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Gary Anderson

Gary Anderson is considered by many to be one of the most multi-talented musicians in the studios today. Known for being an incredibly versatile composer in a variety of genres for both stage and screen, Anderson combines his deep understanding of the orchestral palette and trust in today's technology to create music that connects with the human spirit.

A native of Southern California, Anderson first found his passion for music on the clarinet at the age of twelve and soon after discovered the saxophone in order to play in his High School's jazz band. Due to a lack of funding for the jazz band, Anderson taught himself to transcribe recordings by Count Basie, Gerald Wilson, Woody Herman & Miles Davis in order to increase the bands repertoire. It was the summer before Anderson's senior year in HS that he attended the National Stage Band Camp in Reno, Nevada and first met mentor, John LaPorta. It was LaPorta who convinced Gary the only College to consider was the Berklee College of Music in Boston and the only saxophone teacher to pursue was Joseph Viola.

Anderson spent 1965-1972 at Berklee, first as a Down Beat Hall of Fame Scholarship student and Summa Cum Laude Graduate and then as a full time professor and member of the world renowned Berklee Saxophone Quartet (along side Joe Viola and John LaPorta). Anderson since has received the Outstanding Achievement Award alongside fellow alumnus Alf Clausen and was named one of Berklee's Fifty Outstanding Alumnus as part of Berklee's 50th Anniversary celebration.

In 1973 Anderson became a member of Woody Herman's Thundering Herd and spent the next five years touring as music director and chief arranger for this legendary jazz band. After seven albums and tours with Frank Sinatra & Tony Bennett as well performances with Joe Henderson, Charlie Mingus, Chet Baker and many others, Anderson decided to settle into the New York scene and soon found his niche as a studio arranger, orchestrator and composer for television, film and the Broadway stage.

Since the late 1970's Anderson has written for Network and Cable Television, Documentaries, Telefilms & Dramatic Series, Feature Films, Broadway, Off Broadway and Radio City Music Hall as well as 100's of commercials and Albums.

As an educator as well as a composer, arranger and performer, Anderson recently returned to teaching and as a member of the IAJE, participates in summer jazz workshops across the country.

Available Tracks by Gary Anderson

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