Jeff Driskill
Professional saxophonist, Jeff Driskill discovered his passionate love of music at a very early age. He began focusing that affection specifically on the saxophone at thirteen and around the same time discovered an intense fondness for jazz. By the time Driskill was in high school, he knew that a future filled with jazz was one he wanted to be a part of so he put his nose to the grindstone and got serious about pursuing music at North Texas State University. In any given week you may find Driskill performing in the orchestra for the latest hit musical, lending his talents to a studio movie score, backing an A-list crooner or playing jazz in one of several respected big bands. Recently, Driskill worked with composer Randy Newman on the much lauded soundtracks for "The Princess and the Frog" and "Toy Story 3".
He also went in to the recording studio with John Williams and lent his talents to "Tin Tin: Secret of the Unicorn". Jeff has backed legions of luminaries including Prince, Alan Jackson, Michael Feinstein, Annie Lennox, Michael Bolton, Josh Groban, Steve Tyrell, and Fiona Apple to name a few. He has also recorded with some of the giants of modern jazz including Eddie Daniels, Arturo Sandoval, Take 6, Patti Austin, Clare Fischer, Dianne Reeves and Hubert Laws. For the past nine years, Driskill has been a member of Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band and has performed on four of his widely acclaimed albums including Grammy-nominated “XXL” and “Act Your Age.” He recently returned from a week-long stint with the BPB at the Blue Note in Tokyo.
Jeff was a featured soloist on Bob Florence's Grammy-winning track “Serendipity 18” from the album of the same name. He was a member of the Bob Florence Limited Edition from 1998 until Bob's untimely death in 2008. Since 2004, Driskill has played with the impeccable Chris Walden Big Band. He has recorded three albums with the band and performed on the Grammy-nominated track “Home of My Heart.” He also worked with Chris on his Grammy-nominated orchestral project, Symphony No. 1- The Four Elements. For over ten years, Jeff has been a member of The John Daversa Progressive Big Band. The band has a standing gig at the world famous Baked Potato in Hollywood and plays to packed audiences. Recently, Driskill was one of two dozen top session musicians asked by Pat Williams to play on his anticipated album, “Aurora.” The album is Williams' first all original big band album since the 1974 Grammy winner, “Threshold.”
