Ralph Bowen

Ralph Bowen
Born Canada
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Saxophone, piano, clarinet
Website www.ralphbowen.com

Canadian-born saxophonist Ralph Bowen started piano lessons at and early age, with clarinet and saxophone lessons following soon thereafter. By the age of thirteen, he was leading his own quartet and performing in big bands in the Toronto area. As a teenager, Bowen was awarded a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to study music with Pat LaBarbera and Phil Nimmons at the Banff School of Fine Arts. While in Toronto, he studied with LaBarbera for a total of eight years and developed a long-time association with drummer Kieth Blackley and his father educator/drummer Jim Blackley. As well, he performed and recorded with Canadian fusion group Manteca. In 1983 and 1984, he was awarded two more grants to pursue his musical studies in the Jazz Department at Indiana University, where he honed his skills in the rigorous Artist Diploma program under the tutelage of Distinguished Professor David Baker. In 1985, the same year he and Cecil Taylor were voted "Main Jazz Men of the Year" by Canada's Toronto Globe and Mail, Bowen won the audition for the Blue Note Records co-leader position of the contemporary all-star New York based jazz band known as Out of the Blue (OTB). He moved to New York, and would eventually record four albums for Blue Note. Thereafter, he recorded a series of albums for the Dutch label Criss Cross Jazz. Most recently, he has been recording for the USA-based label Posi-Tone Records.

In 1986, Bowen began to tour with internationally acclaimed jazz pianist Michel Camilo with whom he eventually recorded a number of albums and movies soundtracks. In addition, between 1986 and 1991, Bowen also completed three world tours with jazz pianist Horace Silver, and toured Europe with critically acclaimed pianist Jim Beard. He has also had long-time associations with other leaders including pianists Orrin Evans, Jim Trompeter, Renee Rosnes, and Earl MacDonald; drummer Ralph Peterson, Jr..; bassist Charles Fambrough, and composer Dr. Anthony Branker.

Education

Rutgers-the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, 1989-91. Major: Classical Performance Flute Studies under Dr. James S. Scott and Robert Dick- Masters in Music, 1991.

Rutgers-the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, 1985-89. Major: Jazz and Classical Performance- Bachelors of Music, 1989. Saxophone and Flute, Summa cum Laude

Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 1984-1986. Concentrations: Jazz Composition, Improvisation, Theory, and History (under tutelage of David N. Baker); Classical Saxophone (with Eugene Rousseau and Daniel Duffaette).

Teaching

Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, 1990-.; Associate Professor of Music; Director of Jazz Ensembles; Professor of Jazz Theory and Jazz Saxophone.

Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 2000-. Visiting Associate Professor

Discography

As a leader

As a co-leader

Out of the Blue
Other projects

As a sideman

With Michel Camilo
With Orrin Evans
With Earl MacDonald
With Horace Silver

Complete Discography

2012

2011

2010'

2009

2008

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

1994

1993

1992

1991

1990

1989

1986

1985

Recorded Original Compositions

References