Steve Duke (born 1954) is an American classical and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

noted for his performance of

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included seria ...

, particularly

computer music Computer music is the application of computing technology in music composition, to help human composers create new music or to have computers independently create music, such as with algorithmic composition programs. It includes the theory and ap ...

Education and teaching career

Steve Duke earned both B.M. and M.M. degrees in performance at the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School," ...

. There he studied saxophone performance with

Jim Riggs James Garland Riggs (born July 28, 1941) is an American saxophonist in classical and jazz idioms, big band director, collegiate music educator, and international music clinician. He is also a University of North Texas Regents Professor Emeritus . ...

and Dennis F. Diemond. He studied flute with Ralph Johnson and Clare Johnson, oboe with Charles Veazey, and clarinet with Lee Gibson. He studied jazz with

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

and Joe Daley. While at North Texas, he was awarded the

Phi Kappa Lambda Phi (; uppercase Φ, lowercase φ or ϕ; grc, ϕεῖ ''pheî'' ; Modern Greek: ''fi'' ) is the 21st letter of the Greek alphabet. In Archaic and Classical Greek (c. 9th century BC to 4th century BC), it represented an aspirated voicele ...

Outstanding Soloist Award, the highest award given for classical music performance. Duke also performed in the

One O'Clock Lab Band One O'Clock Lab Band is an ensemble of the Jazz Studies division at the University of North Texas College of Music in Denton, Texas. Since the 1970s, the band's albums have received seven Grammy Award nominations, including two for ''Lab 2009''. ...

playing lead alto saxophone.Steve Duke – NIU – School of Music
Duke joined the faculty of

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of the state's system ...

(NIU) in 1980 until his recent retirement in 2011. He was awarded the Presidential Research Professorship at NIU in 1999. In addition to teaching contemporary saxophone repertoire, techniques and performance, Duke also teaches using the

Feldenkrais Method The Feldenkrais Method is a type of exercise therapy devised by Israeli Moshé Feldenkrais (1904–1984) during the mid-20th century. Participants are led through varied patterns of body movement, either hands-on or verbally guided, with the aim ...

Repertoire

As a jazz saxophonist, Duke has worked with

Joe Williams (jazz singer) Joe Williams (born Joseph Goreed; December 12, 1918 – March 29, 1999) was an American jazz singer. He sang with big bands such as the Count Basie Orchestra and the Lionel Hampton Orchestra and with his combos. He sang in two films with the Ba ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many world-famous vocalists at Capitol Records ...

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as " Botch-a-Me", " Mambo Italiano", ...

, and

Louis Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...

among others. His first solo album "Monk by 2" featured saxophone and piano duo improvisations with Joe Pinzarrone on the music of

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", "B ...

and was released by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

in 1994. Beginning in 1993, he focused on solo contemporary classical music and computer music works. He has premiered and/or recorded more than 20 solo works. Composers who have written solo works for Duke include

Larry Austin Larry Don Austin (September 12, 1930 – December 30, 2018) was an American composer noted for his electronic and computer music works. He was a co-founder and editor of the avant-garde music periodical '' Source: Music of the Avant Garde''. Austin ...

, William O. Smith,

Jan Bach Jan Bach (December 11, 1937 – October 30, 2020) was an American composer. He taught at the University of Tampa (Florida) from 1965 to 1966 and at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois ( music theory and composition) from 1966 to ...

Cort Lippe Cort is the surname of several people: * Cornelis Cort (1536–1578), Dutch engraver * Henry Cort (1740–1800), English ironmaster * Frans de Cort (1834–1878), Flemish writer * Hendrik Frans de Cort (1742-1810), Flemish landscape painter * John ...

, James Phelps,

Luigi Ceccarelli Luigi Ceccarelli (born 20 April 1953 in Rimini, Italy) is an Italian composer.AA.VV. "Dizionario Enciclopedico Universale della Musica e dei Musicisti", diretto da Alberto Basso, Volume appendice 2005, UTET, Torino, 2004, p. 111, . Biography Luigi ...

Elainie Lillios Elainie Lillios is a composer. Lillios studied composition with Larry Austin, Jonty Harrison, Jon Christopher Nelson, Joseph Klein, and others. She has been a professor at Bowling Green State University since 2000. She was awarded First Prize in ...

, Les Thimmig,

Rodney Waschka II Rodney Waschka II is an American composer known for his algorithmic compositions and his theatrical works. Biography Waschka studied at Brooklyn College, at the Institute of Sonology, then newly part of the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, and e ...

Robert Fleisher Robert Fleisher (born 1953 in New York City) is a composer and Professor Emeritus at Northern Illinois University and the author of ''Twenty Israeli Composers'', where he discusses with twenty Israeli composers about their inspirations, methods ...

, and David Maki. Of particular importance are ''BluesAx'' for alto and soprano saxophones and computer music, by Larry Austin, (for which Austin was the first American composer to receive the Magistere (Magisterium) Award in the 23rd International Electroacoustic Music Competition at

Bourges Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry. History The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...

in 1996) and "Veiled Resonance" for soprano saxophone and live interactive electronics, by

(for which Lillios received a first prize in the 36e Concours Internationale de Bourges in 2009). ''Saint Ambrose'', an opera for soprano saxophonist/actor based on the life of

Ambrose Bierce Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book ''The Devil's Dictionary'' was named as one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by t ...

. ''Saint Ambrose'' has been widely praised and excerpts have been performed by Duke and

John Sampen John Sampen (born 1949) is an American classical saxophonist. Sampen's degrees are from Northwestern University (B.M., 1971; M.M., 1972; and Doctor of Music, 1984). His teachers included Frederick Hemke, Larry Teal, and Donald Sinta. He has served ...

throughout the United States. Duke recorded ''Saint Ambrose'' for

Capstone Records Capstone Records is an American classical music record label focusing particularly on contemporary classical music. It was established by Richard Brooks in 1986 and was based in Brooklyn, New York. The label has hundreds of releases featuring a w ...

.Capstone Records: Saint Ambrose
/ref> In 2005, he formed the Steve Duke Trio, which performs new jazz works.

Partial discography

"Monk by 2", New York: Sony/Columbia Records, 1994. *Works by Thelonious Monk "The Computer in the Computer Age – VI", CDCM Computer Music Series, Volume 23, Baton Rouge: Centaur Records, 1994. *''Sax Houses'' by James Phelps "Cultures Electroniques/9”, Bourges, France: Serie GMEB/UNESCO/CIME, 1996. *''BluesAx'' by Larry Austin “Dexter Morrill: Three Concertos”, Baton Rouge: Centaur Records, 1997.Centaur Records – Centaur Records – Classical Record Label
/ref> *''Concerto for Saxophone & Orchestra'' by Dexter Morrill "Saint Ambrose", Brooklyn, NY: Capstone Records, 2002. *''Saint Ambrose'' by Rodney Waschka II

References

External links

Steve Duke official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duke, Steve 1954 births American classical saxophonists American male saxophonists American jazz musicians American jazz saxophonists Contemporary classical music performers University of North Texas College of Music alumni Living people 21st-century American saxophonists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians