Devin Daniels

A recent graduate of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Studies, Inglewood-native Devin Daniels is one of the most unique and exciting voices in LA's thriving the modern jazz scene. African American Alto Saxophonist Devin Daniels has performed in many different configurations of bands in the jazz idiom since 2010. Hailing from Inglewood, California, Daniels started playing saxophone in the Just Lovin’ Music Studios program, led by pianist Michelle Love. This program is a free program designed to give students of color a chance to rent out and learn a new instrument. Daniels has worked to become one of the newest and most exciting voices in the modern jazz scene. He has studied with some of the leading educators/players in America including Keisha Potter, Rusty Higgins, Josh Johnson, Shannon LeClaire, and George Garzone. He landed a finalist spot in the YoungArts competition which choses six students in the United States. Devin was accepted into the Berklee College of Music as a Presidential Scholar. He graduated with a B.M. in Professional Music and is now pursuing his master’s degree at the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA. Between those years at Berklee and UCLA, he has been blessed with the opportunity to study abroad in Basel, Switzerland taking part in the Focus Year program which is similar to the Hancock Institute. In his first year at Berklee, Daniels took up producing electronic music in his downtime and since then has released an album on the Los Angeles-based record label, Leaving Records, joining a catalog with the likes of Knxwledge, Keifer, and Carlos Nino. A quote that praises this album reads, “…is fusion at its finest, beat music and jazz moving forward in lockstep.” Daniels has released content on the up-and-coming label, Preference records, as well as his first jazz trio album. He has been greatly honored to share the stage with artists such as Miguel Atwood Ferguson, Carlos Nino, and Jamael Dean; appeared on numerous album recordings with artists such as the Pan African People’s Arkestra, Jamael Dean, Diego Gaeta; and with appearances on labels such as Stones Throw Records, Orenda Records, and Neuklang Records.

Awards

• 2024 Herb Alpert Foundation Make Jazz Artist in Residence
• Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz: Full Scholarship (graduated 2024)
• FocusYear Basel: Full Scholarship
• Berklee College of Music: Presidential Scholar
• Music scholarship recipient of the 2015 Young Arts Jazz Finalist Program
• The Vandoren Young Artists Competition (2nd Place)
• Spotlight Music Center Awards in Los Angeles
• The Charles Dolo Coker Jazz Scholarship Foundation
• Performer of the Year at Hamilton High School
• Berklee Jazz Workshop Scholarship

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