Aaron Dutton's Private Saxophone Studio



About Aaron

   

   Originally hailing from the beaches of Santa Barbara, California, Aaron Dutton is a saxophonist and composer who currently resides in Denton, TX, and is an active member of the greater Dallas and Fort Worth music scenes. Dutton has had the "bug" for music-making for essentially his entire life, beginning his studies on piano at age 6. Recently, Dutton received his Bachelor's degree in Jazz Studies (saxophone) from the prestigious University of North Texas College of Music and graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors. In his final year at UNT, Dutton was selected as a member of the One O' Clock Lab Band, a seven-time Grammy-nominated student big band at the university. In addition to recording on the band's annual full-length album, "Lab 2016", Dutton also had the opportunity to go on tour in Australia with the One O' Clock, playing in front of an audience of 5,000 at the Generations in Jazz festival in Mount Gambier, South Australia. As a member of the band, Dutton had the opportunity to play with artists such as Danilo Pérez, Michael McDonald, James Morrison, Dennis Mackrel, Wycliffe Gordon, Troy Roberts, and more. 

   Since graduating, Dutton has shifted his focus onto composing original music for the Aaron Dutton Group, which debuted in February of 2017. Dutton's writing for the group aims to explore the possibilities of melding improvisation and through-composed sections, musical density and space, and the jazz tradition and Dutton's various non-jazz influences. In addition to his group, Dutton co-leads a freely-improvising saxophone trio entitled Nothing Machine with Garrett Wingfield and Emilio Mesa. Dutton is also at home playing in straight-ahead settings, and his primary influences on saxophone range from Charlie Parker and Mark Turner to Lee Konitz and Wayne Shorter.

   Dutton has also done extensive work as a sideman. As a member of the Anna Jalkéus Group, Dutton was awarded a Downbeat Student Music Award for Outstanding Graduate Small Group, and will record a full-length album with Jalkéus this summer. Dutton is also a member of Family Tree, a local group whose recent EP "Whatever Keeps You in the Air" received positive reviews from The Dentonite, and avant-garde octet The Octopod, who released an EP entitled "i feel lost" in 2016. Dutton is also featured on Isabel Crespo's 2016 EP, "Enough Silence".

   While in California, Dutton had the opportunity to study with saxophone masters such as Gary Foster, Eric Marienthal and Karl Hunter. In Texas, Professor Brad Leali and Alejandro Fraile have helped Dutton develop a unique sound and concept of improvising. Dutton is currently a private lesson teacher for two separate school districts in the Fort Worth area, and has given clinics at multiple middle schools and high schools. In addition to the various saxophones, Dutton has the ability to play flute, clarinet, and piano proficiently.