Bonjour France", "Made in Italy", "Rhythms of Latin America", "Cinema anni '60","Cinema anni '70". Fausto continued working until his death in 1999.
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LARS GULLIN

Swedish jazz baritone saxophone player, pianist and composer born in Sanda. A child prodigy on the accordion, and at age 13 he played clarinet in a military band and learned the alto saxophone, but after moving to Stockholm in 1947 became a professional pianist, before playing baritone in Seymour Österwall’s band in 1949 He worked as a member of Arne Domnérus’s septet for two years from 1951; the group mainly performed at Nalen, a leading dance spot in Stockholm.At the same time he began to work with visiting American musicians, recording with James Moody, Zoot Sims and Clifford Brown, and he first performed with Lee Konitz in 1951. He formed his own group in 1953, in the following year, 1954, he won the best newcomer award in the United States Down Beat magazine, after two March 1953 Swedish sessions were leased and issued by Contemporary Records as a 10” LP. Later his albums were leased to Atlantic Records in the United States. Lars toured several European countries with Chet Baker in October 1955. During 1959 he was active in Italy, he played with Chet Baker again and with the jazz alto saxophonist Flavio Ambrosetti, making radio broadcasts with him in Lausanne, Switzerland. In the 1960s he continued to work occasionally with leading American players, including Archie Shepp, with whom he recorded in 1963. One of his last major recording was his Aeros aromatic atomica suite recorded in 1973.
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JEFF WATKINS

Jeff Watkins grew up in rural Missouri, and inspired by a chance encounter with yakety yak saxman Boots Randolph, he took up the saxophone at a young age. He spent 3 years in the jazz program at the University of Missouri, before studying jazz and audio engineering at the University of Miami and jamming with countless groups in the hot tropical nightclubs of South Florida. In 1989 Jeff became part of the funk-rock band Groove Thangs, he recorded and helped write, produce and arrange several releases by the band, including Uppression, which won Jam Magazine's Jammy Award for Best Independent Release of 1991. In 1994, he was hired by the great James Brown and shared career highlights like JB's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, a Live At The Apollo album, the top-selling "Live At The House Of Blues" DVD and festival appearances from Montreaux to Woodstock to Bonaroo. He's played all over the world, from South America to Europe to Asia and has been seen on Good Morning America, David Letterman and even Jerry Springer. Jeff became an integral part of the show for James Brown, who introduced Jeff as "the ninth wonder of the world". He stayed with James until JB's death in 2006. Jeff also works as an audio consultant, engineer, session player and producer, working with studios like Funkadero in Florida and artists like Rhode Island's Herbal Nation, New Orleans' Brotherhood of Groove, Dutch funk band OctavePussy, as well as currently working and performing with award winning Joss Stone.
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THOMAS HUTCHINGS

American musician from New York City took up saxophone while at school at aged eleven. His music is influenced by the Beastie Boys, Techmaster PEB, DJ Magic Mike, John Coltrane & Bunky Green, but he credits his greatest influences came from his High School Band teacher, Ron Van Order. He is a member of SESAC, The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences and American Federation of Musicians, but Thomas also plays with or has played with The Funk MVP's!, Milo Z, The Niagaras, Gavin Degraw, Bobby Bell & the Bell System, Little Melvin Underwood, Jake Stigers & The Velvet Roots, Butterscotch, Wendy Starland, Mike Campbell's Boogaloo Kings, Karlus Trapp, James Gedeon, G-Money & the All-stars, Days of Wild, David Mann & The Mann Made Jam, Yo Mama, The Stingers, and many others.
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EDWARD "Tubby" HAYES

English jazz musician, in 1951, when he was sixteen, Tubby joined Kenny Baker's sextet, later playing for big-band leaders such as Ambrose, Terry Brown, Tito Burns, Roy Fox, Vic Lewis, and Jack Parnell. In 1955 he formed his own octet, with which he toured the UK for eighteen months. From 1957 to 1959 he joined Ronnie Scott in co-leading a quintet, The Jazz Couriers, perhaps the most fondly remembered of British Modern Jazz groups. Subsequently, he reformed his quartet, and toured Germany with Kurt Edelhagen. Then in 1961 he was invited to play at the Half Note Club in New York; a new transatlantic Musicians' Union agreement meant that, in exchange, Zoot Sims played at Ronnie Scott's. While in America, Tubby recorded ''Tubbs in NY'' with Clark Terry, Eddie Costa, and Horace Parlan, and in 1962 he returned for another visit, this time recording Return Visit with James Moody, Roland Kirk, Walter Bishop Jr, Sam Jones, and Louis Hayes. Back in London, he formed his own big band, working in television, film, and radio, and even having his own television series 1961–63. He also appears on recordings by many UK jazz musicians, such as the Harry South Big Band, the Ian Hamer Sextet. and appeared in a number of films, including All Night Long-61 with Charles Mingus and Dave Brubeck, and his group; A King in New York, by Charles Chaplin-57; The Beauty Jungle-64 and Dr Terror's House of Horrors-1965. He also played at a wide range of jazz festivals, including Reading, Windsor, Antibes, Lugano, Vienna, and Berlin.
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NAJEE RASHEED

Born in New York City, is known professionally as just Najee. He attended New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he studied with George Russell and Jaki Byard. Najee went on to perform and record with singers including Chaka Khan, Freddie Jackson, Will Downing, Phil Perry, Prince, Patti Labelle, Phyllis Hyman and Jeffrey Osborne. He has recorded and performed with instrumentalists Marcus Miller, Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, Larry Carlton, Billy Cobham, Charles Earland, Paul Jackson Jr. and George Duke. He came to prominence as a solo artist with "Najee's Theme" in 1986.
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MARION MEADOW

American tenor saxophonist, soprano saxophonist, composer, and smooth jazz recording artist of Native American, African American and Caucasian descent. Born in West Virginia and grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, he began playing the clarinet and studying classical music at the age of eight. In high school, he began to play the soprano saxophone and played tenor through most of his college years, where he was with a band called the Aboriginal Music Society. He was playing in Grand Central Station and Jay Chattaway who was working with Bob James at the time introduced himself and later signed Marion to his record label, TappanZee. Recording with Bob James put him on the road to his eventual success. He collaborated with numerous artists and musicians in the 80s, recording or performing over the years with Brook Benton, Eartha Kitt, Phyllis Hyman, Jean Carne, The Temptations, Michael Bolton, Angela Bofill, Will Downing and Native American flute player Douglas Spotted Eagle, among others. Marion has released a total of 9 albums to date (2011).
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MIKE PHILLIPS

Born in Mt. Vernon, N.Y., Mike started studying music at five years old, settling with the saxophone. Mike has performed with artists such as Babyface, Rachelle Farrell, Brian McKnight, Boyz II Men, and the artist formerly known as Prince. He has also toured throughout the US and abroad, touring with such notables as Teddy Riley & Blackstreet, Jonathan Butler, Simply Red, Wayman Tisdale, Kenny Lattimore and the incomparable Stevie Wonder. In 1996, Mike was invited to perform at President Clinton's Inaugural Gala held at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Other milestone events include the 80th Birthday Celebration for President Nelson Mandela in South Africa, a Superbowl appearance with Stevie Wonder, and the Billboard Music Awards. Mike's television credits include Saturday Night Live, The David Letterman Show, BET On Jazz, BET Sound Stage, and The Tonight Show.
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DAVID VAN SUCH

Born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, he began his classical violin studies at the age of seven. By age ten he found himself gravitating towards the diverse rhythms of R&B, jazz, and rock. Influenced by the likes of Jr. Walker, King Curtis and Cannonball Adderly, he gradually added the clarinet, flute, keyboards and of course the saxophone to his list of accomplished instruments. After graduating from Ohio University, David relocated to Los Angeles, California where he began playing at many of the popular local clubs and became a local fixture before proving invaluable as a featured sideman. During this time David was also employed by Disneyland as a staff musician for five years. Throughout his career his musical travels include playing with such names as Shalimar, Howard Hewitt, Jennifer Holliday, Sam Moore, Mel Carter, Cindy Birdsong of the Supremes, legendary drummer Alphouse Mouson, singer Slim Man, and he was the featured soloist on the largest selling video of all time, Richard Simmons "Sweatin' To The Oldies"
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PAUL 'Hucklebuck' WILLIAMS

American blues and rhythm and blues saxophone player and band leader famous for "The Hucklebuck"; after performing with Clarence Dorsey and King Porter he formed his own band in 1947, having his 1949 hit "The Hucklebuck", a twelve-bar blues that also spawned a dance craze. The single went to No.1 on the R&B chart, after which he used Paul Williams and his Hucklebuckers as his billing name. In his Honkers and Shouters, Arnold Shaw credits Paul as one of the first to employ the honking tenor sax solo that became the hallmark of rhythm and blues and rock and roll in the 1950s and early 1960s. Along with Tiny Grimes, he co-headlined the first "Moondog Coronation Ball", promoted by Alan Freed in Cleveland on March 21st 1952, often claimed as the first rock and roll concert, where he saw crazed fans crash through the ticket gates. The show was halted, but not before Paul had a chance to perform. Later he worked in the Atlantic Records house band and was musical director for Lloyd Price and James Brown
An article on his musical life which includes how the song "The Hucklebuck" came to be. The article is written from the perspective of his son and former Paul Williams Band drummer Earl Williams.
It is published in the August 2011 issue (No.261) of the Blues and Rhythm Magazine
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FRANK FOSTER

American tenor and soprano saxophonist, born in Cincinnati, Frank moved to Detroit in 1949, and joined Count Basie's big band in 1953. From 1970 to 1972 he played with Elvin Jones, and in 1972 and 1975 with the Thad Jones–Mel Lewis big band. He was also an Artist in Residence at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in 1971. He also started teaching for the New York City Public School System in District 5, Harlem. From 1972 to 1976, Frank was full-time Assistant Professor in the Black Studies Program at the State College of New York at Buffalo. He also formed and lead several groups, most notably Living Color and The Loud Minority. He co-led a quintet with Frank Wess in 1983, and toured Europe as a member of Jimmy Smith's quintet in 1985. June 1986 saw him succeed Thad Jones as leader of the Count Basie Orchestra, receiving two Grammy Awards: first for his big band arrangement of the Diane Schuur composition "Deedles’ Blues"-Best Arrangement Accompanying a Vocal, Jazz category, 1987, and second for his arrangement of the renowned guitarist/vocalist George Benson’s composition "Basie’s Bag"- Best Big Band Instrumental, Jazz category, 1988. He departed from the band in 1995, after which he resumed his leadership of three musical groups: The Non-Electric Company, a jazz quartet/quintet; Swing Plus - a 12-piece band; and The Loud Minority Big Band, an 18-piece concert jazz orchestra.
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DAVE PIETRO

Alto saxophonist and composer, born and raised in Southboro, MA, where he began playing jazz at age 11. While at the University of New Hampshire, he recorded with the school's jazz band before transferring to North Texas State University in 1984, touring and recording with the One O'Clock Lab Band in addition to collaborating with the Dallas Jazz Orchestra and the Collection Jazz Orchestra. In 1987, he settled in New York City, touring behind Woody Herman, Lionel Hampton, and Maynard Ferguson; from 1994 on, he also served as the lead alto for the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. In 1996, the same year he was honored as recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Dave released his debut album, Forgotten Dreams. Wind Dance followed two years later, and in 1999 he released Now Becoming. As a leader, Dave has released six CD’s with musicians such as Dave Holland, Kenny Werner, Ben Monder, Bill Stewart, Brian Blade, Scott Colley, Scott Wendholt, Duduka De Fonseca, Helio Alves and Pete McCann. His album “The Chakra Suite” was voted one of the top CD's of 2008 by All About Jazz. He currently holds the position of Music Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at New York University. Dave is a much in demand musician who has performed at jazz clubs, jazz festivals, schools and concert halls in more than 30 countries throughout Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America.
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THOMAS CHAPIN

American composer and saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist; born in Manchester, Connecticut, he started on piano at age three, before moving to the flute at age ten and saxophone at age 16. He studied with Jackie McLean and Paul Jeffrey at Rutgers University. He was primarily an alto saxophonist, but also played sopranino saxophone and various flutes. From 1981-86 he toured with jazz great Lionel Hampton as lead saxophonist and musical director of the band. He also performed with Chico Hamilton’s band from 1988 to 1989. Most of his recordings as a leader, featured his trio with drummer Michael Sarin and bassist Mario Pavone, and sometimes featuring guests, recording 15 albums in all, including Sky Piece and Night Bird Song, the last releases with his trio. Thomas played and recorded also with the likes of Michael Blake, Anthony Braxton, Mario Pavone, Tom Varner, Misako Kano, John McCracken, Medeski Martin, Ned Rothenberg, and Machine Gun
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DANNY BANK

American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, flautist and in his day one of the most in-demand studio musicians; he played with Charlie Barnet from 1942–44, and would return to play with him repeatedly over the next few decades. He also played with Benny Goodman, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, and Paul Whiteman in the 1940s. Following this he recorded with Charlie Parker, Rex Stewart, the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, Johnny Hodges, Urbie Green, Clifford Brown and Helen Merrill, Art Farmer, Wes Montgomery, Quincy Jones, Jimmy Smith, Chico O’Farrill, Betty Carter, Ray Charles, and Tony Fruscella. Maybe Danny is best known for his association with Miles Davis in Gil Evans's orchestra; he appears on the albums Sketches of Spain, Miles Ahead, and Porgy and Bess. He also played with Miles on his 1961 Carnegie Hall concert. Later in the 1960s he recorded with the big bands of Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, and Stanley Turrentine
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ANDREW YOUNG

Born in Liverpool, England, Andrew studied saxophone and clarinet in London, after which he moved to Germany where he performed as soloist with various Symphony Orchestras and engaged in session work and concerts alongside Pop/Jazz/Funk musicians such as Matt Bianco and Precious Wilson Band. Next in South Africa he found success with the Kwazulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra and a newly formed 5 piece Jazz/Funk/Fusion Band "Let It Flow". He became involved in the crosscurrents of South African and International music, performing with artists such as Joseph Shabalala/Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Jonathan Butler, Shakatak, Shirley Bassey, James Gallway as well as American R+B artist Keith Washington and a Tour of Austria with Dionne Warwick. In Turkey performed with leading Turkish Artists such as Sezen Aksu in Ankara and recordings with Producer Garo Mafyan in Istanbul, as well as touring Mexico, Venezuela, St.Maarten , Dominican Republic, Cayman Islands, Cuba, and China.
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DOUG LAWRENCE

Jazz tenor saxophonist, Doug Lawrence spent over 20 years in New York City, during which time he worked and/or recorded with such artists as Buck Clayton Orchestras, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Jamie Cullum, Roy Eldridge, Stevie Wonder, Nnenna Freelon, Ray Charles, Wild Bill Davis and so many others. He has also been a featured performer at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Village Vanguard. Doug is currently the featured tenor soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra, a chair once held by such musicians as Lester Young and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis. He has his own Doug Lawrence Organic Sax Quartet, as well as being a member of the new, 2011 band The Coast To Coast All-Stars which also features the legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb.
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KENNY G

Adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist, Kenny G, born Kenneth Bruce Gorelick is the biggest-selling instrumental musician of the modern era, with global sales totaling more than 75 million albums. He started out at the age of 17 as a sideman for Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra in '73. He played with the funk band Cold, Bold & Together before becoming a member of The Jeff Lorber Fusion and began his solo career in 1982, collaborating with artists including Andrea Bocelli, Whitney Houston, Peabo Bryson, Toni Braxton, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Natalie Cole, Steve Miller - the only time he appeared on a rock and roll album, Dudley Moore, Michael Bolton, Celine Dion and Aretha Franklin are a few of many. In 1997, Kenny earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for playing the longest note ever recorded on a saxophone. Using circular breathing, he held an E-flat for 45 minutes and 47 seconds at J&R Music World in New York City. In 1994, he won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for Forever in Love. Kenny's latest album to date 'Heart and Soul (Kenny G album)' was released June 2010.
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EVERETTE HARP

Born in Houston, Texas, African American blues, jazz and gospel saxophonist Everette Harp started playing piano at two and began practicing saxophone at the age of four. He started playing jazz in high school, and graduated from North Texas State University with a music major in the early 1980s. He moved to LA in 1988, he toured briefly with Teena Marie, and then internationally with Anita Baker. In 1992, Everette released his self-titled solo debut. He continued to play & tour with notables, including Chaka Khan, George Duke, Chante Moore, Anita Baker, Kenny Loggins, Brenda Russell, Marcus Miller, Dianne Reeves, and many more. He is also known for his performances with Marcus Miller along with David Sanborn and Wayne Shorter. His 2006 album, In the Moment, debuted at No.1 in Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Chart. In the past few years he has reduced his side gigs to focus on his solo career.
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ALFONZO BLACKWELL

Alfonzo Blackwell was born and raised in Queens, NY as a child he taught himself to play the piano by ear at the age of six and went on to the saxophone at age eleven. He began composing his original music in middle school and accepted at the Performing Arts High School in NYC and then continued his advance studies at Queens College and Five Towns College in Long Island, NY. He performed at all the legendary jazz clubs throughout the tri-state area. He got his first record deal at age 23. After only four years in the record business, he had gained enough music and business acumen to branch out on his own and founded Utopia Records in 1999. Over the span of his career, Alfonzo has been honoured with many music award nominations and has several Billboard chart-topping singles and albums to his credit. He has worked with the biggest names in the music business over the many years; from major jazz, R&B, Hip-Hop and soul artists. His music has long been the fusion of an infectious blend of Jazz, R&B, Hip-Hop and straight-up soul since his debut CD release, "Let's Imagine" to his current CD release, "Dance To This"
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JAMES MOODY

Jazz saxophone and flute player, James Moody was born in Savannah, Georgia, but he grew up in New Jersey, were he was inspired by Count Basie, George Holmes Tate, and Don Byas. In 1946 he began playing Dizzy Gillespie for two years, after which, he recorded his first album, for Blue Note Records in 1948. That same year he moved to Europe, where his work included the first recording of "Moody's Mood for Love" which helped to establish him on European jazz scene. Then in 1952 he returned to the U.S. to a recording career with Prestige Records and others, playing flute and saxophone in bands that included musicians such as Pee Wee Moore and others. In the 1960s he rejoined Dizzy Gillespie and later worked also with Mike Longo. In 1973 he relocated to Las Vegas and had a seven year stint in the Las Vegas Hilton Orchestra, doing shows for Bill Cosby, Ann-Margaret, John Davidson, Glen Campbell, Liberace, Elvis Presley, The Osmonds, Milton Berle, Redd Foxx, Charlie Rich, and Lou Rawls to name a few. After which he moved back to New York, to put his own band together. James travels and performs globally, both as a featured guest and as a leader of his own group, the James Moody Quartet. He also plays regularly with Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars and the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars Big Band and often collaborates with former Gillespie alumnus, the trumpeter-composer-conductor Jon Faddis.
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LENNY PICKETT

American saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist and composer Lenny Pickett grew up in Berkeley, California, and is a totally self taught musician. He joined Tower of Power in 1972, when he was 18 years old, performing with Elton John and many other rhythm and blues and soul groups as well as releasing 18 of their own albums. In 1985 he also became a member of the Saturday Night Live band, who perform on the Saturday Night Live show, a live late-night television sketch comedy and variety show. Lenny has also worked as a saxophonist and an arranger for artists including David Bowie, Talking Heads, and Laurie Anderson. As a composer, he has written for his own group, the Borneo Horns, and has received a number of commissions to write works mixing classical and popular idioms for a variety of musical ensembles, including the New Century Saxophone Quartet.
NOTE: Lenny is playing the saxophone solo in the Top 40 song "Last Friday Night", by Katy Perry. I mention it because in the music video, we see Kenny G lipsyncing the solo! - thanx Vincent Pellerin
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DON BRADEN

