Saxophone Talk

Gary Bias - Grammy Award winner and Eastman Artist. Gary won the Grammy in 1987 for co-writing “Sweet Love” with Anita Baker and Louis Johnson. Since 1987, Gary has been the saxophonist with one of the most famous musical groups in modern musical history, Earth, Wind and Fire.

Bennie Maupin - The legendary jazz saxophone and woodwind artist and current Eastman Artist. To give you a brief background, Bennie performed on the pioneering Miles Davis Album, “Bitches Brew” as well as several other albums with Miles. He also performed on many albums with Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi Sextet and Headhunter’s Band, and with a long list of jazz greats including Jack DeJohnette, Lee Morgan, Horace Silver, Woody Shaw, Lonnie Smith and McCoy Tyner, to name just a few. As a leader, Bennie’s Albums go back to 1974 with his debut album, “The Jewel in the Lotus”. Others include “Slow Traffic to the Right”, “Moonscapes”, “Driving while Black”, “Penumbra”, and “Early Reflections”. Bennie continues to perform on a regular basis with his own group in both the U.S. and in Europe.

Alex Hahn - Winner of Eastman’s 2015 Perform With Mintzer International Jazz Saxophone Competition and current Eastman Artist. Alex is a 2014 graduate from the University of North Texas where he played in the 7-time Grammy nominated One O’clock Lab Band. In addition to being a featured soloist on the Band’s 2014 album, Alex is a 6-time Downbeat Magazine award winner, 3-time Outstanding soloist at the Next Generation Jazz Festival, and 1st place winner in the 2016 North American Saxophone Alliance Jazz Saxophone Competition. He spent the summer of 2013 as a member of the Disney All-American College Band and was chosen to return as the teaching assistant the following year. He is a re-occurring soloist with the Tom Kubis Big Band and frequently performs with his award-winning quintet in the Southern California area. He also recorded with Michael Buble’ for his newest album. Alex is a 2016 graduate from the USC Thornton School of Music where he studied as a Graduate student and Teaching Assistant under Jason Goldman and Bob Mintzer. Most recently, he was selected to be a student at the prestigious Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz under the direction of Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.

Bob Mintzer - The internationally renowned saxophonist, composer, arranger, educator, Eastman artist, and a long-time member of the Grammy award winning group, the Yellowjackets. In addition, he has written over 200 big band arrangements, leads his own Grammy Award winning Bob Mintzer Big Band, is currently the music director of the WDR Big Band in Cologne, Germany, and is a Professor of Music and Chair of Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California.

Doug Webb - Saxophone and woodwind artist. Doug has performed with many jazz artists including Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Clarke, Quincy Jones, as well as with numerous popular entertainers. He toured with the Doc Severinson Big Band for 13 years and has performed on hundreds of TV and Motion Picture sound tracks. He is a virtuoso on many of the woodwind instruments and has a vast collection of these instruments. He has recorded 16 jazz albums as a leader and hundreds of additional albums with other artists.

Bob Sheppard - Saxophone and woodwind artist. Bob has played in the bands of Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, Steely Dan, Michael and Randy Brecker, Mike Stern, Herbie Hancock, Billy Childs, Lyle Mays, and many more. He has also performed with Joni Mitchel, Diane Reeves and is a busy Los Angeles studio musician who has played on over a hundred movies and TV shows. Bob is an active clinician and educator, and is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music.

Harvey Pittel - Internationally acclaimed classical saxophonist and Eastman Artist, who has performed worldwide as a soloist with many of the world’s greatest orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has recorded extensively as a soloist and with ensembles including the Harvey Pittel Saxophone Quartet. After many years of teaching at the University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music, he is now Professor Emeritus of Saxophone.