Alexa Tarantino started playing jazz the minute she started her musical journey. She was in elementary school, and her parents took her to see the local high school jazz band play. Tarantino saw a young woman play a saxophone solo, and knew right from that moment that that’s what she wanted to do.
After high school, Tarantino pursued a double bachelor’s degree in Jazz Saxophone Performance and Music Education at the Eastman School of Music in New York. Following graduation, she did a Master’s in Jazz Studies at the esteemed Juilliard School.
Oftentimes she was the only female in the group, the band, or the class. Tarantino was the youngest person in a group of older men who had been playing longer than herself.
“There were times where it would have been easy to be intimidated or feel discouraged, but I’ve always tried to take the approach of positivity,” Tarantino said. “I changed my perspective, and started to look up to them because they played so well and had qualities that I was still working on.”
LSAT and the Alexa Tarantino Quartet are Tarantino’s smaller bands. These two ensembles allow her to play her compositions and perform in venues such as Dizzy’s, Birdland and Lincoln Center. When she is not performing with them, she plays four instruments as a permanent member of Jazz at Lincoln Center.
“Every day is different. So a lot of times we are on tour, which means that every day, we travel to a new place, either on the bus or the plane. We arrive, we perform, we go back to the hotel, and we wake up and we do it again.”
The first permanent female member of the band, Alexa Tarantino is paving a path for women in jazz.
In an interview with her, she shared the advice she would give to young women. She emphasized going for your dreams.
“Surround yourself with people who are better than you, smarter than you, people you look up to, and people who want to help you,” Tarantino said. “Being a woman in a male dominated field actually helped me to find strength, work ethic and determination. Continue to set goals for yourself, continue to take your passion seriously.”
While pursuing her education, she became a talented instrumentalist, learning flute and alto flute, piccolo, alto and soprano saxophone as well as clarinet. Tarantino has won many awards for each of her instruments, and she is an official Vandoren Artist as well as a Yamaha Performing Artist.
“My journey has been amazing. It hasn’t been easy, you know. There are a lot of ups and downs, but it’s always worth it at the end of the day,” Tarantino said. “To get on stage and to just play, play our hardest, to play our best, and to make people feel better than when they walked into the concert.”
Tarantino’s favorite composition of hers is titled “Provoking Luck.” The tempo, flow and changes make it euphoric to solo over, but she doesn’t like to listen back to herself. She says she’s picky.
Outside of her Lincoln Center recordings, Tarantino is featured on tens of records with greats such as Christian McBride and Chris Teal. Her most recent album, titled The Roar and the Whisper was submitted for a GRAMMY consideration. Her other awards include her 2019 inclusion in Downbeat’s Top 5 Alto Players of 2019 and her quadruple-nominations for Downbeat’s Rising Alto Saxophone Star.
Beyond performing, Tarantino shares her musical gift with others through education.She is on the staff of the Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Youth Education Program and is the founder and director of the Cape Ann Workshop (formally the Rockport Jazz Workshop). This decade-old workshop focuses on making jazz education more accessible.
“It’s important to give back. When a young musician asks questions or wants to improve on something, you have to take it seriously,” Tarantino said. “You have to encourage younger people to take on this music. Teaching the younger generation is part of coming back and the feeding ecosystem.”
Tarantino is continuously gaining popularity, and is on her way to stardom. Fame aside, Tarantino focuses on the music itself, and helps share her love for jazz with others.
“Jazz reminds me that I’m alive. It’s a living and breathing thing. You know, when people come together to make music, it’s one of a kind. It’s never going to be the same one night to the next. It’s a very spiritual, very meaningful experience.”