American jazz tenor saxophonist Don Braden was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. He began playing tenor sax at age 13 and started playing professionally at 15. As a high schooler he played in the McDonald's All-American High School Jazz Band. He attended Harvard University from 1981 to 1984 and studied engineering there, but also played in the school's jazz ensemble. He moved to New York City in 1984, where he played with The Harper Brothers, Lonnie Smith, and Betty Carter. In 1986-87 he toured with Wynton Marsalis, and following this played with Out of the Blue, Roy Haynes, Tony Williams, Freddie Hubbard, J.J. Johnson, Tom Harrell, Art Farmer, and the Mingus Big Band. As a leader, Don released his debut album The Time Is Now in 1991, this has been to date followed by 11 albums the latest being Workin' in 2006
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GREG ABATE

Born in Fall River, Massachusetts but grew up in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Greg Abate began to play clarinet while in fifth grade before switching to the saxophone. He also attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. While in LA he played lead alto in the Ray Charles Band from 1973 through 1974. After which he formed the sextet Channel One, releasing only one album, “Without Boundaries,” in 1980. He then played in the horn section with Tony Giorgianni’s Sax Odyssey and Duke Bellair’s Jazz Orchestra. In 1986 Greg was hired by Dick Johnson to be the tenor in the Artie Shaw Band. Impressed by his playing, Candid Records put out a live recording, “Bop City – Live at Birdland” in July 1991. More albums followed, including “Straight Ahead,” “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” “Bop Lives with Kenny Barron Trio” and “Happy Samba”. Although alto is his first instrument he also plays tenor, flute, and soprano. Greg has played at many top clubs, festivals, and concerts around America, Europe and other places around the world. Greg is also an adjunct professor of Jazz Studies at Rhode Island College and a very active jazz clinician, conducting workshops and master classes through the US and abroad.
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ARTHUR BLYTHE

American jazz alto saxophonist and composer Arthur Blythe was born in LA, California took up the alto saxophone at 9, playing R&B until his mid-teens when he discovered jazz. In the mid-60's he was part of The Underground Musicians and Artists Association, founded by Horace Tapscott, on whose 1969 The Giant Is Awakened, Arthur made his recording debut. After moving to New York in the mid-70s, he was offered a place as sideman for Chico Hamilton from '75 to '77 and also played with Gil Evans Orchestra '76-'78', with Lester Bowie in ‘78, and with both Jack DeJohnette and McCoy Tyner in 1979. He had started to record as a leader in 1977 for the India Navigation label and then for Columbia records from 1978 to 1987, with albums such as The Grip and Metamorphosis. Arthur played on many pivotal albums of the 1980s, among them Jack DeJohnette's Jack DeJohnette’s Special Edition, on ECM. He was a member of the all-star jazz group The Leaders and, after the departure of Julius Hemphill, he joined the World Saxophone Quartet. Beginning in 2000 he made recordings on Savant Records which included the 2003 Exhale with pianist John Hicks, tuba player Bob and Cecil Brooks III on drums.
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KEYAN WILLIAMS

Multi-sax player Keyan Williams was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and started playing the saxophone at age eight and by the age of 16 he was playing Jazz Sax and Classical Flute. Influenced by Grover Washington Jr., Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Wes Montgomery and Stanley Clarke, he has been performing on stage since his very early years, playing at various venues like Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall. Keyan has shared the stage with the likes of Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and Junior Cook. Two highlighted performances being his performance on ABC 7 Chicago as a featured artist, and November 2007 where he performed the National Anthem for the NBA Chicago Bulls in front of Twenty Five Thousand Bull Fans. Keyan re-located to Phoenix, Arizona, where he worked long and hard on an album and 2006 saw the release of his much awaited debut album “The Art of Living”.
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GERALD ALBRIGHT

Gerald Albright born in LA, took up the saxophone his piano teacher gave him an old saxophone. After high school, he attended the University of Redlands where he received a B.S. degree in business management, minoring in music. Already a polished saxophonist by the time he enrolled in college, he suddenly took to bass guitar too after he saw Louis Johnson in concert. Gerald worked extensively in the studio with such artists as Anita Baker, Ray Parker, Jr., The Temptations, and Olivia Newton-John. He also joined Patrice Rushen's band, as saxophonist. He later formed his own band playing sax and occasionally bass. Gerald has also toured with Alphonse Mouzon, Jeff Lorber, Teena Marie, Quincy Jones, Whitney Houston, Phil Collins, and many others. In addition to numerous appearances at clubs and jazz festivals, Albright had also been a part of the popular Jazz Explosion tours, which saw him teaming up with contemporary jazz stars like Will Downing, Jonathan Butler, Hugh Masekela, Chaka Khan, and Rachelle Ferrell, among others as well as making several TV appearances. Gerald was one of the ten featured saxophonists who performed at Bill Clinton’s inauguration. He was also featured at the Presidential Summit, as well as several private functions for the President.
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ANGELO MOORE

Saxophonist Angelo Christoper Moore born in Los Angeles, California, uses the stage name of Dr. Madd Vibe. He is a founding member, lead singer and saxophonist of the band Fishbone. He is also a poet and performs spoken word concerts at clubs, poetry festivals, and cafes. In 1993 he released a poetry anthology titled Dr. Madd Vibe's Comprehensive Linkology. In 1997 he released his first solo CD also titled, Dr. Madd Vibe's Comprehensive linkology, as well as his first video titled, The Delusional Quandaries Of Dr. Madd Vibe, and in 2000 he released another CD/video set Called The Yin-Yang Thang. The follow up CD, Dr. Madd Vibe's Medicine Cabinet was released in 2006. Angelo also made a cameo appearance as the bandleader in the movie Idlewild, featuring Outkast members Big Boi and Andre 3000
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WILL DONATO

American alto saxophonist, jazz composer Will Donato has performed with some of the best known musicians of the genre, namely Al McKay of Earth, Wind and Fire, Bruce Conte of Tower of Power and Steve Reid of The Rippingtons; Donato also fronted Reid's Bamboo Forest for four years. He has worked outside the smooth jazz genre as well, most notably with Gerald Levert and Richard Marx. In addition, Donato frequently tours with his own band, The Art of Sax. Will's work can also be heard on the No.1 Steve Oliver hit from 2006, 'High Noon' as well as on the soundtracks of Thelma and Louise, The Untouchables and The Wedding Planner. As a resident of Palm Springs, California, He and his band The Art of Sax are frequent headliners at smooth jazz concerts. He is also a frequent guest of Jim "Fitz" Fitzgerald, a pioneering smooth jazz concert promoter and morning drive radio personality on Palm Springs' KJJZ.
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CLARENCE CLEMONS

Amercian saxophonist Clarence Clemons born in Norfolk, Virginia, when just 18 he had one of his earliest studio experiences, recording sessions with Tyrone Ashley's Funky Music Machine, a band from Plainfield, New Jersey that included Ray Davis, Eddie Hazel and Billy Bass Nelson, all of whom would go onto play with Parliament-Funkadelic. These sessions were eventually released in 2007. Since '72 he has been a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing the saxophone and has became known by fans as The Big Man. He has also released several solo albums in 1985 he had a hit single with "You're a Friend of Mine", a duet with Jackson Browne. As a guest musician he has also featured on Aretha Franklin's "Freeway of Love" and on Twisted Sister's "Be Chrool to Your Scuel" as well as performing in concert with The Grateful Dead and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. As an actor Clemons has featured in several films, including New York, New York and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. He also made cameo appearances in several TV series' such as Diff'rent Strokes, Nash Bridges, The Simpsons and The Wire. Together with his television writer friend Don Reo he published his autobiography, "Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales," in 2009.
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GEORGE HOWARD

American jazz soprano saxophonist born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; George originally trained on clarinet and bassoon before deciding on the soprano sax. He had been inspired by the likes of John Coltrane, Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Eddie Harris, Grover Washinton Jr and Wayne Shorter and worked as session player for Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Leon Huff, Dexter Wansel, First Choice and Blue Magic, before 1979 when the great Grover Washinton Jr invited him on a tour, a tour which helped establish his name. George concentrated on the soulful side of jazz, and released his first solo studio album, Asphalt Gardens in 1982, followed by Steppin' Out in 1984, both albums charted on the Billboard jazz album charts at No. 25 and No. 9. But his third album, Dancing in the Sun, had scaled the Billboard Jazz Album chart to No.1. by 1985. This fine acheivement was repeated by his next three albums, Love Will Follow; A Nice Place to Be; and Reflections. George recorded seven more studio albums before "There's a Riot Goin' On" his final album, was released by Blue Note Records on April 21st 1998, sadly one month after George had died of lymphoma. This tribute to Sly Stone was well ahead of it's time in the smooth jazz genre.
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STEVE MARCUS

Steve Marcus was born in New York's Bronx. He began on clarinet but switched to saxophone at the age of 15, and went on to play with the greats such as Buddy Rich, Stan Kenton, Gary Burton, Woody Herman, and Herbie Mann. From 1959 to 1962 Steve attended the Berklee school of music, and he formed the "Count’s Rock Band" with Steve Gadd, Will Lee and Steve Khan, before also joining Stan Kenton's avant-swing band the year after he graduated. His first album as a leader with his "Count’s Rock Band" , Tomorrow Never Knows, was in 1967 with musicians Larry Coryell, Mike Nock and Bob Moses which featured ground-breaking music. Steve had had the idea of joining the Beatles and the Byrds' infectious song-hooks to the transcendental energy and virtuosity of his hero, Coltrane. This was one of the very first ever rock-jazz fusion recordings. He continued this trend for a number of years. Also from 1967 to 1970 Steve regularly worked with Herbie Mann and later became known for more orthodox jazz playing with drummer Buddy Rich. He was Buddy's featured soloist for the last 12 years of Rich's life. Steve took over the band as the de facto leader after Buddy died in 1987, renaming it "Buddy's Buddies" and touring the world with alumni of Rich's many groups.
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BOBBY WATSON

Alto saxophonist Bobby Watson grew up in Kansas City and graduated from the University of Miami in 1975, when he moved to New York City where he joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. He performed with the Jazz Messengers from 1977 to 1981, eventually becoming the musical director for the group. Bobby started the first edition of his acoustic quintet, Horizon, with bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Victor Lewis, recording several titles for the Blue Note and Columbia record labels. In addition to his work as leader of Horizon, Bobby also led the group the High Court of Swing, a tribute to the music of Johnny Hodges, The Tailor-Made Big Band, a 16 piece band and is a founding member of the 29th Street Saxophone Quartet, an all-horn, four-piece group. He also composed an original song for the soundtrack of Robert De Niro's A Bronx Tale. Bobby has worked along side many notable musicians, including: Max Roach, Louis Hayes, George Coleman, Branford Marsalis, Sam Rivers, Wynton Marsalis, Joe Williams, Dianne Reeves, Lou Rawls, Betty Carter, and Carmen Lundy, Carlos Santana, Rufus and Chaka Khan, Bob Belden and John Hicks to mention a few. He has 26 recordings as a leader, appears on nearly 100 other recordings as either co-leader or in a supporting role and has recorded more than 100 original compositions. In 2001 Bobby was awarded the first William and Mary Grant/Missouri Professor of Jazz endowed professorship in jazz, and currently serves as the director of jazz studies at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory of Music.
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GEORGE GARZONE

Boston saxophonist George Garzone, started on the tenor when he was only six, and played in a family band from an early age. He attended music school in Boston, before forming the jazz trio The Fringe in 1972 along with bassist John Lockwood and drummer Bob Gullotti. The trio have released several albums debuting with "The Fringe" in 1978, followed by Live!; Hey Open Up; The Raging Bulls; Return of the Neanderthal Man; It's Time for the Fringe; Live in Israel; Live in Iseo; and The Fringe Live at the Zeitgeist. George has toured Portugal with his trio The Fringe, and toured Europe with Jamaaladeen Tacuma. He has performed with many musicians, in many genre including Liberace, Keith Jarrett, Danilo Perez, Engelberg Humperdink, John Patitucci, Joe Lovano, Jack DeJohnette, Rachel Z, Aerosmith, The Dells, Extreme, Aretha Franklin,Tom Jones, Gladys Knight, New Kids on The Block, The Temptations among others. George is also a sought after jazz educator, teaching at the Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory, Longy School of Music, New York University and The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and is still very active with The Fringe, his solo work, as an educator and as a side man guesting.
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AHMAD ALAADEEN

Born in Kansas City, jazz saxophonist and educator whose career spans over five decades, Amad Alaadeen began on the saxophone when he was in sixth grade, he also mastered the flute, clarinet and oboe. Ahmad, better known as Alaadeen, debuted as a professional with Davis' concert band when he was 14 and his first major job was playing baritone sax with the great pianist-bandleader Jay McShann. In later years he would rejoin McShann on tenor. Beween 1957-59 he was the jazz saxophonist and principle oboist with the 4th Army Band. After leaving the army he lived in such cities as New York, Chicago, Denver, Houston, San Antonio and St. Louis, playing and recording with the likes of Jay McShann, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, the Count Basie Orchestra, The Glen Miller ghost band, Della Reese, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, T-Bone Walker, Claude "Fiddler" Williams and with R&B stars, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, the Temptations, Four Tops and Sam Cooke. Alaadeen is know settled in his home town Kansas City. He was inducted into the RT Coles/Lincoln High School "Outstanding Alumni Hall of Fame", where he also served with distinction for 6 years as Board Chairman of the Historic Mutual Musicians Foundation. He has won awards including Billboard songwriting competitions, awarded the Jazz Heritage Award, the Missouri Humanities Council's Community Heritage Award, the Missouri Arts Award and in 2006 he was presented Kansas City's "Lifetime Achievement Award."
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DAVID S. SPENCER

Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, David Spencer Ware played in all his school bands, starting on alto sax, changing to baritone, but settled on tenor. He credits Sonny Rollins as his main influence in his teens. In the late '60s, he attended Berklee School of Music where he formed a band called Apogee, which played around Boston until 1973, when the band moved to New York. In 1974, he performed in a large Cecil Taylor aggregation at Carnegie Hall. The mid '70s sees him a member of Andrew Cyrille's group and on tour with Cecil Taylor. In 1977, he played in Barry Harris' band, the two recorded an album together.. Beginning in the late '80s, he renewed his association with Cyrille and played on the drummer's highly acclaimed Black Saint release Metamusicians' Stomp. As a leader, his recording career began in 1988 with his album "Passage to Music" and he has gone on to record 20 more albums, the last to date being "Renunciation" in 2007, with the New York jazz press crowning him "King of Free Jazz" in the late 90s.
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IVO PERELMAN

Brazilian free jazz saxophonist Ivo Perelman, born in Sao Paulo learned to play guitar, cello, clarinet, trombone and piano while young, but settled on tenor sax as his main instrument from the age of 19. He attended the Berklee College of Music for one semester before dropping out and moving to Los Angeles in 1986. Ivo released his first album "Ivo" in 1989, which featured Peter Erskine, John Patitucci, Airto Moreira, Elaine Elias, and Flora Purim as guests. After which he relocated to New York City. He has released many albums since, the last to date being "Soul Calling" in 2006 and has played with Dominic Duval, Borah Bergman, Rashied Ali, Jay Rosen, Marilyn Crispell, Matthew Shipp, Paul Bley, Don Pullen, Fred Hopkins, Andrew Cyrille, Joanne Brackeen, Mark Helias, Billy Hart, Mino Cinelu, Nana Vasconcelos, Reggie Workman, William Parker, Louis Sclavis, Elton Dean, and Joe Morris.
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SADAO WATANABE

Sadao Watanabe, born in Utsunomiya, Japan, began to play the clarinet while still in high school, after being inspired by the film "Birth of the Blues". He started to play saxophone when he was 18 and had moved to Tokyo where he made a name for himself playing in Toshiko Akiyoshi's quartet and various other sessions. He released his debut album as a leader "Sadao Watanabe" in 1961 after which he studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, while in America, he performed with acts such as Chico Hamilton and Gary McFarland and became interested in Brazilian music. On his return to Japan in 1965 he instructed Jazz theory to many Japanese jazz musicians and started a big "Bossa Nova" boom with his releases of "Jazz&Bossa". The 70's onwards saw Sadao become an international star, playing at major world jazz festivals and with class musicians. He has gone on to release over 70 albums and his many awards include the imperial purple ribbon medal, numerous cultural achievements, the Fumio Nanri award and Utsunomiya first honour award. Also in 1995, Berklee College of Music awarded him a honorary decorate degree for his contributions to music.
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KAORU ABE

Avant-garde Japanese player Kaoru Abe maybe had the most abrasive saxophone sound in history, very cutting edge for his time, and highly influential to many sax players that would follow. Sadly for Kaoru a lot of his work wasn't published until after his premature death. One of his earliest professional groupings was the New Directions duo in 1970 with Masayuki Takayanagi. His solo sets were said to be the peak of his creative form, but he also took advantage of opportunities to record with the master American free jazz drummer Milford Graves and the British father of free improvisation, guitarist Derek Bailey. Kaoru contributes immensely powerful playing to these two completely different contexts. As well as his many solo albums, he also can be heard on recordings with other Japanese free players, such as the Aida's Call album, in which he holds forth with dynamic trumpeter Toshinori Kondo and virtuoso bassist Motoharu Yoshizawa. Kaoru recorded 36 albums between 1970-1978 in his short, but influential career.
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JESSY J

Although Jessy J first appeared on the smooth jazz scene as a member Paul Brown’s band, she has been working in the jazz and pop genres for quite a while. She has shared the stage with the likes of Jessica Simpson, Michael Buble, the Temptations, Burt Bacharach and she is currently playing sax and singing backup for Michael Bolton, with whom she is accompaning on a Europen and US tour later this year - 2009. Jessy J's debut solo album “Tequila Moon,” has elements of jazz, pop, Latin and Brazilian music and includes some of her own original songs “Tequila Moon,” “Sin Ti-With Out You,” “Fiesta Velada,” “Running Away,” and “PB n J. Her influences include Cannonball Adderley and John Coltrane, and turned pro after graduating from USC with a degree in jazz studies—she was named “Most Outstanding Jazz Student” of her class, she was soon recording sessions with artists like Michael Buble and toured with The Temptations (2005-6) and Jessica Simpson. She still currently tours as saxophonist and backing vocalist for pop great Michael Bolton, in addition to her work with two of Mexico’s most popular artists, Gloria Trevi and Armando Manzanero
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MICHAEL HORNSTEIN

German alto saxophonist, composer and music producer Michael Hornstein started playing piano at the age of 10, but inspired by Charlie Parker took up the s saxophone at the age of 14. First self-taught, he later he studied music at the University for music and interpretative arts in Graz/Austria from '79 to '82 and got a sholarship for Berklee/USA in '83. He has gone on to collaborate with musicians like Sunny Murray, Al Porcino, Albert Mangelsdorf, Udo Lindenberg, Hector Martignon, Blank & Jones, Bob Dorough, Billy Hart, Fred Braceful, Gary Peacock, Joe Madrid among many others. He has worked on festivals and productions all over the world, as well in collaboration with the Goethe Institutes in places including Georgia, Serbia, Bosnia, Spain, Mexico, Cuba, USA, Colombia, Greece, Italy and China, with longer stays in New York, Sevilla, Bogotá. Since 2004 he has been working as a producer for international folklore, emphased on Latin America in countries like Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua and in Cuba with members of the Buena Vista Social Club.
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JOE FARRELL

Alto, soprano, and tenor saxophonist Joe Farrell, born Joseph Carl Firrantello in Chicago Heights, Illinois, graduated from University of Illinois in 1959, moved to New York and became a freelance musician. In 1960 he joined the Maynard Ferguson Big Band then joined Slide Hampton in 1962, before recording with Jaki Byard in 1965. He is next showcased on The Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis Orchestra albums "Opening Night ", "Presenting Thad Jones / Mel Lewis & The Jazz Orchestra ", "Live at the Village Vanguard ", as well as recording with the likes of Jaki Byard, Charles Mingus, Andrew Hill, Players Association and Elvin Jones. In the 1970s he recorded with The Band, Billy Cobham, The Average White Band and played on the initial irecording of Chick Corea's "Return to Forever" in 1972 , he is also playing on Chick Corea's "The Mad Hatter", "Friends", "Secret Agent", later in the 70s. His solo career took off in the 70s too, after signing with the CTI label he had a major hit with his third album for them “Moon Gems,” in 1972, backed by top sidemen including Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke and Jack DeJohnette. The late 1970s and 1980's sees him working with the Mingus Dynasty and the Louis Hayes’ group before moving to L.A. where he recorded with Hall & Oates and make two albums with the group Fuse One before his premature death in 1985.
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JOHNNY GRIFFIN

