Home » Jazz Musicians » Frank Basile

Frank Basile

Frank Basile is one of New York’s busiest and most in-demand baritone saxophonists. Since moving to New York in 2001, Basile has been heard with The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, The Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band, The Jimmy Heath Big Band, The Bob Mintzer Big Band, The Dave Holland Big Band, The Joe Lovano Nonet, Michael Bublé, The Christian McBride Big Band, The Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra, Pablo Mayor’s Folklore Urbano, The Richie Vitale Quintet, The Fabien Mary Quintet, and Dennis Mackrell's Manhattan Symphony Jazz Orchestra.

Born in Illinois in 1978 and raised in Nebraska, Frank Basile began his musical studies in grade school. After four years on clarinet and alto saxophone, he made a permanent switch to the baritone saxophone. Once in high school, Basile’s interest in jazz began to grow and, with the help and encouragement of his parents, he sought out further instruction on the ins and outs of this great music. Basile was soon playing in numerous big bands and combos throughout the Omaha area. His senior year in high school, he won the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra’s first annual Young Artist Competition.

Basile decided to continue studying music in college, and he enrolled at the University of North Texas. While at UNT, Basile played in the world-renowned One O’clock Lab Band for six consecutive semesters. In the 1999-2000 school year, Basile was named UNT’s Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Jazz Studies. Basile was also a recipient of a Downbeat Student Music Award in 2001 in the Jazz Instrumentalist category.

After graduating with honors and a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies from UNT, Basile moved to New York in the summer of 2001 as a selected member of the first Jazz Studies program at the Juilliard School.

Basile has released 3 recordings as a leader: Thursday The 12th (2007), Pepper Adams Complete Compositions Vol. 4. (2010), and Modern Inventions (2012). When not appearing as a sideman, Basile can be heard with his quintet, which performs regularly throughout the city.

Tags

1
Album Review

Michael Davis - Hip-Bone Big Band: Open City

Read "Open City" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


Michael Davis is an accomplished trombonist who has had a long career of live and studio work accompanying a varied roster of big-name jazz and rock talents such as The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bob Mintzer, Buddy Rich, Paul Simon, and Sarah Vaughan. He is also an established solo artist and composer who leads an imposing large ensemble, the Hip-Bone Big Band. The big band's second album is an exuberant affair which reflects the joy of getting back ...

14
Liner Notes

Joe Chambers: Moving Pictures Orchestra: Live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola

Read "Joe Chambers: Moving Pictures Orchestra: Live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola" reviewed by John Kelman


It's one thing to have an established `place in the jazz pantheon, another to continue redefining that position, long after others might be content to rest on their laurels. Joe Chambers' work behind the drum kit with artists including Andrew Hill, Bobby Hutcherson, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Charles Mingus, and McCoy Tyner has already ensured a prominent place in jazz history. His output as a leader may be small, but he's delivered two outstanding Savant recordings in 2006's The Outlaw ...

28
Album Review

Joe McCarthy's New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band: The Pan American Nutcracker Suite

Read "The Pan American Nutcracker Suite" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Yes, Peter Tchaikovsky's timeless Nutcracker Suite is basically holiday music; and, yes, the 2022 holiday season is squarely in everyone's rear-view mirror. Even so, there is always room for a fresh approach to the annual festive staple, which is what drummer Joe McCarthy's New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band brings to The Pan American Nutcracker Suite. The Nutcracker has been rhythmically amended before, but never quite like this, as McCarthy and the band use the strong ...

9
Album Review

Joe McCarthy's Afro Bop Alliance Big Band: The Pan American Nutcracker Suite

Read "The Pan American Nutcracker Suite" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci


"The Nutcracker" is a holiday staple and, as many musical and dance companies around the United States and Europe will tell you, thank Heaven for it. The musicians and performers may eventually lose their sanity from repeat performances, but the ballet is a money-maker as sure as holiday sales generate commercial profits for retailers. Besides, someone is inevitably hearing it for the first time, and children—even some adults—seem to enjoy it. This year, the season starts early with ...

23
Album Review

Doug Lawrence: Doug Lawrence & Friends

Read "Doug Lawrence & Friends" reviewed by Jack Bowers


If the name Doug Lawrence doesn't sound familiar, the name Count Basie surely should. What is the Lawrence- Basie connection? Well, for more than two decades Lawrence has been the featured tenor saxophone soloist with the renowned and still- active Count Basie Orchestra, a chair once impressively occupied by the likes of Lester Young, Eddie “Lockjaw" Davis, Lucky Thompson, Wardell Gray and Frank Foster, among others. When someone has been around as long as Lawrence, he or she makes a ...

7
Album Review

Frank Basile / Sam Dillon Quintet: 2 Part Solution

Read "2 Part Solution" reviewed by Jack Bowers


If recent albums serve as an accurate guidepost, hard bop is making a broad and most welcome comeback. In the wake of high-octane albums by Adam Shulman, Gary Dudzienski, Cory Weeds (who doubles as producer-in-chief at Cellar Records), Marshal Herridge, the TNEK Jazz Quintet, Jerry Bergonzi, Keith Oxman, John Sneider and others comes 2 Part Solution, an old-school fire-breathing session whose front line consists of tenor saxophonist Sam Dillon and baritone saxophonist Frank Basile. Any doubts about ...

5
Album Review

Frank Basile: 2 Part Solution

Read "2 Part Solution" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


One might have expected there would be a plethora of baritone sax / tenor sax recordings following the standout 1959 Verve release Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster. Not so, although the two principals were involved in a follow-up album in 1960 for HiFi Jazz entitled Jimmy Witherspoon With Mulligan and Webster at The Renaissance. The Frank Basile / Sam Dillon Quintet recording 2 Part Solution is a bit of a throwback to this earlier period, but is unlikely to be ...

Read more articles
1

Recording

New Release From Baritone Saxophonist Frank Basile

New Release From Baritone Saxophonist Frank Basile

Source: Frank Basile

Baritone saxophonist Frank Basile has just released his third album as a leader: Modern Inventions.. The recording features a sextet of frequent collaborators including trumpeter Fabien Mary, tenor saxophonist Alex Hoffman, pianist Ehud Asherie, bassist David Wong, and drummer Pete Van Nostrand. Basile composed three original compositions for this date and penned all new arrangements specifically for this band. The recording was made right after a string of gigs the band did in New York City, and the music was ...

168

Interview

Bari Beast Frank Basile's Simple Keys to Success

Bari Beast Frank Basile's Simple Keys to Success

Source: Best. Saxophone. Website. Ever.

Baritonist Frank Basile gets around. And by that I mean shakin' up the scene with the likes of The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, The Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band, The Jimmy Heath Big Band, The Dave Holland Big Band, The Joe Lovano Nonet, Michael Bublé, The Christian McBride Big Band, Pablo Mayor's Folklore Urbano, The Richie Vitale Quintet, The Chris Byars Octet, The Bob Mintzer Big Band, The Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra, Dennis Mackrell's Manhattan Symphony Jazz Orchestra, The Jason ...

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Open City

Self Produced
2023

buy

The Pan American...

Angel Face Records
2022

buy

Doug Lawrence &...

Self Produced
2021

buy

2 Part Solution

Cellar Live
2020

buy

Birdland

Lobitos Creek Ranch
2015

buy

OverTime: Music of...

Planet Arts Records
2014

buy

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.