Biography
BIOGRAPHY
World class tenor and soprano saxophonist Rob Scheps has a musical practice that is threefold: saxophonist, flutist, and composer. He’s had a long award-winning career playing with the great artists such as Ray Charles, Buddy Rich, Aretha Franklin, Gil Evans, John Abercrombie, Eartha Kitt, Lew Soloff and hundreds more. He features mainly jazz, but also other genres such as classical, funk, soul, Broadway, and chamber music.
The other aspect of his main work is as a composer. He published the book Rob Scheps: 30 Original Compositions in 2023. His writing is mainly for his own ensembles in Seattle, Kansas City, Portland, Denver, NYC and Honolulu. He composes with specific players in mind in the tradition started by Duke Ellington. Gil Evans, Lee Morgan, Carla Bley, Billy Strayhorn and Eayne Shorter are big influences in this area. He uses fresh creative approaches to rhythm, melody, meter, groove and timbre.
Rob has a Bachelor of Music, with honors, from the New England Conservatory and additional study at Eastman School of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, the Banff School of the Arts, and BMI Jazz Composers Workshops.
RESIDENCY
Rob Scheps and Core-tet Idaho performed at The Sapphire Room in the Riverside Hotel on October 23rd, 2024.
Rob Scheps – Soprano sax and flute
Matt Cooper – Piano
Tim Green – Bass
Louis McFarland – Drums
While in residence at Surel’s Place, Rob worked on a multi-movement original suite for jazz quintet comprised of pieces dedicated to some jazz icons who are his personal heroes. The piece is to be performed and recorded in NYC and Atlanta by his band, The Rob Scheps Core-tet.
Rob closed out his residency with the event “Jazz Night with Rob Scheps: The Music of John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter.” The event featured an audio tour played on vinyl by DJ Dave Simms of Radio Boise’s Beautiful Groove. Plus, Rob discussed and demonstrated his work during the residency at Surel’s Place.
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