Dayna Stephens + 2

Recent recipient of the number-two spot for the 2017 and 2018 DownBeat Critics Poll in the category “Rising Star—Tenor Saxophone, Dayna Stephens has garnered critical acclaim for his playing, compositions and arrangements. Brad Faberman sites Dayna as the June 2017 JazzTimes Editor’s Pick, writing, “His big, warm lines are full of notes and intent but also gusts of wind, bodies of water.”

Playing with pureness of intention, the saxophonist/composer admits he’s always searching to find what’s “singable.” That search often results in live improvisations and written compositions that challenge traditional concepts of harmony, pushing phrasing and sending beautiful and unintentional melodies in unlikely directions, a style that’s earned him collaborative opportunities with some of the music’s most beloved players including, among others, Brian Blade, Al Foster, Idris Muhammad, Billy Hart, Marcus Gilmore, Bill Stewart, Eric Harland, Lewis Nash, Jeff Ballard, Justin Brown, Brad Mehldau, Fred Hersch, Billy Childs, Taylor Eigsti, Kenny Barron, Gerald Clayton, Aaron Parks, Roy Hargrove, Sean Jones, Ambrose Akinmusire, Wayne Shorter, Ben Wendel, Chris Potter, Walter Smith III, Rufus Reid, Joe Sanders, Linda Oh, Larry Grenadier, Harish Raghavan, Gretchen Parlato, Becca Stevens, Sachal Vasandani, John Scofield, Julian Lage, Mike Moreno and Carlos Santana.

Gratitude represents Dayna’s first self-produced recording on his new label Contagious Music, featuring compositions that share soulful and sophisticated melodies, including music from Aaron Parks, Pat Metheny and Dayna himself. Personnel includes Brad Mehldau, Julian Lage, Larry Grenadier and Eric Harland.

Coming in fall 2019 will be Dayna’s first live release featuring his quartet with Aaron Parks Ben Street and Gregory Hutchinson recorded at the Village Vanguard in NYC.