Dean Jennings – Tenor saxophone

Dean Jennings has been performing in the Treasury Valley for the last nine years with such groups as the B3Side, Hoochie Coochie Men, Soul Purpose, The Boise Modern Jazz Orchestra, HP Big Band, Riverside Jazz Orchestra and The Kings of Swing. In addition he has performed as a woodwind player in traveling Broadway plays such as Chicago and Spamalot. Also he played in a tribute performance to Sonny Rollins with Phil Garonzik, Brent Jensen, Sandon Mayhew, and Marcus Wolfe along with the rhythm section which included  Scott Ruesser, Chuck Smith and Rod Wray.

Dean free-lanced in the San Francisco Bay Area for 12 years before moving to Boise. While residing in San Francisco, he played a wide range of styles from cool jazz with the group Octobop to alternative rock with groups such as Oomamaboomba and Mo’s Kitchen. In his later years of residence in San Francisco, Dean was called on frequently to perform in many of the working corporate bands because of his horn section work and aggressive soloing style.

Dean began his music journey at the University of North Texas where he received a degree in Jazz Performance. After attending the UNT, He studied with Pete Brewer in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Pete played in the famed 1975 One O’clock Lab Band with Lyle Mays and became one of the top studio musicians in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Dean participated in the Lab Band program at UNT in addition to playing in the Dallas Jazz Orchestra and Pete Petersen’s Collection Big Band. Dean’s playing style is considered progressive and modern by nature. It is heavily influence by his musical idols such as John Coltrane, Micheal Brecker, Chris Potter and Kenny Garret. His tone is influenced by the state where he grew up which is the Great State of Texas.