Frank Catalano and Jimmy Chamberlin - God's Gonna Cut You Down (2015/2019)

Holding court with his bold, robust tenor sax sound at the legendary Green Mill club and countless other Windy City jazz hotspots since his early teen years with his mentor Von Freeman, Frank Catalano is a proud torchbearer of the powerful tradition of Chicago based innovators like Gene Ammons, Red Holloway, Sonny Rollins and Eddie Harris. His newly bustling gig schedule in NYC, including recent dates at the Iridium and Manhattan Winter Jazz Festival, prompted him and his wife to purchase a second home in Greenwich Village. While grounded in those two great American cities, the 39-year-old recording artist, performer, educator, entrepreneur and vintage saxophone collector is a true musical citizen of the world.

Between club and festival shows and appearances as a spokesperson, master class clinician and performing artist for companies like Yamaha, Rico/D’Addario and JodyJazz, Catalano does upwards of 150 gigs per year that take him throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan. Teaching everything from improvisation to alternate fingerings and sound production, he has taught thousands of students at places like Cal State Northridge, Berklee College of Music and Sax.co.uk (the world’s largest sax store) in London. He recently wrote a book called “Modern Techniques for Saxophone,” which was published by Hal Leonard in 2016. Catalano can be seen in print ads for each of his endorsees worldwide, and his songs have been used in global ad campaigns for Motorola, Jaguar, Land Rover and Budweiser, in addition to numerous TV and film productions.

At 16, Catalano was in a terrible car accident in which his right middle finger was cut off. Catalano’s miraculous recovery, and his intense long term dedication to relearning his signature saxophone technique, are testament to his strong work ethic and determination to not only survive but thrive. He brings this powerful and inspirational personal element of his life story to the many clinics he conducts around the world.

More than chart success or technical achievements, Catalano says what drives him as a saxophonist and jazz performer are the intense spiritual connections he feels when he plays. “I feel something really special that is hard to put into words,” he says. “I’ve made so many friends and created so many special relationships through music, and there’s nothing more meaningful and transcendent to me than bringing people together and getting them all on the same page and the same time, feeling those unique connections that only music can create. On any given night, people may be in the audience from Japan, Australia, Europe or even down the street in Chicago. Yet no matter where they are from, they can come together to experience a feeling of good vibes. That’s the most exciting thing for me, the opportunity to create such positive, soulful moments through music.”