Rene McLean Sextet: Tribute to Jackie McLean, Music of the Sprit

May 16, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Rene McLean Sextet: Tribute to Jackie McLean, Music of the Sprit

ByThe Side Door Jazz Club

The Side Door Old Lyme, CT

Saturday, May 16 • 8 PM – 10:30 PM

A global musical journey, a legendary bloodline, and a sound completely his own — René McLean comes to The Side Door.

Rene McLean – Saxophone, Flute

Josh Evans – Trumpet

Steve Davis – Trombone

Hubert Eaves III – Piano

Nat Reeves – Bass

Ronnie Burrage – Drums

René McLean’s story is inseparable from jazz royalty — but his music has always been entirely his own. The son of the legendary alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, René began his musical training at age nine under his father’s guidance, and by 16 was already leading his own bands. He went on to study privately with some of the most formidable figures in jazz history, including Sonny Rollins, George Coleman, Barry Harris, Frank Foster, and Hubert Laws — a lineage that shaped one of the most wide-ranging musical minds in the contemporary jazz world.

A true multi-instrumentalist, McLean moves fluently between alto, tenor, and soprano saxophones as well as flute, ney, and shakuhachi — instruments that reflect a career spent not just playing jazz but absorbing musical traditions from around the globe. He has performed and recorded alongside Jackie McLean, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Tito Puente, Horace Silver, Woody Shaw, Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Abbey Lincoln, Dexter Gordon, Yusef Lateef, and Jaco Pastorius, among many others.

Since 1985, McLean has been based in South Africa, where he has spent decades performing, teaching, and researching African musical traditions — bringing that depth of perspective back to every performance. He is currently Professor of African-American Music at the Jackie McLean Institute at The Hartt School in Hartford, CT, making this a particularly meaningful homecoming for Connecticut jazz fans.

The Side Door Jazz Club is a dedicated jazz listening room located inside the historic Old Lyme Inn, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT. Tickets are reserved seating. Guests dining at the Old Lyme Inn restaurant prior to the show receive 10% off their dinner bill.

Lew Tabackin Trio

May 15, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Lew Tabackin Trio

ByThe Side Door Jazz Club

The Side Door Old Lyme, CT

Friday, May 15 • 8 PM – 10:30 PM

One of jazz’s most distinctive voices on two instruments, Lew Tabackin brings his trio to The Side Door.

Lew Tabackin is one of those rare musicians who has built two completely distinct artistic personalities on two instruments. On tenor saxophone, his playing is forceful and hard-driving — rooted in the tradition of Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster, marked by wide intervals, abrupt shifts in mood, and an unmistakable sense of conviction. On flute, he transforms entirely — virtuosic, delicate, and deeply informed by the classical tradition and the music of Asia. Critic Scott Yanow put it simply: Tabackin is “one of the few jazz musicians who has been able to develop completely different musical personalities on two instruments.”

Born in Philadelphia, Tabackin studied at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music before making his way through the New York scene, working alongside Elvin Jones, Donald Byrd, Tal Farlow, and Chuck Israels. He later served as the principal soloist in the celebrated Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra for three decades, one of the most acclaimed large ensembles in jazz history. He has also been associated with George Wein’s Newport All-Star Band, the New York Jazz Giants, and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. In smaller settings, his trio recordings have drawn praise for their freedom, intimacy, and the depth of conversation between the players.

At 85 years old, Tabackin remains one of the most compelling live performers in jazz — this is a rare opportunity to hear a true master up close.

Ed Fast & Conga Bop

May 9, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Ed Fast & Conga Bop

ByThe Side Door Jazz Club

The Side Door Old Lyme, CT

Saturday, May 9 • 8 PM – 10:30 PM

Ten world-class musicians, one intimate room — Ed Fast & Conga Bop bring their Afro-Cuban jazz to The Side Door.

