About
Dylan Cramer was born in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada on January 21, 1958. When he was 13 years old, he lost his father to suicide. Devastated, Cramer reached for music and the alto saxophone.
Four years later, Cramer heard a recording of alto sax legend Sonny Criss and was so taken with Sonny's playing that he decided then and there to go to Los Angeles to find him and study with him.
Luckily, Cramer not only met and studied with Sonny but also developed an extremely close relationship with him. Unfortunately, after only knowing Sonny for a few months, Criss committed suicide on November 19th, 1977.
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 Phil Sobel, one of L.A.’s finest studio musicians and a teacher of the highest calibre.
Working with Sobel was a monumental turning point for Cramer. He spent eight gruelling, insightful years under Phil’s tutelage and credits him with saving his life, both as a man and as an artist.
After his time with Phil, Cramer returned to Canada, where he begin his teaching and recording career.
Since then he has recorded five albums, plays regularly with his jazz quartet, and teaches the saxophone full time.
In 2019, he published his first book, "Alto Saxophone Mastery," which outlines Cramer’s teaching methods along with several anecdotes from his time spent with both Sonny Criss and Phil Sobel. 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.
