“A saxophonist deeply immersed in the total jazz tradition.” JazzTimes critic Willard Jenkins
“It was the kind of music that makes one feel confident about the future of jazz.” The Detroit News
Steeped in Post Bop and Blues, Detroit saxophonist Chris Pitts made Manhattan, San Francisco and Paris his homes before moving to Boston. His bands have always featured energetic rhythm sections and adventurous music.
He has performed at major jazz festivals and clubs in North America and Europe and played with jazz notables; Thad Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Foster, Clark Terry, Phil Woods, Jon Fadis, Regina Carter, James Carter, Betty Carter, Bob Hurst, Kenny Garrett, Roy Brooks, Ralph Armstrong, Marcus Belgrave, Rodney Whitaker, Danny Spencer, Rick Margitza, Kim Nalley, Eula Lawrence, John Handy, Eddie Marshall, Madeline Eastman, Kitty Margolis, Bruce Forman, Mike Clark, Tim Hagans, J.C. Heard, Grover Washington Jr., Ronnie Cuber, Steve Slagel, Yuron Israel, Charles Boles, Sam Sanders, Jaribu Shahid, Ralph Peterson, and Warren Gale. He also opened for Ornette Coleman and Art Blakey.
Entertainers Pitts has performed and/or recorded with include Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Martha Reeves, Lou Rawls, Bob Hope, Liberace, Henny Youngman, Lyman Woodard, Enchantment, The Floaters, The Dramatics, and even President Bill Clinton. He has also opened for many acts including Dave Mason, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Ambrosia, and Don Mclean. Over the years, Pitts has performed over 1000 private and corporate events from weddings to company conventions.
Since moving to the Boston region, Pitts continues to perform and also produces various concert series including the Newton Piano Summit and the Linda Plaut Newton Festival of the Arts. A staunch advocate for the Arts and Culture, he served as the co-chair of the Newton Cultural Council.
Before moving east, Pitts also founded the 18-piece San Francisco-based Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. The CJO released 3 recordings currently available on iTunes. The CJO played every Monday night at Jazz at Pearl’s in Northbeach from 1995 until the closing of the club in 2003.
He is a recipient of composition and performance grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Newton Cultural Council, the Michigan Council for the Arts, and the Detroit Council of the Arts. His teaching credits include the Detroit Jazz Center and Metro Detroit Public Schools. In the Boston area, Pitts has filled in at Rivers and Harvey Feinstein music schools.
Detroit provided Pitts solid exposure to serious jazz artists such as saxophonists Sam Sanders, Donald Walden, Phil Lasley, trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, and pianists Kenn Cox and Charles Boles.
Encouraged to lead his own groups, he formed the EMX with trumpeter James Van Dyke, pianist Kenn Cox, bassist Ed Pickens and drummer Danny Spencer (after Ed Pickens left the music business, the bass chair was subsequently held by young bassists Bob Hurst, Rodney Whitaker and Jaribu Shahid.) The group gained attention opening for Ornette Coleman and went on to perform at National Jazz Festivals, concert venues and jazz clubs. He also gained big band experience in the big bands of Ed Nuccilli, J.C Heard, Sam Sanders, Marcus Belgrave and Johnny Trudell.
Pitts attended Berklee in Boston, studying privately with Bill Pierce. Subsequently, he studied with George Coleman in New York City.
Notable live events benefit events Pitts produced include Jamedy, a six-hour Jazz and Comedy event for the ACLU featuring comedians; Will Durst, Margret Cho, and musicians, John Handy, Joyce Cooling, Kitty Margolis, and Jazz for Greenpeace, a series of 6-hour Annual events featuring over 50 jazz artists.
