We are very excited to present Kristian Baarsvik as our Featured Local Saxophonist for the month of November. Kristian quickly rose through the ranks as one of the top saxophonists in St. Louis when he moved here in 2011. He is currently a member of the Air Force Band based out of the Scott Air Force Base. This event is free and open to the public, and is this Saturday, November 18, from 2pm-4pm at Saxquest on Cherokee.

Kristian can be seen playing around St. Louis frequently with Tommy Halloran’s Guerilla Swing, The Dave Dickey Big Band and many other jazz groups. If you aren’t familiar with Kristian’s playing then you’ll definitely want to check him out on Tommy Halloran’s Gueilla Swing records. We are excited to present Kristian in a Jazz Quartet setting. He will be backed by some of the best local rhythm section players St Louis has to offer. Kristian will be joined by Eric Slaughter on guitar, Bob Deboo on Bass, and Kaleb Kirby on drums.

You won’t want to miss this month’s showcase!!!

Upcoming Local Saxophonist Showcases:
Dec 2 – Freddie Washington

We are very excited to present this months Local Saxophonist Showcase. Dave Stone has been playing around St. Louis for several years now and has had the longest standing weekly Jazz gig in the city. He has had a steady gig every Friday night at Mangia Italiano for nearly 20 years. Dave definitely has one of the most original voices on the Saxophone in the city of St. Louis. The Dave Stone Trio has won the Riverfront Times Reader’s Poll for “Best Jazz Artist” six times since his residency at Mangia Italiano started.

Everyone here at Saxquest is very excited to present Dave with one of the best rhythm sections St. Louis has to offer. Dave will be backed by Adam Maness on Piano, Bob Deboo on Bass, and Kaleb Kirby on Drums. You won’t want to miss this months showcase! As always, the event is free and open to the public. It will be this Saturday, October 21 at Saxquest on Cherokee St, from 2pm – 4pm.

Upcoming Local Saxophonis Showcases:
November 18th – Kristian Baarsvik
December 2nd – Freddie Washington

Other Upcoming Saxquest Events:
November 11th – Saxquest Expo

Dr. Joel Vanderheyden is a versatile saxophonist, composer, and educator with tremendous passion for the unifying power of music. Currently, Dr. Vanderheyden serves as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Jazz at Jefferson College. He is a performing artist/clinician for D’Addario Woodwinds and Selmer Saxophones.

As a performer, he draws upon his study of jazz and classical saxophone, immersing himself in a variety of musical situations. On the classical side of things Joel has performed with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and is a member of the Renegade Saxophone Quartet. He is also a founding member of the electro-jazz group, Koplant No. We have been fortunate to have Joel perform here at Saxquest on several different occassions,both with his group Koplant No, and the Renegade Saxophone Quartet.
This time around we are excited to hear Joel playing some straight ahead Jazz in a quartet setting featuring some of the best local rhythm section players St. Louis has to offer.

Joel will be performing with Adam Maness on Piano, Bob Deboo on Bass, and Kaleb Kirby on Drums. The event is free and open to the public at Saxquest on Cherokee St, Saturday, September 30, at 2pm.

Upcoming Monthly Local Showcases:
October TBD- Dave Stone
November TBD – Kristian Baarsvik
December TBD – Freddie Washington

Other Upcoming Saxquest Events:
November 11th – Saxquest Expo

The St. Louis based Renegade Saxophone Quartet was formed in 2016 and is devoted to the performance and promotion of saxophone chamber music. Embracing the spectrum of saxophone quartet music, the ensemble enjoys bringing a variety of repertoire to new audiences. Among its repertoire is the standard French quartet music, new and modern music, as well as tasteful transcriptions of Bach, Glass, and Piazzolla, among others. Drawing on the diverse talent of it’s members, the quartet is unique in sound and an amalgam of the St. Louis saxophone scene. This free event will be at the Saxquest Cherokee location this Saturday, August 5, from 2pm – 4pm.

With degrees in clarinet and saxophone, Jeffrey Collins enjoys an exciting career as a freelance musician and educator. For over twenty years he has performed with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra under Music Directors David Robertson, Hans Vonk, and Leonard Slatkin,including multiple Carnegie Hall performances. He also performs regularly with the Kansas City Symphony and the Illinois Symphony. He has toured nationally with the Jimmy Dorsey Big Band in the lead alto chair and has performed with stars like Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Lou Rawls, Al Jarreau, Art Garfunkel, and Bernadette Peters, to name just a few. Jeffrey was named a D’Addario Woodwind Reserve Method Clinician in 2015.

Dr. Christopher Bartz is an alumnus of Kirkwood High School in St. Louis. While in high school he was a student of Jeffrey Collins and performed with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Later he earned music degrees from Bowling Green State University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Southern California. Chris most recently was Professor of Saxophone at the University of Southern California. Prior to his appointment at the University of Southern California, Chris was on the school of music faculty at California State University, Fullerton. Chris currently resides in St. Louis and works as a freelance musician and music educator.

