Dylan Cramer

Cramer took up the saxophone at age 13, after the sudden death of his father. Four years later in 1975, Cramer heard a recording of alto sax legend Sonny Criss and was so taken with Sonny's playing that, in 1977, he travelled from Canada to Los Angeles to study with him. After developing a relationship with Criss that lasted only eight months, Sonny Criss committed suicide. After briefly attending the Dick Grove School of Music in Los Angeles (1977–79), Cramer was recommended by Grove to study privately with studio musician Phil Sobel. Cramer worked with Sobel from 1978 until Sobel's death in 2008.

In 1997, 20 years after Sonny's death, Cramer decided to do an album in his honour. For that recording, first released as The First One in 1998, he hired jazz legend and friend of Sonny, Leroy Vinnegar, on bass. In 2011, Nagel-Heyer Records from Hamburg released the tribute worldwide Remembering Sonny Criss.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

In 2001, Cramer released a classic jazz album, All Night Long. In 2003, Cramer recorded his third album, Bumpin' On Sunset, which continued Cramer's interpretations of movie themes, Latin tunes, and bluesy ballads. 2009 marked the release of Cramer's fourth album, Alto, released on his own record label, Casa Records. In 2017, Cramer released his fifth album, Blue Prelude, with pianist Ron Johnston, on Casa Records. The album features two songs from George Michael, one from Michael McDonald and another from Stevie Wonder, along with the Amy Winehouse hit, "Back To Black.".{{cite web |last1=Cramer |first1=Dylan |title=Dylan Cramer |url=https://www.dylancramer.com |pages=1–28}}{{better source needed|date=April 2025}}

In 2019, Cramer published his first book, Alto Saxophone Mastery, followed by Chasing My Father three years later and Flute Artistry in 2025.

{{Expand section|date=April 2025|with=discography reviews}}

• The First One (DSM, 1998){{cite news |last1=Truffaut |first1=Serge |title=Un incontournable quasi-inconnu |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/le-devoir-un-incontournable-quasi-inconn/171123429/ |access-date=26 April 2025 |work=Le Devoir |date=July 8, 1998 |location=Montreal, Quebec, Canada |page=3}}{{cite news |last1=Truffaut |first1=Serge |title=La beauté de la surprise |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/le-devoir-la-beaut-de-la-surprise/171123558/ |access-date=26 April 2025 |work=Le Devoir |date=August 28, 1999 |location=Montreal, Quebec, Canada |page=37}}{{cite news |last1=Andrews |first1=Marke |title=Dylan Cramer Quartet. The First One |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-dylan-cramer-quartet/171123677/ |access-date=26 April 2025 |work=The Vancouver Sun |date=June 27, 1998 |location=Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |page=64}}{{cite news |last1=McLennan |first1=Ross |title=Jazz: Dylan Cramer, The First One |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-winnipeg-sun-jazz-dylan-cramer-the/171124293/ |access-date=26 April 2025 |work=The Winnipeg Sun |date=January 16, 1998 |location=Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |page=40}}
• All Night Long (Nagel-Heyer, 2001){{cite web |last1=Nathan |first1=Dave |title=All Night Long Review |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/all-night-long-mw0000016279 |website=AllMusic |access-date=26 April 2025}}{{cite news |last1=Franklin |first1=David |title=Dylan Cramer: All Night Long |url=https://jazztimes.com/archives/dylan-cramer-all-night-long/ |access-date=26 April 2025 |work=Jazz Times |date=June 1, 2002}}{{cite news |last1=Bailey |first1=C. Michael |title=Dylan Cramer: All Night Long |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/all-night-long-dylan-cramer-casa-records-review-by-c-michael-bailey |access-date=26 April 2025 |work=AllAboutJazz |date=January 1, 2000}}{{cite news |last1=Schwab |first1=Jürgen |title=All Night Long - Dylan Cramer |url=https://www.rondomagazin.de/kritiken.php?kritiken_id=2484 |access-date=26 April 2025 |work=Rondo: Das Klassik- & Jazz-Magazin |date=1 September 2007 |language=German}}{{cite news |title=Dylan Cramer, All Night Long |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-observer-dylan-cramer-all-night-lon/171123818/ |access-date=26 April 2025 |work=The Observer |date=December 9, 2001 |location=London, England |page=86}}{{cite news |last1=Chapman |first1=Geoff |title=Vancouver saxman delivers passion |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-vancouver-saxman-delive/171124138/ |access-date=26 April 2025 |work=The Toronto Star |date=September 25, 1999 |location=Toronto, Ontario, Canada |page=165}}{{cite news |last1=Kerr |first1=Alison |title=Jazz. Dylan Cramer: All Night Long |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005278/20020203/952/0157 |access-date=26 April 2025 |work=Scotland on Sunday |date=3 February 2002 |location=Edinburgh, Scotland |page=157}}
• Bumpin' On Sunset (Nagel-Heyer, 2003){{cite web |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=Bumpin' on Sunset Review |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/bumpin-on-sunset-mw0000320429 |website=AllMusic |access-date=26 April 2025}}{{cite news |last1=Clark |first1=Jim |title=Top 10 jazz |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/rapid-city-journal-top-10-jazz/171123991/ |access-date=26 April 2025 |work=Rapid City Journal |date=November 14, 2003 |location=Rapid City, South Dakota |page=38}}
• Alto (Casa, 2009)
• Remembering Sonny Criss (Nagel-Heyer, 2011){{cite news |last1=Massarik |first1=Jack |title=Dylan Cramer: Remembering Sonny Criss |url=https://www.jazzwise.com/review/dylan-cramer-remembering-sonny-criss |access-date=26 April 2025 |work=jazzwise}}
• Blue Prelude (Casa, 2017)

• Alto Saxophone Mastery (2019) {{ISBN|9781999051228}}
• Chasing My Father (2022) {{ISBN|9781999051259}}
• Flute Artistry (2025) {{ISBN|9798218621759}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.dylancramer.com Official website]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cramer, Dylan}}

Category:1958 births

Category:Canadian jazz saxophonists

Category:Canadian male saxophonists

Category:Living people

Category:Musicians from Vancouver

Category:21st-century Canadian saxophonists

Category:21st-century Canadian male musicians

Category:Canadian male jazz musicians

Category:Nagel-Heyer Records artists