Album Notes

At the tender age of 10, JWhite’s destiny was shaped when his mother forced him to join the band. They walked into the room full of instruments and his mother asked him which one he wanted to play. The 10 year old nonchalantly replied “I guess that one…I like the way it’s shaped”. Little did he know he would one day come to be known as jazz saxophonist, JWhite.

A native of Detroit, Michigan, JWhite has spent the last 16 years honing his craft. In his early days he studied under the late Emil Acitelli. Throughout his school years he perfected his musicianship by performing with the Wind Symphony and Jazz Ensemble. Upon graduation from Thurston High School, he was presented the prestigious Louis Armstrong award and shortly thereafter was offered a music scholarship to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. There JWhite performed with the Marching Band, Wind Symphony, and toured with the Jazz Ensemble under the direction of the late Odie Burrus. He also became a regular at local Jazz clubs and other venues with the Too Hot N’Demand Band. In 2004, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Music.

With the influence of Gerald Albright, Cannonball Adderly, Kirk Whalum, Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, and Grover Washington Jr., JWhite has tried to intertwine Smooth Jazz with a hint of Straight Ahead Jazz to deliver a smooth, harmonic, and melodic sound. Although he loves all styles of Jazz, Gospel is also near and dear to his heart as he was raised as a pastor’s son. Whenever, he is back home in the Detroit area he loves to uplift the name of Jesus Christ, who is the head of his life, at his father’s church.

In the 7 years he has been in Arkansas, he has been blessed to share the stage with gospel recording artist, Smokie Norful (2002), gospel recording artist, Darryl Coley (2005), and gospel saxophonist, Angella Christie (2005). JWhite also plays in the horn section for gospel artist, Fred Houston and Promise. Along with the Too Hot N’Demand Band, he opened for Bobby “Blue” Bland in concert. He was also featured on the “Hues” movie soundtrack scheduled to be released in 2007.