Ed Fast · Drums
Dina DiMarco · Vocals
Steve Davis · Trombone
Josh Bruneau · Trumpet
Wayne Escoffery · Tenor Saxophone
Amy Millan · Piano
Gianni Gardner · Guitar
Matt Dwonszyk · Bass
Jorge Fuentes · Congas
Anthony Carrillo · Timbales

A Hartford Courant favorite and a fixture of the Connecticut jazz scene for over two decades, Ed Fast & Conga Bop fuse Afro-Cuban rhythms and hard-bop harmony into a sound that is impossible to sit still for. The band grooves through a rich palette of Latin rhythms — rumba, cha cha cha, son, and Afro-Cuban 6/8 — drawing on the music of legends like Cal Tjader, Tito Puente, and Hilton Ruiz alongside Fast’s own soulful originals.

Bandleader Ed Fast is a Hartt School-trained multi-instrumentalist equally at home on drums, timbales, congas, and vibraphone. His career has taken him from the pit orchestras of Broadway road shows touring Russia, China, Japan, and South Korea, to backup bands accompanying Aretha Franklin, Paul Anka, and Chita Rivera at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, to the stage of New York’s Iridium Jazz Club. The Hartford Courant called him “a celebrated figure in town” and Latin Beat Magazine has praised the band’s unique sound.

Joining Fast is an exceptional cast of musicians. Vocalist Dina DiMarco brings an electrifying presence and a wide-ranging repertoire spanning jazz standards and Broadway classics. Trombonist Steve Davis is one of the most recorded and respected voices in jazz, with credits spanning Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers lineage and dozens of acclaimed recordings as a leader. Tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery has established himself as one of the most in-demand voices in contemporary jazz, with a long association with the Mingus Big Band and Tom Harrell. Rounding out the ensemble are some of the region’s finest rhythm section players and percussionists, creating the kind of layered, infectious groove that has made Conga Bop one of New England’s most beloved live acts.

This is a big band experience in an intimate room — the kind of night that gets people out of their seats.

Allison, Cardenas, & Nash

May 8, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Allison, Cardenas, & Nash

ByThe Side Door Jazz Club

The Side Door Old Lyme, CT

Friday, May 8 • 8 PM – 10:30 PM

Three of New York’s finest bring their acclaimed drummerless trio to The Side Door for a night of intimate, conversational jazz.

Ben Allison · Bass

Steve Cardenas · Guitar

Ted Nash · Saxophone

Modeled after the intimate, drummerless trios of Jimmy Giuffre in the 1950s, Allison, Cardenas & Nash have spent over a decade building one of the most distinctive sounds in jazz — deeply conversational, rooted in blues and folk, and wide open to wherever the music leads. The trio arrives fresh off the April release of Triological on Sunnyside Records — their most personal album yet, featuring original compositions from each member for the first time.

Ben Allison · Bass In a career spanning over 30 years, Ben Allison has developed an instantly identifiable sound as a bassist, composer, producer, and educator. JazzTimes recognized him as “a visionary composer, adventurous improviser, and strong organizational force on the New York City jazz scene.” He founded the Jazz Composers Collective at just 25, has appeared on over 100 albums, and composed the theme for NPR’s On the Media, heard by 1.5 million listeners a week.

Steve Cardenas · Guitar Steve Cardenas began his musical career in Kansas City and has been a fixture of the New York jazz scene since 1995. A longtime member of the Paul Motian Electric Bebop Band, Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra, and Steve Swallow Quintet, he is also a respected educator on faculty at The New School and co-author of the Thelonious Monk Fakebook — the first time all of Monk’s compositions were assembled in a single volume.

Ted Nash · Saxophone A two-time Grammy Award winner and longtime member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Ted Nash has had an extraordinary career as a performer, composer, and conductor. DownBeat called him “one of the most together saxophonists of his generation.” His 2017 big band album Presidential Suite, inspired by great political speeches of the 20th century, earned him two Grammys and the Jazz Journalists Association’s Composer of the Year award.

Darryl Yokley Quartet

May 2, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Darryl Yokley Quartet

ByThe Side Door Jazz Club

The Side Door Old Lyme, CT

Saturday, May 2 • 8 PM – 10:30 PM

Grammy-winning saxophonist Darryl Yokley is coming to The Side Door — and this is not one to miss.