American bop and hard bop tenor saxophonist John Arnold Griffin III was playing alto sax with T-Bone Walker in a band led by T-Bone's brother, while still in high school at the age of 15. In 1947, he formed a sextet, for the next two years they recorded R&B for Atlantic Records and by 1951 he was playing baritone sax in an R&B sextet led by Arnett Cobb. He joined Art Blakey in 1957, his recordings from that time include a memorable album joining together the Messengers and Thelonious Monk, after which Johnny succeeded John Coltrane as a member of Monk's Five Spot quartet. He was now was known as the "fastest tenor in the west", for the ease with which he could execute fast note runs with excellent intonation and he was recording for Blue Note and the Riverside label. From 1960 to 1962 he and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis led their own quintet, recording several albums together. He went to live in France in 1963, moving to the Netherlands in 1978. He appeared at jazz clubs such as London's Ronnie Scott's, and became the "first choice" sax player for visiting US musicians touring the continent during the 60s and 70s. He went on to record albums with Wes Montgomery, The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band, Peter Herbolzheimer And His Big Band, Nat Adderley, Derek Watkins, Art Farmer, Slide Hampton, Jiggs Whigham, Herb Geller, Wilton Gaynair, Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Rita Reys, Jean "Toots" Thielemans, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Grady Tate, Quincy Jones and others. Johnny played his last concert with his supurb French band on July 21st 2008 in Hyères, France a week before he died, at the age of 80
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RICKY FORD

Born in Boston, studied at the New England Conservatory and inspired by Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins, saxophone player Ricky Ford started recording professionally in 1974 while with Gunther Schuller, after which he played in the Duke Ellington Orchestra under Mercer Ellington. From 1976 to 1985 he played with several bands including the Charles Mingus Group when he replaced George Adams and he recorded on Three Or Four Shades of Blue and Me Myself An Eye. He also played with Dannie Richmond, Lionel Hampton, George Russell, Beaver Harris, the Mingus Dynasty and in 1985 he played with Abdullah Ibrahim. He recorded extensively as a leader often recording with Jimmy Cobb and ex-Ellington colleague James Spaulding. for Muse and Candid before relocating to Europe in 2000 where he taught at Istanbul Bilgi University until 2006. In 2004 he founded The Ricky Ford Orchestra featuring students Istanbul Bilgi University, being some of the most promising musicians in Turkey. After a series of performances the group visited Paris to play some concerts to French people. Ricky has also formed a sextet in Paris comprising of himself on tenor sax, Bobby Few on piano, alto saxophonist Jean-Michel Couchet, trombonist Frédéric Burgazzi, bassist Emmanuel Grimonprez and Philippe Soirat on drums.
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CARLOS GARNETT

Panamanian-American jazz saxophonist Carlos Garnett grew up in Panama; he started playing alto at aged 18, switching to tenor saxophone in his late teens when he performed calypso and Latin music. In 1962, aged 24, he moved to New York, working with rock groups before his interest in jazz. Between 1968 and 1977 he worked with Freddie Hubbard, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Jack McDuff, Andrew Hill, Gary Bartz and Norman Connors, as well as recording five albums of his own for Muse during 1974-1977. Carlos disappeared from the commercial music scene through the 1980s but made a strong comeback in the following decade relocating to the Houston area, he started a new band and set out releasing some fine records including “Fuego En Mi Alma", “Under Nubian Skies" and “Moon Shadow”, and performed with the likes of Joe Sample, George Thomas, Rick Porter, David Craig, David Marcellin, Erin Wright, Kyle Turner, Vernon Daniels, Paul English, Brennen Nase, Bob Henschen, Conrad Johnson, Marsha Frazier, Sebastian Whitaker Joe Carmouche, Al Campbell, Phil Blackman, Carol Morgan, Carl Lott, Mark Townes,, Hamilton Loomis, Jerry Johnson, just to mention a few. Carlos continues to record, plays the jazz festivals and is a frequent visitor to Europe.
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JOHN HANDY

Texan, John Handy started playing alto in 1949; in 1958 he moved to New York, where he recorded several albums with Charles Mingus that showcased his originality. He also recorded several albums as a leader for Roulette Records . John led his own bands during 1959-1964, and played with Charles Mingus at the 1964 Monterey Jazz Festival, but it was at the following year's festival that he was a major hit with his own quintet which included violinist Michael White, bassist Don Thompson, Terry Clarke on drums and guitarist Jerry Hahn, this led to Grammy nominations for "Spanish Lady" (jazz performance) and "If Only We Knew" (jazz composition). Soon, he was signed to Columbia, where he recorded some of his finest work, three excellent albums during 1966-1968. Since that time, he has performed world music with Ali Akbar Khan, recorded the R&B hit "Hard Work" for Impulse in 1976, toured and recorded with Mingus Dynasty, and in the late '80s led the group "Class". John remains a strong soloist and teaches in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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SAHIB SHIHAB

Born Edmond Gregory, Sahib Shihab first played alto saxophone professionally for Luther Henderson at age 13, before studying at the Boston Conservatory and playing with trumpetist Roy Eldridge. Then in the mid forties he played lead alto with Fletcher Henderson. During the late 1940s, he played with Thelonious Monk and also found time to appear on many recordings by artists including Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham, Benny Golson, Tadd Dameron and on John Coltrane’s first full session as leader for Prestige, First Trane. In the early 50's he played with Dizzy Gillespie's big band and switched to baritone. In 1959, he toured Europe with Quincy Jones after getting fed up with racial politics in USA and he settled in Scandinavia, where he worked for Copenhagen Polytechnic and wrote scores for television, cinema and theatre. In 1961, he joined The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band and remained a key figure in the band for 12 years. In the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest, he accompanied Lill Lindfors and Svante Thuresson on stage for the Swedish entry Nygammal Vals. In 1973, he returned to the United States working as a session man for rock and pop artists and also doing some copywriting for local musicians. He spent his remaining years between New York and Europe and played in a successful partnership with Art Farmer.
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NATHAN DAVIS

Born in Kansas City, Nathan Davis is a master of tenor and soprano saxophones, and bass clarinet, although he started on trombonr in his teens. His first noteworthy job was with the Jay McShann band, and a little later he became one of the few males who has ever played with the usually all-female International Sweethearts Of Rhythm. His army service in 1960 took him to Berlin, after which he was invited to Paris by Kenny “Klook” Clarke, with whom he played for most of the next six years. He also worked with the likes of Eric Dolphy, Woody Shaw, Larry Young, Mal Waldron and Hampton Hawes and toured Europe with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers before returning to America in 1969 to teach jazz at Pittsburgh University, where he has since remained. In 1985, he formed the neo-bebop Paris Reunion Band, comprising various USA musicians who had lived in Paris in the 60s, recording and touring with them in the late 80s. The band has included Johnny Griffin, Joe Henderson, Shaw, Nat Adderley, Dizzy Reece, Slide Hampton, Kenny Drew, Jimmy Woode and Idris Muhammad. He also toured and recorded with the post-bop ensemble Roots. Both of these ensembles he went on to direct and tour with in the early ‘90’s as well.
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ANGELLA CHRISTIE

Gospel saxophonist Angella Christie got her start opening for acts including BeBe & CeCe Winans, John P. Kee and Shirley Caesar, and got work as a session musician which included her featuring on Yolanda Adams' 1991 album "Riding Through the Storm". After which she launched her solo career with her debut solo LP ''Walk with Me'' For the past 21 years she performed throughout the United States, Africa, Europe and Asia. She headlined on the 40-city “Sister’s in the Spirit” tour along with Mary Mary, Yolanda Adams, and Shirley Caesar; she featured in Jet magazine with “Best Photo of the Week” with former President Bill Clinton; and has performed in television shows on Day Star, TBN, BET, The Word Network and others. Angella is a three-time Stellar Award Nominee, and is the first female internationally acclaimed gospel saxophonist in the world.
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KIM WATERS

Kim Waters first learnt the violin at age eight, but eventually switched to alto and soprano saxes at 13. He was influenced greatly by his musical hero Marvin Gaye, as well as Sonny Stitt, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane and Coleman Hawkins and later influences included David Sanborn and Grover Washington, Jr. As a young teenager Kim played in a band with his brothers and a young Cyrus Chestnut before working as a sideman to a wide variety of jazz and R&B acts, from Alex Bugnon and Isaac Hayes to Phyllis Hyman and Teddy Riley. He launched his solo career in 1989 with "Sweet and Saxy". Over 20 years he has record sales of over a million albums and ranks among the top five best-selling instrumentalists in jazz with string of hit albums including Love’s Melody, One Special Moment, From The Heart, Someone to Love You, In the Name of Love, All For Love and You Are My Lady, which have collectively produced over 10 No.1 hits. To celebrate his 20 years as a recording artist, he has just released his lastest album "I Want You: Love in the Spirit of Marvin". 2008 saw his latest side project, together with fellow saxophonists Jeff Kashiwa and Steve Cole as "The Sax Pack" debuting in the top 10 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart with their self titled first album "The Sax Pack" ..
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JEFF KASHIWA

Jeff Kashiwa started out on the clarinet at aged ten, influenced by Chuck Mangione and Spyro Gyra he had switched to the saxophone by the time he was a teeager. After attending Berklee College of Music, he transferred to Cal State Long Beach to work on his Bachelors Degree in Music. In 1998 he replaced saxophonist Brandnon Feilds in the fusion jazz group The Rippingtons, just in time to record the album ''Tourist in Paradise''. The promotion tour for this album featured their first visit to Japan. His secomd album with the band ''Welcome to the St. James' Club'' became the band's first CD to debut at No.1 in the Billboard Charts. As well as heavy touring, including world tours and recording 10 albums with them, Jeff also recorded his first 2 solo albums, before leaving The Rippingtons in 1999 to focus on his own band Coastal Access. He reunited with the Rippingtons in 2007 for their 20th Anniversary Tour. 2008 saw his latest side project, together with fellow saxophonists Kim Waters and Steve Cole as "The Sax Pack" debuting in the top 10 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart with their self titled first album "The Sax Pack" .
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STEVE COLE

While at Northwestern University, Chicago, tenor jazz saxophonist Steve Cole studied classical saxophone, but he learnt his trade as a session player working long hours in the Chicago clubs, playing on countless national commercial spots, contributing to a number of soundtracks on the A&E network and going on the road as sideman to the likes of Brian Culbertson and Bob Mamet. In 1998 he released his debut solo album "Stay Awhile" which won him the year 2000 Prism Award for 'Best New Artist' at the Oasis Smooth Jazz Awards. He was also a winner of Chicago Symphony Orchestra's annual young artists competition, allowing him the honor of performing with the orchestra. His second solo album "Between Us" gave him a a No.1 hit single with "Got It Goin’ On". In 2001 he charted with his rendition of the Grover Washington jr & Bill Withers classic "Just The Two of Us" from the tribute album "To Grover, with Love". Steve's latest solo album to date, "True" is his funkiest yet, with plenty of R&B, soul, and jazz influences, and maybe his finest album yet. 2008 saw his latest side project, together with fellow saxophonists Kim Waters and Jeff Kashiwa as "The Sax Pack" debuting in the top 10 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart with their self titled first album "The Sax Pack" .
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BONEY JAMES

Urban jazz pioneer, saxophonist Boney James, born James Oppenheim was 15 when his family moved to Los Angeles. A Motown fan and influenced by saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr. he joined a fusion band which had some success opening for acts like Flora Purim and the Yellowjackets. After graduation he spent over seven years of touring and sessions as a sideman with artists like Randy Crawford, the Isley Brothers, Bobby Caldwell, Teena Marie and many others. In 1992 he released his own debut album as leader "Trust", which to date, has been followed by 9 more solo albums. His current and tenth CD, "Shine", of which he wrote 9 of the songs, debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz charts and No.6 on the R+B chart and No.44 on the Pop Chart. Some of his self penned tracks include "After the Rain", "The Total Experience", "Metropolis," and "Here She Comes.". James is a two-time Grammy nominee and a Soul Train Award winner, and has accumulated three RIAA certified Gold records.
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BARBARA THOMPSON

Born in Oxford, UK, Barbara Thompson started studying clarinet, piano and classical composition, and from 13 years of age to 17 she played in the London Schools Symphony Orchestra. Then in 1964 while at the Royal College of Music, influenced by the music of Duke Ellington and John Coltrane she changed to jazz and the saxophone. During these 3 years she played in many student bands run by people such as Gordon Rose, Bill Geldard, Alan Cohen, and Graham Collier. In the early 70s Barbara played with the Bill Le Sage Trio, the Don Rendell & Barbara Thompson Quintet (playing at Ronnie Scott’s opposite Oscar Perterson), John Dankworth and the Greatest Swing Band In The World. 1975 saw Barbara involved in the start of 3 bands, a 10-piece group “The United Jazz & Rock Ensemble”, 1975-2006; a 9 piece Latin/Rock band, Barbara Thompson’s Jubiaba 1975-83; and from 1975-2006, Barbara Thompson’s“Paraphernalia”. She was signed by MCA in 1978, the same year she started working with Andrew Lloyd-Webber, the relationship lasted for many years, recording and playing live on a variety of Andrew’s works including Variations, Cats, Requiem, Cricket, Starlite Express & Tell Me On A Sunday. She was awarded the MBE in 1996 for her services to music. Throughout her extremely successful and busy career, Barbara has to date recorded on over 73 albums, played and guested with many other bands and artists including Kate Westbrrok, Colosseum, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Sarah Brightman, Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Julian Lloyd-Webber, Neil Ardley, Micael Gibbs, Keef Hartley and Elaine Page, as well as writing much music for stage, radio, films and TV ... you can hear her haunting saxophone playing the title theme to the TV Series, 'A Touch of Frost'.
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CANDY DULFER

Candy Dulfer played her first solo on stage with her father's band De Perikels/The Perils and made her first recordings for the album ''I Didn't Ask'' with De Perikels, in 1981 at the age of eleven. At twelve years old, she played as a member of Rosa King's Ladies Horn section at the North Sea Jazz Festival and at the age of fourteen, she started her own band Funky Stuff. The band performed as opening act at two of Madonna's concerts on her European tour, which has led to many sold-out concerts over the years. In 1988, Prince invited Candy on stage to play an improvised solo. She later starred in the video of the single "Partyman" with Prince. After which she did some session work with Eurythmics guitarist and producer Dave Stewart, gaining her a credit on "Lily Was Here" which reached No.6 in the UK singles chart and a No.1 hit in the Dutch radio charts in 1990. 1990 also saw her performing with Pink Floyd at Knebworth. Candy was also the featured saxophonist for Van Morrison's ''A Night in San Francisco''. In 2007, she released her ninth studio album Candy Store. The album reached No.2 in Billboard's Top Contemporary Jazz charts, and produced the Smooth Jazz National Airplay No.1 hit "L.A. Citylights". She continues tour, record and guest playing classic R&B, blues, and jazz in her own unique, creative ways.
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RICHIE CANNATA

New Yorker, Richie Cannaata plays piano, keyboards, flute, clarinet and the whole range of saxophone, but tenor sax is his number one. He was a member of Billy Joel's band from 1975 - 1981, after which he played with The Beach Boys for 10 years. Also in the early 80's Richie founded the world class Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York of which he still co-owns and works in today. In his busy career Richie has played, and/or recorded with dozens of the worlds top artists and bands including Chaka Khan, Elton John, Steve Winwood, Mitch Mitchell, Billy Preston, Bon Jovi, Rita Coolidge, Miami Sound Machine, Booker "T", Michael Bolton, Paul Young, The Turtles, Mick Fleetwood, Max Weinberg, Celine Dion, Toto, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rick James, Oak Ridge Boys, Santana, Gregg Allman, Guns & Roses, Rod Stewart, Wings, Poison, just to mention a few. In 2006, Richie returned with Billy Joel, most notably for the record-setting 12 show run at Madison Square Garden. Richie is still producing, touring and recording today.
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AL COHN

Al Cohn worked with Joe Marsala, Georgie Auld, Boyd Raeburn, Alvino Rey, and Buddy Rich before becoming one of the "Four Brothers" in Woody Herman's Second Herd playing along side of Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, and Serge Chaloff, where he contributed to the band arrangements and gained a reputation as a lyrical flowing soloist. Al went on to play with many other musicians including Artie Shaw's short-lived bop orchestra . . But his best-known association was his long-term partnership with tenor player Zoot Sims, beginning with the quintet they co-led in 1956. They continued to play together sporadically until the death of Zoot in March of 1985. The high point of their partnership can be hear on "You 'n' Me" a collection of standards and original compositions released in 1960. The two also played on some of author Jack Kerouac's recordings. Al also recored seven albums under his own name. as a leader. In addition to his work as a jazz tenor saxophonist Al was a noted arranger, his work included the Broadway productions of "Raisin" and "Sophisticated Ladies".
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DARREN MOTAMEDY

Sax player Darren Motamedy auditioned on his clarinet for his high school jazz band, but his teacher told him he could audition the next year on the saxophone, or he could not be in the jazz band. At this time he also joined a funk-rock band which opened him to many other musical influences. He continued to study the saxophone, clarinet, and flute at Central Washington Uni, after which his first group Mottoretti, achieved national success, in both the "AC" charts and the "Jazz" charts. His third album "Dangerously Close", won the "Best Jazz Album" of the year category with Seattle Based KUBE radio station. Darren and his bands went on to open for the likes of Larry Carlton, Grover Washington, Jr., Tower of Power, Tom Grant, Stanley Jordan, Ce Ce Penniston, Ray Charles, Denise Williams, Paul Taylor, Keiko Matsui and Boney James. He has also performed with Kenny G, Shari Lewis, Harry Blackstone, Mel Brown, Lou Rawls, and Ray Parker and played in many of the Jazz Festivals around the world. As well as guesting on albums, Darren has released 9 albums of his own, the last to date (Jan 2009) being "Don't Cha' Know" released in 2007.
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RICK MARGITZA

Rick Margitza was born into a musical family, both his father and grandfather were members of the Detroit Symphony. Rick started off learning piano, then oboe, but inspired by Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker, and John Coltrane he changed to tenor sax when at high school. He ended his education Loyola University in New Orleans, where he lived and played for four years. He toured with Maynard Ferguson and also Flora Purim and Airto before moving to New York in 1988, where he did a stint in The Miles Davis Group. From 1989 to 1991 he released "Color", "Hope" and "This is New" . He became a very wanted session player, recording with Eddie Gomez, Tony Williams, Bobby Hutcherson, Maria Schneider, McCoy Tyner and Chick Corea. He has also composed a saxophone concerto and two symphonies for orchestra. He has led his own band and performed in clubs, concert halls and festivals around the world. His 10 albums as a leader document the growth of his playing and composures. Rick now lives and records in France, he is exploring gypsy, eastern European and Indian music, while researching his gypsy roots and their travels.
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KEVIN MOORE

Saxophonist, Kevin Moore was raised in Portland, Oregon, and now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. His style of music is not Jazz or R&B, but rather it is a smooth, soothing and healing sound, which has been cultivated by his strong Christian faith, church background. Kevin has worked with or been the opening act for Steve Fry, Kim Burrell, Ron Brown, Kirk Whalum, Edwin Hawkins, Daryl Coley, Smokie Norful and numerous others. In August of 2003 Kevin with his track "Can I Testify? " was selected to featured on CD Sampler ..14, which was produced by Clear Channels jazz powerhouse station in San Francisco, KKSF; the CD benefits Aids relief. He has released a CD of traditional Gospel hymns entitled, The Old Rugged Cross, and his most recent project entitled, "Every Breath We Take" has a little bit of something for everyone.
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JOHN KLEMMER

