BioGRaphy

BIOGRAPHY

Luke is a musician from Long Island, NY. He is currently working on his masters degree in contemporary performance at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute in Boston, MA. Luke completed a bachelors degree in Jazz Saxophone with high distinction at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, studying saxophone with Charles Pillow.

Eastman provided the perfect environment to foster diverse musical skill sets, like studies in flute, clarinet, and classical harmony. He was a member of the Eastman Jazz Ensemble, playing lead alto saxophone for two years under the direction of Bill Dobbins. Outside of school, he was an active member of the vibrant Rochester music scene, playing roots reggae in Thunder Body, modern jazz in the Dave Rivello Ensemble, as well as leading his own bands. As a woodwind doubler, Luke recently appeared in a scene from the upcoming Jeff Goldblum movie “The Mountain” as a piccolo player in a small marching band.

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Luke has worked diligently to develop an individual approach to jazz improvisation and saxophone playing. In 2016, Luke won second place in Keilwerth’s Saxophone Idol Competition and third prize in the North American Saxophone Alliance Jazz Saxophone Competition, selected from a nationwide pool of applicants.

As an educator, Luke has led masterclasses at Youngstown State University in Ohio, as well as Kunitachi College and Shobi University in Japan. He was selected for a U.S. State Department-sponsored trip to Japan with the Eastman Jazz Sextet, performing in the Tokyo Jazz Festival.

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As a sideman, Luke has played with Danilo Perez, Dave Liebman, Tim Hagans, Clay Jenkins, and John Mosca. His saxophone playing can be heard on the Interplay Jazz Orchestra’s albums Detour and My Love You’re Free, Jean Louis Bilioud’s release Tendency Jazz, as well as the critically acclaimed Electric Miles Project by the Charles Pillow Large Ensemble.

As a leader, Luke also has a singer-songwriter side project, releasing 2 EPs under his own name. His debut jazz record will release on Ears&Eyes Records in July 2019.