Born: September 30, 1968 Primary Instrument: Saxophone
Double-degreed, Grammy-nominated alto saxophonist Antonio Hart has certainly come a long way since elementary school, when he chipped hisvery first reed by carrying it around in his sock. Born on Sept. 30, 1968, in Baltimore, Hart decided when he was young that he wanted to play alto sax, and he took lessons until music was cut at his high school. A friend got him an audition at the Baltimore School of Arts, and he was accepted. At first only classically trained, Hart did not become interested in jazz until right before college.
He studied jazz and education at the Berkelee College of Music, and upon graduation promptly teamed up with classmate Roy Hargrove to tour and record for three years. During that time, Hart also earned a Masters degree in music composition and performance from Queens College, studying with the likes of Jimmy Heath and Donald Byrd.
In 1991, he made his debut on RCA/Novus, For the First Time.Since then, Hart has made three other albums for RCA/Novus -- Don'tYou Know I Care (tribute to Dizzy Gillespie, 1992); ForCannonball And Woody (1993); and It's All Good (1994). Heswitched to Impulse! for 1997's Here I Stand. He has alsoappeared on recordings with Nat Adderly, Slide Hampton, the DizzyGillespe Alumni All-Stars and numerous others. Hart plans to earn hisdoctorate from Columbia University.