American saxophonist, John Klemmer born in Chicago, Illinois, began playing guitar at the age of 5 and began alto sax aged 11 touring with various local bands including Les Elgart, Woody Herman. Switching to tenor sax in high school he participated in the active small groups jazz scene as well as commercial small group & big band work while leading his own groups in the Chicago area. John had extensive studies choosing private lessons in piano, conducting, harmony, theory, composition, arranging, clarinet, flute & classical & jazz saxophone that continued through college. John studied saxophone & jazz improvisation with noted Chicago saxophonist and teacher Joe Daly and attended the prestigious Interlochen's National Music Camp. Within the same year as graduating from high school, he was signed by Producer Esmond Edwards at Cadet/Chess Records. He has gone on to perform at Newport & Monterey Jazz Festivals, Antibes Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, & Montreux Jazz Festival plus T.V. shows Midnight Special & Rock Concert. He has composed all songs for his many albums, amassing a large & valuable publishing catalog, but he has also collaborated & co-written musically & as lyricist with many pop songwriters, such as, David Batteau, with the U.K. hit "Walk In Love". John further developed his innovative Solo Sax Concept resulting in the now landmark & classic recording of "Cry" ushering in, thought by many, the "New Age Music Spiritual" genre, with some now calling him the "Sax God". He has to date recorded 38 albums as a leader, 24 as a sideman and 14 as a conductor.
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MATS GUSTAFSSON

Born in Sweden, Mats Olof Gustafsson started at a very young age on the flute, but before his teens he had started on the saxophone, influenced by the likes of Lars Göran Ulander and Per Henrik Wallin. At 14, he put his sax mouthpiece on his flute creating his flutophone. He first came to the media attention in 1986 as part of a duo with Christian Munthe and then in the band Gush in 1988. Mats has has gone on to play with musicians such as Peter Brötzmann, Joe McPhee, Paul Lovens, Barry Guy, Yoshimi P-We, Derek Bailey, Magnus Broo, Otomo Yoshihide, Jim O'Rourke, Thomas Lehn, Evan Parker, Misha Mengelberg, Zu, The Ex, Sonic Youth and many others. Since the early 1990s, he has been a regular visitor to America, forming a particular affinity with Chicago musicians such as Hamid Drake, Michael Zerang and Ken Vandermark and recording for the city's OkkaDisk label. In addition to projects with musicians, Mats has worked extensively with artists from the worlds of dance, theatre, poetry and painting.
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ERIC ALEXANDER

American jazz saxophonist, Eric Alexander started out on piano as a six-year-old, took up clarinet at nine, and switched to alto sax when he was 12. In 1986 the age of 18, then a classical musician, Eric started studying alto saxophone at Indiana University with Eugene Rousseau. He soon became influenced by the likes of Sonny Stitt, Dexter Gordon, George Coleman and switched to jazz, the tenor sax and transferried to William Paterson University, where he studied with Joe Lovano. In 1991 Eric came second, behind Joshua Redman at the 1991 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition. He was quickly signed and released his debut album "New York Calling" on Muse Records in 1992. This has been followed by 22 albums as leader, the last to date being "Temple of Olympic Zeus" in 2007. Eric has worked with many notable jazz musicians, including Chicago pianist Harold Mabern, Ron Carter and Joseph Farnsworth and has appeared on a further 92 albums. 2003 saw Eric recieve the award "Artist Of The Year" from Jazz Week. He has become known for his sophisticated hard bop and post-bop style and continues to record, teach and tour with his two bands The Eric Alexander Quartet and his the sextet, One For All.
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LES ROBINSON

Les Robinson was born in South Bend, Indiana, USA, having a love for music he learnt to play the trumpet while at school , playing in local bands from an early age. By the time he was 17 Les had already recorded 3 records with The Howard Thomas Orchestra, from Fort Wayne, on Gennett Records in Richmond. Les followed his dreams and relocated to New York to find his fortune. He found work in the recording studios and with local bands. It was at this time he nurtured his love for the saxophone and made it his first instrument. By 1939 Artie Shaw was putting his 2nd big band together and invited Les to become his lead saxophone player. His unique bounce style helped catapult The Artie Shaw Orchestra to fame with hits such as " Begin The Beguine ", "Blue Skies", and "Traffic Jam". Les played on all Artie's singles and albums between 1937 and 1939, including the Billie Holiday hit "Any Old Time". When Artie disbanded, the 40's see Les with The Benny Goodman; Tommy Dorsey and Frank Sinatra; Jerry Wald Orchestra and his sax can be heard with the Harry Geller's Orchestra including Frankie Laine's "Till The End Of The Road" in 1949. In the 50's Les had become a much in demand studio, session and guest saxophone and clarinet player doing much work with Steve Allen and Gus Bivona in the 50's and Gerald Wilson in the 60's. Playing well into his 70's, Les still had his same youthful bounce and enthusiasm at the 1987 Benny Goodman memorial concert in LA. Les has played his saxophone and clarenet well loved and ever popular notes on more than 270 sessions over his successful 6 decade career.
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NICK BRIGNOLA

American baritone saxophonist Nick Brignola also played tenor, alto or soprano at times. He began in music by playing clarinet at age eleven, but then added alto and tenor saxophone and also learnt flute. He did not use baritone saxophone until he was twenty. The jazz magazine Down Beat praised the college band he worked in when attending Ithaca and this gained him his initial notability. He became a member of Woody Herman's orchestra for a time, worked with Thelonius Monk, and had his first album as a collaboration with Glen Moore. Nick has toured and recorded with Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Clark Terry, Phil Woods, Woody Herman, Doc Severinsen, Chuck Mangione, Bob James, Elvin Jones, Dave Holland, Buddy Rich, Pat Metheny, Chet Baker, Dizzy Gillespie among others. Although he did notable work for others he spent most of his career as a leader of his own small groups. Nick got a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Jazz Group, "LA Bound", he won Best Jazz Instrumentalist on the BET Television Network for 1997-1998 and was the winner of the December 1997 Jazz Times Magazine Critics Poll. Nick was also voted #1 Baritone Saxophonist in both The Down Beat and Jazz Times Magazines Readers Polls for 4 years running.
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COAT COOKE

Vancouver based Coat Cooke, is one of Canada’s most lyrical and inventive saxophonists. He is the founder and leader of the renowned NOW Orchestra, which he formed in 1987. He has toured Canada, the USA and Europe performing in major festivals in Berlin, Lisbon and Chicago. As a composer, he has written for dance, film, and spoken word, and for configurations from solo piano to large ensembles. His many collaborations over the last thirty years, have included work with George Lewis, Barry Guy, Wadada Leo Smith, Roscoe Mitchell, Nancy Stark-Smith, Chris Aiken, Ray Chung, Butch Morris, and most recently with Marilyn Crispell. As well as his extremely successful and busy career with the all the above, Coat also has his own trio featuring Clyde Reed on bass and Kenton Loewen on drums. His most recent Coat Cooke Trio recording, Up Down Down Up is available on Cellar Live Records.
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ODEAN POPE

American jazz tenor saxophonist, Odean Pope was raised in Philadelphia, where he learned to play sax from Ray Bryant. His early in his career, included workiing at Philadelphia’s Uptown Theatre, where he played behind a number of noted rhythm and blues artists inlcuding James Brown, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. He played briefly in the 1960s with Jimmy McGriff and Art Blakey, and late in the 1960s he began working with Max Roach, including touring Europe in 1967and 1968. He was a member of the Philadelphia group, Catalyst in the early and mid-1970s, and assembled the Saxophone Choir, which consists of nine saxophones and a rhythm section (piano, bass and drums), in 1977. He became a regular member of Roach's quartet in 1979 and has recorded extensively with him, in addition to numerous releases as a leader. Odean's latest album to date was "Locked & Loaded: Live at the Blue Note" in 2006.
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OLIVER LAKE

Alto saxophonist, Oliver Lake born Arkansas, US is also a flutist, composer and poet. He started playing and studying the alto saxophone in 1960 at the age of 16. By the mid 1960s he was working with the St. Louis Black Artists Group (BAG), a multidisciplinary arts collective that existed in St. Louis, Missouri from 1968 to 1972. In 1977 Oliver co-founded the World Saxophone Quartet, along with fellow sax players, Julius Hemphill, Hamiet Bluiett and David Murray. The quartet have toured extensively in the US , Europe, Japan, Africa, the Middle East, Australia and have released 20 albums to date, the last being, "Political Blues" 2006. In addition to performing and touring with his Steel Quartet, his Big Band, the WSQ and Trio 3, Oliver collaborates with many artists including Mary Redhouse, Anna Devere Smith, Patricia Williams, Craig Harris and various other artists in many disciplines. He is currently developing a symphonic piece that draws upon elements from his African, Native American and European heritage, and is in the midst of an extensive residency in Tucson, Arizona, and a two-month multi-arts residency in Minneapolis.
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HAMIET BLUIETT

Hamiet Bluiett was born Brooklyn, Illinois and a s a child, he studied piano, trumpet, and clarinet, but was attracted most strongly to the baritone saxophone from the age of ten, influenced by Harry Carney, the baritone player in the Duke Ellington band. He began his musical career by playing the clarinet for barrelhouse dances in Brooklyn, Illinois, before joining the Navy band in 1961. After his time in the Navy, he returned to the St. Louis area in the mid-1960s. In the late 1960s Hamiet co-founded the Black Artists' Group (BAG) of St. Louis, Missouri. In late 1969 he moved to, where he joined the Charles Mingus Quintet and the Sam Rivers large ensemble. In 1976 he co-founded the World Saxophone Quartet, which soon became jazz music's most renowned saxophone quartet. He has remained a champion of the somewhat unwieldy baritone saxophone, organizing large groups of baritone saxophones. In the 1980s, he also founded The Clarinet Family, a group of eight clarinetists playing clarinets of various sizes ranging from E-flat soprano to contrabass. Since the 1990s he has led a virtuosic quartet, the Bluiett Baritone Nation, made up entirely of baritone saxophones, with drum set accompaniment. Hamiet has also worked with Sam Rivers, Babatunde Olatunji, Abdullah Ibrahim, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye.
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KIDD JORDAN

Edward "Kidd" Jordan was born in Crowley, Louisiana and played in various bands throughout elementary school and high school, achieving mastery of the entire saxophone and clarinet families, with special emphasis on the tenor saxophone. The list of bands and artists he has performed with reads like a 40-year Grammy program of many genre, from Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder to Aretha Franklin and the Supremes, from Ed Blackwell and Ellis Marsalis, to Ornette Coleman, Cannonball Adderley and Cecil Taylor. His outstanding talent is much appreciated by his European fans and the French Ministry of Culture recognized Kidd with a knighthood ... Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1985. As well as his live performances, he has long been associated with music education at Southern University in New Orleans, his work with children, documented by 60 Minutes, and his educational programs in Sierra Leone, Senegal and Mali, he has always remained faithful to the sounds in his soul. The honesty in his playing is only matched by a tone that has rarely been heard in the history of his instrument.
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FRED ANDERSON

Fred Anderson grew up in the Southern U.S. and learned to play the saxophone in his youth, he moved to Evanston, Illinois in the 1940's. Fred was one of the founders of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and is still an important member of the musical collective. His partner for many years was the Chicago underground jazz legend, trumpeter Billy Brimfield. He has appeared on several notable avant garde albums in the '60s, notably the seminal Delmark recordings of saxophonist Joseph Jarman, 'As If It Were The Seasons' in 1968, and 'Song For' in '66, which includes the self penned composition "Little Fox Run." In 1983, Fred took over ownership of the Velvet Lounge in Chicago, which quickly became a center for the city's jazz and experimental music scenes. The club expanded and relocated in the summer of 2006. Though he remained an active performer, Fred recorded rarely for about a decade beginning in the mid-'80s. By the 1990s, however, he resumed a more active recording schedule, both as a solo artist, and in collaboration with younger performers, notably saxophonist Ken Vandermark and drummer Hamid Drake.
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BUDDY TATE

Buddy Tate. was born George Holmes Tate in Sherman, Texas, he taught himself to play saxophone by listening to Louis Armstrong records. By his early teens he was playing in his family's quartet called McCloud's Night Owls. Through the late 20's and most of the 30's he played and toured with Terence "T" Holder, Andy Kirk, and Nat Towles, before joining Count Basie Orchestra in 1939 for 10 years. The 50's to 70's see's Buddy on 4 European tours in 1959, 1961, 1967, 1968 with Illinois Jacquet; he worked with, among many others, Lucky Millinder; Milt Buckner Hot Lips Page; ex-Basie singer Jimmy Rushing; led a group with Bobby Rosengarden at the Rainbow Room; co-led a band with saxophonist Paul Quinichette at New York’s West End Cafe; was house bandleader at Celebrity Club, New York City. The 80's and 90's see's him touring and appearing at all the top festivals with his own Quintet and playing regularly with Lionel Hampton. In 1992 he also took part in the documentary, Texas Tenor: The Illinois Jacquet Story. His final appearance on disc came at the invitation of the rising saxophone star James Carter, who duetted with Buddy on two tunes on his Conversin’ With The Elders CD in 1996, including ‘Blue Creek’ which featured Buddy on clarinet. Sadly he had to retire in the late 90's due to cancer, after entertaining us for over 7 decades.
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PETER KING

English jazz musician Peter King was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, and taught himself to play the clarinet at the age of fifteen, but soon changed to alto saxophone. In 1959, at 19, he was booked by Ronnie Scott to perform at the opening of Scott's club in Gerrard Street, London. In the same year he received the Melody Maker "New Star" award. He worked with Johnny Dankworth's orchestra from 1960 to 1961, and went on to work with the big bands of the Brussels Big Band, Maynard Ferguson, Tubby Hayes, Harry South, and Stan Tracey, and the Ray Charles band on a European tour. Peter has also played in small groups with musicians such as Philly Joe Jones, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Red Rodney, Hampton Hawes, Nat Adderley, Al Haig, John Burch, Bill Watrous, and Dick Morrissey, Bill Le Sage and singers such as Jimmy Witherspoon, Joe Williams, Jon Hendricks, and Anita O'Day. As well as many jazz compositions, Peter's composing includes an opera, Zyklon, in collaboration with Julian Barry. Peter still performs regularly in jazz venues around London with his quartet and is a member of Charlie Watts' Tentet.
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SAM BUTERA

Born and raised in New Orleans, Sam Butera took up playing the saxophone when he was seven. By his late teens he was playing with big band drummer Ray McKinley's orchestra and was named one of America's top upcoming jazzmen by Look magazine when he was only eighteen years old. By his early twenties, he was playing in the orchestras of Joe Reichman, Tommy Dorsey, and Paul Gayten. Sam returned to New Orleans when the big band sound deminished, and played at The 500 Club, owned by Louis Prima's brother. Soon, at Louis Prima's request, Sam was up in Vagas with his band The Witnesses. Sam remained the bandleader of The Witnesses for the next twenty years. During that time, he performed with Louis Prima and/or Keely Smith on such Prima-associated classics such as "Old Black Magic," "Dig That Crazy Chick," "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody," "(Come on a) My House," and "I Want to Be Like You" from Disney's The Jungle Book. He is noted for his raucous playing style, his off-color humor, and the innuendo in his lyrics. The arrangements he made with Prima have been covered by David Lee Roth, Los Lobos, Brian Setzer, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Sam still remains a very active musician, touring the US, Europe and the UK with his band
Sam Butera & The Wildest.
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PAUL DESMOND

Paul Desmond was born Paul Breitenfeld in San Francisco, California. Due to family problems he was spent his childhood between New York and San Francsico. Paul began playing violin at a young age, changing to clarinet at the age of twelve while at San Francisco Polytechnic High and switched to alto sax as a freshman at San Francisco State College it was this year too, he was drafted into the US Army and joined the Army band while stationed in San Franscisco, where he first met Dave Brubeck. Following W W II, Paul started working in Palo Alto, California at the Bandbox. He also worked with Brubeck at the Geary Cellar in San Francisco. Paul soon hired Brubeck, but replaced had him a few years before 1950 when Paul left for New York City for a short stint with Jack Fina, but returned to California after hearing Brubeck's trio on the radio. The two finally over came their differences and joined forces and formed The Dave Brubeck Quartet. Between 1951 and 1967 they released 13 albums. Among his many writings, Paul wrote the Dave Brubeck Quartet's most famous piece, "Take Five", which has become a jazz classic. In the 1970s Paul rejoined with Dave Brubeck for several reunion tours including "Two Generations of Brubeck". Accompanying them were Brubeck's sons Chris, Dan and Darius. In 1976 Paul played 25 shows in 25 nights with Brubeck, touring the U S in a couple of hired buses. Also in the 70s he played extensively with Gerry Mulligan, Jim Hall, Chet Baker and his own Paul Desmond Quartet until his untimely death in 1977, the year he was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.
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HAROLD VICK

Born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, sax player Harold Vick started playing clarenet at the age of 13 influenced by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and others. At 16 he took up the tenor saxophone and was soon playing in R&B bands. The 50s see Harold in Washington, D.C. studying psychology at Howard University, and playing in bands at night. In 1963, after working and recording with the likes of organists Jack McDuff and Jimmy McGriff, he debuted with his own solo album "Steppin' Out!", for the Blue Note label. It featured trumpeter Blue Mitchell and guitarist Grant Green. By 1974 he had become a highly sort after side man recording with many of the greats including jazz vocalists Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Ashford & Simpson, Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, and Angela Bofill. He continued working with organists Shirley Scott and McGriff and Dizzy Gillepie's big band and with R&B acts both in the studio and on the road. His last recordings in 1987, just before his death were with singer Abbey Lincoln, 2 albums tributing Billie Holiday. In 1998 Sonny Rollins paid tribute to Harold Vick by composing and recording a tune entitled "Did You See Harold Vick?"
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ELTON DEAN

Over the years British sax player Elton Dean has favoured a little used member of the sax family, the saxello, an hybrid between alto and soprano, with an instantly recognizable sound. Elton graduated from trad jazz gigs in pubs to playing rhythm'n'blues with Lester Square & the GTs and subsequently with John Dummer at the Star Club in Hamburg and he then played with the Jamaican Soul Pushers. In the mid-Sixties, Elton was a member of Long John Baldry's Bluesology, which also featured Reg Dwight on piano. who took Elton Dean's name as his own. Between 1969 and 1972, Elton Dean contributed to the Third, Fourth and Fifth albums, Soft Machine's most successful recordings, and toured with them extensively. Elton recorded with many artists from the extended Canterbury family, guesting on solo albums by the Soft Machine alumni Kevin Ayers, Hugh Hopper and Robert Wyatt in the Seventies as well as working with musicians drawn from the ranks of Caravan, Gong, Matching Mole, Hatfield and the North and National Health in Phil Miller's In Cahoots throughout the Eighties and Nineties. Elton has also recorded with Marsha Hunt, Julie Driscoll, Heads, Hands and Feet, Alexis Korner, Dudu Pukwana and Towering Inferno as well as touring with the American jazz performer Carla Bley and working with Keith Tippett on ambitious projects like Centipede which gathered the crème de la crème of UK jazz players - over 40 musicians and a 19-strong string section - in 1971 on the Septober Energy album. In the last decade, Elton and his French wife Marie-Noëlle commuted between London and Paris, and toured with Brotherhood of Breath tribute band the Dedication Orchestra, partnered American free-jazz trombonist Roswell Rudd and worked with various Soft Machine-related groups. He had also joined forces with the former Soft Machine members Hugh Hopper, John Marshall and John Etheridge to revive their jazz-fusion glory days and explore new horizons as SoftWorks, Soft Bounds and the Soft Machine Legacy.
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LEROY "HOG" COOPER