Dr. Joel Vanderheyden is a versatile saxophonist, composer, and educator with tremendous passion for the unifying power of music. As a performer, he draws upon his study of jazz and classical saxophone, immersing himself in a variety of musical situations, ranging from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra to the cinematic electro-jazz group, Koplant No. Currently, Dr. Vanderheyden serves as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Jazz at Jefferson College. He is a performing artist/clinician for D’Addario Woodwinds and Selmer Saxophones.

Aaron Lehde is Director of Bands at Ladue High School,where he has taught since 2002. Aaron earned his Master’s and Bachelor’s of Music in Jazz Performance and Music Education from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Aaron has played saxophone and other woodwinds for numerous nationally and locally known acts including the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Manhattan Transfer, Maynard Ferguson, Frankie Valli, Bernadette Peters, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Wayne Newton, Idina Menzel, Debby Boone (yes, that Debby Boone), Jay Leno and Bob Newhart.

We are very excited to present Kendrick Smith for this months Local Monthly Saxophonist Showcase, on Saturday, July 15 from 2pm-4pm. Kendrick has been on the rise here in St. Louis for several years now, and is definitely one of our favorite local Alto players. He is also one the only guys we know of who is playing a straight alto full time.

Saxophonist Kendrick Smith was born in East St. Louis, where he attended East St louis Senior High School. While attending high school he began studying with Renown Saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett, who played with Charles Mingus as well as being a founding member of the World Saxophone Quartet. After high school he received a scholarship to attended SIUE where he studied with Jason Swagler. Since college he has continued to play in the St. Louis area playing with his own band as well as playing in other bands around town. His accolades include playing Baritone Sax for Grammy Award winning singer Dennis Edwards and the Temptations, World renown poet Ntozake Shange, opening for the Stylistics, as well as composing trailer music for an Independent film in Hollywood.

You won’t want to miss this months showcase! Kendrick Smith will be accompanied by some of the best rhythm section players St. Louis has to offer. The rhythm section will be Adam Maness on Piano, Bob Deboo on Bass, and Kaleb Kirby on Drums.

If you can’t make it to the show be sure to check out the video as we will be live streaming it on Facebook.

Upcoming Monthly Local Saxophonist Showcases:
Saturday Aug 5 – Jeff Collins Quartet
Saturday Sept TBD – Joel Vanderheyden
Saturday Oct TBD – Dave Stone
Saturday Nov TBD – Kristian Baarsvik
Saturday Dec TBD – Freddie Washington

Saxquest West Grand Opening – August 12

I welcome everyone out to Saxquest tomorrow June 13 from 6:30-8pm for a very special concert. We’ll be hosting P. Mauriat endorsing artist, Adam Larson, and his all-star packed quartet. Also featured will be Matt Wilson on drums, Matt Sewell on guitar and Bob DeBoo on bass. Adam is a brilliant saxophonist and Matt Wilson is one of the most creative drummers on the scene today. Mix these two guys with St. Louis’ top talent in the likes of Bob DeBoo and Matt Sewell and this promises to be a very special concert. Oh yeah, and it is a free event and open to the public.

WHEN: TOMORROW: Tuesday June 13, 6:30-8PM at Saxquest

Hailing from New York, Larson keeps an active schedule with his various groups and as a sideman performing and recording with a virtual who’s-who of jazz over the past several year. Released in January of 2013, Larson’s debut album “Simple Beauty” and Larson’s follow up album (released in September of 2013), entitled “Overdue Ovation”, have received high praise from critics. His latest record, “Selective Amnesia” was released on Inner Circle Music in 2015.

As a leader and sideman Adam has been part of several tours across the country and around the world, and also maintains a busy schedule as a clinician and master class presenter.

Described by critic Howard Reich of The Chicago-Tribune as “a player for whom the word ‘prodigious’ was coined”, Larson was selected as a member of the inaugural Manhattan School of Music Jazz Institute where he completed his Master’s with honors and received the William H. Borden Award for outstanding performance in Jazz Performance in 2014.

Saxquest has been fortunate to know Adam for many years and to watch him develop his artistry. He has become a top national-level jazz artist in every sense of the phrase. Audiences are blown away by his technical facility and creativity.

Larson endorses P. Mauriat Saxophones and D’Addario Woodwinds and we’d like to thank them for their support. Please come out for some great music!!

