Saxophonist, composer, and visionary, Darryl Reeves is one of the nation’s emerging young musicians with an eye towards change. Already capturing the attention of many established artists in the industry, Reeves is quickly presenting a new outlook in music. Captivating audiences throughout his performances, the heart and soul of Reeves unselfishly pours onto them through his saxophone.

Darryl Reeves was born in Jackson, Mississippi. From a musical family, he was exposed to many different styles of music. “My father is known for his singing,” said Reeves. “My brother and sister are musicians too, so I was surrounded by music. My brother also plays the saxophone. I guess that is what motivated me to want to play it, too.”

His stay in Mississippi, was cut short when his family moved to Miami, FL. In his earlier days, he admits to not being very disciplined when it came to practicing. He was initially attracted to hip-hop, funk and r&b. "I didn’t practice the saxophone all that much,” said Reeves. “I spent time making tracks. We had these little rap groups at school and I wanted to be the producer. At the same time, my brother was introducing me to jazz music. He had Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane. Around that time, hip-hop was borrowing a lot of samples from jazz. Once I heard where those samples came from, I was blown away.”

It was one of his high school teachers who quickly recognized Reeves’ innate ability and introduced him to trumpeter Melton Mustafa, a former member of the Count Basie and Thad Jones orchestras. Mustafa held a jazz theory class at a cultural arts center on Saturdays. “He was tough. When the sessions were over, I always came out with a headache. But it paid off,” said Reeves.

After graduating from high school, Reeves decided to return to his roots. He received a full music scholarship to attend Jackson State University. “Jackson was interesting,” said Reeves. “Because it was extremely laid back, I had a lot of time to deal with music. So I spent a lot of my time in the record stores there, ordering all these obscure jazz records. I also hooked up with a lot of local musicians.” Some of those locals were the legendary bassist London Branch and drummer Alvin Fielder. “They taught me a lot about the history and meaning behind jazz music,” said Reeves. He also studied with the late film composer Dee Barton, who taught him concepts of arranging and harmony.

After graduating from JSU, Reeves went on to complete his Master’s degree from the University of New Orleans. There he continued his studies with Terence Blanchard, Ed Peterson, Harold Batiste and Steve Masakowski. In New Orleans, he has been developing a reputation as a fierce alto saxophonist. He has been spotted performing alongside several great jazz musicians such as Wessell Anderson, Jason Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Roland Guerin, Jesse Davis, Nicholas Payton, Henry Butler, Russell Gunn, Rodney Whitaker, Donald Harrison and Roy Hargrove.