Tamara Danielsson

She was only 15 years old, and it only took one time. "I was hooked," she says. "I knew at that moment that I would spend my life making music." Yes, that's what can happen when you bring the house down in front of a crowd of 3,000 enthusiastic jazz fans as Tamara did!

She studied and practiced with Seattle's legendary teacher John Jenssen ... the same Jenssen who helped cultivate the talents of Kenny G and Jeff Kashiwa of the Rippington's.

"I also had a wonderful high school band director. He took us to places like the Montreux Jazz Festival. We played in Chicago, San Francisco, and Canada. And these performances led to musical scholarships."

She attended North Texas State University, one of the country's largest and most acclaimed music schools. There she earned the lead alto sax spot in the university's Grammy-nominated One O'clock Lab Band. Soon she began performing professionally in nearby Dallas with artists like Lou Rawls, Smokey Robinson and Ray Charles.

My generation was influenced by all kinds of music, from country to rock. I liked Steely Dan, the Motown groups, horn bands like Tower of Power and Earth Wind and Fire." But legends like Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Phil Woods and Paul Desmond are also major influences. Her personal favorite is Cannonball Adderly.

She speaks of another favorite, Ronnie's Song, one of her original songs from her CD So It Goes. "It was written for my older brother who is no longer with us, but he's far from forgotten. There is a lot of emotion in the song. It's really a heartfelt song. I felt his spirit with us when we recorded it."

Of her music, Tamara says, "In my life, one thing has led to another musically. Orlando has a lot of playing opportunities and a lot of fine musicians have settle here. I just feel so fortunate to be able to make a living doing something I love so much!"