About Gary
Winner of the 2024 Downbeat Critic’s Poll for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year!
Winner of the 2023 Downbeat Critic’s Poll for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year!
Winner of the 2022 Downbeat Critic’s Poll for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year!
Winner of the 2022 JJA Jazz Awards for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year!
Winner of the 2021 JazzTimes Expanded Critics Poll for Baritone Saxophone!
Winner of the 2020 JazzTimes Readers Poll for Baritone Saxophone!
Winner of the 2019 Downbeat Reader’s poll for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year!
Winner of the 2019 JJA Jazz Awards for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year!
Winner of the 2018 JazzTimes Readers and Expanded Critics Poll for Baritone Saxophone!
Winner of the 2018 Downbeat Reader’s Poll for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year!
Winner of the 2017 JazzTimes Expanded Critics Poll for Baritone Saxophone!
Winner of the 2016 Downbeat Critics poll for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year!
Winner of the 2016 JazzTimes Critics poll for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year!
Winner of the 2016 JazzTimes Readers poll for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year!
Winner of the 2016 JazzIt Magazine Award for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year!
Winner of the 2015 Downbeat Reader’s Poll for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year!
Winner of the 2015 Downbeat Critics poll for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year!
Winner of the 2014 Downbeat Reader’s Poll for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year!
Winner of the 2014 JazzTimes Expanded Critics Poll for Baritone Saxophone
Winner of the 2009 and 2011 Downbeat Critics Poll for Baritone Saxophone!
Winner of the 2011 JazzTimes Readers and Critics Polls for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year!
Winner of the 2009 and 2010 Jazz Journalist Award for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year!
Baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan was born April 4, 1956, in Bethpage, New York. The gifted multi-instrumentalist started his music career by first learning alto saxophone during his teenage years on Long Island. Today he is critically acclaimed across-the-board and recognized as the major voice on the baritone saxophone. His playing is marked by an aggressive rhythmic sense, an intelligent and creative harmonic approach — and perhaps most importantly – a strong and incisive wit.
While still in high school, he had the chance to sit in with major jazz artists such as legendary trumpeter Chet Baker, saxophonist Lee Konitz, trombonist Jimmy Knepper and violinist Ray Nance.
Gary's Latest Recording
Boss Baritones
Steeplechase, 2024
Gary Smulyan/Frank Basile – Baritone saxophones
Steve Ash – piano
Mike Karn – bass
Aaron Seeber – drums
Tracklist
Oh Ghee
I’ll Never Be The Same
Star Eyes
Hey Lock
Black Velvet
Fifty-Six
Land of Dreams
Byas-a-Drink
Straight Ahead
Performances
November 15, 2024
Thad Jones Centennial – ‘Live at Bird’s Eye’
Unity Jazz Club, Gothenburg, Sweden
November 16, 2024
Thad Jones Centennial – ‘Live at Bird’s Eye’
Herr Nilsen, Oslo, Norway
November 17, 2024
Thad Jones Centennial – ‘Live at Bird’s Eye’ w/ special guest Dave O’Higgins
London Jazz Festival, London, United Kingdom
November 18 - 19, 2024
Thad Jones Centennial – ‘Live at Bird’s Eye’
Tube's, Graz, Austria
November 20, 2024
Thad Jones Centennial – ‘Live at Bird’s Eye’
BIX Jazzclub, Stuttgart, Germany
November 21, 2024
Thad Jones Centennial – ‘Live at Bird’s Eye’
Ella & Louis, Mannheim, Germany
News and Updates
Gary Smulyan, Claire Daly, Brian Landrus, Jason Marshall, and Frank Basile have formed Low Blow Music, a grassroots organization dedicate to the advancement and promotion of the baritone saxophone in music of all genres. We have our kickoff event on Oct 8, which is Pepper Adams’ birthday, with a 12 hour baritone marathon gig featuring 10 baritone-led bands from noon to midnight at Ornithology in Brooklyn. That will be followed by a jam session until 2:30 am!
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The VJO will be commemorating the centennial of Thad Jones' birth the entire 2022-23 academic year. Celebrate one of the giants of big band jazz by bringing the VJO to your campus, festival or concert series. Contact booking coordinator Eric Allen for more info.
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For the 2021 JazzTimes Expanded Critics’ Poll, an annual companion to last issue’s Year in Review section (which featured our choices for top 40 new releases and top 10 historical releases of 2021), our regular contributors participated in a survey based on our yearly Readers’ Poll. Contributors were asked to focus on artists’ achievements during 2021 rather than assessing entire careers.
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The Real Jazz Top Ten 2021 1. Ronnie Cuber & Gary Smulyan, TOUGH BARITONES (Steeplechase)2. Joe Lovano & Trio Tapestry, GARDEN OF EXPRESSION (ECM)3. Ack van Rooyen, 90 (Jazzline)4. Teus Nobel Liberty Group. PLEASURE IS THE MEASURE, LIVE AT PARADOX TILBURG (Nobel Music)5. Giovanni Guidi, OJOS DE GATO (CAM Jazz)6. Joel Frahm, THE BRIGHT SIDE (Anzic Records)7. James Brandon Lewis Red Lily Quintet, JESUP WAGON (Tao Forms)8. Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas Sound Prints, OTHER WORLDS (Greenleaf Music)9. QOW Trio, THE ALBUM (Ubuntu Music)10. Bill…
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