Born: August 5, 1974 Primary Instrument: Sax, alto
Alto saxophonist Chris Baker is at the top of his game as the highly anticipated debut album, Everything Is A Blues, was released in October 2006. This marks his first album as a leader, displaying his compositional, as well as, instrumental skills.
In 2002, Chris appeared on a recording led by Skot Veroczi (www.skotveroczi.com), Out Of The Blue. Kenny Werner had this to say: “…and I love this alto player, Chris Baker! Where did he come from? I am usually bored with the pattern oriented players for whom a melodic line is a mysterious secret. He sounds melodic and really musical throughout, but modern at the same time.”
Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Chris Baker has performed around the world in a wide variety of professional musical acts. This has allowed him to absorb many different cultural experiences from all over and combine them with his deep understanding and commitment to jazz and improvisation with an individual sound.
In 2005 Chris received his MA from Queens College in New York City, where he was awarded the Sir Roland Hanna Award for his work regarding a book of overlooked Charlie Parker solos that were transcribed and analyzed.
For the past eight years, Chris has worked consistently in and around New York City performing at some of the most prestigious clubs including: The Jazz Standard, Smalls, and Cornelia St. Café among others.
In addition to his performing schedule, Chris Baker has also taught for numerous organizations in the region including: Yeshiva University, The Jazz Project, The Jazz Institute of New Jersey and many others. As an educator, Chris goes into the classroom and works with kids on improvisation, jazz, rock, blues, and instrumental skills.
In 2002 Chris participated as a semifinalist in both the East Coast Jazz Competition, and the highly prestigious Thelonious Monk Saxophone Competition where he received praises from some of the most respected veterans in jazz.
From 1992-1996 Chris attended Berklee College of Music where he gained a lot of musical experience in the New England area. From 94-95 he studied abroad at the Conservatory of Rotterdam in the Netherlands where he concentrated on classical music, and traveled all over Europe.
Listening to Chris today gives confidence that we will be hearing from him a lot in the future.
Primary Instrument:
Sax, alto
Location:
Bronx, NY
Willing to teach:
Advanced students only.
Credentials/Background:
kungfubaker@msn.com
