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"please come visit my new official website www.daynasound.com.
Dayna Stephens is one of the most exciting young tenor sax players in the Bay Area. He performs with an energy, dexterity and personal warmth that allows him to deliver gratifying, commanding jazz" -
Artsopolis.com
"It would be hard to find a saxophonist more inspiring, genuine, and versatile than Dayna. His sound is his own unique mixture of a little bit of all of his influences, and a whole lot of Dayna Stephens." - jazz pianist Taylor Eigsti
"Its no wonder Dayna Stephens has played with names like Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. Every note punches a hole in the back wall of the room. Every note counts. And yet, every note is unexpected. Stephens' improvising skills leaves the audience members looking at each other and just shaking their heads in disbelief." - The Jazz House
Please check out my new release off Contagious Music: "The Timeless Now"
at discrevolt.com/daynastephens or by clicking the link below
---------------------DAYNA STEPHENS------------------
One of the jazz world's biggest rising talents on both the tenor saxophone and acoustic bass is 28-year old Bay Area native Dayna Stephens. With a growing reputation in both West and East Coast jazz circles, Stephens is a former member of the Berkeley High School Jazz Band, with which he toured Europe during the summer of 1998. He has been teaching at the prestigious Stanford Jazz Workshop for the past 5 years -- where he once studied with McCoy Tyner, Harold Land, and Steve Coleman.
A fluid, vigorous soloist with a warm, soulful sound, Stephens showed serious talent early on, winning many awards and scholarships with various music programs. After graduating Berklee College of Music in Boston on a full scholarship, he was selected by judges Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Terence Blanchard for the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz at USC. While there he studied and played with, among others, Shorter, Hancock, Dave Holland, John Scofield and Mark Turner.
Since graduating from the Monk Institute in 2003, Stephens has been splitting his time between his Bay Area home turf and the New York jazz scene, and has travelled world-wide, utilizing his versatility on both instruments to adapt to many varied musical situations ranging from jazz, rock, classical, and beyond. In recent years, he has appeared on stage with numerous established well-known musicians and other rising stars, including Carlos Santana, Kenny Barron, Terrance Blanchard, Oliver Lake, Roy Hargrove, Stephon Harris, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Taylor Eigsti, Peter Apfelbaum, Kim Nalley, Eric Wyatt, Reuben Rogers, Gretchen Parlato, Sal Santana, Josh Roseman, and many others.
Stephens has appeared on many recordings and currently released his own album "The Timeless Now". The new album includes Eric Harland, Ben Street, and Taylor Eigsti, with a special appearance by John Scofield. The selections on the recording are a mixture of Stephens own compositions, in addition to some re-imagined arrangements of standards and other compositions.
For booking inquiries, or to contact Dayna, please email: daynastephens@gmail.com
