Walt Weiskopf

Walt Weiskopf is a tenor saxophonist whose playing extends the lineage of John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins, and he reached broad audiences as a member of Steely Dan's touring and recording band. Born in 1959 in Augusta, Georgia and raised near Syracuse, New York, he earned a degree in music performance at the Eastman School of Music before settling in New York City in 1980. He launched his career with the Buddy Rich Big Band in 1981 and went on to spend fourteen years with the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, while also recording and performing with Frank Sinatra, Donald Fagen, and others. As a leader he has released more than a dozen albums, and his instructional books on jazz improvisation, including a study of Coltrane's harmony co-written with Ramon Ricker, are widely used by students of the music. He served as a visiting associate professor at the Eastman School of Music and has remained a fixture of the New York jazz scene.