Kasey Knudsen Music

Kasey Knudsen is a San Francisco-based saxophonist, composer & educator. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Composition from Berklee College of Music in 2002. She has been dubbed "one of the region's most esteemed saxophonists"  (Andrew Gilbert, San Francisco Classical Voice, 2018) and has "quietly become one of the essential voices in the Bay Area jazz scene" (Andrew Gilbert, East Bay Express, 2014). Knudsen was included in a list of "10 Female Instrumentalists Who Redefine Jazz" by Alexa Peters of Paste Magazine (2016) and voted "One of the Best Female Jazz Musicians in the East Bay" (CBS, SF local Bay Area, 2013).

As a composer, Knudsen has been commissioned by the San Jose Jazz 'New Works Festival' to write a piece and create an accompanying film in response to the global pandemic (2021). In 2020, she was the recipient of InterMusic SF's Small Chamber Music Grant, funding the debut album of the Kasey Knudsen Sextet. In 2013, Knudsen was commissioned by Intersection For the Arts to compose and perform an evening of new work featuring her original music. In 2008, Knudsen was featured in a series presented by the De Young Museum, showcasing her composition inspired by visual artist Deborah Oropallo. In 2005, she was commissioned by the California Jazz Conservatory's Emerging Artist Series to present an evening of original music.

In addition to leading a number of her own projects, as a co-leader, she is involved in several groups including the Schimscheimer Family Trio, the Holly Martins, and the Klaxon Mutant Allstars. Knudsen collaborates frequently with many of the most unique musical voices in the Bay Area including multiple performances across the US and Europe with Tune-Yards, Fred Frith and the Gravity Band, the Charlie Hunter Quartet, Erik Jekabson, the Ian Carey Quintet + 1, Ben Goldberg, the Electric Squeezebox Orchestra, Beth Schenck, and many more.

As an educator, Knudsen specializes in the development of improvisation skills through the study of harmony, transcription, and saxophone technique with a focus on sound production, articulation, phrasing, and ear training. She currently teaches ensembles and workshops at the California Jazz Conservatory.  She has been a clinician at Berkeley High School, Piedmont High School, the Stanford Jazz Workshop, the Lafayette Jazz Workshop, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Reno Jazz Festival, and the UC Berkeley Young Musician's Program. Knudsen was an adjunct professor of Jazz Studies at Sonoma State University for 10 years.

Discography:

Rocketship “Sings Standards, Vol 1” (2021), Ben Goldberg “Symphony No. 9” (2020), Ian Carey “Fire in My Head” (2020), Throttle Elevator Music “Emergency Exit” (2020), Schimscheimer Family Trio “Broken Home” (2017), Ben Goldberg School’s “The Humanities” (2017), Erik Jekabson “A Brand New Take” (2016), Disappear Incompletely “Music of Radiohead, Vol. 1” (2016), The Holly Martins “You Know, I Was Just About To” (2016), Throttle Elevator Music “Counterweight” (2016), Ian Carey “Interview Music” (2015), Michael Coleman’s Enjoyer (2015), the Electric Squeezebox Orchestra “Cheap Rent” (2015), Schimscheimer Family Trio “Family Fun Time” (2014), Klaxon Mutant Allstars “Robot Invasion” (2014), Ian Carey "Roads and Codes" (2013), Nathan Clevenger Group “Observatory” (2013), City Church "Little Big Band" (2012), Evan Francis Group “Crazy Skeleton” (2011), Aaron Novik "Floating World, Vol. 1" (2011), Tuneyards "Who Kill" (2011), Q Morrow “All Around Dude” (2011), Terrence Brewer "Setting the Standard, Vol. 1" (2011), The Holly Martins “No. No. Yes. No.” (2010), Realistic Orchestra “Symphonies From Down the Block” (2009), Jay Stapleton “Upshot” (2010), Adam Theis “Brass Bows & Beats” (2009), Nathan Clevenger Group “The Evening Earth” (2008), Terrence Brewer “Quintessential” (2008)