In Episode 249 of the Everything Saxophone Podcast, hosted by Donna Schwartz, rising star, baritone saxophonist Jimmy Farace, joins us for a conversation about storytelling through music, his influences, and his newly released debut album.
Drawn to the baritone sax from an early age, Farace has developed a deeply expressive sound that’s earned praise from jazz greats like Walter Smith III and Gary Smulyan. Now based in Chicago, he’s quickly gaining recognition as a fresh voice in modern jazz.
His debut album, Hours Fly, Flowers Die—released in April 2025 by Shifting Paradigm Records—is inspired by For Katrina’s Sundial by Henry Van Dyke and explores themes of time and memory. The album features original compositions and contributions from GRAMMY-winner Clark Sommers, Dana Hall, Kenny Reichert, Julius Tucker, the KAIA String Quartet, and producer Greg Ward.
Farace has performed with artists such as Sharel Cassity (Episodes 23 and 207) , Jeff Campbell, Matt Ulery, and Ethan Philion, and led groups at venues like The Green Mill, Constellation, and Andy’s Jazz Club.
He also teaches at the Merit School of Music and maintains a private studio, with degrees from Indiana University and DePaul University.
In every role—performer, composer, or educator—Jimmy Farace is redefining what the baritone saxophone can say in today’s jazz landscape.
Watch the full interview now and dive deeper:
Below is a detailed timestamp guide to help you navigate the key highlights of our conversation with Jimmy Farace:
- 00:00 – His introduction to music
- 04:13 – Mark Colby’s influence on him
- 06:33 – Categories of what to practice
- 10:11 -How he come up with licks
- 13:49 – Mentors that stood out in his college days
- 22:06 – Influences on his writing today
- 24:47 – What kept him busy during pandemic
- 33:26 – Learning the business side of music
- 37:16 – How he got into teaching
- 44:07 – Showcasing the beauty of the bari sax
- 49:45 – Creating his album
- 52:53 – How he was responsible for every note
- 57:30 – His setup while touring
- 01:03:23 – Soloing tips for bari sax players
- 01:10:00 – The cons of using bari saxes with low A’s
- 01:14:22 – Gear and setup
- 01:20:45 – Upcoming project
Jimmy Farace’s Links:
- Website: www.jimmyfaracemusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmyjazz15/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jimmy.farace.2025/
- Greg Fishman Everything Saxophone Podcast Episode: https://saxophonepodcast.com/greg-fishman-podcast-expert-on-the-music-of-stan-getz-author-of-3-transcription-books-of-getzs-material-ep-054/
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Feel stuck playing the same licks?
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Hi Donna,
Really great interview!
The band that you were referring too is “The Sax Offenders”.
They have two Tenors, a Bari, and a Bass sax.
Here’s a link for your listeners: https://youtu.be/iXA_YPmZm1w?si=emvE383D2ykXlPjW
That’s it – thanks so much Rudy! And glad you enjoyed the interview 🙂
Great interview, Donna, from a ‘new to me’ saxophonist. I especially got a lot out of the discussion of how he learned the etudes, then learned to improvise over the changes, and then the song itself. This is kind of how I do it, so to hear a pro say he did it that way was very inspiring.
Cool – thanks for your comment Laura, and glad to introduce you to a new saxophoninst.