| Description | Price |
| Solo Saxophone with Backing Tracks | €300 (EUR) |
| Jazz Duo | €350 (EUR) |
| Jazz / Soul Quintet | €600 (EUR) |
David Baron Stevens (DBS) is a Unison Saxophone Artist, Composer, Arranger, Musical Director, and Jazz Educator.
He is an American musician, currently based in Palermo, Sicily, and regularly performs all over the world. He has performed in Australia, Asia, Europe, and the United States. DBS is equally adept and experienced in classical music as he is with jazz and pop, as well as various forms of world music.
As a jazz artist, he has performed with such legendary performers as Steve Allen (author, actor, originator of The Tonight Show), Ed Shaugnessy (Doc Severensen Big Band), Dave Samuels (Spiro Gyra), Pete Christlieb (Steely Dan, Doc Severensen), Eric Marienthal (Chick Corea Electrik Band), Mark Levine (author of “The Jazz Theory Book”), Wayne Bergeron (Maynard Fergueson), to name a few. For more information on collaborations, please see below.
Growing up in California, Stevens began his professional career at age 16 in 1996 and quickly became active in the Fresno, Los Angeles, and San Francisco music scenes, playing jazz in the Central CA, tribute bands in Southern CA, and latin jazz in the SF Bay Area to the north.
DBS spent three years living in Memphis, Tennessee, working with the B.B. King Blues Club as a performer and mastered 150+ songs of the soul and blues repertoire. This had a profound impact upon his approach to performance and is evident today in every note he plays.
His musician theater experiences include performing in the orchestras for the Broadway shows as Beauty & The Beast, Evita, 42nd Street, Thoroughly Modern Millie, A Christmas Story, My Fairytale, and many others. DBS often performs flute and clarinet in addition to saxophone in these settings.
He fell in love with classical music when studying voice at College of The Sequoias, in Visalia, California, and has performed as a Baritone in the chorus for such notable works as Requiem (Mozart), Carmina Burana, and Gloria.
DBS has received training from some of the world’s most prolific artists, such as jazz saxophone legends Phil Woods and Kenny Garrett, and has apprenticed under truly great masters such as Los Angeles saxophonist Jefferey Clayton and New York-based Yamaha Flute Artist Tracy Harris.
He was accepted to The Juilliard School in 2004 for their new jazz program and has received such honors as the Presidential Scholarship from Berklee College of Music in 2005 and in the same year induction into the IAJE (International Association for Jazz Educators) Community College All-Star Band.
Stevens is an experienced educator of over two decades who has assisted many to start careers in music and to be effective in auditions and win awards. As important as such achievements are, he feels that teaching the next generation to love and honor music as he does is the most important goal any teacher can have. DBS has very much enjoyed his role as a Guest Artist & Lecturer at colleges in California, such as Cuesta College of San Luis Obispo and Bakersfield College.
DBS is endorsed by Unison Saxophone of Taiwan and plays a one-of-a-kind handmade saxophone modified to his specifications.
This instrument sounds as amazing as it looks and has greatly impressed all who hear and try playing it. This includes many pro saxophonists who are endorsed by companies like Cannonball and Selmer.
After the birth of his child in 2015, David Baron Stevens began to focus more in London, England, and became a regular performer at clubs such as Ronnie Scotts and Jazz After Dark in Soho. Most recently, DBS has been living in and performing all over Palermo, Sicily, and has gladly settled into a most welcoming music scene. Palermo has proven itself to be a home for American jazz musicians, and today’s Palermo is no exception.
His most recent project, Evolution, aims to expand the accepted jazz canon to include more modern popular songs and some older ones that are less well-known.
David Baron Stevens continues to be a force on the music scene in every country on every stage in which his saxophone sounds.
