Tony Dagradi

Tony Dagradi has always been leading the way to higher dimensions, whether as an educator at the renowned Loyola School of Music in New Orleans, or as the originator of the city's most revered contemporary jazz group, Astral Project. The saxophonist has always kept good company, whether with his compatriots in Astral Project, or the many fine musicians with whom he has played. Professor Longhair, Ellis Marsalis, James Booker, Dr. John, Johnny Adams, Larry Coryell, and Nat Adderley are just some of the artists that he has gigged with on alto and soprano sax. He is nothing if not versatile. For years, he toured with Carla Bley, and still sits in with the New Orleans Symphony. But it is his work with Astral Project, a group he founded in 1978, for which he is best known. A student of Eastern religion, Dagradi named the group as part of his vision for music that would carry the artists and listeners alike out of the small self into the higher self. Many will attest to the success of Astral Project in facilitating an out-of-body experience. Comprised of Dagradi on saxophone, along with David Torkanowsky on piano, James Singleton on bass, Steve Masakowski on guitar, and Johnny Vidacovich on the bass, the ensemble is famous for its combination of cerebral riffs and street-music tapestries. The group's CDs Elevado and Voodoo Bop, with tunes like Masakowski's "Paladia" and Dagradi's composition "Protecting Circle," display the range and synergetic force of these musicians who are also all composers. On Astral Project's 2002 effort, Big Shot, the vibrant piano of Torkanowsky is missing, as he left the group to explore other directions. But all members of the aggregation have always had other projects and commitments. The sound of the new CD is different, but just as...