Saxophonist Leroy "Hog" Cooper started his 6 decade plus career, at an early age around the bars and clubs of Dallas before his army call up. He was stationed in St. Louis, so was in the hub of the jazz scene and on the doorstep to all the latest jazz and blues tracks. It was here he heard and learnt more styles, and this influence helped him to master his techniques. After army life, in 1954 he played on the great Lowell Fulson's "Reconsider Baby". In 1957, and back in Dallas, he got his big break, he was offered the baritone seat in the Ray Charles Orchestra. His first recording sessions with Ray were "Them That Got", "My Baby! (I Love Her, Yes I Do)" and "Who You Gonna Love?". Leroy's next 20 years were spent with Ray Charles, touring 9 months every year, recording, films, TV, festivals, guest appearnces and band leader, until in 1976, when Leroy moved to Orlando, Florida for a more settled life. He took over as sax player and band leader of the Disney World Band. But every time Ray was in the area Leroy would guest in the band of his long time friend. Leroy spent his next 20 years as leader of the Disney World Band as well as recording over 50 albums with the likes of David "Fathead" Newman, Joe Cocker, Dr. John, Wayne Newton, and many others. At the age of 79, Leroy is still amazing us, living and blowin’ the blues as a member of Jeff Willey's " The Smokin’ Torpedoes", one of Florida's top power blues bands, based in Orlando.
(sadly Leroy has died since writing this)
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BUTCH THOMAS

Butch Thomas was born in St Louis were in 1983 he got a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music at Webster University, St. Louis, MO. His phenomenal playing has been crafted during a 25yr career which has seen him working with Aretha Franklin, Thomas Dolby, Al Jarreau, James Taylor, on a 2 year tour with Sting and many more. He began his professional career on the tenor sax, in the Jaco Pastorius band between 1983 and 1987 in which he learnt many, many different skills and lessons from the great musician, in this period he recorded two albums 'Punk Jazz' & 'NYC Jam' with this now legendary bass player. In the years to follow, he played with the likes of Lester Bowie in the jazz world but mainly worked as a session player to some great artists such as guitarist Lennie Kravitz. Butch has also appeared as sideman for the likes of Senegalese Singer Youssou N'dour and Al Green. Butch left America to live in Buckinghamshire, UK. As well as his exceedingly busy session career, he also teaches at Amersham & Wycombe College, UK as Music Lecturer,
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STEPHEN "DOC" KUPKA

Stephen Kupka a.k.a. "The Funky Doctor" is an American baritone saxophone player and composer, best known as a founding member of the band Tower of Power. In 1968 he met tenor sax player Emilio Castillo and joined his soul music cover band 'The Motowns,' based in Oakland, California. Stephen convinced Castillo to start performing original songs, and they changed the band's name to 'Tower of Power'. The band recorded their first album, East Bay Grease, in 1970. Stephen has been with Tower of Power ever since, and is also responsible for co-writing many of the band's best-known songs. Stephen has also recorded with numerous other artists, including The B-52's, Chicago, Dan Fogelberg, Heart, Elton John, Huey Lewis & the News, Little Feat, and Bonnie Raitt. In 1998, he co-founded Strokeland Records as a platform for his own songwriting. Stephen continues to perform, write and produce numerous other soul, jazz, and funk artists.
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LEW TABACKIN

Lew Tabackin born in Philadelphia, studied flute and tenor saxophone in high school, and majored in flute at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music, he also studied privately with composer Vincent Persichetti. After his U.S. Army service, 1962-65, he moved to New Jersey and then to New York, where he played with Tal Farlow, Don Friedman and later in the big bands led by Cab Calloway, Les and Larry Elgart, Maynard Ferguson, Joe Henderson, Chuck Israels, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Clark Terry, and Duke Pearson. He also spent some time in Europe, where he was a soloist with various orchestras, including the Danish Radio Orchestra and the Hamburg Jazz Workshop. In 1968 he met Toshiko Akiyoshi when the two played together in a quartet. They married and moved to L.A, where they formed the award-winning big band The Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, and played in other west coast bands. In 1982 Lew and Ms. Akiyoshi moved to New York, which brought him back to the Manhattan jazz scene. In 1990 Lew released his first disc for Concord, Desert Lady, featuring Hank Jones, Dave Holland, and Victor Lewis, followed by the acclaimed I'll Be Seeing You with Benny Green, Peter Washington, and Lewis Nash. He has also been associated with several all-star bands, including George Wein's Newport All-Star Band, the New York Jazz Giants, and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. Lew continues to tour the world as a soloist, playing clubs and jazz festivals with his own groups and as featured soloist with the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra.
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GEORGE COLEMAN

Saxophonist, George Coleman from Memphis, Tennessee is a self taught sax player inspired by Charlie Parker. After touring with blues legend B.B. King, he moved to Chicago in 1956, where he worked with Gene Ammons and Johnny Griffin and the Max Roach Quintet. In 1959 he moved to New York playing with Slide Hampton , Ron Carter, Jimmy Cobb, and Wild Bill Davis, before joining The Miles Davis Quintet recording several of their classics, including Someday My Prince Will Come, Seven Steps to Heaven, A Rare Home Town, Côte Blues, In Europe, My Funny Valentine, Four and More, and both live concert recordings in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York in 1964. That same year he played on Herbie Hancock's classic 'Maiden Voyage'. George has gone on to work with Lionel Hampton , Chet Baker, Kirk Lightsey, Herman Wright, Roy Brooks, Charles Mingus, Shirley Scott, Clark Terry, Horace Silver, Lee Morgan, Elvin Jones, Ahmad Jamal, Hilton Ruiz, Richie Beirach, Tete Montoliu and many, many others. As well as producing several solo albums, George has TV and movie credits, winner of numerous awards, is a recipient of a New York Jazz Award, and has a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jazz Foundation of America. His last album as a co-leader was 2004's 'Four Generations of Miles: A Live Tribute to Miles' and more recently freelancing on Joey DeFrancesco's 'Organic Vibes' 2006 release.
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GEORGE ADAMS

Saxophonist George Adams as a child played piano, by his high school days he was playing tenor in funk bands influenced by Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and the adventurous edginess of John Coltrane and Albert Ayler. In 1961, he toured with Sam Cooke, in 1963 he moved to Ohio where he played with organ groups until in 1968 when he finally moved to New York. He joined the Charles Mingus Band in 1972 recording 4 albums them before Charles' death in 1979. George also accompanied Gil Evans in his orchestra from 1974 to 1984, releasing 6 albums. At the same time he formed a quartet with pianist Don Pullen debuting in March 1975. George and Don shared a musical vision and their quartet, sometimes known as the "George Adams-Don Pullen Quartet", and sometimes as the "Don Pullen-George Adams Quartet", played genres from R&B to the avant-garde, releasing 12 albums. George recorded further albums with Dannie Richmond, McCoy Tyner, James Blood Ulmer with Phalanx, and 6 albums as leader with his own band. George played with tremendous intensity and passion, but has been sadly overlooked by some of the media After Georges death, Don Pullen, dedicated to his memory, the CD Ode To Life, recorded by his African-Brazilian Connection, and in particular the beautiful ballad "Ah George, We Hardly Knew Ya".
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DAVID MURRAY

Sax player, David Murray born in California, was initially influenced by free jazz musicians such as Archie Shepp and Albert Ayler which has set him apart from others of his generation. He studied at Ponoma College before moving to New York in 1975, where he played with Cecil Taylor and Dewey Redman. In 1976, after a European tour, David set up the first of his powerful groups, the prolific, World Saxophone Quartet, with Oliver Lake, Julius Hemphill and Hamiet Bluiett, a very sort after avant-garde jazz group, implementing elements of free funk to African jazz and his use of the circular breathing technique enabled him to play astonishingly long phrases. In 1978, he set up his own quartet, then octet and finally his quintet. He has recorded or performed with musicians of all genre, such as Jerry Garcia , Max Roach, Ken Makanda McIntyre, Randy Weston, Jones Henry Threadgill, Tani Tabbal, James Blood Ulmer, Olu Dara, Butch Morris, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Ed Blackwell, Johnny Dyani, and Steve McCall, recording well over 220 albums. His own latest to date, being Sacred Ground in 2007 with his Quartet. Among his many awards David and his band earned a Grammy Award in 1989 in the Best Jazz Instrumental Group Performance category for "Blues for Coltrane: A Tribute to John Coltrane"
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MAKANDA KEN McINTYRE

Multi musician, Makanda Ken McIntyre didn't pick up the saxophone till he was 19, but inspired by Charlie Parker and endless hours of practice, made it his prime instrument. He earned a bachelor's degree in music composition from the Boston Conservatory in 1958, and a master's degree in music composition from the Boston Conservatory in 1959. In 1971 he founded the first African American Music program in the country at the State University of New York College were he taught for 24 years. Makanda recorded several albums as a leader for Steeplechase Records in the 1970's and 1980's, also played/recorded with Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra in the 1990"s. Over the course of his long career, he performed and/or recorded with: Daoud A. Haroon, Nat Adderley, Walter Bishop, Jr., Joanne Brackeen, Jaki Byard, Ron Carter, Richard Davis, Eric Dolphy, Charlie Haden, Richard Harper, Craig Harris, Sam Jones, David Murray, Charlie Persip, Ben Riley, Cecil Taylor, Warren Smith, Andrei Strobert, Arthur Taylor, and Reggie Workman among countless others, and was a member of the innovative group Beaver Harris and the 360 Degree Ensemble. Makanda has recorded solo 12 albums and has over 500 compositions and arrangements to his credit. His works include compositions for woodwind quartets, chamber ensembles, jazz bands, and full orchestra, as well as hundreds of lead sheets. He composed ballads, calypsos, bebop, avant-garde and the blues reflecting different aspects of his Caribbean and African American roots.
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LESTER STERLING

Lester Stirling raised in the Kingston Jamaica started out on trumpet. In 1945, while at the world renowned Alpha Boys School in Kingston, he was a member of the Alpha Band. He next played in Stanley Hedlam’s band, then Val Bennett’s band in 1956. Lester changed to saxophone inspired by his brother's playing and Charlie Parker. In 1959, he entered the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour and won all the competitions up to the Grand Final at the Majestic Theatre. After playing in Jamaica Military Band and his discharge, Lester did a brief stint with Kes Chin and the Souvenirs before he helped form The first Skatalites in May 1964, while also freelancing with the likes of Clement Dodd, Duke Reid, Leslie Kong, Bunny Lee and for Byron Lee's Dragonaires, before going solo. He had his first No.1 hit in Jamaica with "Pupa Lick" in 1967, and cut his signiture tune "Bangarang." in 1968, another No.1. He emigrated to New York, Americain 1972, his first gig was with Junior Soul and the Debonairs, and he has sessioned with many since. In 1978 Lester reformed The Skatalites, he still plays with them today, he is one of the three original members along with Doreen Shaffer and Lloyd Knibb who are still a part of the band. In 1998, the Governor General of Jamaica, Sir Howard Cooke, awarded Lester the Order of Distinction, the 2nd highest honor awarded to citizens of Jamaica. In 2002 Lester released the CD "Stirling Silver" the first comprehensive collection of his music, Lester’s solo works from 1961 to 1979 a spotlight on the man they call "Ska" Sterling.
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CEDRIC BROOKS

Cedric Brooks a graduate of the world renowned Alpha Boys School in Kingston, Jamaica and their band and like Lester Stirling he is another innovative saxophone player in the history of Jamaica's music and he frequently shares the stage with Lester as a member of The Skatalites. Cedric spent much of his earlier time in as Director of Coxson's legendary Jamaican Studio One house band, where he recorded with many great artists and distinguished himself on a number of classic Jamaican recordings, including Count Ossie's So Long Rastafari Calling, Java, Satta Massa Gana and Skylarking. On a visit to America he was inspired by the music and vibes of Sun Ra and Sonny Rollins. He was on the point of joining Sun Ra but had to return to Jamaica. Despite reggae being in full swing on the island, Cedric took up Sun Ra's challenge by moving beyond reggae's rocksteady beat by experimenting with free jazz, forming his group The Light of Saba, taking leads from Hugh Masekela and Fela Kuti creating a multi-cultural 'world music' way ahead of its time. He is also the co-founder of the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, a brass-and drums ensemble that specialized in the Island of Jamaica's enlightened folk music and culture.
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RAVI COLTRANE

Tenor ND Soprano sax player Ravi Coltrane born in L.A. to the legendary tenor saxophonist John Coltrane and jazz pianist Alice Coltrane, brother of Robbie Coltrane, and was named after the sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar. He studied music, focusing on the saxophone at the California Institute of the Arts. Ravi worked extensively with M-Base guru Steve Coleman, which has influenced Ravi's own musical conception. Coltrane has played with Geri Allen, Carlos Santana, Kenny Barron, Gerry Gibbs, Steve Coleman, McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, Branford Marsalis and others. In 1997, after performing on over thirty recordings as a sideman, Ravi recorded his first album as a "Moving Pictures", released in 1998. His follow-up "From the Round Box" in 2000 he was accompanied by Geri Allen, Ralph Alessi, James Genus, and Eric Harland. These were followed by 2 more albums to date "Mad 6 in 2002 and "In Flux" in 2005 with bassist Drew Gress, pianist Luis Perdomo, and drummer E.J. Strickland. The Coltrane Quartet has played at the legendary Monterey Jazz Festival 2001, Montreux Jazz Festival 2004, Newport Jazz Festival 2004, and Vienne Jazz Festival 2005, to name a few. In January 2005, Ravi toured in India as part of a delegation of US jazz musicians on a State Department tour to promote HIV/AIDS awareness.
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STEVE COLEMAN

Steve Coleman studied saxophone as a teenager in Chicago, his influences have been Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Von Freeman and Bunky Green. He played his hometown gathering skill before hitch-hiking to New York in 1978, where for a while he was a street musician. Steve was a founder of M-base, "macro-basic array of structured extemporization". M-Base is built on the innovations of Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, along with many other spontaneous composers. It is also influenced by the rhythmic innovations of many of the groups led by singer James Brown, as well as having direct roots in West African Music and West African cultural and philosophical ideas. Steve's present style is an extension of these ideas. He later traveled to Ghana to study their music. He has performed and recorded with Thad Jones, Sam Rivers, Doug Hammond, Cecil Taylor, Mike Brecker, Abbey Lincoln, David Murray, Dave Holland and many others. Besides his extensive work producing, recording, playing with other bands, his composing, his work with M-base and leading several groups over the years, his main band 'Steve Coleman and Five Elements' formed out of street musicians in 1981 is still active today recording around 25 albums to date the latest being "Weaving Symbolics" in 2006.
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P. J. PERRY GULOIEN

Jazz saxophonist P.J. (Paul John) Perry Guloien has performed across the world and played with many of the greats. He started out in his father's dance band at the age of 14 years old playing in the clubs around Vancouver, before moving to Toronto in 1959 where he played with the likes of Ron Collier and Sonny Greenwich. 1962 sees him in Montreal with Maury Kaye; 1963 sees him playing in Europe for 3 years. On his return to Canada he had gone on to appear and record with the Boss Brass, Dizzy Gillespie, Ellis Marsalis, Slide Hampton, Woody Shaw, Herb Spanier, Ron Johnston, Jerry Fuller, Torben Oxbol, Pepper Adams, Kenny Wheeler, Tom Harrell, Tommy Banks and many others. In 1993 P.J and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra won the Juno Award for Best Jazz Recording for his album "My Ideal", and he has received Jazz Report magazine's Critic's Choice Award for Best Alto Sax for, a record, of seven years running from 1993 to 1999. P.J has become recognized by as being one of North America's premier saxophonists.
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CAMPBELL RYGA

Canadian saxophonist, Campbell Ryga is a founding member of the internationally acclaimed Hugh Fraser Quintet formed in 1981. As well as touring Canada 24 times to date, Campbell has toured internationally on 19 occasions, mainly in Western Europe and Latin America and he has has performed week long engagements at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Soho, London on four separate occasions. Most of this touring has been with the Hugh Fraser Quintet. Cambell has received 3 Juno Awards, with two additional nominations, a Grammy nomination and has twice received the Western Canadian Music Award in the Jazz category. He has contributed to 57 Jazz Recordings inclusive of his two current releases as a leader, 'Coastal Connection' and 'Spectacular'
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MIKE MURLEY

Saxophonist Mike Murley has been an important force in Canadian jazz since the early '80s, with a sound of his own. Among others he has recorded as a sideman with Time Warp, the Shuffle Demons, Brian Dickinson, Barry Elmes, Nojo, John Stech and Kevin Dean and led dates of his own for Unity and Counterpoint. Mike has played and recorded with such name musicians as Kenny Wheeler, Randy Brecker, and John Abercrombie. In 1988 , while in New York for a year Mike played with Jack McDuff, but throughout his career, most of his work has taken place in Canada, where he has become an increasingly influential figure. Currently Mike is active as a leader in various formations from duo to septet, and also maintains a busy schedule as a sideman with the David Braid Sextet, the Rob McConnell Tentet , the David Occhipinti Quartet, and is a member of the band Metalwood.
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DEL PUSCHERT

Del Puschert has played the saxophone since he was 3, and played in local Texan bands from an early age. He met Elvis Presley in 1954 in his then home town of Texarcana, where Elvis frequented the club where Del played his saxophone. In 1956 Elvis asked him to join his band. They played together till Elvis left for Hollywood to begin filming the movie, "Love Me Tender." After this Del played the saxophone in a local band called the Van Dykes. They shared the stage with greats like The Coasters, Otis Redding and Ike & Tina Turner. Del has played sax throughout his live, and more recently he has toured extensively in places such as Branson, Miss., Texarcana, Texas, Palm Springs, Calif., Austin and Las Vegas. At the age of 74, this talented musician still tours and plays with several bands on the Austin, Texas music scene including Cornell Hurd Band and The Van Dykes. You may also catch a glimpse of Del at his amazing Annapolis barbershop, Del's Styling Ranch on Defence Highway.
Tenor sax player Del Puschert on YouTube
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JOE ROMANO

Sax player Joe Romano from Rochester, NY, was influenced by Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Chu Barry, Ben Webster and Paul Gonsalves has spent much of his musical career freelancing. In his teens he sat in with Nat King Cole and Coleman Hawkins at the Band Box and Johnny Griffin, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Sonny Stitt, and other legends at the Ridgecrest, the Pythodd, and other clubs. In the 50's he worked and recorded with Gus Mancuso, the 60's he played with Chuck Mangione's Jazz Brothers and Sam Noto and he 70's find Joe with Les Brown, Bellson, Chuck Israels' National Jazz Ensemble, the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra and Louie Bellson while living in Los Angeles. Joe also worked on and off with Woody Herman from the mid 50's for nearly 20 years and from the late 60's he has played and recorded intermittently with Buddy Rich and many others. Mangione and drummer Steve Gadd credit Joe for their inspiration and guidance early on in their careers. Joe is still a much in demand session player and with his own Quintet he has recorded a number of albums including 'And Finally Romano', 'One Romantic Night' and 'This Is The Moment'.
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JIM BRENAN

Canadian Sax player, Jim Brenan studied at Rutgers University under the skilled guidance of Ralph Bowen. After establishing himself on the Canadian jazz scene, took the position of Coordinator of Jazz Studies at The School of Creative and Performing Arts at the University of Auckland, New Zealand for 2 years, after which he retuned to Canada as coordinator of credit music at Mount Royal College in Calgary, Alberta. Jim has an active performing and recording career, to date he played across Canada with P.J. Perry, Randy Brecker, Tommy Banks, The Brenan Brothers, and Latin sensation Bomba, recipient of Galaxie rising Star Award and toured US and Europe as the lead tenor saxophone with The Maynard Ferguson Big Bop Nouveau Band. As a member of this band Jim also performed with Diane Schuur and recorded for the Concord record label as a featured soloist on the "Big City Rhythms" big band album. Jim has also recorded two CD's under his own name the most recent titled "the Spectre".
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JEFF KASHIWA

