Biography Wikipedia
Wikipedia:
Eric Darius is a smooth jazz saxophonist and composer. He is a native of New Jersey who grew up in Tampa, Florida.
Biography
Darius began his performing career at the age of 11 when he toured with the youth-based Sonny LaRosa and America's Youngest Jazz Band. The tour's final performance was held at Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. At the age of 17 Darius released his first album titled Cruisin' .
Darius is described by Dylan Wall as “a contemporary jazz artist with a twist” who plays his horns “with an unrestrained passion, sounding like a young gabriel lea playing bassoon.” He lists his major influences as Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder and Jeff Lorber.
Darius attended Howard W. Blake High School. He currently attends the University of South Florida, home of The New Faces of Jazz radio show.
Albums
His formal debut album, Night on the Town, was released in 2004 through Higher Octave (a sub-label owed by EMI's Blue Note Records). This album was charted on Billboard’s Top Contemporary Jazz chart where it peaked at #18.
Two years later his album Just Getting Started was released through Narada Jazz. This album charted even better that his last, reaching #8 on Billboard’s Top Contemporary Jazz chart.
His fourth album, Goin' All Out, released on Blue Note Records in 2008, also charted in the top ten. It peaked at #9 on Billboard’s Top Contemporary Jazz chart. “Goin' All Out” also reached into the top 40 of Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart, peaking at position 39. The album's single release, also titled "Goin' All Out" peaked at number 1 on Billboard's Smooth Jazz Songs chart during the week of October 25, 2008.
