Aaron Bazzell

Aaron Bazzell is a musician, composer and educator. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of eight the family moved down south. Now living in Metro-Atlanta, he would eventually come home from school one day to find that his father had purchased an alto saxophone. After receiving some encouragement from his middle school band director, he quickly became serious about the instrument. Growing up in a household where he was just as likely to hear the music of Anita Baker as he would Art Blakey had a profound impact on his musical development. This influence is on display throughout his debut album, Aesthetic. Released on 4/22/22, the album spans a variety of genres of music stemming from the African diaspora ranging from samba to funk to swing. Joined by pianist Keith Brown, bassist Jonathan Michel, drummer Brandon Donald and featuring vocalist Rachel Robinson on one track, the recording serves as a window into his story through music. He holds a B.M. in jazz studies from Michigan State University and a M.A. in music education from Teachers College. His primary teachers are Don Taylor, Jack Morrell, Greg Ward, Wess Anderson, and Diego Rivera. During the summer of 2023, Aaron traveled to South Africa to accomplish a long held goal of performing his music in an African nation. The tour included Johannesburg and Cape Town and provided an opportunity for him meet and play with some of the nation's top musicians. Aaron intends to continue his travels to the continent and utilize music as a method for building bridges across the diaspora.