If originality is the barometer of what truly makes a great jazz artist, Dale Fielder possesses this quality in abundance. It has earned him a position in the front ranks of saxophonists over the span of the last ten-plus years. In listening to Fielder perform today; it is without question that here is a saxophonist who has developed his own very personal and original voice. His originality can be experienced on several levels: he is a multi-instrumentalist that plays all four saxophones with equal authority; his original compositions and choice of rare, obscure jazz classics; and in his overall group concepts and constant variety of presentations. Fielder grew up in Midland, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh where he studied oboe, bassoon and tuba in the school system and clarinet, saxophone, composition and arranging privately with Pittsburgh area tenor saxophonist Phillip Celli. Fielder is also a product of the University of Pittsburgh Jazz Studies Program, where he studied as an ethnomusicology major under Dr. Nathan Davis. Fielder's debut jazz performance was as a member of the Joe Harris Quartet, former drummer of the Charles Parker Quintet and Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra. A recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1984, he completed his first large work, The Aquarian for alto saxophone and chamber orchestra. After eight years in NYC, Fielder moved to Los Angeles, began studying with alto legend, Charles McPherson and has recorded 12 CDs to date including 1996 top-ten critically
acclaimed Dear Sir: Tribute To Wayne Shorter. In 1997, Fielder received his first commission and wrote the extended eleven-movement jazz suite, Ocean Of Love And Mercy, which was recorded in performance by an all-star Nonet and released by Cadence Jazz Records. Fielder has since performed throughout Europe and Asia with his Quartet. Selected as BET’s 1999 Jazz Discovery winner, Fielder has taped several subsequent video appearances and shows for BET. In 2003, Fielder released his most important and ambitious work, his hour-long third extended jazz suite, Suite: Clarity to international critical acclaim. His 2005 CD, Baritone Sunride also received international critical attention recognizing Fielder as one of the top baritone saxophonists currently performing. His July 2007 release DFQ Plays The Music Of Pepper Adams, is his current CD that continues to document his classic jazz quartet with legendary jazz pianist Jane Getz, as well as celebrating the quartet’s 12th year together. Fielder's recent projects include his avant garde quartet, Luminous Monolith’s upcoming 2-CD release, Meditations On The Fertile Crescent Part I & II, the DVD Sensuous Universe, and Light And Shadow, his fourth extended work, this time for baritone sax and chamber orchestra. Fielder is to debut the suite in 2008 at Lenoir-Rhyne College of Fine Arts in North Carolina.
----Leslie Colrane
Woodland Hills, CA |