Seatle saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa starting out on the clarinet at age ten, changing to sax at 12. He attended Berklee College, influenced by the such as Chuck Mangione and Spyro Gyra. He found work in Disney's All American College Band, after which he toured with the ska/reggae group the 'Untouchables' performing on MTV's first Spring Break. In 1989 he joined The Rippingtons, at the same time he recorded 2 solo albums and in 1999, Jeff left the Rippingtons to concentrate on his own band, Coastal Access, touring US and Britain taking in over 100 dates annually. His Native Language debut album 'Another Door Opens' and follow-up 'Simple Truth' established him as one of smooth jazz's most dominant saxophonists. In 2006, he reunited with the Rippingtons for the group's 20th Anniversary Tour and he guested on their following album. He continues guesting with the Rippingtons, but mainly concerntrates on his composing and work with his own band.
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JAY BECKENSTEIN

Jay Beckenstein took up the saxophone up at the age of 7, his clarenetist father taught him to play the blues and boogie woogie. Inspired by his father, Charlie Parker and Lester Young Jay played in various school bands in both America and Germany. While in Germany he also played R&B with his father & friends in US Army and German Clubs. Back in America he studied classical, avant garde music and saxophone at Buffalo University. It was while playing the many venues in and around the Buffulo area in the early 70's that Jay and his friends formed the band Spyro Gyra. The band have produced, to date, 28 albums, been nonimated 8 times for Grammy Awards between 1980 and 2007. and were awarded the George Benson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards this year, 2007. As well as his busy band commitments of around a 100 venues a year and composing new tracks, Jay played the saxophone solo on Dream Theater's "Another Day", from the album Images and Words, and "Through her Eyes", from the album Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory. He also played a solo part in "Take Away My Pain" on the live album Once in a Livetime as well as "Another Day" during the performance of Metropolis 2000: Scenes from New York.
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RALPH BOWEN

Saxophonist Ralph Bowen majored in Classical Performance at Rutgers-the State University of New Jersey, before recording 4 records with Bluenote, after which he spent 3 years recording and touring with Horace Silver & 16 years with Michel Camilo. Ralph to date, has performed/ recorded /world toured with over 80 big name artists, such as Bob Hurst, Art Blakey Big Band, Lenny White, Jon Faddis, Benny Carter, James Spaulding, Al Gray, Lewis Nash, Rene Rosnes, Andy Bey, Lou Rawls, Kenny Drew Jr. and the list goes on, as well as releasing 4 solo albums of his own. Some of his influences include Earl Bostic, King Curtis, Sonny Stitt, Bird, Cannonball Adderly, Trane, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, and Pat LaBarbera his teacher of 8 years. He has been awarded the Inaugural "Brick," Philadelphia Clef Club for the Performing Arts; The Juno Award-Canada, for Best Mainstream Album: Free Trade - Free Trade; Outstanding Service to Jazz Education, National Association of Jazz Educators; and the Silver Disk Award, Japan, for Best Jazz Album: OTB - Out of the Blue. Ralph continues to record, tour and play the world's top jazz festivals.
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IKE QUEBEC

Sax-man, Ike Quebec (pronounced Kyoo-bek) born in Newark, New Jersey, was an accomplished dancer and pianist, he switched to tenor sax as his primary instrument in his early 20s. His recording career started in 1940, with the Barons of Rhythm. Later, he recorded or performed with Frankie Newton, Hot Lips Page, Roy Eldridge, Trummy Young, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Carter and Coleman Hawkins. Between 1944 and 1951, he worked intermittently with Cab Calloway. He recorded for Blue Note records in this era, and also served as a talent scout for the label (helping pianists Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell come to wider attention) and, due to his exceptional sight reading skills, was an uncredited impromptu arranger for many Blue Note sessions.
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TIM PRICE

Sax player Tim Price lives in Reading, Pennsylvania, he studied at Berklee College of Music under Charlie Mariano, Andy McGhee, Joe Viola, and Nick Ciazza. After Berklee he studied saxophone and improvisation with Sal Nistico, Fred Lipsius, Jimmy Lyons, Ray Pizzi, Sonny Stitt, and Ronnie Cuber Through his long career he has played-recorded with 100's of great artist including Bennie Green, Hans Dulfer, Lew Tabackin, Ray Drummond, Jon Mayer, Greg Bandy, James Gadson, Don Patterson, Billy James, Doc Severinson, Major Holly, Alan Dawson, Bill Doggett, Jack Mc Duff, Cecil Payne, Richie Cole, Ernie Watts, Charlie Watts from the Rolling Stones, Gary Burton, Dr. John, Phil Woods, Charlie Mariano, Shirly Scott, Trudy Pitts, Sonny Stitt and Ernie Krivda, Rachel Z, Sue Terry, and John LaPorta. Tim has also written over 40 sets of liner notes for historic jazz records like "Front End" by Jerry Bergonzi, plus CD liner notes for folks like David S. Ware, Ray Pizzi, Tab Smith, Michael Marcus, Bert Wilson and dozens of other great saxophone players and written three books on sax playing. As well as all the above, Tim has his own band playing jazz festivals and venues worldwide and performs clinics throughout the world, plus he teaches in New York City and from his home studio in Reading, Pennsylvania.
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ANDY MACKAY

Sax player Andy Mackay, born in Cornwall, England, also plays keyboards and oboe. While attending Reading University, of which Brian Eno was a fellow student and friend, Andy joined a group The Nova Express Band. He was a full-time music teacher at Holland Park School when he joined Roxy Music in 1972, this is when became known for his "duckwalk" during saxophone solos. He also released two solo albums in the 1970s, and composed the music for the album Rock Follies. After Roxy Music split in 1983, Andy went onto to form The Explorers recording one album, changing names to Manzanera and Mackay in 1988 making 2 albums and in 1989 he played with The Players, a group of English folk musicians who recorded one album. Andy has also worked with Mott The Hoople, John Cale, Pavlov's Dog, Duran Duran, Godley & Creme, Eddie And The Hot Rods and 801.He took part in the Roxy Music reunion concerts of 2001 and 2003, and has written music for UK television. He is currently working on a new Roxy Music album as well as his own solo project.
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JAN GARBAREK

Norwegian tenor / soprano saxophonist Jan Garbarek is active in the jazz, classical, and world music genres, his saxophone has become one of the hallmarks of the ECM record label. He began his recording career in the late 1960s, notably featuring on recordings by the American jazz composer George Russell. Jan rose to international prominence in the mid-1970s playing post-bop jazz, both as a member of and a leader of Keith Jarrett's "European Quartet". As a composer, Jan tends to draw from Scandinavian folk melodies. He is also a pioneer of ambient jazz composition, heard on his 1976 album Dis. He has composed music for several films, including "Teen Witch" , French and Norwegian films, and the film The Insider. Jan has recorded with 100's of artists including Anouar Brahem, Jon Christensen, Bill Connors, Palle Danielsson, Charlie Haden, Deeyah, Ustad Shaukat Hussain Khan, Ustad Bade Fateh Ali Khan, Zakir Hussain, Keith Jarrett, Egberto Gismonti, Ustad Nazim Ali Khan, Manu Katché, Gary Peacock, George Russell, Terje Rypdal, Oystein Sevag, David Torn, Ralph Towner, Nana Vasconcelos, Miroslav Vitouš, Eberhard Weber.
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RED HOLLOWAY

Tenor & alto sax player James "Red" Holloway was born in Helena, Arkansas, into a musical family. As a child he played banjo and harmonica before taking up the sax at the age of 12. At 16 he turned professional playing with Gene Wright's Big Band for 3 yrs, before joining the army and the army band, after which he played with Roosevelt Sykes & Nat Towles, before leading his own quartet. In his very long career, Red has performed with too many famous musicians to mention, including Billie Holiday, Muddy Waters, Jack McDuff, Dexter Gordon, Lionel Hampton, Chuck Berry, John Mayall, Ben Webster, Jimmy Rushing, Arthur Prysock, Dakota Station, Lester Young, Ernestine Anderson, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Wardell Gray, Sonny Rollins, Red Rodney, Sonny Rollins, Joe Williams, Redd Foxx, Aretha Franklin, Clark Terry, Joe Dukes, Juggernaut Nat "Lotsa Poppa" Towles, Willie Dixon, B.B. King, Junior Parker, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Lloyd Price, Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Rushing, Arthur Prysock, Dakota Station, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Wardell Gray, and many more. Red is at home and happy playing jazz, bebop, blues, R&B, a true virtuoso, who is still touring regularly.
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JAMES "JIMMY" DORSEY

Jimmy Dorsey, first son of a music teacher from Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, played trumpet as a young child, appearing on stage in Vaudeville acts from the age of 9 in 1913. He switched to alto saxophone when he was only 11 years old, and then learned to double on clarinet too. He formed Dorsey's Novelty Six with his younger brother, trombonist Tommy Dorsey. In the 1920's and early 30's, Jimmy joined the Californian Ramblers, as well as doing masses of freelance recording & radio work and many jazz recording sessions. He toured internationally with the Ted Lewis Band, did a short stint with Rudy Vallee and played in a few others bands before forming the legendary Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra in 1935. In 1953 he joined his brother Tommy's band, renamed The Fabulous Dorseys. In his long career Jimmy played with almost every top jazz artist, appeared on 100's of recordings and is considered one of the most prominent alto saxophone players of the pre-bebop era. He passed away in 1957, just 6 months after his younger brother.
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BRIAN "BREEZE" CAYOLLE

World touring saxophonist Brian "Breeze" Cayolle, is native to the musical city of New Orleans. He studied music at the University of New Orleans, playing soprano, alto, tenor, baritone sax and clarinets. As well as performing with many of New Orleans finest artists and with his own group, the French Quarter All-Stars, Brian has also worked, toured or recorded with Stevie Ray Vaughn, Roy Buchanan, Leon Russell, Clarence Gatemouth Brown and the Blues Queen of New Orleans, Marva Wright, Zydeco king C.J. Chenier, Tina Turner, Dino Kruse Band,Cornell Dupree, Chuck Rainey, Conan O'Brien, Allen Toussaint, Willy Deville, Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt, Ruth Brown, Sam Moore, Billy Joel and Fats Domino. He plays his powerful music at jazz festival around the world with standing ovations from the Montreux Jazz Festival to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Brian "Breeze" Cayolle, now endorsed by E.M. Winston saxophones has recorded three solo albums, the latest being "State Of My Heart".
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ROSARIO GIULIANI

Born in Terracina, Italy, Rosario Giuliani began studying the alto saxophone as a child and studied at L. Refice Conservatory of Music in Frosinone . By 1991 he was working with the television and radio orchestras of Italy's major networks, and recorded numerous soundtracks for top Italian film composers, including Ennio Morricone, Gianni Ferrio, Luis Bacalov, Armando Trovalioli, Manuel De Sica and many others. He has performed with top names like Phil Woods, Kenny Wheeler, Randy Brecker, Cedar Walton to mention a few, as well as many of Italy's finest jazz artists. Rosario achieved a first place at Brussels' Europe Jazz Contest and was also voted the best new talent in the 2000 critics poll Top Jazz conducted by a top-rated music magazine. These led him to a record deal with the Parisian label Dreyfus Jazz and international tours which see Rosario Giuliani taking many countries by storm. His debut album was the highly acclaimed 'Luggage' in 2001, his powerful quartet returned with 'Mr. Dodo' followed by 'More Than Ever', 'Anything Else', 'Duets for Trane' and 'Live From Virginia Ranch'.
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BOB MINTZER

Sax player Bob Mintzer is a member of the jazz rock band the Yellowjackets, but among jazz fans maybe better known for his inspiring big band work since the early 1980s in the 'Word of Mouth Big Band' and then as the leader of the Grammy Award winning 'Bob Mintzer Big Band'. Before starting his own big band, Mintzer was a featured soloist and arranger with the big band of Buddy Rich. He has been nominated for thirteen Grammy Awards both for his solo work and big band recordings Art of the Big Band, Departure, Homage To Count Basie, One Music, and Only In New York and for his work with the Yellowjackets: Blue Hats, Club Nocturne, Dreamland, Greenhouse, Like a River, Live Wires, Mint Jam, Runferyerlife, Time Squared. Homage to Count Basie won the Grammy in the best large ensemble category for the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, 2001.
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JERRY BERGONZI

Boston sax player Jerry Bergonzi is a master of chord changes with a strong musical imagination. He started playing sax at 12 years old; his early influences were Sonny Rollins, Hank Mobley & Coltrane, and did his musical apprentice ground work in New York. Here he became a member of Two Generations of Brubeck and of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, gaining international recognition. He went on to work with the likes of Dave Santoro, Adam Nussbaum, Peter Kontrimas, Bruce Gertz, Chris Brubeck, Daniel Humair, George Gruntz, Joey Calderazzo. He has led several groups including Con Brio, Gonz, played as a member in many other bands like The Daniel Bennett Group, KGB Trio and he has recorded for the Plug, Not Fat, Red, and Blue Note labels. Jerry finds time in his busy schedule to teach at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, and he has published seven volumes on improvisation for Advance Music.
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GENE CANNON

Gene Cannon began playing the saxophone at the age of nine. Influenced greatly by "Blue Lou" Marini, Jr., he went on to study music at the University of South Florida in Tampa where he joined his first band, a local band, Solution. Gene then started work in various studios and has played on many commercial projects including Sweet Bay, Hops Restaurant Chain, Tony Little Workout Videos, The Melting Pot, Time Warner Road Runner, Varilux Comforting Sounds CD , ESPN and the Home Shopping Network. Gene has sessioned and recorded with many great artists and bands among them are George Benson, The Average White Band, Brian Culbertson, Richard Elliot, Steve Cole, Paul Taylor, Greg Karukas, Patti Austin, Regina Bell, Special EFX, Rick Braun, Peter White, Paul Brown, Euge Groove, The Rippingtons, Allon Sams, Les Sabler and Paul Brown and Ken Navarro. His latest solo album "Soul Dances" is full of smooth jazz, funky music, tasty melodies, mellow playing and clever arrangements. At present Gene is a featured musician with Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Devil Rays and of international fame the "Off the Cuff" Band.
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EARL BOSTIC

Tulsan saxophonist Earl Bostic started performing with Fate Marable on New Orleans riverboats, turning professional at 18 when he joined Terrence Holder's band. His first recording was with Lionel Hampton in 1942. He formed his own band in 1945, and turned to R&B in the late 1940s. As a musician and band leader he was a perfectionist. Earl's biggest hits were "Temptation," "Sleep," "You Go to My Head" "Where or When" "Cherokee." and his signiture tune "Flamingo". He was influenced by the great Sidney Bechet and in turn John Coltrane was influenced by Earl Bostic. Earl was an unmatchable jammer, saxist Sweet Papa Lou Donaldson recalled seeing Charlie Parker get burned by Earl during one such jam session. He was able to control the horn from low B flat up into the altissimo range years before other saxophonists dared to try. He was able to play melodies in the altissimo range with perfect execution. He could play wonderfully in any key at any tempo over any changes. Art Blakey remarked that "Nobody knew more about the saxophone than Bostic, and that includes Bird. Working with Bostic was like attending a university of the saxophone." Earls's recording career was varied, it includes jump blues, big band jazz, early rock and roll, commercial sides, and soul/jazz organ quintets. He died on stage while playing with his band.
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PAQUITO D'RIVERA

Cuban saxophonist, eight time grammy award winner, Paquito D'Rivera, was taught sax & clarenet by his father Tito Rivera from the age of 5. At the age of seven he became the youngest artist ever to endorse a musical instrument, when the legendary company Selmer signed him up. In his early teens he was a founding member of the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna, at the same time he played both the clarinet and saxophone with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra. Paquito is director of the Festival International de Jazz en el Tambo in Uruguay, an Artist in Residence at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and member of the Alon Yavnai-Paquito D'Rivera Duet and the Jazz Chamber Trio, he plays with Irakere, Ying Quartet, Turtle Island String Quartet, cellist Mark Summer, pianist Alon Yavnai, and Yo-Yo Ma. In the classical genre, he has played with the Costa Rican Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, Bronx Arts Ensemble, London Royal Symphony, Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, American Youth Philharmonic and Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. Paquito has won dozens of awards, including 8 grammys for jazz, classical and latin music, all three of his main genre, and nominated many times. He has played on 100's of albums, played with dozens of top artists, and toured global many times. This once child prodigy is really a true virtuoso on sax and clarenet, read more about this amazing musician and man in his memoirs entitled 'My Sax Life'.
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PEPPER ADAMS

Pepper Adams born Park Adams III, in Highland Park, Michigan. Influences include Fats Waller, Jimmy Lunceford, Lucky Millinder, Cab Calloway. He became one of hard bop's most significant baritone saxophonists. His dark, hearty tone on the horn and driving rhythmic sense provided the antithesis to the lighter, floating styles of Gerry Mulligan. He worked with Barry Harris, Billy Mitchell, Kenny Burrell, Tommy Flanagan, Paul Chambers, Don Byrd, Doug Watkins, Curtis Fuller, the Jones Brothers, Yusef Lateef. Sonny Stitt, Milt Jackson, Wardell Gray, Stan Kenton, Dave Pell, Shorty Rogers, Benny Goodman, Charles Mingus, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Big Band, Gene Ammmons, Lee Morgan and so many more. Pepper has influenced many notable jazz baritone sax players, including Scott Robinson and Vanguard Jazz Orchestra bari chair holder Gary Smulyan. He sadly died in 1986 of lung cancer.
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GEORGE YOUNG

George Opaleski aka “George Young”, professional reed player since the early 60's, is one of the most recorded studio musicians and finest technicians in fusion, jazz, swing, fusion, bebop, rock, studio and concerts, and although he is one of the most heard, he is one of the most unknown. A virtuoso in most of the reeds, he specializes in the tenor and alto sax when in recording sessions with such artists and musicians as George Benson, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Martin Mann, David Sanchez, Earl Klugh, G.E. Smith & The Saturday Night Live Band, Jay Hoggard, Dean Friedman, Dave Holland and Toots Thielemans and so many others. George has also recorded solo; recorded in the combos of the great Steve Gadd, Jay Leonhart and John Tropea; in the big bands of Louis Bellson and Benny Goodman, and as a leader for both the Chiaroscuro and Paddle Wheel Studios, working with the dozens of artists that went through their doors. George is very respected throughout the world's music industry and by all the heavy saxophone & reed players.
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HOUSTON PERSON

Houston Person, jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer is most experienced in and best known for his work in soul jazz with his distinctive sassy sound and his expressive style of playing. Early in his career while in the U.S. Air Force, he played with Don Ellis, Eddie Harris, Cedar Walton, and Leo Wright. He spend many years as Etta Jones' musical partner, record producer, they performed, recorded and toured together for more than 30 years, receiving equal billing. Housten has more than 75 albums under his own name on Prestige, Westbound, Mercury, Savoy, Muse, and is currently with High Note Records. He has also recorded with Charles Brown, Charles Earland, Lena Horne, Lou Rawls, Horace Silver, Dakota Staton, Billy Butler amoung others and in 1982 he received the Eubie Blake Jazz Award. And a little inside information he likes his Harvey's Bristol Cream!!
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RAPHAEL RAVENSCROFT

Raphael Ravenscroft, session saxophonist on Maxine Nightingale 1976's "Right Back Where We Started From" got his big break when asked to do an instrumental solo on Gerry Rafferty's 1978 "Baker Street," on which he played what was to become probably the most well-known saxophone part in an entire era popular music. In 1979, he signed with Portrait Records to record a solo album, "Her Father Didn't Like Me Anyway", and he went on to play with Chris Rea, Ian Gomm, Alvin Lee, Pink Floyd, Robert Plant, Marvin Gaye, ABBA, Kim Carnes, Red Rider, Mike Oldfield, Roger Waters, America, Wire Daisies, Willie & The Poor Boys, London Symphony Orchestra, Phil Collins' Brand X, and two more LPs by Rafferty. In 1990, Raphael published a successful instruction book, The Complete Saxophone Player. Until 2004 he was also a tutor of Music at York College (York, UK)
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ED CALLE

