About this Event
Ernest Melton is a saxophonist, composer, and bandleader based in Kansas City, Missouri. He is a native of Goldsboro, North Carolina and relocated to Kansas City, Missouri at the age of 10. Subsequently, he picked up the saxophone with the intention of joining his elementary school band program. Playing mostly tenor sax by age 14, Ernest joined his high school jazz band and many other musical programs throughout the Greater Kansas City area. Naturally excelling, Melton left school at the age of 16 to study music on his own. With the full support of his mother, Ernest was free to practice, listen, and write music at any hour of the day. It was during this time he found his first major influences like Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Kenny Garrett, and Pharaoh Sanders. An avid composer as well, Ernest studied with tutors in classical orchestration, big band arranging, and Afro-Cuban drumming. He cites Charles Mingus, Igor Stravinsky, and Wayne Shorter as some of his initial influences in composition and still tries to implement their techniques in his music today. At age 18 he began his professional career playing music in bands of every genre Kansas City. In 2018 Ernest released his first full-length album, (“The Time Of The Slave Is Over)”, which received raved reviews at home and abroad by media such as Plastic Sax, Quest TV, and JaZIZZ to name a few. He has since released one live album ("The Standard Imperfections") as well as a bevy of singles. He loves to perform his own compositions just as much as working with other artists and maintains a diverse schedule within the domain of music.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
American Jazz Museum, 1616 East 18th Street, Kansas City, United States
USD 0.00
