About
Aaron Joseph Lington
received his BM in music education from the University
of Houston, Moores School of Music, and
both his MM in jazz studies and DMA in saxophone performance from the University of North Texas where he studied with James
Riggs. His performing and compositional credits include collaborations with the
University of North Texas One O’clock Lab Band, Maynard Ferguson, the BBC Radio
Orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, Bo Diddley, Jamie Davis, and many others.
In addition, he has won awards for both his playing and writing from Downbeat Magazine, ASCAP, and was the
2003 recipient of the Sammy Nestico Award. He was recognized in the 55th
and 57th Annual Downbeat
Magazine Critic’s Poll as a “Rising Star” in the Baritone Saxophone
category. The San José Mercury News
praises Dr. Lington’s playing as “revelatory…he obviously relishes the
beautiful, blustery bark of his instrument…” and that he possesses a “…finely
honed melodic sensibility…” Cadence magazine
praised Lington’s recent album
Cape Breton, saying that “...Lington and his
companions are topnotch musicians...these gentlemen are by no means amateurs,
and this is a pleasurable album of largely mellow yet invigorating post-Bop
Jazz.”
In addition to his position as
associate professor at San José State University
where he serves as Coordinator of Jazz Studies, Dr. Lington is also a member of
the faculty at the Texas Music Festival Jazz Institute, hosted by the University of Houston. Aaron Lington is a saxophone
performing artist for Rico Reeds.