Ed Calle, born in Caracas of Spanish parents, has been heard on thousands of recordings both as a sideman and a soloist, and his resume includes tour dates with some of the biggest names in the business. Although his passion is jazz, after hearing a Michael Brecker recording back in his teenage years, he is extremely versatile whether it be rock, jazz or pop, his fiery tenor can be heard with Gloria Estefan's Miami Sound Machine to Grammy-award-winning recordings by Arturo Sandoval, Vicky Carr and pop singer Jon Secada. He has also played and recorded with Julio Iglesias, Vanessa Williams, Bob James, Frank Sinatra and many others, as well as on television and in motion picture soundtracks. A recommended album "Plays Santana".
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PAUL GONSALVES

Paul Gonsalves, known for his affinity for ballads and his fast, driving solos, started his professional career playing tenor saxophone with the Sabby Lewis band, in which he played before and after his military service during World War II. In 1947, after a little spell with Tommy Dorsey, he played with the big bands of Count Basie until 1949, then a year with Dizzy Gillespie. 1950 saw Paul with the great Duke Ellington, who he stayed with for the next 24 years, until his death. His name went down in musical history when he caused a near riot at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, with a stunningly outstanding, mammoth 27 or 28 chorus solo, in the middle of Duke Ellington's performance when combining "Diminuendo" and "Crescendo in Blue". Paul Gonsalves was The Dukes major attraction for the remainder of both their lives, Paul was a featured soloist in numerous Ellingtonian settings, with many extended tenor saxophone solos. It was a sad, dark day in music when these two great musicians and friends died within a few days of each other in May of 1974.
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TEDDY EDWARDS

Teddy Edwards became a professional musician at the age of 12, & closely associated with L.A.'s Central Avenue jazz scene in the 1940s and '50s. In the 60's he was involved with Gene Norman's popular Just Jazz concerts. Teddy recorded frequently between 1959 and 1967 on many sessions. Though the following two decades found him contributing to the scores of such films as 'One From the Heart' (1982) instead of cutting records. From the early '90s on, Teddy averaged an album every other year until 1993's Smooth Sailing and continued to tour despite being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1995. A documentary entitled The Legend of Teddy Edwards was released in 2001. Over his long career he worked with the likes of Max Roach, Clifford Brown, Benny Carter, Benny Goodman, Howard McGhee, Roy Milton, Ernie Fields, Milt Jackson, Jimmy Smith, Jimmy Witherspoon, Leroy Vinnegar, Joe Maini, Freddie Hill, Ray Brown, Al Porcino, Gerald Wilson, Mel Tormé, Mel Lewis, Harold Land, Billy Higgins and Victor Feldman.
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CHARLES OWENS

Charles Owens is a master woodwind musician who maintains professional proficiency on tenor, alto, soprano and baritone saxophones, clarinet, flute, oboe, bassoon and English horn. After his discharge from the military, he attended the Berklee College of Music. He toured with the Buddy Rich Orchestra from 1967-68 and was with Mongo Santarmaria for the following two years. In the early 70's, settling in LA, Charles became a busy studio musician, playing virtually all the reed instruments. Among his more significant associations have been Lorenz Alexander, Bobby Bryant, Terry Callier, Miles Davis, Marvin Gaye, Dave Grusin, Eddie Harris, Gladys Knight, James Newton, Barbra Streisand, Henry Franklin, Patrice Rushen, the Gerald Wilson Orchestra, John Carter, Horace Tapscott, the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and his own groups. He has played on numerous hit records including the Grammy Award winning Ellington album, Hot and Bothered, featuring his baritone solo on "Sophisticated Lady." Charles also tours the United States and Europe with his own group, which has produced two albums on Discovery Records.
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MICHAEL SESSIONS

For the last 14 years, multi sax player Michael Sessions has successfully played, toured, recorded and entertained us as a member of The Michael Session Sextet. He is a popular freelance and guest saxophone player and has recorded several albums with Horace Tapscott, Sara Messenger & others
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LOUIS VAN TAYLOR

Louis Von Taylor played woodwinds though school and college. He attended CSLA for his bachelor degree in music and private study through the Berklee School of Music Correspondence course while a member of the Ray Charles orchestra. Since adding all the saxophones and woodwinds to his arsenal, Louis has been much sought after professional with the likes of the Temptations featuring Dennis Edwards and Otis Williams, a twenty year association and employment with Ray Charles, the Gap Band, Kool and the Gang, Gerald Wilson, Jimmie and Jeannie, The Four Tops, Laverne Baker Cheatham, Maxine Weldon, Charles Wright, Mariah Carey, Eric Benet, Carl Thomas, The O'Jays Little Anthony & The Imperials, Carl Thomas, Big Joe Turner, Bobby Womack and a host of others.
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ACE CANNON

Nashville's top session man Ace Cannon came from a musical family, started playing saxophone when he was 10, played in the high school band and began his long musical career in the 50's signing with Sun Records, performing with Billy Lee Riley and Brad Suggs until 1959 when he joined the Bill Black’s Combo, appearing on TV shows including The Ed Sullivan Show, The Merv Griffin Show, Dick Clark's American Bandstand, and The Buddy Dean Show. Ace also had a solo career debuting with the hit "Tuff" in 1962 followed 52 albums and 37 singles. He frequently toured with such legends of early rock & roll as Carl Perkins. In the 70's Ace became the subject of the 1974 documentary film, Ace's High, then in '75 his hit version of "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" was nominated for the Best Country Instrumental Performance Grammy. In 1997, Scotty Moore and D. J. Fontana, recorded an album entitled All The Kings Men, which consisted of 11 songs by various artists, such as Keith Richards, Ron Wood, Steve Earl, Ronnie McDowell, Jeff Beck and The Bill Black Combo. Of the 11 songs on the record, Ace Cannon with The Bill Black Combo selection was nominated for a Grammy Award. He has spent over 60 years touring and recording with many of the greats, playing genres from pop to country to bebop to jazz to rockabilly, a true virtuoso. He has been inducted into the Rock and Soul Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, is presently nominated for induction into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame and in May of 2007, his hometown honored this music legend by hosting its first annual Ace Cannon Festival., all this is why they call him The Godfather of Sax.
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BOOTS RANDOLPH

Boots Randolph was the first ever sax player to record with Elvis, and the only one to ever play solo with him, and he also recorded on the soundtracks for 8 of his movies. Boots is also the saxophone player responsible for penning and playing the 1961 multi-million seller of "Yakety Sax" which was the closing theme to the Benny Hill TV Specials. Boots can be heard on Roy Orbison's 1964 hit, "Oh, Pretty Woman". "Little Queenie" by REO Speedwagon, "Java" by Al Hirt, "Turn On Your Lovelight" by Jerry Lee Lewis, and "Rockin' 'Round The Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee, others out of dozens include Chet Atkins, Buddy Holly, Floyd Cramer, Alabama, Johnny Cash, Richie Cole, Pete Fountain, Tommy Newsom and Doc Severinsen. For over 40 years Boots Randolph has toured Europe, spent 15 years touring with The Master's Festival of Music, played for eight years on the Hee Haw Show, guested on numerous TV shows, and headlined almost every fair, jazz festival and convention in US.
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GENE DINWIDDIE

Gene Dinwiddie, born in Louisville, later nicknamed "Brother" played with various bands and jammed with the likes of Roscoe Mitchell and Amina Claudine Myers, for over a decade and a half before he got a big break in 1967. This happened when Paul Butterfield inspired by his mentor Junior Parker, formed a "big band". Soon after he asked Gene, by then a highly respected blues and jazz man, to arranged the brass section to join the band. This included Brother Gene himself, Trevor Lawrence, David Sanborn, Steve Madeo, they made a huge impact on the band, and brought them media attention. Gene appeared at both legendary festivals, the '67 Monterey Pop Festival, and at Woodstock in 1969, where his outstanding performance in "Love March" helped make it an instant hit, and also made it the band's anthem. He toured and recorded with the band for over 3 years. A must of Gene from this era, is the Butterfield Blues Band's supurb "Live" album, from the opening notes to the last, Gene's input and influence is felt throughout the album. He also played and recorded with the James Cotton Blues Band in it's early days, his experience helped them on their way to become the band they are known today. Throughout the 70's, 80's & 90's Gene freelanced, arranging brass sections or playing solo with many artists including Greg Allman, Cher, B.B. King, Melissa Manchester, Jackie Lomax, Keith Johnson, Phillip Wilson, Bugsy Maugh, Steve Madaio, Trevor Lawrence, Venetta Fields, Clydie King, David Sanborn, Geoff & Maria Muldaur, Lightnin' Rod, the band Crackin' and Etta James. He was also a major member of the group Full Moon during this time too. Gene played all the saxophones, the flute, the mandolin, but is most famed for his tenor playing. He also composed, "Cafe Black Rose" on the Lightinin’ Rod "Hustler’s Convention" album, later covered by Beck. He was a musician who put so much hard work and so much of himself into many projects, but, sadly Gene Dinwiddie passed away just a few years ago, and like too many great musicians .. virtually unnoticed.
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TEX BENEKE

Born Gordon Lee Beneke, in Texas, started his professional career with bandleader Ben Young in 1935, but he is probably remembered with Glenn Miller Band, thier best-selling hit records, and the Glen Miller sound. Tex became a signature soloist in the band and appeared with the Miller Band in the early '40's films "Sun Valley Serenade" and "Orchestra Wives" . After beng asked by Glen's wife Helen, Tex lead the Miller Band for time after the war, until it ran in to dispute differculties, after which he formed his own very successful band, appearing periodically at Disneyland, special Glenn Miller reunions, many TV appearances on The Tonight Show including those hosted by Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson. His band toured extensively. He suffered a stroke in the mid-1990s and was forced to give up the saxophone but continued to conduct, sing and tour. Tex was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1996, and in 1998, at the age of 84, two years before his death he launched yet another Miller big band style tour paying tribute to the Army Air Force Band. Throughout his life Tex stayed true to the authentic Miller sound. The Tex Beneke Orchestra plays on, under the leadership of Jim Snodgrass.
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SIL AUSTIN

The great showman Sylvester Austin, had a big, ripe, blues-inflected tenor sound which was ideally adapted to hard-driving rhythm and blues, but he was also highly sensitive on his haunting ballads. He was self taught until 1945, when he won the Ted Mack Amateur Hour in St. Petersburg, Florida, playing "Danny Boy". His performance brought him a contract with Mercury Records, and he moved to New York, where he studied for a while at the Juilliard School of Music. He played with both Roy Eldridge and Tiny Bradshaw, before setting up his own successful touring group. He recorded over a massive 30 albums for Mercury, and had a number of Top 40 hits, including 'Danny Boy', 'Slow Walk'and 'My Mother's Eyes'. Sadly, he died from cancer at the age of 71, in 2001. Several people have asked me for info about his album "Sil Austin Plays Pretty For Pretty People," If you email them on the following link, they may be able to help, I have no experience with the website.
http://people.zeelandnet.nl/mkrecords/lista_b1.htm
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ARMSTED CHRISTIAN

Freelance sax player, flutist, songwriter Armsted Christian has spent the past 25 years performing in some of the world's most prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, London's Royal Albert Hall, and Lincoln Center, and has played the Newport Jazz Festival, and the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. He has also worked with some of music's biggest stars, including Diana Ross, Patti Austin, Roberta Flack, k d laing, Regina Carter, Boney James, Angela Bofil, Phyllis Hyman, Najee, Downing and Rex Rideout , Jonathan Butler, Special EFX, Chieli Minucci, Michael Brecker, Peabo Bryson, and Jeffery Osborne. As well as his freelance and session work Armsted has his own band 'Peaceful Flight', which he formed while still a student at Berklee College of Music, where he is now a professor. He has won numerious awards and been nominated several times for a Grammy
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AL SHIKALY

Saxophonist/flutist, Al Shikaly began started playing sax when he was eight years old. Later he studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, learning further skills under the direction of Joe Viola, Charlie Mariano, Herb Pomeroy, and Gary Burton. He has entertained us for over 30 years, having credits on a host of chart hits worldwide while performing with many of the greats of our time, including Tavares, Tito Puente, Lou Rawls, The Four Tops,The Spinners, Burt Bacharach, Henry Mancini, Marvin Hamlisch, Maureen McGovern, The Temptations, and Freddie Hubbard, as well as recording some beautiful smooth jazz with his own band The S.E.A.Coast Band. He is at present, on tour with Engelbert Humperdinck.
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MICHAEL "TUNES" ANTUNES

By 1976, New Yorker, Tunes was already a very accomplished sax player when he joined up with his pals John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown band. In 1981 Tunes, got the chance to act in the films 'Eddie and The Cruisers', when he played Wendell, the Cruisers' sax player and Eddie's best friend. John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown band recorded all the soundtracks. The "Eddie" adventures brought the very talented Beaver Brown Band to the limelight. They went on to record the opening theme to "Cobra". A special on Showtime network also chronicled the making of the band's "Tough All Over" album. Aside from touring as headliners in the 80s, the Beaver Brown band also gigged with many mega stars. As well as this busy band schedule, Tunes' easy-going quality and attitude has helped make him a favorite with his peers, he has sessioned /performed/recorded with a "who's who" of classic rockers that span several eras of the genre .. from Chuck Berry, The Beach Boys, Roy Orbison to Richard Marx, Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, Gary U.S. Bonds to The New Kids of the Block with many more in-between. His playing has been an inspiration to many and his performance on the hit record "Tender Years" is still incredible today. After 35+ years, he is still playing and sounds as great as ever
JIMMY LOMB
The great veteran sax player, Jimmy Lomb from New Bedford, Ma. who for many years played for the Duke Oliver Band and many of the big bands from Boston and south eastern Massachusetts.
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YOUNG BABOY SANTOS
Young BaBoy Santos, talented and respected sax player, and like Jimmy Lomb (above), he also is from New Bedford, They have both made great contributions in their personal time with the youth of New Bedford, by teaching, and performing for local charitable events.
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DON LANPHERE

Don Lanphere was born in Wenatchee, where his father ran the biggest music store in town and where he first encountered jazz, learning to play from listening to recordings. He was ranked with some of the top jazz musicians of his time before he was 20, recording with such bebop trumpet legends as Fats Navarro and Max Roach in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He played gigs with Woody Herman and Charlie Parker and with big-ticket big bands such as Artie Shaw's and The Bob Hope Show. In 1982, he was invited by Arkansas businessman William Craig to make a quintet recording, released by Hep Records, Don, like his mentor Herman, had the gift of finding and inspiring young players. In particular, he has eagerly promoted the talents of pianist Marc Seales and trumpeter Jon Pugh. For the past 20 or so years, he taught and encouraged young jazz talents in the Seattle area. Don also helped to create a renaissance in jazz in the Northwest. Today, jazz is heard almost every night in restaurants and clubs throughout the region.
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FRANK TIBERI

Frank Tiberi who now specializes in modern and contemporary jazz techniques, first started playing as a young boy in 1936, when he was part of a marching street band in Camden, New Jersey, which lead to playing the clubs at the age of only 13. In 1948 Frank started playing in the Bob Chester's Big Band , 1954 with the Benny Goodman Quintet, he also played with Dizzy Gillespie and numerous other East Coast musicians. Through the 60's, Frank being a very sort after musician, worked extensively in the studios and finally in 1969 he joind Woody Herman's Orchestra. Before Woody Herman's death, Woody hand-picked Frank Tiberi to lead the band, and ever since 1987 Frank has lead the band, plus, plays alto and tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute, and the bassoon. As well as this, Frank is a part time professor at the Berklee School of Music, where he teaches improvisational techniques and pedagogy.
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FRED LIPSIUS

Fred Lipsius born in The Bronx, New York started with the clarinet at the age of 9, and then the saxophones and piano while in Junior High. After studying at Berklee School of Music, in 1962 he started working with Billy Fellows, touring Europe, America and Canada. While in Canada, he played saxophone with the Ron Metcalfe Orchestra, and writing and arranging their big band numbers. Freddy went on to become the original sax player in Blood, Sweat & Tears, when the world heard his amazing saxophone work, winning a Grammy for his arrangement of 'Spinning Wheel', plus 9 gold records. He was voted in various magazine polls as one of the world's best 10 saxophone players. Since BS&T, Fred has toured and worked with the likes of Simon & garfunkel, Cannonball Adderley, Zoots Sims, Larry Willis Thelonious Monk, and many many more, written and arranged dozens of musical works for television and commercials, guested with many stars. Freddy is currently a professor at Berklee College of Music and has his own jazz band playing around the Boston area, doing much work in the schools, hospitals and rest homes.
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CHRIS VADALA

A native of Poughkeepsie, professor in music and one of the country's foremost woodwind artists, Chris Vadala is in huge demand as a jazz/classical performer and educator. He has performed worldwide with Chuck Mangione Quartet, with performing credits on five gold and two platinum albums, plus two Grammy, one Emmy, and one Golden Globe Award. In addition, Chris has performed and/or recorded with such greats as Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, B.B. King, Chick Corea, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Sarah Vaughn, Natalie Cole, Herbie Hancock, Ray Charles, Henry Mancini, Joe Lovano, Doc Severinsen, Phil Woods, and many others. He has appeared on more than 100 recordings to date, as well as innumerable jingle sessions, film and TV scores. Professor Vadala is currently Director of Jazz Studies and Saxophone Professor at the University of Maryland. As one of The Selmer Company's most requested clinicians, Chris Vadala travels worldwide, performing with and conducting student and professional jazz ensembles, symphonic bands, and orchestras. Within the past six years alone, he has appeared with over 200 groups across the US and Canada, and has conducted 33 All-State Jazz Ensembles
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JIMMY CASTOR

Saxophonist Jimmy Castor got his first break as a doo wop singer in New York. Before even finishing junior high school, he wrote and recorded "I Promise to Remember" for/with the Juniors in 1956, a group whose roster included Al Casey, Jr., Orton Graves, and Johnny Williams. In 1957, at the age of 14 years Jimmy replaced Frankie Lymon in the Teenagers, this was before getting the chance to show off his saxophone talent in 1960. In the 60's he had a solo hit with "Hey Leroy, Your Mama's Callin' You" , and appeared on several soul-jazz and Afro-Latin sessions. The 70's see's him with his own band, the Jimmy Castor Bunch, signed with RCA. His music can be heard on many film soundtracks and Jimmy has played, toured and recorded with many art
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JIMMY GIUFFRE

Texan, Jimmy Giuffre, whose saxophone work has been favorably compared to Lester Young, first became known as an arranger for Woody Herman's big band, for which, in 1947, he wrote the celebrated hit "Four Brothers". Between 1951-52 he was with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars and with Shorty Rogers' Giants 1952-56, recording with many top West Coast jazz players. In 1956 he went out on his own, forming the Jimmy Giuffre 3 with guitarist Jim Hall and bassist Ralph Pena,later Jim Atlas. They had a hit wih his recording of "The Train and the River," a song that he played during his notable appearance on the 1957 television special The Sound of Jazz. He had various line ups with the Jimmy Giuffre 3 throughout his career. Also during the 1970s, Jimmy was hired by New York University to head its jazz ensemble, and to teach private lessons in sax & music composition. In the 90's he taught at the New England Conservatory of Music. He continued to teach and record until sadly his Parkinson's Disease made it impossible. As well as being a great sax player and composer, Jimmy was a virtuoso on the clarinet too.
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STEVE DOUGLAS

The unmistakable sound of Steve Douglas’s honking saxophone can be heard on countless recordings by the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Duane Eddy, and others. Among the most in-demand West Coast sessionmen, Douglas was a key player in producer Phil Spector’s “Wrecking Crew” - the collective of sideman that Spector used on virtually all his sessions. Douglas played sax and percussion on most of Spector’s early-1960s productions, including all of the Ronettes’ and Crystals’ recordings and such epic singles as Ike and Tina Turner’s “River Deep - Mountain High” Duane Eddy's "Peter Gunn" & the Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.” He played on every Beach Boys album from Surfin’ U.S.A. to Pet Sounds, as well as later recordings. He can be heard blowing tenor & baritone sax on many of Jan and Dean’s 1960s hits, including “Surf City” and “Dead Man’s Curve.” His hornwork adorns recordings by such artists as Bobby Darin, Steve Perry, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Elvis Presley and so many more. In 2003, 10 years after his death he was he was elected to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame : category "Sidemen".
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ART PORTER Jr.

