Andre Acevedo

Andre Acevedo discovered his love for saxophone and jazz when he first heard Charlie Parker on a cassette tape purchased from a local record store. He never had much interest in listening to music like his classmates in elementary and middle school until this profound discovery of jazz alto saxophone that changed his life.

His musical journey started with band classes on clarinet in the third grade in Puerto Rico where his father was stationed at an Army base. Five years later when his family moved to South Florida where his father was stationed, Andre was fortunate to be part of an award winning high school music program under the leadership of band director John Davis at Charles W. Flanagan High School. His older brother gifted him an alto saxophone for Christmas and Andre began to play alto sax his sophomore year with the Charlie Parker Omnibook being his main source of study.

Fast forward two years and Andre began attending the University of North Florida in Jacksonville pursuing a jazz studies degree studying with Legendary Saxophonist and educator Bunky Green. While at UNF he began to study the tenor saxophone reflecting his love for the music of Joshua Redman and Chris Potter. In Jacksonville Andre performed regularly with local jazz groups as well as Jeremy Davis and the Fabulous Equinox Orchestra based in Savannah, Ga.

Andre continued his studies at the University of Memphis as the graduate teaching assistant for the jazz department while pursuing a Masters in Jazz and Studio Music degree. He studied under composer/arranger and saxophonist Dr. Jack Cooper. While at Memphis Andre taught Jazz Aural Theory Lab, directed jazz combos and Jazz Ensemble II, as well as performed in the faculty jazz ensemble.

While living in Memphis Andre performed with many musical ensembles including the Memphis Jazz Orchestra, the premier Latin music group of Memphis-La Orquestra Caribbean Sound, was featured in the Jazz at the Westin concert series, with Anthony Williams at nearby Afterthought Jazz Club in Arkansas, and with the Southern Comfort Jazz Orchestra at the Tennessee Music Educators Association Conference.

During his time at Memphis as a TA, Andre fell in love with music education and decided to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in hopes of gaining the knowledge and experience to one day be a college music professor. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Under the advisement and leadership of Chip McNeill Andre focused his DMA degree on the tenor saxophone voice. At U of I he performed lead tenor in the Latin Jazz Ensemble, the Jazz Ensemble II, and the Concert Jazz Band. Andre played lead tenor with the U of I Concert Jazz Band in the Midwest Band Clinic and the Jazz Educators Network Conference. He started his research studies in music education with Dr. Bridget Sweet who later became his director of research for his dissertation. Andre’s dissertation is titled Jazz Solo Transcriptions as Technical and Pedagogical Solutions for Undergraduate Jazz Saxophonists.

Between semesters pursuing the DMA degree Andre worked on board cruise ships with the Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Norwegian Cruise Lines including performing the Broadway Show Hairspray onboard the Oasis of the Seas. Andre has cruised South America, East and West Coast USA, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia.

In February 2015, Andre received the call to join the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus band on alto saxophone to perform on the Legends tour. Between 2015 when Andre joined and in 2017 when the circus closed, he performed with the RBBB circus in large NBA, NHL, NFL, and NCAA arenas to millions of people in over thirty cities across over twenty states.

Andre has performed in the notable jazz clubs: Churchills in Miami, Fl, Heidi’s in Cocoa Beach, Fl, the Afterthought in Little Rock, Arkansas, Hermann’s Jazz Club in Victoria British Columbia, Canada, the Jazz Showcase, Chicago, IL, the Iron Post, Champaign, Il, King’s Palace Café & Rum Boogie Café & Alfred’s on Beale, Memphis, Tn.

After the Ringling Brothers Circus closed, Andre performed the 2nd tenor chair with the American "Elvis Live: National Tour!" for the summer of 2017.

Andre Currently teaches saxophone lessons, masterclasses, and clinics in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with a succesful studio of over fifty students.

Andre Acevedo plays Yanagisawa and Selmer Saxophones