Jake Saslow

Jake Saslow was born in New York City on January 15th, 1982. Jake spent his early years surrounded by New York’s downtown loft scene, living below a well-known drummer whose frequent music sessions provided the musical soundtrack to the Saslow household. After relocating to Long Island, Jake studied clarinet before switching to saxophone in 5th grade. Jake quickly fell in love with the art form know as jazz, and he studied passionately with local musician and educator Gary Meyer, whom Jake credits with helping cultivate a philosophical and theoretical foundation through which many of his ideas about music are grounded. After graduating high school Jake moved back to New York City to attend the Manhattan School of Music. During this time Jake studied with, among others, Dick Oatts, David Liebman, George Garzone, and John Riley. During the fall semester of his junior year Jake did a semester abroad at the Amsterdam Conservatory of Music in Holland, where he studied with Jasper Blom. During this time Jake performed at many local venues including The Bimhuis, and was a guest soloist with the Amsterdam Conservatory Big Band. Perhaps most importantly, living in Amsterdam provided Jake with a broader perspective on life and music. After graduating from the Manhattan School of Music in 2004 Jake spent the next three years performing as both a leader and sideman at many of New York’s jazz venues including the Blue Note, Jazz Standard, and 55 bar, while also working part time as a bartender to pay rent. In the spring of 2007 Jake was selected by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Studies to be a member of its class of 2009. Based in New Orleans, the Monk Institute is under the artistic direction of Terence Blanchard and offers one of the premier jazz educations in the world. As one of only seven members of this full-tuition program, Jake has had the opportunity to study and perform with, among others Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Danilo Perez, Kenny Barron, John Scofield, and Terence Blanchard. Jake is also an educator, which he sees as an integral aspect of human and artistic growth, and he hopes that his students learn as much from him as he does from them. Besides teaching private lessons, Jake has also taught master classes on saxophone technique as well as concepts for improvisation at Loyola University in New Orleans and at the Panama Jazz festival. Through the Monk Institute Jake has also spent the past year teaching a jazz combo at NOCCA, (New Orleans’ performing arts high school), where he has had the privilege of helping educate the next generation of jazz musicians in New Orleans.