COMMUNICATION, IMMEDIACY, EXPRESSION:

Jazz is a language that when well spoken realizes the meaning of these words.

HEART, SOUL, THE BLUES:

No other art form is more totally dedicated to the expression of the human spirit.

TRUTH:

Every moment in a Jazz performance is the moment of truth.  This is the primary challenge of the music        

                                                                                                                            - Max Wagner ©1997

MAX WAGNER - Alto Saxophone & Jazz Vocals...that cat can scat!

Appaloosa Jazz Records recording artist, Max Wagner, is a dynamic and accomplished saxophonist and Jazz vocalist.  A vibrantly eloquent and lyrical player, he draws primarily from his own vocabulary, and has developed an individual sound and approach to Modern Jazz.  As a Jazz vocalist and scat singer, he puts his original spin on the traditions of Jon Hendricks, Mark Murphy, and Ella Fitzgerald.  He has received notice in DOWNBEAT magazine, been described by the Denver Post as “a powerful and innovative soloist”, by Westword as “Denver’s candidate for the ‘Alto Madness’ award”, and in the Coloradoan as a “world class Jazz artist”. 

Max has worked with many of the great Jazz Artists of our time and some of the legends of the music, including:  Dakota Staton, Conte Candoli, Don Braden, Javon Jackson,  Angela Hagenbach, Fred Wesley, Lew Tabackin, Red Holloway, Nick Brignola, Pat Bianchi, John Fedchock, Pete Christlieb, René Marie, Eric Gunnison, Ken Walker, Lou Donaldson, Frank Tiberi,  Bud Shank, Greg Abate... and the list goes on.  Max has performed across the country in Concert Series, at Jazz Festivals, and in Jazz clubs. His extensive performing, recording and touring work have afforded him the rare opportunity to become an accomplished musician in the Jazz tradition.

With “Gratitude”, his new release on Appaloosa Jazz Records, he brings us a striking and richly detailed performance delivering an album that makes a strong statement of individuality and originality.  A veteran of some seventy recordings, on this, his third CD as a leader, Wagner enlivens a program of up-beat originals, straight-ahead gems, up-dated classics, ballads and more.  “Gratitude” was selected by KUVO Jazz Radio (89.3FM) as the June 2015 ALBUM OF THE MONTH!

Max appeared with his Quartet for over three years at Denver’s venerable and historic Jazz club, El Chapultepec, performing four nights a week, regularly, Wednesday through Saturday.  As leader of the house band at the ‘Pec’, Max performed with many topflight Jazz artists; and hosted jam sessions with countless visiting musicians, including The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and The Harry Connick Big Band, among others.  Additionally, Max founded, and has directed for over twenty-five years, the Estes Park Jazz Festival, in Estes Park, Colorado. Max has appeared on American and Canadian television and radio, both live and recorded; and was a co-host and performer on a regularly scheduled Jazz radio show on Denver’s KCFR-FM. Max has often performed live on Denver’s top rated Jazz Radio station, KUVO 89.3 FM. His performance of "Very Early" from one of these broadcasts was selected to be a part of KUVO’s "Best of Live at the Oasis 2010" CD.

This compelling saxophonist and vocalist always delivers an engaging musical experience, which includes Distinctive Originals, Classic Straight Ahead Jazz, Soulful Bebop, Latin Jazz, and Romantic Ballads.  His stage presence, connection with his audience, great humor and soul combine to provide listeners with an entertaining, exciting, and intimate Jazz experience.  Max’s original compositions and his original lyrics and vocalese for Jazz Standards offer yet another dimension to his performances.  He lives by the premise that in music, and in Jazz in particular, saying something is still the bottom line.