Ryan Anselmi is a saxophonist living and working in New York City. He was born in Paola, Kansas, close enough to Kansas City and its rich musical heritage that he couldn’t shake wanting music to be a part of his life.
At the age of twelve he began taking saxophone lessons from Charles Kessinger and working professionally with the Twin Rivers Jazz Band from Osawatomie, KS. Folks like Twin Rivers Jazz Band, David Basse & The City Light Orchestra, and vocalist/pianist Jay McShann heavily influenced and inspired Ryan during this time.
In 2000 Ryan moved to Wichita, KS to study music at Wichita State University where he was a student of Tom Fowler, Craig Owens, Jean Lansing, Dr. Thompson, Mark Foley, and J.C. Combs. During this time Ryan played with a number of great musicians such as Ryan Heinlein’s Project H, Craig Owens & The Bodo Ensemble, Kit Craig, The Hillside Blues Quartet, The Masuda Quartet, The Source, Chet Aikens Quartet, Roberto Bernardinello & Marco Porcu, Kurt Aiken Quartet, The Tom Fowler Big Band, The Air Capitol Big Band, Roger Lewis’s “Joy Ride” and the adventurous Colossal. Inspired by all of these great musicians Ryan moved to New York to finish his degree at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, where he was awarded a scholarship, in August of 2005. After studying and playing with many great teachers and musicians he graduated from The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music with a Bachelors in Fine Arts degree in 2008.
After graduating Ryan began playing, recording and touring with the following artists: Pianist Mr. Junior Mance, Selmer Woodwind artist Tim Price, Tom Abbott and his Big Bang Big Band, Vocalist/Verve/Brownswood recording artist Jose James, An AWESOME southern-fried soul band named The Gold Magnolias, Mr. James Moody, The Coaster’s, bassist Hide Tanaka, drummer Jackie Williams and many, many more.
In addition to performing Ryan is also an accomplished teacher. For the last 12 years Ryan has taught students of all levels from beginners to professionals in a multitude of settings that include being a guest lecturer and performer on both the K-12 and university level. He doubles on clarinet and flute and has studied both instruments for many years, five of which have been with musician Tim Price.
Ryan is currently working on multiple music projects, including writing new music for The Gold Magnolias, The RA Quintet, and a fusion project that combines bluegrass, jazz, blues and gospel music. You can find samples of his latest projects plus other things Ryan has been involved with over the years at http://www.ryananselmi.com
