"Dann Zinn performs and teaches a blend of processed
and original jazz and world music "
Dann Zinn teaches Saxophone and leads the Intermediate Combo III
Dann Zinn plays saxophones, flutes, and various ethnic flutes. He has recorded or performed with Joe Henderson, Russell Ferrante (from The Yellow Jackets), Chuck Findley (The Tonight Show), Jeff Tain Watts, Freddie Hubbard, Mary Wells, and Martha and the Vandellas, among many others.
Dann's first solo album of original music, Ten Songs, has garnered critical acclaim through the U.S. and Europe from publications such as Jazz Times and JazzIz. Current projects include original world fusion band Jack, jazz group The Deadly Zinns, and free improv band Spontanous Burstation.
He tours throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Locally, he has been featured at the Monterey Jazz Festival, San Francisco Jazz Festival, San Jose Jazz Festival, Yoshi’s Nightspot, and the Kuumbwa Jazz Center among countless others.
His first solo recording of original music, Ten Songs, has garnered critical acclaim throughout the U.S. and Europe from such prestigious publications as Jazz Times and JazzIz. Other performances include numerous television, radio, and multi media projects, such as Tiger Woods and John Madden video games, Kangaroddy children show on PBS, and a Willie Mays special on CBS.
He is also working on a series of tone and technique books which present various systems for organizing scales and related subjects.
In addition to teaching the UC Jazz Intermediate Combo III, Dann has taught saxophone, big bands, jazz combos, history of jazz, history of rock and roll, music appreciation, and applied woodwind classes at Cal State University, East Bay for ten years. He is also on the faculty of the Dave Brubeck Institute and the Jazz School. Dann has received two teacher recognition awards from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, and has been selected for inclusion in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, 2005.Current projects include original world fusion band Jack, jazz group The Deadly Zinns, and free improv band Spontanous Burstation.
Dann Zinn teaches saxophone and leads the UC Jazz Intermediate Combo III Ensemble
In the News
I think my favorite song on this album is Milagro's Journey. It features Dann Zinn on Wood Flute. Dann's playing is nothing short of awesome. Great sound! Eshelman plays the Wood Flute, Guitar (Randy Vincent), and Bass Clarinet (Bob Farrington) together. He achieves, in my mind, a pseudo-oriental sound. www.jazz-sax.com
Wow! My kind of music, hard-driving, crisp and clean, intricate but melodic. This is the kind of music Pete Douglas, of the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, describes as "pow!" This disc consists of original music composed by Wally. Excellent sidemen. Dann Zinn's tenor stays just on the edge, going inside, then outside accompanied by constant ass-kicking drumming by Wally. Murray Low's piano leaves no empty spaces and includes tasteful comping with some beautiful solos. John Worley adds crispness with his trumpet, and his fluegelhorn takes the edge off when necessary. www.jazznow.com
As always, the festival was loaded with great Bay Area musicians: singer Claudia Villela, percussionist John Santos, trumpeters John Worley and Khalil Shaheed, trombonist Adam Theis, pianists Glen Pearson and Dahveed Behroozi, saxophonists Dayna Stevens and Dann Zinn, an explosive, rock-solid tenor player whose exchanges with trumpeter Julius Melendez made for some of Sunday afternoon's very best moments. San Jose Mercury News
"This album," Schnalle says, "is in part a reaction to the way we did the previous album. We just went in, and it was two days of nonstop playing." The freshness of that approach is evident on most of the album's nine compositions. "181 North 1st" sets the pace with staccato calling cards from tenor saxophonist Dann Zinn and trumpeter John Worley, followed by Murray Low's nimble-fingered piano flourishes. www.metroactive.com
Ira Stein has been the accompanist at St. Augustine's since the Fall of '94. Ira is an accomplished recording artist with Narada Music, with his friends Dann Zinn and Joseph Hebert, in the Ira Stein Group. His Narada discography includes Under The Eye with Russel Walder, Carousel, and Spur of the Moment. www.biske.com
Dann Zinn has been teaching music for almost two decades, and he doesn't think he's ever seen anyone like one of his longtime students, alto saxophone player Pat Carroll. "He's an incredibly talented kid,'' sad Zinn, a music professor at Cal State Hayward and UC Berkeley. "For his age, he's definitely one of the best in the country. "He's in the top 1 percent of students I've had, including college students. He's very gifted ... far above his years.'' www.sfgate.com
"Carroll is a gifted alto saxophonist, beginning his senior year at Foothill High School in Pleasanton, California. He has been studying with Bay Area musician and teacher Dann Zinn since the 4th grade. Pat has been selected as a member of the 2003 Monterey Jazz Festival All-Star High School Big Band. www.jazzwest.com
Visit Dann Zinn's website to learn more. www.dannzinn.com
UC Jazz's Saxophonists at Anna's Jazz Island
photo by Jim Dennis