Faulk, Dan

Faulk, Dan, jazz tenor/soprano saxophonist, composer, educator; b. Philadelphia, Pa., Nov. 22, 1969. He was raised mainly in Prescott, Ariz. At the age of eight, he began playing the alto saxophone, but at 14, switched to the tenor. Shortly after, he began to work and perform throughout Ariz, in various musical settings. In 1987, he attended Boston’s Berklee Coll. of Music and studied with Billy Pierce. A year and a half later, he transferred to William Paterson Coll. (N.J.) and continued his musical studies with Rufus Reid, Joe Lovano, Harold Mabern, Steve Turre, Norman Simmons, and guest artist Benny Golson, as well as private studies with Barry Harris. In 1991, he finished his studies at William Paterson and received a Bachelor’s Degree of Music, and has remained in the N.Y. area since that time. Soon after graduation, he was hired by WPC’s Director of Jazz Studies and Performance—bassist Rufus Reid—to join the TanaReid quintet. He was a member of this ensemble for three years and recorded two albums with the group. For nearly two years, Dan toured with the JJ. Johnson Quintet until Johnson retired from performing in December 1997. He recorded on two albums with Johnson for Verve Records. Since July 1997, Dan has freelanced and has regularly been a featured soloist with Steve Turre and the Sanctified Shells. He has also performed with the Smithsonian Jazz Orch., The Mingus Dynasty, Valarie Ponomarov, and James Spaulding, and has recorded with Jimmy Heath, Louis Hayes, Richard Davis, and Spaulding. He also has toured with his own ensembles as well as with the collaborative group Quintet X. He has written over 75 compositions, 10 of which have been recorded. He was a part-time faculty member at Rutgers-Newark from September 1997, teaching courses until completing his M.A. in Jazz History and Research in May 1999 there, where he studied with Lewis Porter. In September 1999, he began as a full-time faculty member at SUNY at Stonybrook, while he continues to be active as a freelance performer.

Discography

Focusing In (1994; with Barry Harris, Rufus Reid, Carl Allen). J.J. Johnson: The Brass Orchestra (1996). James Spaulding: Blues Nexus (1993). TanaReid: Blue Motion (1992); Passing Thoughts (1992).

—Lewis Porter