Up Close & Personal with Saxophonist "Tony Exum, Jr."

Tony Exum, Jr. brings to mind the soulfulness of a David Sanborn, the sultry sounds of the late great 
Grover Washington, Jr. and silky smoothness of the late George Howard. Not a carbon copy of these 
greats but a distillation of those influences that formulates a unique approach to the saxophone and thus 
creating a voice of his own. His musical interests were sparked by his uncle Larry Francis, Jr., a saxophonist 
in the Ft Carson, CO. army bands and his mothers vast record collection containing the sounds of jazz and funk such as Jeff Lorber, the saxophone of Washington, Sanborn and Howard, Charlie Parker, Ronnie Laws, Najee, P-Funk, Slave, Boosty Collins.... the list goes on and on. At age 18, Exum began studying music at the prestigious Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver under world renowned saxophonist M. Lynn 
Baker, M.A. and first call woodwind doubler Art Bouton, M.A. These days at D.U. brought the world of music 
with challenges and achievements that found Exum discovering the vast world of music and the possibilities within. In 1996, Exum joined Ft. Collins, CO. based band Meadowlark Jivin, a funky, jazzy blues and soul outfit spearheaded by singer-songwriter Brian Hull. He toured with them for 7 years recording two CDs in the process. Throughout this time Exum stepped on his own on the local CO scene as he performed with and opened up for such notable acts like The Temptations, the Four Tops, the Chi-Lites, the Manhattans, WAR, Dennis Edwards and the Temptations Review, Lenny Williams, Chelli Minucci and Special EFX, Nelson Rangell, Marion Meadows and Dotsero just to name a few.