Saxophonist and composer Jesse Collins has performed with a who’s who of jazz legends including Ari Hoenig, Jimmy Cobb, Larry Coryell, Ed Cherry and many others.

Beginning on saxophone when he was 11 yrs old, Jesse went on to attend Ithaca College for two years where he studied classical saxophone with Dr Steven Mauk, before going on to study at the prestigious New School for Social Research Jazz Studies Program, where he studied privately with Miles Davis saxophone sidemen Lee Konitz and Sam Rivers as well as studied music theory and harmony with Charles Mingus sideman and piano legend Jaki Byard.

He leads the Jesse Collins Quartet and Jesse Collins Trio which perform Jesse’s original music and his unique inventive arrangements of jazz standards and popular music classics.

Jesse’s first recording in 2003 Jesse Collins “Introducing Jesse Collins” was a Jazz Times Magazine “critics pick top 10” and his recording Jesse Collins Quartet “Free to be Free” was a Syracuse area SAMMY award winner for jazz recording of the year 2014.

Collins’ recent recording with jazz giants Ari Hoenig, Ed Cherry and Neal Miner Jesse Collins Quartet “Swing Joy Sound” is on Tezcat Records and is available at Amazon, IMusic and on Spotify and Pandora.

Jesse has performed at some of the finest music venues or festivals including Ornithology Jazz Club, Smalls, the Blue Note, the Five Spot, Le Duc des Lombards, the Bihm House, the Rochester International Jazz Fest, the Sterling Stage music series of festivals, as well as appearing at the Northeast Jazz and Wine Fest opening for Phil Woods in 2006.

Jesse Collins Quartet and Trio continue to play regularly in NYC at Ornithology Jazz Club and Smalls Jazz Club and Jesse is playing with the Michael Bates Trio at Cheryls Global Soul, and the JCQ and JCTrio performs regularly in Upstate NY and the greater Northeast USA. Jesse also performs with the Rock-Soul-Funky-Jazz group Honey Jar Habit.