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Shirantha Beddage

Two-time JUNO-nominated musician Shirantha Beddage (“Shurr-ANN-tha BED-da-gay”) is a baritone saxophonist, composer and educator from Toronto, Canada. His original music combines hard bop and modern jazz to create a sound that is both accessible and sophisticated.

He has released three critically-acclaimed albums as a leader: Roots and Branches, Identity (2013 JUNO nominee) and Momentum (2017 JUNO nominee). As a sideman, he has been featured on recordings with the Order of Canada Band, Suzie Arioli, Laila Biali, Nancy Walker, Mike Downes and many others. His compositional skills have won him accolades such as the Montreal Jazz Festival Galaxie Rising Star Award, recognitions at the Canadian Songwriting Competition, and placements in the Emmy-winning TV series “Fargo”.

Shirantha currently serves as a full-time professor in the Humber College Bachelor of Music program, where he also hosts the “Staff Lounge” Teaching and Learning podcast. He was previously Director of Jazz Studies at the Columbus State University Schwob School of Music (Columbus, Georgia, USA). He also adjudicates regularly at festivals throughout the country including MusicFest Canada, where he serves as Vice-Chairman of Instrumental Jazz. His innovative teaching methods have earned him national recognition as an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE). He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree (D.M.A.) in Jazz Studies from the Eastman School of Music (New York, USA), a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies from William Paterson University (New Jersey, USA), and a Bachelor of Music degree from Humber College.

Shirantha is a Yamaha saxophone artist and performs on the YBS-62.

For more information, please visit https://shiranthabeddage.com

Awards

JUNO nomination, Jazz Album of the Year (Solo), 2017 (Canada) JUNO nomination, Traditional Jazz Album of the Year, 2013 (Canada) Winner of the 2013 Galaxie Rising Star Award at the Montreal Jazz Festival (Canada)


Tags

29
Album Review

Carn Davidson 9: The History of Us

Read "The History of Us" reviewed by Jack Bowers


From north of the U.S. border comes The History of Us, a warm-hearted album by the Carn Davidson 9, a Toronto-based nonet co-led by trombonist William Carn and saxophonist Tara Davidson. The album consists of a pair of three-part suites, one by Carn, the other by Davidson, separated by Carn's amiable composition, “Goodbye Old Friend," a fond salute to his late and dearly loved cat, Murphy. Carn's “Finding Home" suite, which leads things off, was inspired by ...

5
Album Review

Shirantha Beddage: Momentum

Read "Momentum" reviewed by Dave Wayne


The fact that Momentum is only Shirantha Beddage's third album as a leader since 2007 suggests that he's either putting a lot of thought into his music, or that he has a lot of other stuff going on. One thing he has going on is composing music for the FX television series Fargo. Still, it's kind of interesting that, in today's media- mad world, someone would leave a 4 or 5 year gap between albums. For Momentum, Beddage has reconvened ...

3
Album Review

Shirantha Beddage: Momentum

Read "Momentum" reviewed by Franz A. Matzner


The baritone sax is an underutilized part of the jazz arsenal, at least as a lead, soloist instrument. Its deep sonority tends to tilt its use either toward ensemble settings or the cooler styles of soloist work, following the trajectory of Gerry Mulligan's early innovations on the instrument. With Momentum, Canadian composer and multi-instrumentalist Shirantha Beddage unfetters the baritone's capacities, both by exploring the instrument's higher registers and utilizing it in a wide variety of musical settings, while taking full ...

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Take Five With...

Take Five With Shirantha Beddage

Read "Take Five With Shirantha Beddage" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Meet Shirantha Beddage: Baritone saxophonist Shirantha Beddage is the Director of Jazz Studies at Columbus State University in Columbus, GA, and a Doctoral candidate at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Shirantha's new release, Roots and Branches (Jazz Excursion Records, 2007), features a collection of his original works for quartet featuring piano, bass and drums. The works contained within are often tributes to composers that influenced Beddage as a saxophonist and pianist, in addition to other compositions that ...

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“Shirantha Beddage brings fresh ideas to the mainstream world and comes highly recommended.” — Cadence Magazine

“Beddage has a well-developed identity on the demanding baritone, playing with real power…” — The Whole Note Magazine

“…An example of what a powerful and modern bari tone could be… (Identity) has some of the hippest grooves I’ve heard on a jazz album in a while…” — modernbarisax.com

Primary Instrument

Saxophone, baritone

Location

Toronto

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

Shirantha Beddage is available for private lessons, either in person or via online applications such as Skype or Facetime. Areas of instruction include saxophone, piano, improvisation, ear training, theory and composition. Lesson fees are payable through cheque or via Paypal.

Clinic/Workshop Information

Shirantha is available for clinics and workshops on a variety of subjects. He is an experienced adjudicator, having worked with numerous jazz ensembles at the high school, middle school and college level in the United States and Canada

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Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Magpie

TPR Records
2024

buy

The History of Us

Three Pines
2021

buy

Momentum

Self Produced
2016

buy

Pairings

Self Produced
2016

buy

Identity

Addo Records
2012

buy

Roots and Branches

Jazz Excursion Records
2007

buy

The Long Goodbye

From: Momentum
By Shirantha Beddage

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