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Dan Moretti

The passion for performing, teaching, writing and producing music has fueled Saxophonist Dan Moretti's eclectic musical career. Throughout the years his personal sound and original writing have gained him international recognition as a performer, educator, composer and producer. His inspiration and broad pallet of styles has allowed him to travel and collaborate with musicians across the cultures of Europe, Africa, South America and Asia, Israel and Turkey through performances, recordings and educational seminars. With 17 original recordings to his credit the inspiration continues to flow in exciting new ways.

Dan was born in Providence, Rhode Island. At the age of 5 he migrated to Narragansett, Rhode Island where his father had built one of the first houses in the north end of town. It wasn't until 5th grade that he began playing Alto saxophone at the St. Thomas Moore School in town where he was a member of their first band consisting of just 7 students. As time went by his interest grew and he, like any other musical grade-schooler, made music a part of his everyday life. The influences of the 60's music revolution and especially soul music would turn Dan's ears around and add to his passion.

At the age of 12 he was invited to perform in the Rhode Island Youth All-State Jazz Band where he played at the world renown Newport Jazz Festival . This was the beginning of a life-long passion to perform, write and produce music. During his high school years he was part of a band called The Pump House Gang that played all Jethro Tull and Roots Blues memorizing tunes from vinyl while self-teaching himself the flute. After high school Dan attended the University of Rhode Island for 2 years where he was the first saxophone major. Previous to that you had to major in clarinet and double on saxophone. During those first two years he began to study with recent Berklee graduate Hal Crook. After Hal started Rhode Island School of Music (RISM) in 1972 Dan attended for 2 years on full scholarship. It was those two intense years of 16 hours a day of music that pushed Dan to a new level. In 1974 the RI agent Kenny O'Brien offered Dan an audition is two bands that needed a sax player at the time "The Beaver Brown" band and the NY based funk band "Back Bay Brew" . It was love at first listen. In 1976 after returning from a two year long tour with that original funk band Back Bay Brew Dan completed his BA degree in Music Education with a minor in Arranging-Composition from The Union Institute in Cincinnati. As part of his degree plan Dan started the first instrumental music program at The Alternate Learning Project, Providence’s alternate high school (ALP) where he lead the ALP band playing funk jazz and a new style of music "Hip-hop" for 10 years. Throughout the mid 70's and the early 80’s he continued to perform and teach in Rhode Island and in the North East United States. His love for jazz grew with performances in Jazz Odyssey, a big band that did Monday nights at the famed jazz club Allary in Providence, as well as being a member of the Milestones Quintet which played at Allary regularly in the late 70's. Also during that time Dan continued performing as a sideman with some of the Soul and R&B stars of Atlantic Records and Motown including: Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Ben E. King, The Four Tops, and The Temptations to name a few. Throughout the 80's Dan continued to teach privately and in the local school systems and music schools in the Southern New England area. In 1981 he became co-owner with David Correia at Celebration Sounds in Pawtucket Rhode Island where he honed his engineering, producing and composing skills for the following 12 years. During that time he recorded and produced his first 5 albums as a leader.

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138
Album Review

Dan Moretti: Tres Muse

Read "Tres Muse" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Northeast area saxophonist and Berklee School of Music educator Dan Moretti embarks on the piano-less jazz trio route, hearkening back to the impetus set forth by Sonny Rollins' 1957 Riverside classic, Way Out West. Since then, this framework has gained steam with modern jazz reedmen, sometimes leading to mixed results. Yet Marty Ballou's corpulent and limber electric bass lines generate a fertile bottom to complement drummer Marty Richards' polyrhythmic attack. The trio sports a broad and fluent sound, sparked by ...

148
Album Review

Dan Moretti and Once Through: Passing Place

Read "Passing Place" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


When I first heard saxophonist/bandleader Dan Moretti's Once Through, I loved the sound and proclaimed it “a wonderful debut." Moretti promptly wrote me (isn't email a great thing) to say that the release was his ninth as a leader. He was polite but insistent that I fix the published review. I complied, explaining that the sound on the disc seemed so fresh that I assumed the effort was from a very talented artist who was new to the scene.

131
Album Review

Dan Moretti/Marty Ballou/Marty Richards/Bruce Bartlett: Once Through

Read "Once Through" reviewed by Dave Nathan


Like many of today's young artists, the performers on this album carry with them experience from playing in groups outside of jazz. You hear the influence of rock, pop, soul and R&B. Jazz purists might that this infects jazz with unwelcome and unneeded influences. The fact is that to survive, jazz needs to attract new listeners from each succeeding generation. Albums like this hopefully will draw in some of those who otherwise might not listen to jazz.

Tenor sax man ...

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3

Performance / Tour

Dan Moretti & Brazilia Featuring Greg Abate And Oscar Stagnaro Live At Chan's on April 9th

Dan Moretti & Brazilia Featuring Greg Abate And Oscar Stagnaro Live At Chan's on April 9th

Source: All About Jazz

Rhode Island Jazz saxophone greats Dan Moretti and Greg Abate (RI Hall of Fame 2016) will hit Chan’s in Woonsocket for a 20 year reunion celebrating the Latin-Jazz recording Dan Moretti & Brazilia Live at Chans on Saturday April 9th, 2016 at 8 pm. Call 401-765-1900 or visit chanseggrollsandjazz.com for tickets. The original Brazilia CD was recorded in 1995 at Chan’s in Woonsocket RI as a benefit for the Music School which now has transitioned to the Rhode Philharmonic Music ...

155

Recording

Whaling City Sound Releases "Latin Genesis" by Dave Liebman, Don Braden and Dan Moretti

Whaling City Sound Releases "Latin Genesis" by Dave Liebman, Don Braden and Dan Moretti

Source: All About Jazz

Jazz saxophonist Dave Liebman along with Don Braden and Dan Moretti, revisit the historic Genesis sessions on Whaling City's stunning new self-titled release Latin Genesis

Marquee sax legend Dave Liebman and soon-to-be legends Don Braden and Dan Moretti front the stellar Latin Genesis, accompanied by a rhythm section of Oscar Stagnaro (bass), Mark Walker (drums), Pernell Saturnino (percussion) and Jorge Najaro (percussion).

The seeds for Latin Genesis were sown back in 1971. Back then, young Liebman was making his first ...

107

Music Industry

Dan Moretti to Russia 3/14-18/01

Dan Moretti to Russia 3/14-18/01

Source: All About Jazz


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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Tres Muse

Foundations Jazz Records
2009

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Passing Place

Whaling City Sound
2005

buy

Stories

Whaling City Sound
2003

buy

Once Through

Whaling City Sound
2001

buy

Point Of Entry

Self Produced
1992

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