Jon De Lucia Group

Jon De Lucia is a Brooklyn based saxophonist and composer. Originally from Quincy, MA, Jon has become an integral part of the New York scene. Predominantly a student of jazz, he also has a deep interest in the folkloric music and instruments of Cuba, Japan, Ireland and Italy, having performed on a variety of ethnic flutes, drums and stringed instruments. Jon has led his groups and played as a sideman in Boston, New York and all over Japan with such musicians as Tommy Crane, David Tronzo, Bob Moses, Bob Gullotti, John Lockwood and Thomas Morgan among others. He leads the Jon De Lucia Group, and the baroque improvising Luce Trio. He continues to compose, perform and teach privately in New York City.

Press for the Jon De Lucia Group's debut CD, Face no Face.

One of several astonishing debut releases I’ve heard this year (Francisco Mela, Walter Smith III and Gilad Hekselman are among the others). De Lucia, alto/soprano saxophone, plays mostly originals with a young, hypercreative New York lineup: Nir Felder on guitar, Leo Genovese on piano, Garth Stevenson on bass and Ziv Ravitz on drums. Sumie Kaneko plays koto and shamisen on “Edo Komoriuta,” a traditional Japanese lullaby.

-David Adler, NY Times, Jazz Times

Let the music breathe is one of jazz’s most revered mantras, but far easier said than done. Boston-based alto and soprano saxophonist De Lucia accomplishes it with substance and style on his new CD, stitching together edgy improvising with surprise-filled writing that sounds both mysterious and eminently accessible.

-Bob Young, Boston Herald

Saxophonist JON DE LUCIA’s ridiculously assured Face No Face (Jonji) was one of the pleasant surprises of 2006. De Lucia’s alto solos had the headlong linear drive of the Tristano school by way of Steve Coleman and Greg Osby, and his wide-ranging compositions varied texture, dynamics, and harmonic framework without ever losing the groove.

-Jon Garelick, Boston Phoenix

Alto saxophonist and composer Jon De Lucia , a Quincy native, brings his quintet to Ryles to play edgy but accessible compositions that blend jazz with Zen philosophy, as showcased on their superb recent CD, Face no Face.

-Boston Globe

We like Jon De Lucia’s new Face no Face (Jonji Music) not simply because the young saxophonist has chops (yes he does) but because he challenges those chops with fresh writing, ambitious pieces that unfold unpredictably, deploying different rhythms, different combinations of instruments, and dynamic shifts without every losing a sense of form or groove.

-Jon Garelick, Boston Phoenix