Aaron Irwin - saxophonist & composer

Biography

     Aaron was born October 26, 1978 in Decatur, Illinois. His mother and father both encouraged him to play music at an early age, and when he was 5 years old, he began taking piano lessons with Joanne Holmes at Macon Music. Although his grandmother and grandfather both taught at Macon Music and the Decatur Music Center for over 15 years, Aaron did not take to piano with much enthusiasm and at the age of 10, he switched from piano to alto saxophone with dreams of playing in a pep band and/or with Billy Joel. His first saxophone teacher was Mr. Ken Stillwell, who along with Aaron' s grandfather, played for many years in the Decatur Municipal Band (a group that Aaron would later play in as well). Aaron began studying with other local saxophonists in junior high and high school, including Perry Rask, who taught (and still does) at Millikin University. While in high school, Aaron would get to play with the locally celebrated Macarthur High School jazz band the would get to play the Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, as well as touring Japan playing at the MUSE in Tokorozawa, Japan.

     In 1996, Aaron moved to Chicago, Illinois to attend DePaul University and to study with Mark Colby and Susan Cook. It was in Chicago, where he was immersed in the music and culture of the city, that Aaron became focused on practicing and refining his playing. While at DePaul he played a few gigs around the city with various groups that included Charles Cameron and the Sunshine Festival, World Class Noise, and the Michael Lerich Orchestra. While playing in the DePaul University Big Band, he got to record a live CD with trumpeter Tom Harrell, perform on a Trans-Atlantic jazz cruise with drummer Louis Bellson, as well as playing with a host of jazz greats including Dick Oatts and Joe Lovano! During this time, he spent his summers working on various cruise ships through Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Lines. In 2000, Aaron moved to Miami, Florida to attend graduate school at the University of Miami, where he recorded a commissioned work (Three Romances) by Maria Schneider with the University of Miami Concert Jazz Band, as well as playing gigs in and around the greater Miami area.

     In 2002, he moved to New York and has since maintained a busy schedule of teaching and performing. He has toured with the Tommy Dorsey big band, several musicals, and has shared the stage with a plethora of New York's finest musicians playing beautiful music. In 2006 Aaron recorded an album released on Fresh Sound/New Talent (featuring saxophonist Rich Perry) that received great critical success and was written up in the New Yorker magazine as one of the ten best jazz recordings of 2006! Aaron currently is playing in the national tour of Ave. Q and plans to make a seconding for Fresh Sound/New Talent in February that will feature two of his favorite jazz musicians; Chris Cheek and Ben Monder.

Aaron Irwin
www.aaronirwin.com
646-266-3256
airwin2001@yahoo.com