Darryl Yokley- Saxophones

Zaccai Curtis- Piano

Luques Curtis- Bass

Wayne Smith Jr.- Drums

Darryl Yokley has drawn praise from the New York Times, Downbeat Magazine, and beyond for a sound that resists easy labels. Jazz critic Brent Black put it best: Yokley is someone who “side steps standard categorization with ease,” while Downbeat’s Dave Cantor described him as “nakedly shuttling emotion through his instrument.” However you try to define it, the consensus is the same — there is no one else who sounds quite like him.

The son of an African-American father and a first-generation Mexican mother, Yokley has woven his multicultural background into a compositional voice all his own. After touring with Motown legends the Four Tops, the Temptations, and the O’Jays, he moved to New York and quickly established himself as both a compelling bandleader and in-demand sideman, performing at venues including the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center. He has shared the stage with Eddie Palmieri, Orrin Evans, Ralph Peterson Jr., and Nasheet Waits, among many others.

His latest album, Un Mundo en Soledad, pays homage to Gabriel García Márquez’s beloved masterpiece One Hundred Years of Solitude, with song titles drawn from passages in the book and ordered according to the story’s chronology. The record landed on multiple Best of 2024 lists and earned Yokley some of the strongest reviews of his career.

Rick Germanson Trio

April 24, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Rick Germanson Trio

Friday, Apr 24 from 8 pm to 10:30 pm at The Side Door, 85 Lyme St, Old Lyme, CT 06371

The Side Door Old Lyme, CT

Join us for a special night of jazz with Pianist Rick Germanson and his Trio!

RICK GERMANSON has been a highly in-demand pianist on the New York City Jazz scene for well over a decade. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rick relocated to New York City in 1998. Rick won the GRAND PRIZE at The American Pianists’ Association Jazz Piano Competition in 1996. He was awarded “Best of New Talent” in 2004 by All About Jazz NYC.

Rick has four recordings out as a leader: The first two are on Fresh Sound New Talent: “HEIGHTS” and “YOU TELL ME”. His recording “OFF THE CUFF” on Owl Studios reached #15 on the Jazz Radio Play Charts. The latest is on SmallsLive “RICK GERMANSON: LIVE AT SMALL’S”. Downbeat and JazzTimes magazines have given Rick’s recordings rave reviews. Rick has also been documented on over forty recordings as a sideman with many of the top musicians in jazz today.

Since 2001 to the present, Rick has been touring and recording with The Cannonball Legacy Band featuring Louis Hayes. From 2003-2008 Rick also toured with master guitarist Pat Martino. Currently, Rick is also the pianist for guitarist Russell Malone, bassist Nat Reeves, vibraphonist Steve Nelson, trombonist Papo Vazquez’s Mighty Pirates Troubadours among many others.

Rick has performed throughout the world, at the top festivals, concert halls and clubs with the following jazz artists: Elvin Jones’ Jazz Machine; Louis Hayes; Jimmy Cobb; Grady Tate; Pat Martino; Russell Malone; Dr. Eddie Henderson; Kyle Eastwood; Tom Harrell; Brian Lynch; Jeremy Pelt; Jim Rotondi; Duane Eubanks; Curtis Fuller; Slide Hampton; Papo Vazquez; Frank Lacy; Steve Davis; Delfeayo Marsalis; Cecil Payne; Charles Davis; Frank Morgan; Charles MacPherson; Donald Harrison; Vincent Herring; Sherman Irby; George Coleman; Javon Jackson; Eric Alexander; Craig Handy; Wayne Escoffrey; Steve Nelson; Marlena Shaw; Kevin Mohagany; Carolyn Leonhart; Regina Carter; Gerald Cannon; Jay Leonhart; Mingus Dynasty; Ray Mantilla and Space Station.

Rick is also an experienced educator, having given clinics and master classes at such institutes as New York University; The Julliard School; Jazz at Lincoln Center. He is currently on faculty at The Jackie McLean Institute at The Hartt School of Music at The University of Hartford.

Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra with Guest Vocalist Leala Cyr

April 22, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra with Guest Vocalist Leala Cyr

Wednesday, Apr 22 from 7:30 pm to 10 pm at The Side Door, 85 Lyme St, Old Lyme, CT 06371

The Side Door Old Lyme, CT

The Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra returns to the Side Door as part of their monthly residency with Guest Vocalist Leala Cyr

Saxes

Erik Elligers
Matt Parker
Josh Thomas
Lisa LaDone

Trombones
Sean Nelson
Leroy Loomer
Vince Yanovitch
Wes Mayhew

Trumpets
Don Clough
Seth Bailey
Luke Wingfield
Haneef Nelson

Rhythm
Earl MacDonald
Gianni Gardner
Lou Bocciarelli
Nathan Lassell

The Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra is a “full bodied and polished brassy big band” (Jazz Weekly) made up of 17 of the finest musicians in New England. Formed in 2016 as the New London Big Band, for the past nine years they have played monthly for sold out crowds at the Social Bar + Kitchen in New London CT. The band has performed all over the country, including the Kennedy Center (Washington DC), the Birdland Jazz Club (NYC), Monks Jazz Club (Austin TX), and Hallowed Halls (Portland OR). The band has released three albums, the most recent of which, “Don’t Stop Now: the lost music of Thad Jones for Harry James,” reached #29 on the jazz radio charts.

The band’s sound is rooted in the Kansas City swing of Count Basie, “swinging high, hard, and hot” (All About Jazz.) “Nelson…has assembled a youthful, sharp, hip 17-piece ensemble as dedicated as he is to the belief that big band sounds can provide a fine musical experience — one best served up live, where the groove and excitement of the arrangements and instrumental interplay can energize and pack a dance floor across generations.” (The Day of New London)

Sean Nelson is the leader and founder of the band. By day, he is enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard, where he plays trombone with the Coast Guard Band’s concert band and jazz ensembles, serves as staff arranger, and is music director for the Guardians Big Band.

Nelson was music director and arranger for the 2024 National Christmas Tree Lighting with the Coast Guard’s Guardians Big Band, creating over 500 pages of arrangements. This was performed in front of the White House and seen nationally on CBS. Sean was one of two composers that co-created the official song of the Space Force, Semper Supra, which is now part of every Armed Forces Medley. He also composed the official song for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officer corps (one of the eight federal uniformed services). He has won the National Band Association Young Composers Jazz Composition Contest and is a two time winner of Downbeat Magazine’s jazz arranging award. He currently works as the arranger for Sam Houston State University Bearkat Marching Band. Sean’s big band arrangements are published at iJazzmusic.com.

A native of Dallas, Texas, Sean received a Bachelor of Music degree from Sam Houston State University and a Master of Music degree from the University of North Texas. While at North Texas, he was trombonist and composer for the One O’Clock Lab Band and sang with the Jazz Singers I. Sean’s trombone quartet won the International Trombone Association Quartet Contest. He spent his summers and winter breaks playing in house bands on cruise ships for Princess Cruises and Cunard Cruises.

Sean lives in Quaker Hill, Connecticut, with his wife Megan and children Lucinda, Giles, McCoy, and Cab.

Sean is a performing artist for S.E. Shires trombones and Denis Wick mouthpieces and mutes.

Leala Cyr Bio:

Leala Cyr is fast becoming one of the most sought-after jazz vocalists of her generation. A rare “double threat,” Cyr complements her impeccable vocals with a warm, golden tone on the trumpet. As a member of Esperanza Spalding’s “Radio Music and Chamber Music Societies,” she has performed around the world and has appeared on The Late Show, The Tonight Show, The View, The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Austin City Limits, and more.A native of Pulaski, WI, Leala now resides in CT, where she is actively involved in a number of music scenes and is adjunct faculty at the Hartt School of Music and UConn.

Halie Loren Quartet

April 18, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Saturday, Apr 18 from 8 pm to 10:30 pm at The Side Door, 85 Lyme St, Old Lyme, CT 06371

The Side Door Old Lyme, CT

Join us for a special night of jazz with Vocalist Halie Loren and her Quartet!

Halie Loren is an international, award-winning jazz singer/songwriter. She brings a fresh and original perspective to time-honored musical paths, channeling her innate understanding of connectedness across musical boundaries to forge bonds with diverse audiences in North America, Asia, and Europe. Her multi-genre and multi-lingual musical blend across her ten albums to-date has earned several national and international awards in multiple genres as well as significant critical and chart success along the way, with her albums consistently reaching #1 on the Billboard Japan, iTunes (Canada and Japan) and Amazon jazz charts.

