Saxophone with Vandell A.

Hailing from the "Birthplace of Jazz", Vandell's path to greatness and his purpose in music would not be too hard to find. While studying music at the age of 13 at a local jazz summer camp in the Treme' area of New Orleans, it was there that he learned to play the trumpet. After an entire summer of playing the trumpet at the camp, he was approached by one of his teachers that challenged him by stating his embouchure would work better with the saxophone. Being that this influential teacher was the coolest saxophonist in the world in the eyes of this young, budding jazz musician, Vandell took this challenge as a compliment that his teacher would even consider training him on his new instrument.  Soon after cultivating his craft on the alto saxophone, he joined the world renowned St. Augustine "Marching 100" Marching Band. This experience afforded Vandell the opportunities of performing in events and parades all over the world as a member of the prestigious marching band, which would ultimately convince him that performing and playing music was what he wanted to do for a living after graduating from high school.    Shortly after graduation, he enrolled in classes at Southern University at New Orleans, and studied with the legendary Edward "Kidd" Jordan. After a month of studying with Kidd, the catastrophic devastation of hurricane Katrina took the city of New Orleans by storm. At the age of 18, and after enduring the life-altering changes brought on by Katrina, Vandell realized that he wanted to seriously pursue a career in music and began to write original compositions. In just a few short years, this decision has led to him sharing the stage with a vast array of artists, from multiple genres of music, and at venues across United States and Europe. He has also opened and shared the stage with several internationally acclaimed artists and musicians, including Grammy award winning jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum and the legendary smooth jazz saxophonist Tom Braxton. In June of 2011, Vandell released his debut album entitled "Years Later”. This album is a collection of original musical compositions that has been written since he relocated to Texas following the aftermath of hurricane Katrina in his hometown of New Orleans. The "Years Later" album, to date, has been getting rave reviews from smooth jazz fans, music lovers and critics across the world. With the success of "Years Later" Vandell decided to release an uptempo 5 song EP called "Turn It Up". Since it's release, the leading single "Let's Ride" has reached #1 on the Billboard Charts! *** Travel Equipment *** I provide books, music stands and writing utensils. I expect the student to provide chairs to sit. *** Specialties *** I specialize mainly in jazz, but am proficient in all other genres. I focus on the basic fundamentals needed to play and improvise in the genre. I always make sure that my students understand theory. From sight-reading and understanding harmony, from scales to chord structures and playing styles.