Lance Bryant

Biography

South Orange, NJ 07079 USA

Jazz saxophonist and vocalist Lance Bryant is known in the jazz community as a skillful and thoughtful saxophonist and arranger. Lance is also very much a vocalist at heart, having grown up singing in church and later on the New York swing scene. He presents very personal, soulful and imaginative interpretations of jazz standards and original material. Lance has been touring and recording with some of the finest musicians of the New York/New Jersey area for over twenty five years. He has traveled extensively with Phyllis Hyman, Jon Hendricks, Pete "LaRocca" Sims, Wallace Roney, Abdulah Ibrahim, Bootsy Collins, and James Williams, Count Basie Orchestra and served as principal arranger and musical director of the Lionel Hampton Orchestra. Lance’s music is often tinged with the sound and spirit of Gospel music, an extension of his background. His recordings a solo artist include Psalm (2002), Testify! (2002), Count It All Joy (2006) and As For Me and My House (2008).

About

 
 

Lance Bryant & Shout!

This full sixteen piece big band performs compositions and arrangements by Lance and occasionally arrangements of his colleagues. Lance has been arranging for other artists and bands for over twenty five years, starting with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra. “Lionel Hampton always encouraged me to keep writing,” Lance says of the iconic Jazz legend. “I found that when commissioned to write for artists or band leaders there was often some level of restrictions or parameters to adhere to.” That was until Lance was commissioned to write a program of arrangements to be performed live by vocalist Carla Cook and the NDR Big Band in Hamburg, Germany in 2002. Given ample freedom to create by Carla, Lance wrote nine arrangements for the program. “I was so pleased with the results, I never forgot that feeling.” In the Spring of 2022 Lance finally decided to start his own band. “For me there’s nothing like that range of power and expression we can achieve with sixteen great musicians. Not to mention the sense of community and family that we enjoy working as a big band.”

Regular Members:

Lance Bryant - conductor, arranger, composer and saxophone

Saxophones: Matt Hong, Zoe Obadia, Craig Rivers, Mike Lee, David Schumacher

Trombones: Juanga Lakunza, Peter Lin, Clarence Banks, James Borowski

Trumpets: Nathan Eklund, Eddie Allen, Ted Chub, Bill Mobley

Rhythm: Oscar Perez, Caylen Bryant, Jerome Jennings