Welcome
To my World of Music and Light. I am so Grateful that You are Here.
May You Find in my Music and Photography the Joy and Delight to Fill Your Heart.
Jesse Dean
Original Music by Jesse Dean
Open Window
Reflections in the Light
Heart and Sax
Reflections in the Light
DVD
Jesse combines his peaceful piano with his nature photography for a relaxing visual back drop for a calming moment or a good conversation with friends.
- Reflections in the Light
- Dreams of Hope
- Indigo Blue
- A Brighter Light
- Dancing on Ice aka: Royal Dance
- Close Your Eyes
- Harvest Time
- Beyond the Horizon
- Send in the Clowns *
- Where is Love *
- Distant River
Open Window DVD Edition
Bio
International performing and recording artist, Jesse Dean, was born in Baltimore, MD April 1, 1955 and raised in Durham, NC. He started playing clarinet when he was 10 years old under the guidance of Duke University Music professor, John Henry. Jesse added the saxophone at age 16 and played his first gig the same night at a high school dance with a broken reed. Jesse Studied woodwinds while attending Choate High School under the guidance of New York based woodwind master, Don Reuteneur. Jesse went on to earn his BA in Music at San Francisco State University in 1981 as a saxophone performance major under his mentors James Matherson, John Handy and Hal Stein. He studied arranging under Bennett Friedman. Jesse composes, performs and records his own original music on the Open Window Productions label.
Jesse Dean has performed in America, Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, China, Columbia, Czechoslovakia, England, France, Japan, Tonga, Kiribas, Mexico.
Booking Jesse Dean
Jesse Dean is available to perform as a guest Artist to bring an elegant, heartfelt musical touch-of-class, to your next special event.
Jesse Dean in Live Performance
at Soka University of America
International Festival May 2012
Angels Waltz
Angels waltz was inspired by one of my childhood musical heroes, Sidney Bechet. I composed it on the piano in the key of E flat as a gospel waltz in my freshman year in high school right before I started playing the saxophone. When I play this piece I feel giant angels waltzing all around me.
Reflections in the Light
This was one of those cosmic downloads that reminds me that we live in a multi-dimensional universe and that I do not fully comprehend the nature of our interdependent realities. In December 1999, I sat down at my brand new Yamaha C6 grand piano and turned on the onboard disc clavier recorder. I placed my hands on the keys and something just took over my body and as I began to play. I went along for the ride and feel so fortunate to have captured this sacred music that evening. Afterwards, I pushed the play back button and listened to the Yamaha C6 play back this musical gift. I Then picked up my saxophone and the horn part just flowed out of me.
Oh So Samba
I composed the chord foundation of Oh So Samba in my teens as a straight a head jazz shuffle. When my arranger, Jay Holland Jr. got hold of it years later, he transformed it into a lighter, latin samba feeling. i released it on the Open Window CD but always felt that something was missing so a year later, I took the master into another studio and laid down my Stan Getz inspired, sax melody dancing on top of Jay's beautiful samba orchestration once again. When added together, the music finally felt complete. Proof positive of the power of artistic freedom and independent artist collaboration.
Canyon Trails
I can still remember when I figured out the descending baseline pattern of this piece as a 10 year old kid exploring the key of B flat on my family's spinet upright piano. The piano wasn't very loud and I pounded the B flat hard so that I could here it better. When I played my collection of evolved piano arrangements 37 years later for Jay Hollihan Jr. in his Nashville home studio in 2002 he asked me what I wanted him to do with them. I told him to do whatever his heart moved him to. I said you have total freedom to express yourself. He looked at me stunned and grateful. He was already a Grammy award winning arrange/producer but he said no one had ever given him complete carte blanche to express his talents like that before. Six months later he sent me 10 completed minus tracks waiting for my return to the studio to add my sax parts. They nocked me off my feet! It was my turn to be stunned into silence by his talent and creativity. I was and remain humbled by how Jay had transformed my musical children into full grown musical adults. Canyon Trails is a soaring anthem of the spirit I hope you enjoy too.
Sunshine Highway
Sunshine Highway is a unique American blend of jazz, blue grass and country rock music. Jay's tasty dobro twanging away is just the country touch that spices up this must have highway travel, road trip sound track. The orchestration can stand alone and does on the original Open Window CD, but once released it was calling to me for my tenor sax to jump in and lead the driving melody over hill and dale. I hope it fans the flames of hope for you on your own journey through life.