Jazz and Blues Artists with which David Baron Stevens has performed:
= free travel (up to 20 miles)
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon
Against All Odds - Phil Collins
After The Love Has Gone - Earth, Wind & Fire
American Boy - Estelle, Will.I.am
At Your Best (You Are Love) - Eisley Brothers (Aaliyah version)
Autumn Leaves - Eva Cassidy version
Beautiful Maria of My Soul - The Mambo Kings
Black Cow - Steely Dan
Butterflies - Michael Jackson
Brown Sugar - D'Angelo
Caught Up in The Rapture - Anita Baker
Caruso - Lucio Dalla
Corcovado - Antonio Carlos Jobim
Deacon Blues - Steely Dan
Do It Again - Steely Dan
Emily - Paul Desmond version
Estate - Joao Gilberto version
Georgia on My Mind - Gerald Albright version
Georgy Porgy - Toto
The Girl From Ipanema - Antonio Carlos Jobim
Home At Last - Steely Dan
Layla - Eric Clapton (Unplugged version)
How Deep is Your Love - Bee Gees
Nessun Dorma - Puccini
Untitled (How Does It Feel) - D'Angelo
I Have Nothing - Whitney Houston
Inner City Blues - Marvin Gaye
Jack of Speed - Steely Dan
No Man No Cry - Jimmy Sax
Josie - Steely Dan
Just Friends (Sunny) - Musiq Soulchild
Lately - Stevie Wonder
Like a Star - Corinne Bailey Rae
The Look of Love - Bacharach (Diana Krall version)
Lovesong - The Cure (Adele version)
Manha de Carnaval - Astrud Gilberto version
Maria - Bernstein (West Side Story)
The List - Moonchild
More Than Words - Extreme
My Funny Valentine
On and On - Erykah Badu
Oye Como Va - Tito Puente
Redbone - Childish Gambino
Rise - Herb Alpert
Santeria - Sublime
The Shadow of Your Smile - Astrud Gilberto version
Never Too Much - Luther Vandross
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
The Summer Knows - Michel Legrand (Phil Woods version)
Unbreak My Heart - Toni Braxton
Under The Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu (Volare) - Dean Martin
What You Won't Do For Love - Bobby Caldwell
Somewhere - Bernstein (West Side Story)
When Sunny Gets Blue - Nat King Cole
Zombie - The Cranberries
Fantasy - Earth, Wind & Fire
What's The Use - Mac Miller
Tadow - Masego & FKG
Rain - SWV
For performances with backing tracks, I need a single power outlet and one parking space.
For performances with a band, we need 3 power outlets minimum and 4 parking spaces.
For performances which require late travel or an overnight stay, 1-3 rooms are required.
I need information on parking, where to load equipment, and nearby hotels if a room is not provided.
I can provide sound and lighting equipment for an extra fee, if the venue or client does not provide.
I can provide background music between sets and after the show a Spotify playlist can be played for an additional fee.
The most exciting gig I've ever performed was when I opened for Lionel Ritchie at The Mirage in Las Vegas on New Years' Eve 1999 (The Millenium)!
These days, my favorite type of event is one where I can perform my favorite pop songs while listeners relax and enjoy the show. I also really love to play with DJs for high-energy club events.
I started playing professional music at the age of 16 and have been travelling the world since 1999 performing in more countries than I can count. I love all kinds of music and try to learn a little bit more with every show.
My biggest influences were once only saxophonists, such as Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, but then expanded to other jazz artists, like Miles Davis and Kenny Garrett. But as I grew, I came to realize that many of the popular artists I enjoyed also influenced me greatly, such as Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, and so many others.
Today, I love all kinds of music, including classic rock, like Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin, but also more recent artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sublime.
Finally, without the inclusion of hip hop artists like Dr. Dre and Wutang, it would be impossible for me to describe my musical influences.
I aim to arrive 2 hours before the performance to set up and sound check, and to enjoy a relaxed meal if possible.
My sets are 50 minutes in length but I am flexible to the needs of the event.
I am always happy to perform longer if travel requirements are not impacted, and for an extra fee.
I can play outside if there is suitable cover and protection for electrical devices.
Regarding the repertoire, I always take the taste of the client into consideration, and endeavor to present my set lists in line with those preferences. I am willing to include special requests for an additional fee.
My clients and audiences have described my performances as "the best saxophone in London" and "electrifying". I am often called "Maestro" by local musicians when I perform in their town.
Yes! I love to perform with a DJ and if you already have a DJ lined up, it's no problem for me to join them in their existing set, for a small additional fee to cover the coordination necessary for us to discuss and prepare the repertoire prior to the show.
Municipality of Bagheria, Palermo, Sicily
Osteria Can Caus, Bagheria, Palermo, Sicily
Giardini del Massimo, Palermo, Sicily
Arco Azzuro, Palermo, Sicily
Ronnie Scott's, London
Jazz After Dark, London
Club Deluxe, San Francisco
Sheeba's Piano Lounge, San Francisco
Catalina's Bar and Grill, Los Angeles
The Mirage, Las Vegas
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