Saxophonist-Composer RAY BLUE is a natural connector - a conduit, a channel, a bridge. He is an intuitive communicator who speaks so eloquently in and through the music. Ray Blue Connects... Through Interplay... With a brilliant balance between passion and precision, Ray Blue swoops and soars through a melody then launches into a spirited solo, engaging a soulful communication that leaps off the bandstand and speaks deeply to the audience. Whether waxing poetic or laying down a hard groove, The Ray Blue Sound is at once big and warm, dynamic and romantic, nostalgic and modern. It's "Blue Jazz". The fire is contagious, as evidenced by the host of world-renowned musicians with whom he has shared the stage, including Steve Turre, Eddie Henderson, Gary Bartz, T.K. Blue, Blues Legend Bob Gaddy, Wycliff Gordon and Benny Powell. He is a former member of The Sun Ra Arkestra, currently he holds a chair with The Spirit of Life Ensemble and tours with The Ray Charles Show. By Passing it on... Early on, Ray Blue's Jr. High School music teacher introduced his class to Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, proclaiming, "This is your music". That simple statement set his whole program into motion, insuring that "passing it on" would always play a large part of Ray's program. As passionate about passing on the legacy of jazz to young musicians as he is about letting loose on stage, he is one of the art form's most inspiring mentors. An educator/clinician, Mr. Blue consults at colleges, universities, schools and communities around the world and is the founder of Cross-Cultural Connection, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 performance and educational organization that promotes jazz performance in educational and community institutions and theaters. Since 2002, Mr. Blue's Pro-Am Ensemble, which grants student musicians the opportunity to prepare, rehearse and perform with professional musicians has been conducted in a workshop setting and presented in the U.S., Germany, Finland, South Africa, Gabon and China. Across Continents... Blue's roaming spirit led him to forge a European alliance in 2000. His frequent tours through Europe led him to establish dual residences in Berlin and NYC. With a long-held desire to establish a connection in Africa, in 2003 Mr. Blue made his first trek to South Africa. While performing with South African musicians, conducting jazz and educational workshops, a unique synthesis of musical language began to unfold, resulting in a fantastic fusion of American and African cultures, rhythms and melodies. People listened, danced, and profoundly resonated. For Ray this was like coming back home. Ray returns to Africa each year to perform, study and conduct workshops. This experience has led to Cross-Continental Spirit (Afro-Jazz Project). To The Community... Ray Blue's latest project is Music of Change - a history of the African-American community through Spoken Word, Gospel Jazz and Modern Jazz in a multimedia format: dynamic live performance which reflects specific eras in African-American history complemented by an evocative slide show. Via World Stages... Ray regularly performs on numerous world stages with musicians from many different cultures, throughout Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. As a leader, he has conducted U.S. State Department tours to Zambia, Tanzania, Zanzibar and Gabon. His festival performances as leader and featured artist include: Zanzibar International Film Festival, Zanzibar, Tanzania; North Sea Jazz Festival-Cape Town, South Africa; Macufe Festival-Bloemfontain, South Africa; European Union Annex Festival-Dublin, Ireland; Audi Jazz Festival-Brussels, Belgium; Macao Jazz Festival, China; The Newport in New York Festival, New York, NY; New York State Black Arts, Festival-Albany, New York; Koepenick Jazz Festival-Berlin, Germany; Midi Music Festival-Beijing, China; Pori Jazz Festival, Finland; Foix Jazz Festival, France; Bayonne Jazz Festival, France and many others. Through Commerce... Ray released his first CD, Always with a Purpose (2001) followed by Ray Blue Live at Liars Theater in 2004 and Ray Blue Live at Liars Theater 2 (2005), Transvision (2006, NeuKlang). Most of the songs on Transvision were composed while traveling and meeting people around the world. It's a celebration of friendships and connections. New CD : BERRIES & BLUES (2010) "Berries are wonderful fruit. Strawberries, blue berries, black berries and cherries are sweet, healthy and full of things that are good for us. They nourish the body, mind and spirit. I enjoy them for breakfast. It's how I like to begin my day. As Jazz is rooted in the Blues, it's a righteous place to begin to tell a musical story. On this CD, I serve you Berries and Blues, fruits of my music. This story is told by merging jazz, blues and African folk rhythms. It's my way of saying: good morning, good day and be well. The players chosen for this project are brilliant musicians and great cats. We came together a few months earlier on a gig in Paris. The chemistry was there and the sound was special so this was the band to work on my CD. The tracks were recorded at Bop City Studio in Paris and Ham It Up Studio in Pomona, New York. The sessions were fresh and some of the music was developed in the studio because it was spontaneous and in the moment". -Ray Blue. Ray Blue endorses GB Saxophones, Jody Jazz Mouthpieces, Marca Reeds and BG Accessories. sax@rayblue.com