Erica Lindsay

Erica Lindsay is a saxophone player and composer. She was born in San Francisco in 1955. Her early years were spent in Europe where her parents were teachers in the American school system. She began playing clarinet in high school, then alto and tenor; and of particular importance to her future, she was also studying with Mal Waldron during this period. In 1973, she studied for a year at the Berklee School of Music in Boston and then returned to Europe where her life in music became a professional vocation as she toured with her own quartet and also worked as a composer, arranger, and soloist.

Ms. Lindsay has been in New York since 1980, composing for television (the theme for Tales from The Dark Side), video and ballet. And as a saxophonist she has performed and toured with leaders such as Melba Liston, Clifford Jordan, Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner, Reggie Workman, George Gruntz, Sumi Tonooka, and Pheeraon akLaff. Lindsay has been active composing for theater, television, and dance, as well as performing with poets and performance artists Carl Hancock-Rux, Janice King, Janine Vega, Mikhail Horowitz, and Nancy Ostrovsky. She is featured in Burrill Crohn's film documentary, "Women in Jazz", and in Sally Placksin's book "American Women in Jazz" Her quintet can be heard on the Candid Records release 'Erica Lindsay--Dreamer", which the "Penguin Book of Jazz Recordings "has called tremendously impressive and a record that shouldn't be missed.

Ms. Lindsay has been working most recently with Oliver Lake, Baikida Carroll, Howard Johnson, Jeff Siegel, Thurman Barker, and the San Francisco-based group Trace Elements. Five CDs are soon to be released that feature Lindsay: "Yes/Live at the Rosendale Cafe"; a duo collaboration with Ricky Carter titled "Soulcatcher"; 2 individual Trace Elements CDs titled "Parallel Universe" and "Live at Bruno's" respectively; and the first CD from the Erica Lindsay/Sumi Tonooka Quartet titled, "Initiation". As an active artist/educator, Erica Lindsay is also a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music on the Music Faculty at The Bard College Music Program.