Dan Block (Clarinet/Saxes - USA)

Born in 1955, Dan Block is a musician with a wide-ranging background, his initiation into the New York jazz scene was being part of the last two Charlie Mingus albums.

Upon graduation from Julliard with a masters degree in clarinet, he started playing gigs in Haitian popular music, becoming immersed in it, achieving a celebrity status in that community and playing and arranging on thirteen albums. A little later he toured with a three woodwind classical crossover group Mozart on Fifth, doing all the arrangements. About the same time he began an association with Vince Giordano, which still lasts twenty five years on.

He has also played in nearly thirty Broadway shows, as well as performing on many film soundtracks including The Aviator, Toots and The Good Shepherd.

He has retained his links with the classical field and has played under conductors Sir Simon Rattle and Michael Tilson-Thomas. On the jazz front he works frequently with Marty Grosz, and has played as a sideman with Richard Wyands, Howard Alden and Joe Cohn. He regularly works with Jerry Dodgian's Joy of Sax and plays every week with the Sultans of Swing.

Dan plays every year at the Chautauqua Party and he has worked with many vocalists, including Carmen McCrae, Linda Ronstadt, Bobby Short and Michael Feinstein. He has performed as a soloist with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall with Clark Terry and Roland Hanna.

Photo courtesy of Bruce Lindsay