About

Born on January 21st, 1958, in North Vancouver, BC, Canada, alto saxophonist Dylan Cramer started his journey on the saxophone at the age of 13, after the sudden death of his father.

Four years later, a friend introduced him to a record by renowned jazz alto saxophonist Sonny Criss. Hearing Sonny instantly changed Cramer’s life, and he made up his mind then and there to find him and study with him.

Two years later, at age 19, Cramer made the trek from Canada to Los Angeles to meet Sonny. What followed was eight months of incredible joy for Cramer, as he not only studied with Sonny but also developed a very close relationship with him. Then, tragically, on November 19th, 1977, Sonny Criss committed suicide, and while the world lost one of the greatest alto saxophonists of all time, Cramer lost a teacher, a brother, and a father figure.

Unsure of what to do or where to go next, Cramer received a huge break from Dick Grove, who ran a music workshop school in Studio City where Cramer was taking a few classes. With Dick’s help, Cramer was introduced to saxophonist Phil Sobel, one of L.A.’s finest studio musicians and a teacher of the highest calibre.

Working with Phil was a monumental turning point in Cramer’s life. He spent eight gruelling, insightful years under Sobel’s tutelage and credits Phil with saving his life, both as a man and as an artist.

After his time with Phil, Cramer returned to Canada, where he began his teaching and recording career.  

Since then he has recorded six albums, plays regularly with his jazz trio, and teaches the saxophone full time.  

In 2019, Dylan introduced himself as a writer with the publication of "Alto Saxophone Mastery.” Since then, he has published three more books: “Chasing My Father,” “Flute Artistry,” and “Cold Spaghetti.” He is currently working on a new recording and a new book.

Artistry

Lessons

Dylan offers private lessons on saxophone, flute, clarinet, violin, and all other band instruments. 

• All ages and levels are welcome. 

• Music lessons are offered at the Kerrisdale Community Centre in Vancouver. In-home lessons are also available.

Dylan is also available as a clinician or a conductor for your band program. He has worked with countless schools over the past 40 years and enjoys the many challenges working with young musicians provides.

Dylan can also assist you with ghostwriting, proofreading or editing your manuscript. Dylan studied editing, directing and screenwriting in Hollywood with C.H. Powell, who edited many tv series, including the original Batman and the hit show Barney Miller.

For more information, please contact Dylan at dcaltosax@gmail.com or 604-318-1157.

Upcoming Gigs

• August 25th, 2027 / Brentwood Presbyterian Church / 8:00-9:00pm / Admission by donation / With Michael Creber, piano and Steve Holy, bass / Honouring the memory of Ron Johnston

Testimonials

Books

Cold Spaghetti

Cold Spaghetti is a collection of heartfelt, mysterious and thought-provoking observations drawn from one man's journey through life.

“I received your book of poems yesterday before heading out of town. Wow, these are truly amazing Dylan. The combination of raw emotion, storytelling, imagery, beautiful linguistic choices, rhythm and cadence is everything that poetry should be. These poems are so moving and beautifully expressed, so wonderfully rich and deep. Thank you!” Joel Bakan, author of “The Corporation.”

Flute Artistry

This book will reveal the processes of flute artistry as seen through the eyes of three men: Henry Lindeman, Phil Sobel, and Dylan Cramer. Their combined effort spans over 100 years, dating back to the 1920s and continuing to the present day.

Topics in this book will include vibrato, sound production, phrasing, articulation, interpretation, improvisation, nuance, and dynamics, along with the study of the four cornerstones, offered here for the first time to the flute community.

“An excellent book. Cramer lays out the principles that have made him the great musician he is.” David Sherr

Chasing My Father

In Chasing My Father, Dylan Cramer revisits his time beside the father he adored and cherished. He also recounts the peace movement of the sixties and his life as a commune child. Despite numerous struggles and heartbreaks in his early years, Cramer soldiered on into adulthood where even more tragedy befell him. Taken to the brink several times, Cramer reveals an “inside voice” which guided and inspired him to keep moving forward. His determination to not give up amidst the many challenges he faced is truly inspirational.