Other Upcoming Events:
Saturday July 15 – Kendrick Smith
Saturday Aug 5 – Jeff Collins Quartet
Saturday Sept TBD – Joel Vanderheyden
Saturday Oct TBD – Dave Stone
Saturday Nov TBD – Kristian Baarsvik
Saxquest address: 2114 Cherokee St., St. Louis, MO 63118

We are very excited to present Chris Braig’s 3=1 Trio here at Saxquest. The 3=1 Trio consists of three of the top call Jazz Musicians in the St. Louis area. Alongside Chris we will see Ben Wheeler on Bass and Steve Davis on Drums. Ben and Steve are easily two of the most in demand rhythm section players in the city of St. Louis, keeping a very busy schedule of gigs and teaching.

For this showcase Chris really wants to focus more on his persuit of education and teaching Jazz. The 3=1 Trio will be performing from 2-3pm and from 3-4 Chris Braig and the Trio will be working with students. PLEASE BRING YOUR INSTRUMENTS TO THIS SHOWCASE. Chris will be presenting his approaches to learning how to play Jazz from the books that he has written: Jazz Brain Training and Stacking the Saxophone. He will have books and cds for sale.

Chris has been a very big part of the St. Louis music education scene for several years now, and we can’t wait to see his performance and learn more about his educational approaches to learning Jazz. For more information about Christopher Braig follow the link to his website.
http://www.jazzbraintraining.com/the-author.html

Upcoming Monthly Local Saxophonist Showcases:
Saturday July 15 – Kendrick Smith
Saturday Aug 5 – Jeff Collins and the Renegade Saxophone Quartet
Saturday Sept TBD – Joel Vanderheyden
Saturday Oct TBD – Dave Stone
Saturday Nov TBD – Kristian Baarsvik
Saturday Dec TBD – Freddie Washington

Other Upcoming Performances:
Tuesday June 13 – Adam Larson

Saxquest is thrilled to partner with Jazz St. Louis – Jazz at the Bistro to welcome internationally renown saxophonist, composer, and educator, Antonio Hart, this Saturday (6/3) from 2-4pm. Mr. Hart will be performing with a small ensemble being assembled by the great pianist, Phil Dunlap. Hart’s depth of experience seems limitless as he has performed worldwide and recorded more than 100 albums with such eminent jazz artists as Nat Adderley, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ray Brown, Cyrus Chestnut, Dizzy Gillespie, Slide Hampton, Jimmy Heath, Dave Holland and many more. Hart’s 1997 release, “Here I Stand,” was nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo. The opportunity to host Antonio Hart live at Saxquest seems almost a dream, except for the fact that its really happening! Make sure you’re a part of it, THIS SATURDAY!!

In The Dizzy Gillespie Big Band I’ve had the opportunity to sit in the second alto saxophone chair next to the likes of Jerome Richardson, Jerry Dodgion, and the Great Frank Wess. These teachers gave me a wealth of knowledge that I know could not be learned in school. – Antonio Hart

Antonio Hart has been long recognized as one of the most talented instrumentalist of his generation. In recent years he has also been recognized as an important jazz educator. He has performed and recorded with many jazz greats from Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Hargrove, Nancy Wilson, Nat Adderley, and McCoy Tyner to Dave Holland. Hart’s study of Jazz began at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. There, he studied with Bill Pierce, Andy McGhee and Joe Viola. The three teachers gave him the foundation he needed to develop into a professional musician. Because of the lessons learned at the Baltimore School for the Arts, Hart really thought it was important to have a balance between music and academia, so in his sophomore year he became a Music Education Major. He made many friends at Berklee, but the most important was Roy Hargrove. They spent three years touring the world and recording Hargrove’s first three records. Hart considers Hargrove to be his brother in life and music. He even used Hargrove on his first recording “For the First Time”. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, Hart also worked on a Master’s Degree at Queens College. There he had the opportunity to learn from the great Jimmy Heath and Donald Byrd. Hart felt blessed and honored when Mr. Heath produced his second recording “Don’t You Know I Care.” His 1997 release, ‘Here I Stand’ Impulse records, earned Hart a 1997 Grammy nomination for “Best Jazz Instrumental Solo’ He has also been in much demand as a guest on over 100 recordings, and seven CDs as a leader. The latest, ‘All we Need’ Chiaroscuro Records. After 12 years at Queens College Hart was promoted to Full Professor. Hart also maintains an extensive performance schedule and continues to conduct workshops and clinics throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. He feels very blessed to have the balance of teaching, as well as, traveling around the world. In his off time, he practices martial arts, and listens to other styles of music for inspiration. Hart is constantly trying to honor his many teachers by continuing to study music and teach to the best of his ability.

Upcoming Monthly Local Saxophonist Showcases:
Saturday June 10 – Christopher Braig
Tuesday June 13 – Adam Larson
Saturday July 15 – Kendrick Smith
Saturday Aug 5 – Jeff Collins and the Renegade Saxophone Quartet
Saturday Sept TBD – Joel Vanderheyden
Saturday Oct TBD – Dave Stone
Saturday Nov TBD – Kristian Baarsvik
Saturday Dec TBD – Freddie Washington