Who am I??
When I first picked up the saxophone in 1980 I began improvising. I have never stopped...
In one's biography it is customary to write a long list of acheivements and accolades, and for a long time the biography on this page read that way. I never bothered to mention some of my great screw-ups, like botching a televised solo with the Vancouver Symphony, or being thrown off the stage of a jazz jam as a kid. So here I am at a crossroad in my life, and I felt my "biography" should reflect that.
I am a performer and composer who searches unrelentingly for self-expression through music. When I play, I go someplace where the only thing that exists is the music. On stage, the most common response I receive to my performing is in regards to its intensity. I could truly receive no greater compliment. When I play, I play all the way. The beauty of the instrument is its endless flexibility of expression. It can be angry or sad, intense or reflective. These are the qualities that helped me fall in love with the saxophone. Any trouble I have gotten in as a musician has been a direct result of playing music that did not move me in some way. When music becomes clinical or sanitized, it no longer appeals to me. This is not to say composed music, either, as some of the music that moves me the most is rigidly composed.
Through the last several years, I have been fortunate to perform with some outstanding musicians. Some of the people I have enjoyed working with are Bob Drake, Tom Dimuzio, David Kerman, Scott Brazieal, Randy Sanders, Nick Didkovsky, Kevin Norton, Ned Rothenberg, Zoogz Rift, Joe Trump, Fred Chalenor, Ed Chang, Iris Moore, Douglas Theriault, Dan Plonsey, Leroy Vinegar, Mel Brown, and many others. In 1998, I released my solo CD Singularity which received a great deal of positive feedback.
DISCOGRAPHY:
| Year | Artist | Album Title |
| 1994 | Damone Batease | Give it to me |
| 1995 | Ted Nichols Big Band | Ted Nichols Big Band |
| 1999 | Zoogz Rift | Sanitized for your Protection |
| 1999 | Jason DuMars + guests | Singularity |
| 1999 | John Butler Project | Double Set |
| 2000 | Bob Drake | Animal Medallion Carpet |
Alto Saxophone:
1939 Selmer Balanced Action (original lacquer), serial #281xx
Ron Coelho .085 mouthpiece,
MC Gregory 4A16 Mouthpiece
Alexander Superial Reeds
Tenor Saxophone:
1948 Selmer Transitional Super/Balanced Action
Beechler 6 metal mouthpiece
Alexander Superial Reeds
e-mail address: jdumars@saxophone.org