“One of the best books I’ve ever read, which is a very short list. There are so many lessons to be learned from the autobiography. It is not only very emotionally compelling and thought provoking, but also engaging to read, a hard balance to achieve. There are moments that are utterly devastating, and leave a hanging effect for long after you close the book. There are moments of intermittent joy that feel very satisfying. And my favourite, there are moments that are just inexplicable, yet you have a sense that you too have felt something similar. I couldn’t put this book down for a reason I can’t quite describe. I would highly recommend this book to anyone - you can empathise with it, and learn a lot from it to take with you on your journey of life.” Thomas O’Hagan

Alto Saxophone Mastery

In Alto Saxophone Mastery, Dylan Cramer provides an exemplary collection of principles and guidelines set down from a lifetime of playing and teaching the alto saxophone. He examines positioning, air delivery, and finger expertise, after which he takes on topics such as vibrato, nuance, phrasing, interpretation, and improvisation. Many of the book’s chapters are illuminated by interesting anecdotes from his time spent with his two brilliant teachers in Los Angeles, Sonny Criss and Phil Sobel.

Receiving improper instruction from the outset can be disastrous for the alto saxophonist. As Cramer says, “The alto saxophone is a machine; learn to operate it first, and then and only then, move to the music at hand.” With this book, aspiring saxophonists everywhere will have the benefit of Cramer’s expert guidance and methods in their quest for alto saxophone mastery.

“The book of a lifetime for alto saxophonists!” Richard Carter

Recordings

Remembering Sonny Criss

This was my first recording and will always be my favourite. It was an incredible honour to work with the trio on this album, consisting of Ron Johnston on piano, John Nolan on drums, and the great Leroy Vinnegar on bass. Any saxophone player would be lucky to work beside these amazing players! I must also thank the producer, Torben Oxbol, and the recording engineer, Commodor Barrett, for their professional expertise and contributions. Creating this album for Sonny was a once in a lifetime experience for me, and something I will never forget. Sonny, this one’s for you!

All Night Long

This was a very special recording for me. Done just a year after my album for Sonny, it was my first recording for Nagel-Heyer Records from Hamburg. I owe a great debt to Frank Nagel-Heyer for both believing in me and taking a chance on me. I also owe a great debt to the musicians who joined me for this recording, especially my pianist, Ron Johnston, who was nothing short of sensational. Thanks also to Commodor Barrett, whose superior skills in both recording and mixing were most definitely put to the test on this album!

Bumpin’ On Sunset

This was a very fun record to be a part of. I was very excited to try and capture some songs I had wanted to record for many years, including Ennio Morricone’s “Fistfull of Dollars,” “The Love Theme from Blade Runner” by Vangelis, Stevie Wonder’s “Creepin’,” and Wes Montgomery’s “Bumpin’ On Sunset.” As usual, I had an incredible trio to play with on the album, and a lot of joy went into trying to bring the songs on this album to life.

Alto

After several years of not recording, I finally got back into the studio, and was thrilled to record the songs in this collection. In particular, John Barry’s theme from the film “Body Heat” was a real challenge for me, and a song I had wanted to put down for years. Sonny Criss’s “Midnight Mellow” was also a highlight, along with “Django” and “Send One Your Love.” The stellar rhythm section of Ron Johnston on piano, Rene Worst on bass and John Nolan on drums made the recording a gas and worth its weight in gold!

Blue Prelude

Blue Prelude realized a long-held dream of mine: to record a duo album with Ron Johnston. A student told me about a Steinway grand piano from Carnegie Hall that was residing in a local church here in Vancouver, so Ron and I went to check it out. Ron immediately fell in love with it and said it was the best piano he had ever played. Almost like divine intervention, the church opened their doors to us and allowed us to rehearse there once a week for little money. Once we had chosen the tunes for the album we contacted a friend, recording engineer Ken Burke, and asked him to do a test recording. I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was a beautiful sunny morning and Ron and I were both feeling great. We put down all the songs in little over an hour and it went so well that I decided to release it as the record. To do this album with Ron was the highlight of my career. We covered many different songs, including two by George Michael, “Back To Black” by Amy Winehouse, and an old favourite of mine, “How About Me,” written by the legendary Irving Berlin. Ron’s playing was stunningly beautiful and heartfelt. This album will be something I treasure for the rest of my life.

Contact

To connect with Dylan, please email dcaltosax@gmail.com or text 604-318-1157