He was the son of legendary Art Porter, Sr.. At the age of 9 years, Art joined his father's band as a drummer and played with them into his teenage years. During this time he was arrested and charged with working under-age in a nightclub serving alcoholic beverages. The Arkansas Attorney General Bill Clinton, who was also a saxaphonist, intervened to get the charges dropped and pushed for the law to be changed to allow under-age musicians to appear in adult facilities as long as their legal guardian accompanied them. This law became known as "The Art Porter Bill". He studied tenor saxaphone with Von Freeman and performed with Pharoah Sanders and Jack McDuff. During the 1990s he developed an interest in R&B and hip-hop and merged elements of these into his performances. Porter signed with Verve Records/Polygram Records and produced several albums. Since his premature death, Art Porter Jr has been inducted into the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame, and received the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998.
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JAMES CARTER

James Carter was born in Detroit, spending his teenage summers playing at the Blue Lake Arts Camp and winning a scholarship to attend the Interlochen classical music camp. In 1985 James attracted the attention of trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, who invited 17-year-old Carter to play a number of dates with his quintet. The late Lester Bowie, in 1988 also invited James to make his New York City debut with his New York Organ Ensemble. James moved to New York in 1990, performing with jazz pioneers as Buddy Tate, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Hamiet Bluiett, and Lester Bowie, Julius Hemphill, vocalist Betty Carter, the Marsalis Big Band, Cyrus Chestnut, Herbie Hancock, Detroit comrade Rodney Whitaker, Regina Carter, Karrin Allyson, Flip Phillips to mention a few.
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ERIC ALEXANDER

Eric started playing saxophone at 12 years off age , but it was at Indiana University he switched from Alto to Tenor sax, and from classical music to Jazz. He was influenced by Bird, Trane, and Sonny Stitt and later by Dexter Gordon and great George Coleman. His first professional gigs were the clubs in and around around Chicago, important learning years. After achieving second place in the 1991 Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition, Eric moved to New York, and never looked back. Cutting his first album as leader in 1992, 'Straight Up' for Delmark. Followed by many more recordings for Delmark, Criss Cross, and Alfa, which lead to 1997's 'Man with a Horn', and, that same year, the first recording by 'One For All'. Eric at the age of 34, has been featured on 70 plus albums in the last 14 years. Apart from his very busy recording schedule, Eric performs regularly with the sextet 'One For All' and his own quintet which features Joe Farnsworth on drums, the great Harold Mabern on piano, and either John Webber, Peter Washington, or Nat Reeves on the bass. Together they extensively tour in the U.S., Japan, Europe, and South America.
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MACEO PARKER

Maceo was born in Kinston, North Carolina in a musically-rich environment. He started his career in the James Brown band in 1964; delivering some unforgettable workouts in the midst of "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" and "Cold Sweat" which made him a household name among '60s funk fans. He worked with James Brown on and off for nearly 30 years. In he early 70's he formed Maceo & All the Kings Men which performed for 2 years, and he featured on a wide selection of recordings including Deee-lite, De La Soul, Bryan Ferry, Rod Stewart, 10,000 Maniacs, and many others. 1975 finds im spending 7 years in George Clinton's Parliament. He finally went solo in the early 90's extensively touring Europe, the US and Japan most years. In the late 1990s, Maceo began contributing semi-regularly to recordings by Prince and accompanying his band (The New Power Generation) on tour. He has released seven solo records and plays 250 tour dates per year.
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HARRY ALLEN

While studying at Rutgers, Harry Allen got his first gig replacing Zoot Sims at a studio recording with John Bunch, George Masso, Bucky Pizzarelli, and Ruby Braff. He graduated from Rutgers with a degree in jazz tenor saxophone in 1989. By the time Harry was 21 he had 19 recordings to his name for such labels as Progressive, Audiophile, and Nagel-Heyer. Later, his recordings were with major label RCA-Victor. Three of his discs have been awarded a Gold Disc by Swing Journal Magazine and his CD, 'Tenors Anyone', won both the Gold Disc and New Star awards. Harry Allen has toured Europe several times with Oliver Jackson, recorded as a sideman with: Randy Sandke, Martin Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli, Jim Czak, Bucky Pizzarelli, Kenny Barron, Warren Vache, and Jeff Hamilton. Harry's musical inspiration and interpretive approach come from the giants, including Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Stan Getz, Illinois Jacquet, and Lester Young.
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WARNE MARSH

Warne Marsh was tutored by Lennie Tristano, and became one of the pre-eminent saxophonists of the Tristano inspired "Cool School". He was often recorded in the company of other Cool School musicians, and remained one of the most faithful to the Tristano philosophy of improvisation - the faith in the purity of the long line, the avoidance of licks and emotional chain-pulling, the concentration on endlessly mining the same small body of jazz standards. Warne has worked with Jeff Morton, Arnold Fishkin, Denzil Best, Art Pepper, Shelly Manne, Bill Evans, Billy Bauer. He was once called by Anthony Braxton "the greatest vertical improviser". In the 1970s became a member of Supersax, a large ensemble which played orchestral arrangements of Charlie Parker solos; Marsh also recorded one of his most celebrated albums during this period, All Music, with the Supersax rhythm section.
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SCOTT HAMILTON

Scott Hamilton began playing when he was 16 and developed quickly, exploring pre-bop jazz at a high level. He moved to New York in 1976, playing with Benny Goodman in the late '70s, but he has mostly performed as a leader, sometimes sharing the spotlight with Warren Vache, Ruby Braff, Rosemary Clooney, the Concord Jazz All-Stars, or George Wein's Newport Jazz Festival All-Stars. Scott has also worked with Ed Trabanco, Chuck Riggs, Carl Jefferson, Phil Flanigan, Phil Edwards, Nat Pierce, Dave McKenna, Jake Hanna, Chris Flory, John Bunch. His big influences are Zoot Sims, Ben Webster, Don Byas, Lester Young and Illinois Jacquet. Scott is considered to be one of the few musicians of real talent who carried the tradition of the classic jazz tenor saxophone in the style of Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins as well as Zoot Sims and Don Byas forward.
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BUCK HILL

Buck Hill received some fame in the 1970s for being a mailman who also plays tenor. He actually began playing professionally in 1943, but always had a day job in Washington, D.C. He recorded with Charlie Byrd (1958-1959), but had to wait until the late '70s before getting his own dates. He went on to lead sessions for SteepleChase and Muse, displaying a large tone and a swinging style. Buck also worked with Nils Winther, Houston Person, Shirley Horn, Billy Hart among others. "A veritable phenomenon whose robust and swinging approach is absolutely irrepressible." Chuck Berg, Jazz Times
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CLIFFORD JORDAN

Clifford Jordan, from Chicargo was a fine inside/outside player, who had his own sound on tenor almost from the start and held his own with Eric Dolphy in the 1964 Charles Mingus Sextet. He gigged around Chicago with Max Roach, Sonny Stitt, and some R&B groups before moving to New York in 1957where he immediately made a strong impression, leading three albums for Blue Note and touring with Horace Silver (1957-1958), J.J. Johnson (1959-1960), Kenny Dorham (1961-1962), and Max Roach (1962-1964). He toured Europe several times with Mingus, Dolphy and Cedar Walton. He recorded as a leader for Blue Note, Riverside, Jazzland, , Vortex, Strata-East, Muse, SteepleChase, Criss Cross, Bee Hive, DIW, Milestone, and Mapleshade.
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CHARLIE ROUSE

From Washington, Charlie was always a modern player, working with Billy Eckstine's orchestra in 1944 and the first Dizzy Gillespie big band in 1945, making his recording debut with Tadd Dameron in 1947. He appeared with many important groups including Duke Ellington's Orchestra 1949-1950; Count Basie's octet, 1950; on sessions with Clifford Brown in 1953 and with Oscar Pettiford's sextet 1955. He co-led the Jazz Modes with Julius Watkins, 1956-1959. Charlie Rouse possessed of a distinctive tone and a fluid bop-oriented style, from 1959 - 1970 he was a member of Thelonious Monk's Quartet. In the 1970s he recorded a few albums as a leader, and in 1979 Charlie became a member of Sphere. He also worked with : John Ore, Frankie Dunlop, Art Blakey, Ben Riley, Sam Jones, and participated on Carmen McRae's classic Carmen Sings Monk album
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MOE KOFFMAN

Moe Koffman attended the Toronto Conservatory of Music, (now the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto) In 1950, he moved to the United States, where he played with big bands including those of Sonny Durham and Jimmy Dorsey. In 1955, Moe returned to Toronto where he formed a quartet and later a quintet. Koffman was inspired by Rahsaan Roland Kirk to play multiple instruments at once; and had a modified set of straps to hold a tenor and an alto saxophone so that he could put forward incredible chords and improvise at the same time. One of the more famous session musicians in Toronto he appeared in countless commercials, background music, and film and TV soundtracks. He performed with Dizzy Gillespie and Peter Appleyard during the 1980s. He often performed with Rob McConnell's Boss Brass. From 1956 to 1990, Koffman booked performers for George's Spaghetti House in Toronto, where he performed weekly.
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PAT LaBARBERA

Pat LaBarbera grew up in New York and studied with his father Joseph LaBarbera, John LaPorta and Joe Henderson. He became best known for his solo work with the bands of Buddy Rich (1967-1974), Louis Bellson, Woody Herman and his own groups. He moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1974 and is a member of the faculty at Humber College. Pat LaBarbera has played a major role in the development of a generation of Canadian saxophonists. In 2000, he won a Juno award for Best Traditional Instrumental Jazz Album for "Deep In A Dream." He is considered one of the finest saxophone soloists working within the framework of John Coltrane's principals.
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HANK "Hurricane" CARTER

Hank "Hurricane" Carter from Delaware, US joined George Thorogood & The Destroyers in 1980 and was the skilled saxophone player and a driving force behind their rock/blues music for the next 23 years. Throughout the 80s and 90s The Destroyers with over 3000 live shows under their belts, had the reputation as one of the hardest working, and most successful live attractions in rock. They headlined numerous tours and festivals in the U.S. and abroad and teamed with artists ranging from Steve Miller, ZZ Top and The Allman Brothers to Little Feat and BB King to bring their brand of rough and tumble rock 'n' blues to the masses. Since leaving the Destroyers Hank has been busy with projects playing with Delaware Blues Legend, Gary Cogdell and teamed up with The Witch Doctors band for some gigs. Besides his music Hank now has found time to study law at college and write a book titled "Through the Eye of the Hurricane: Twenty Three Years of Rockin' Down the Blue Highway" by Hank "Hurricane" Carter, hopefully to be published soon.
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The Late
MARCEL MULE

Classical sax legend Marcel Mule was born in Aube, Normandy June 24, 1901. In 1923 he won a place in la Musique de la Garde Republicaine, France's most prestigious military band, where he formed a quartet that soon became famous, and was to continue in its fame for some 40 years. In 1936 the ensemble was known as the Paris Saxophone Quartet until 1951, when, at the urging of Georges Gourdet, it became the Marcel Mule Saxophone Quartet. In 1942 he was appointed Professor of Saxophone at the Paris Conservatory. Many of his students went on to develop influential careers; the list includes Serge Bichon, Daniel Deffayet, Georges Gourdet, Ruben Haugen, Frederick Hemke, Guy Lacour, Jean-Marie Londeix, Michel Nouaux, and Leo Potts, Marcel remained Professor at the Paris Conservatory until his retirement in 1968. Marcel Mule's career culminated in 1958 when he was invited by Charles Munch, Musical Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra..It was also in 1958 that, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to his country, Marcel Mule was made a Chevalier de la legion d'honneur, the highest distinction awarded to a French citizen. Marcel Mule died peacefully in his sleep on December 19, 2001 at age 100.
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RENE NETTO

Rene is a born & bred true New Orleans musician,
awesome on the clarenet too.
CLICK HERE FOR "RENE'S PAGE"

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JIMMY MULIDORE

Jimmy Mulidore is an extremely talented multi musician, acknowledged by Elvis on his outstanding flute solo in the American Trilogy at Elvis's Closing Night at the Las Vegas Hilton ~ "The guy that plays the flute solo, Jimmy Mulidore, he's played it 144 times and never missed it once. Fantastic Jimmy", but his first instrument is baritone sax (which he also played backing Elvis). Born and raised in Youngstown, OH., and after finishing his musical education in New York, he moved to Las Vegas, where in 1957 he began working at the Sands Hotel and Casino with the Rat Pack ~ Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, and Dean Martin. By 1969 he was musical director of the Sands, a position he held for 18 years. Since 1987, Jimmy has been guesting, session recording, recording solo; recording, composing and touring nationally and internationally with his own band Jimmy Mulidore's Jazz All Stars. Over the years Jimmy has backed the cream of the stars Liberace, Barbara Striesand, Natalie Cole, Raquel Welch, Pearl Bailey, Louie Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley, and SO many more. Over the last 20 years in the world of Jazz, Jimmy, as a soloist, ensemble player, composer and arranger is a sort after versatile and diverse reed player working with the likes of Harry "Sweets" Edison, Lockjaw Davis, Shelley Manne, Red Rodney, James Moody, Richie Cole and Phil Woods. He and his quartet perform Thursday evenings at the Celebrity Night Club, 3rd and Ogden Avenue, Las Vegas NV
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GARY BROWN

New Orleans musician Gary Brown has become a phenomenal voice in the jazz and blues world touring countries such as Brazil, and many parts of Europe. Gary’s musical styles include Jazz, R&B Soul, Funk, Gospel, & Reggae. His repertoire includes a long listing of collaborations with some the world’s biggest musicians, recorded and toured with Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Joe Cocker, the Bee Gees, Dr. John, Irma Thomas, Wilson Pickett, and many more. In addition, he recorded the instrumental sound track for the one of the best motion pictures in history "Grease", starring John Travolta. Gary Brown has released several solo projects his latest being “More Love” on Gabbro Records. Gary currently performs at Papa Joes Cafe on Bourbon and Tolouse
A fabulous read :~ TRIBUTE TO NEW ORLEANS a great personal tribute
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The Late
FREDDY GARDNER

Freddy Gardner was without doubt the uncrowned king of the saxophone in the UK. A virtuoso not only on clarinet and alto sax but also on the whole saxophone family as well. Admired by Ellington, he could swing as few non Americans ever did. Freddy was born Dec. 23, 1910, London, England. He played in the best clubs when he worked with Sidney Lipton's Orchestra, and later with Bert Firman and Billy Bissett. He became a prolific session player doubling on all the reeds, although his main instrument was alto sax. Toward the end of 1937, he began to record on his own, and made many recordings between 1937 and 1940. After WWII service, he continued with extensive freelance work, notably as a star soloist with 'Peter York and his Orchestra'. He was billed as "Freddy Gardner and his Swing Orchestra' 1937-'39", and led small groups in '36, '37, on the Interstate label, distributed by Interstate Music in East Sussex, England. His recordings were regularly featured on radio broadcasts and eagerly sought by collectors. The orchestra played wonderful arrangements, many done by Gardner himself. Freddy died of a stroke in July 1950 at only 39 years old. Sadly his beautiful music has disappeared from radio and television.
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MICHAEL PAULO

A versatile and cosmopolitan saxophonists Michael Paulo was playing the gigs around Hawaii before leaving high school. After graduation, Paulo became a member of the Hawaiian pop/rock band Kalapana (1975-79), recording four albums with them. He also recorded with Herbie Hancock in this period. Paulo was a busy studio musician in Hawaii when he moved to Los Angeles in 1981. He played with Ray Armando, and in 1983 became a member of Al Jarreau's touring band, working with the singer for a decade. In 1989 Michael Paulo recorded his first date as a leader (other than an earlier set for the Japanese Trio label), One Passion (MCA) which was a strong seller. He has worked with guitarist Rick Braun and Peter White, Oleta Adams, Kenny Loggins, Patti Austin, Jeffrey Osborne, Jeff Lorber, David Benoit, Carl Anderson, Bobby Caldwell, Johnny Mathis and others. Concentrating on his solo career in recent years, Michael Paulo's reputation as the no. 1 Asian American Jazz artist continues with each new year. A dynamic live performer Michael has constantly left his audiences hungry for more.
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DALE BARLOW

One of Australia's most accomplished and internationally recognised jazz artists, Dale was a member of legendary American groups The Cedar Walton Quartet, & Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, two of the greatest training grounds for young musicians in jazz history. Widely recognised as an inspiring, virtuoso & original tenor saxophonist/ composer, he is also an accomplished flautist/bass clarinettist/ arranger and pianist. As a composer he has written for large and small ensemble, film, theatre and television, & recorded extensively. Played and recorded with Sonny Stitt, Chet Baker, Jackie McLean, Billy Cobham, and many more. His "Playground" album is highly recommed.
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DENIS SOLEE

Nashville's master of saxophones, flute, and clarinet, Denis Solee's career includes playing on hundreds of recordings, commercials, TV shows, and film scores. His long list of recording credits includes projects by major artists from Ray Stevens to Ray Charles; Mel Tillis to Mel Torme; Louis Bellson; Sammy Davis, Jr., Sarah Vaughn, Amy Grant, Liberace, Aretha Franklin, Garth Brooks, Bela Fleck, Michael McDonald, Roy Orbison.... and the list goes on. Denis has appeared in concert with Natalie Cole, Sammy Davis Jr., Marvin Hamlisch, Bob Hope, Liza Minnelli, Mel Torme, and a vast group of others. Denis is also a member of The Beegie Adair Trio on Sax & Swing.
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The Late
ADRIAN ROLLINI

Multi-instrumentalist Adrian Rollini was one of the great jazz musicians of the 1920s. He gained fame for being the king of the bass saxophone, turning this 'shrek' into 'prince charming'. His work with the bass sax was ground breaking, influencing not only jazz itself but many musicians such as baritonist Harry Carney, tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins and across the bass line of the string intrumentalists too. He brought life to this huge sax family member, from delicate heartfelt tones to dynamic solos.Through the '20s & early 30's he recorded on 100's of records on both sides of the Atlantic. He is probably one of the most forgotten pioneering and influencing sax players in jazz.
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The Late
ROLAND ALPHONSO

He was a vital figure in Jamaican music. Played with everyone from big-bad leaders to Bob Marley. He was a major influence on probably any/every musician from Jamaica (anywhere in the Carribean for that matter). He was one of the founding members of the Skatalites and had his own band which combined the island musics with jazz (ska/reggae with jazz).
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Email me with your choice if not on the Digitaldreamdoor list
and I will give them a well deserved mention.
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QUESTIONS
? ? CAN ANYONE HELP ? ?

WHO IS THIS??
Does anyone know who this young sax player is or the singer and band??



To me it looks like a young Dudley Moore pointing at the sax, saying
"Me .. Play THIS ! ? !"
I believe he is the late Paul Desmond, who performed with the David Brubeck Quartet in the 50's and 60's, and is especially famous for composing the group's biggest hit, "Take Five".
Thankyou Spencer Perrine

PAUL DESMOND

November 25th 1924 ~ May 30th 1977
Paul Desmond, born Paul Emil Breitenfeld, was a jazz alto saxophonist and composer born in San Francisco, best known for the work he did in the 40s, 50s and 60s with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for penning that group's greatest hit, "Take Five". He was not only one of the most popular musicians to come out of the West Coast's "cool jazz" scene, but also the possessor of a legendary and idiosyncratic wit. In addition to his work with Brubeck he led several of his own groups and did significant collaborations with artists such as Gerry Mulligan, Jim Hall and Chet Baker. During the 1970s Paul rejoined his land time friend Dave Brubeck for several reunion tours including "Two Generations of Brubeck". Accompanying them were Brubeck's sons Chris Brubeck, Dan Brubeck and Darius Brubeck. In 1976 he played 25 shows in 25 nights with Brubeck, touring the United States in several cities by bus. His last concert was with Brubeck in February 1977, in New York City.

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