Baritone Saxophonist and Jazz Educator, Claire Daly has garnered much praise and recognition during her career. She grew up in Westchester, NY, and then attended Berklee College of Music, where she studied with Joe Viola, one of her main mentors.

She is a six time winner of the Down Beat Critics’ Poll “Talent Deserving Wider Recognition” and winner of the Jazz Journalists Association’s “Baritone Saxophonist of the Year” category in 2005.

Daly has performed with Diva Big Band, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ralph Lalama, Joe Williams, Rosemary Clooney and numerous others in her long career.

She performs with her own jazz groups, as well as 12 Houses and Zodiac.

Her first CD, Swing Low is a part of the William Clinton Jefferson Library as a CD significant to him while president. One of her recent projects, Baritone Monk, ended up in the top 75 CDs of 2012 on JazzWeek charts.

In addition to performing, she currently teaches at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Middle School Jazz Academy.

She is a Rovner Ambassador, and is endorsed by Bari Reeds and Jody Jazz Mouthpieces.

In this episode, we talked about:

🎷 The best way to get endorsed
🎷 Her recommendations for a successful practice routine
🎷 The jazz scene back then vs. now (and some of her favorite current performers)
🎷 One great piece of advice from Joe Viola
🎷 One thing she feels players should focus on more
🎷 How to internalize a melody

Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cdbjazz/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cdbjazz/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cdbjazz

I am so saddened by the passing of my friend Claire Daly—a phenomenal musician and role model for female saxophonists.

I remember seeing her play with Sherrie Maricle & The DIVA Jazz Orchestra at NYC’s Blue Note in the ’90s. That show left a lasting impact on me.

Interviewing her for my Everything Saxophone podcast was a privilege; we shared memories, and she offered incredible advice.

We stayed in touch, and I always hoped for her recovery.

RIP, Claire.

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