Steve Treseler

Steve Treseler is a Seattle-based saxophonist, teaching artist, and author. DownBeat calls his music “beautifully crafted ensemble pieces—whether free, through-composed, or somewhere in between.” The Kenny Wheeler Tribute Project, which Steve leads with renowned trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, was featured on NPR’s Jazz Night in America.

Steve grew up in Edmonds, WA and began playing the clarinet in fifth grade band. He got serious about playing jazz saxophone in high school and performed up and down the West Coast with a youth “trad” jazz band.

Steve continued his education on scholarship at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he studied with jazz legends Jerry Bergonzi, Bob Brookmeyer, George Garzone, and Steve Lacy. Steve holds a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies and Improvised Music from the University of Washington where he studied with avant-garde trumpeter Cuong Vu.

Steve is on faculty at Seattle Pacific University and leads creative music workshops across the U.S. He is the founder of Game Symphony Workshop, which helps musicians collaboratively create and perform original music. He is the author of Creativity Triggers for Musicians (2017), The Living Jazz Tradition: A Creative Guide to Improvisation and Harmony (2014), and the Creative Music Blog.

Steve has released two albums as a leader, Resonance (2008) and Center Song featuring Ingrid Jensen, which received a four-star review in DownBeat and made the magazine’s “Best Albums of 2014” list.

In addition to leading his own group, Steve is a member of Wayne Horvitz’s Washington Composers Orchestra (WACO), the Tom Varner Nonet, Snow Line Project, Zubatto Syndicate, the Jessika Smith Big Band, the Phil Parisot Quartet, and James Falzone’s Renga Ensemble. He has shared the stage with jazz greats Bill Frisell, Dave Douglas, Bob Brookmeyer, Kenny Wheeler, Steve Swallow, Jamie Cullum, Darcy James Argue, Geoffrey Keezer, and Mike Stern.

Steve lives in Seattle with his wife and daughter.