An award-winning songwriter since her early teens, Halie began garnering international acclaim as a recording artist when her debut jazz album They Oughta Write a Song was named the Best Vocal Jazz Album of the year at the 2009 JPF Independent Music Awards. She was subsequently signed for distribution in Asia by JVC/Victor Entertainment and in North America with Canadian-based jazz label Justin Time Records. Loren’s accolades in more recent years include an Independent Music Award for her original song “Thirsty” in 2011, a Best Vocal Jazz Album 2012 award in Japan’s Jazz Critique Magazine for her album Heart First, (which also reached #1 on Canada’s iTunes Jazz chart), and a total of four Billboard #1 albums on Japan’s jazz charts since 2013. Her video for “Noah”, the 2nd single from her 2018 release From the Wild Sky album produced by UK tour-de-force Troy Miller (Amy Winehouse, Gregory Porter, Diana Ross), won an Emmy in 2019 for Best Music Video as presented by The National Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Southeast Chapter.

Along with recording and songwriting successes, Halie’s live performances have brought her around the world several times, with performances on 4 continents thus far, including tours across the U.S., Canada, France, the U.K., Japan, Italy, Egypt, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Egypt, and Haiti. Her concerts range from intimate clubs to grand halls to festivals, from solo to classic jazz trio to lush orchestral collaborations.

Halie’s newest record, Dreams Lost and Found, was recorded in Montreal, Canada in collaboration with fellow artists from the Justin Time Records family, and released on April 12, 2024. This collection of songs explores themes of longing, seeking, and seeing with new eyes — the falling away of old illusions and outgrown desires, finding new visions for love and life, allowing some dreams to die to make space for new dreams to be born. The album captures the live essence of her music, that has led to tours and performances for audiences worldwide. The 14-song effort sees Halie lend her take on standards, originals, and her personal favorites.

Halie adds: “This album marks my return to a more jazz-oriented musical sound, but forged in a completely new environment of creativity (quite literally, in that I traveled to Montreal to record for the first time) that brought my improvisational spirit to the forefront—in no small part inspired by collaborating with masterful musicians Taurey Butler on piano, Morgan Moore on bass, Sam Kirmayer on Guitar, and Jim Doxas on drums. Though I have performed for years with most of these amazingly talented people, we’ve never before recorded together… to me, it was like we were dancing on the edge of the unknown when creating these songs. It felt very alive in the moment, and I think that comes through the music”

Brandon Goldberg Trio

April 17, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Brandon Goldberg Trio

Friday, Apr 17 from 8 pm to 10:30 pm

The Side Door, 85 Lyme St, Old Lyme, CT 06371

The Side Door Old Lyme, CT

Join us for a special night of jazz with Pianist Brandon Goldberg and his Trio!

Award-winning pianist and composer Brandon Goldberg has been playing piano and making music since he was three years old. Critics have praised his “unassailable technique, advanced harmonic understanding, a deep sense of swing and, most impressively, a clarity and plethora of ideas executed to near-perfection.” – Downbeat Magazine

Goldberg has performed at renowned jazz festivals worldwide, including the Newport Jazz Festival, SFJazz, PDX Jazz, Litchfield, Twin Cities, Caramoor, NCPA Mumbai Jazz Festival, Santander Jazz in Spain, and Ystad Jazz in Sweden. He has also graced the stages of prestigious jazz clubs, such as Dizzy’s Club, Smoke Jazz Club, Mezzrow, and Birdland Theater in New York, as well as The Side Door Jazz Club in Connecticut, and Marian’s Jazz Room in Switzerland, just to name a few.

Goldberg released his third album, “Brandon Goldberg Trio: Live at Dizzy’s” in 2024. The album is described as a “prodigious work, wrapped in tradition and steered with refreshing contemporaneity. A testament to shared musical vision, this album showcases Goldberg’s musicianship” – Lydia Liebman PR. The “song selection and sequencing are exquisite…Impeccable sense of time, spotless communication with the accompaniment, unhurriedness, fidelity to melody and harmonic structure.” – Dark Blue Notes. Goldberg has released two other albums which also received critical acclaim – “In Good Time” (2021) and “LET’S PLAY!” (2019) – both were recognized as top albums of the year, earning four-star reviews from Downbeat Magazine.

