The Early Set - Max Bessessen at Room 623

Praised for his “saxophone virtuosity” by Downbeat Magazine, Max Bessesen is a young composer and performer based in New York City. His 2020 debut album Trouble (Ropeadope Records) features Cornettist Ron Miles, and according to Jazziz magazine it “is nothing if not evocative.”

After a musical upbringing in Denver, Colorado Max pursued his undergraduate studies at Oberlin Conservatory, where he earned a Downbeat student music award and studied with Gary Bartz, Eddie Henderson and Billy Hart. Following graduation in 2016, Max was awarded a fellowship from the Frank Huntington Beebe Fund which allowed him to study music in India, Ghana, and Cuba for one year under the mentorship of masters of South Indian Classical, traditional West African and Afro-Cuban musical forms....

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Praised for his “saxophone virtuosity” by Downbeat Magazine, Max Bessesen is a young composer and performer based in New York City. His 2020 debut album Trouble (Ropeadope Records) features Cornettist Ron Miles, and according to Jazziz magazine it “is nothing if not evocative.”

After a musical upbringing in Denver, Colorado Max pursued his undergraduate studies at Oberlin Conservatory, where he earned a Downbeat student music award and studied with Gary Bartz, Eddie Henderson and Billy Hart. Following graduation in 2016, Max was awarded a fellowship from the Frank Huntington Beebe Fund which allowed him to study music in India, Ghana, and Cuba for one year under the mentorship of masters of South Indian Classical, traditional West African and Afro-Cuban musical forms.

Fresh from these travels Max moved to Chicago in 2017 where he would spend four years working with some of the city’s most accomplished musicians, including Bobby Broom, George Fludas, Greg Ward, Russ Johnson, Dana Hall, and Junius Paul. He appears on recent recordings by Sam Pilnick’s Nonet Project, The Chicago Folklore Ensemble, Emily Kuhn’s Helios, and the collectivist crossover group Echoes. He played often at all the jazz venues and festivals in the windy city including the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Hyde Park Jazz Festival and a weekly large ensemble slot at the Green Mill. Max has also performed at jazz festivals across the United States, the Netherlands, and in Jordan.

In 2020 Max was awarded a “Pathways to Jazz” grant from the Boulder County Arts Alliance for his upcoming recording project. Soon after Max received the 2021 Luminarts Fellowship in jazz, and relocated to New York City. He currently attends the Manhattan School of Music.

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