Goldberg often collaborates with David Foster, recently playing at the iconic Hollywood Bowl alongside Chris Botti and making memorable appearances with Katharine McPhee on Good Morning America and Live with Kelly and Mark accompanying as she performed songs from her new album with David Foster, Christmas Songs. Goldberg has also written original music for television and his compositions were featured in 1923 and Lawmen: Bass Reeves.

Goldberg is a 2024 YoungArts Winner with Distinction, the youngest semifinalist in the 2023 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition and youngest recipient of the 2022 ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award.

In connection to his South Florida roots, Goldberg has been a featured performer at the South Beach Jazz Festival, Jazz Roots Series at the Adrienne Arsht Center, the Miami International Piano Festival, FAENA Summer Jazz Series. He was also commissioned by The Miami Symphony Orchestra to write two original compositions for piano and orchestra, “Surroundings” and “Rhapsody in f minor”, which were both performed live and recorded by MISO and received high praise and accolades.

Goldberg was a featured performer at TEDxYouthMiami, TEDxBocaRaton and TEDxCoconutGrove conferences. He also works closely with the Jazz Foundation of America (JFA) and performed at their annual Gala at the famous Apollo Theater where he presented McCoy Tyner with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

At a young age, Goldberg appeared on national television in Seasons 1 and 2 of NBC’s Little Big Shots, The Steve Harvey Show and the Harry Connick, Jr. Show.

Steve Slagle Quartet

April 11, 2026 By Craig OConnell

Steve Slagle Quartet

Saturday, Apr 11 from 8 pm to 10:30 pm at The Side Door

85 Lyme St, Old Lyme, CT 06371

The Side Door Old Lyme, CT

Join us for a special night of jazz with Saxophonist Steve Slagle and his Quartet!

Steve Slagle – Saxophone

Matthew Rotger-Lynn – Guitar

Dezron Douglas – Bass

Byron ‘Wookie’ Landham – Drums

Saxophonist, flutist and composer Steve Slagle makes his home in New York City. He has released 20 CD’s as a leader, and performed on countless others. His many original compositions are published by Slagle Music, BMI worldwide. Steve was musical director of the Mingus Big Band for many years, and wrote many of the bands arrangements as well with Joe Lovano’s Nonet, of which he is a member. He has received two Grammy Awards for recordings with each of those groups and continues his association with them. As a leader, Steve concentrates on new sounds and new compositions as a performer, bandleader and recording artist.

Steve attended Berklee College of Music in Boston on a Downbeat scholarship at age 18 and subsequently received his Masters in Music at MSM in NYC.

He has played with Stevie Wonder, Machito’s Afro-Cuban Orchestra, Steve Kuhn, Lionel Hampton, Jack McDuff, Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, Brazil’s Milton Nascimento and band, Carla Bley Orchestra, Ray Barretto, Beastie Boys, and many others.

Steve’s last two recordings ‘Alto Manhattan’ ( 2016) and ‘Dedication’ ( 2017) – on Panorama Records – have both reached top ten in Jazz radio play nationwide. He is co-leader of the Stryker / Slagle Band and their last release in 2015 ‘Routes’ (which features an expanded band line-up and four horn arrangements), was nominated for a Grammy in 2016. Steve’s 2013 recording ‘Evensong’ was chosen top recordings of 2013 by Jazz Times.

“Scenes, Songs and Solo’s” (Schaffner Press) is Steve’s first book on composition and improvisation and was released in 2012. This book points his direction for young players as well as containing many of his compositions and ideas on music.

Steve’s first recording as a leader was on Japans Polydor Label and he continues that relationship as endorser of Yanagisawa saxophones from Japan, as well as a long time endorser of Vandoren (Dansr) Reeds.

Steves extensive discography is listed on this site under ‘Recordings’.

His arrangements for Mingus Big Band are published internationally by Hal Leonard Publishing. Several of his Sax Quartet compositions and arrangements are published by Advance Music,but many others he owns privately.

Steve served on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music for 20 years as well as associations with Rutgers University, NYU, New School in NYC, William Paterson, NJ and Suny Purchase as well as master classes and clinics world wide.

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