Travis Sullivan

Session Musician and Producer

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4 Reviews (2 Verified)
Travis Sullivan on SoundBetter

As a professional saxophonist, pianist, composer, and arranger with 20 years experience in the music industry. I am a passionate artist that is dedicated to creating music that original, innovative, and fun!

I am dedicated to creating music that original, innovative, and fun! I offer the following services:
-Session musician: I record and provide professional sounding tracks for woodwinds, (alto saxophone, flute, clarinet), piano, electric keyboards, and synthesizer,
-Arranging: Jazz, big band, orchestral, popular music
-Composition: Orchestral and electronic music for video games , film, television, and advertising.

Zoho Music recording artist Travis Sullivan has earned a worldwide reputation as an alto saxophonist, pianist, composer, and arranger. Embedded in the New York music scene for the past 20 years, he has been hailed by Jazz Times as being “…a gifted alto saxophonist and improviser who has also developed a strong and commanding voice as a composer.”
In 2002, his breakthrough came in the form of Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra, an 18-piece big band performing his arrangements of the renowned music of Icelandic pop goddess Bjork. The Bjorkestra has acquired international recognition from performances with acclaimed jazz artists such as Dave Douglas, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Donny McCaslin, and performances at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the SF Jazz Festival, and the NYC Winter Jazz Festival.
Discography: Seas & Trees (2016), I Go Humble (2013, Zoho Music), New Directions (Posi-Tone, 2011), Enjoy! (2008, Koch Records). and As We Speak (2000).

Send me an email through 'Contact' button above and I'll get back to you asap.

Credits

AllMusic verified credits for Travis Sullivan
  • Ben Fields
  • Ben Fields
  • Travis Sullivan
  • Travis Sullivan's Björkestra
  • Travis Sullivan
  • Travis Sullivan's Björkestra
  • Travis Sullivan
  • Travis Sullivan's Björkestra
  • Travis Sullivan
  • Travis Sullivan's Björkestra
  • Travis Sullivan
  • Travis Sullivan's Björkestra
  • Travis Sullivan
  • Travis Sullivan's Björkestra
  • Travis Sullivan
  • Travis Sullivan's Björkestra
  • Robin McKelle
  • Travis Sullivan
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  • Sean Nowell
  • Four Bags
  • Travis Sullivan
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  • Something Blue
  • Travis Sullivan
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  • Anti-Elevator Mission

4 Reviews

Endorse Travis Sullivan
  1. Review by Sara A. Barry
    starstarstarstarstar
    check_circleVerified

    Travis is a very skilled sax player and nailed exactly what I was going for in my project. He went above and beyond and sent me multiple versions of the track he recorded.

  2. Review by Joe Abba
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    check_circleVerified

    The goods. Travis is a pro and his knowledge of Presonus and Studio One made my life so easy. I would recommend him for any work like this as well as live recording, copyist work, finale tutorials, or composition.

  3. Review by Jordan Perlson
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    Travis is a triple threat: player, composer, arranger. All things needed in this realm, hire this man!

  4. Review by Rana Farhan
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    by Rana Farhan

    Travis is the best! Amazing technique, feel, creativity. I've worked with him many times and he never disappoints! My go-to guy for anything sax related and his piano playing is incredible.
    Absolute pleasure to work with!

Interview with Travis Sullivan

  1. Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

  2. A: I do not know anyone else on SoundBetter...yet!

  3. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  4. A: I like being able to create on a regular basis and bring more art into the world using my skills as a musician and artist. I also like assisting others in achieving their creative visions.

  5. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  6. A: If you have a clear vision of what you want for your project you will get the best results!

  7. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  8. A: Recently I recorded piano, organ, and saxophone for several tracks for singer Rana Farhan's latest album (due out in May!). I recorded all the instruments using my home studio setup and they came out really great. Rana and her producer loved the work and I'm featured on 8 out of the 10 tracks on the album.

  9. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  10. A: I am working on releasing two new albums of material. Both duo recordings that I recorded myself. One is a drum/sax duo album of free jazz music, and the other is a sax/piano album of original jazz compositions, and I play both instruments! I'm also working on an orchestral piece that features vibraphone and alto saxophone.

  11. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  12. A: I'm digital all the way in terms of what I'm working with for recording. I don't know, it just happened that way!

  13. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  14. A: I promise that you'll get high quality work done in a reasonable amount of time.

  15. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  16. A: Q: How should I send you audio files? A: Google Drive, Dropbox are preferred. Q: What is your expected turn around time for completing the project? A: I usually can turn things around in a week or less, depending on the size and scope of the project.

  17. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  18. A: I think that sometimes there is a misconception that since I play the saxophone, I'm only able to play or compose jazz music. I have a much broader palette of music that I draw from and inspired by.

  19. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  20. A: How would you like audio files sent/shared? Do you want me to provide mixing/effects on sax? What DAW do you use (if any)?

  21. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  22. A: I've been performing and recording in a variety of contexts with both saxophone and piano since my high school years. Over the past two years, I've gotten more serious about building a home studio and delving more into the world of DAWs and recording gear.

  23. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  24. A: Recently I recorded piano, organ, and saxophone for several tracks for singer Rana Farhan's latest album (due out in May!). I recorded all the instruments using my home studio setup and they came out really great. Rana and her producer loved the work and I'm featured on 8 out of the 10 tracks on the album.

  25. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  26. A: I am working on releasing two new albums of material. Both duo recordings that I recorded myself. One is a drum/sax duo album of free jazz music, and the other is a sax/piano album of original jazz compositions, and I play both instruments! I'm also working on an orchestral piece that features vibraphone and alto saxophone.

  27. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  28. A: I'm digital all the way in terms of what I'm working with for recording. I don't know, it just happened that way!

  29. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  30. A: I promise that you'll get high quality work done in a reasonable amount of time.

  31. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  32. A: I like being able to create on a regular basis and bring more art into the world using my skills as a musician and artist.

  33. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  34. A: Q: How should I send you audio files? A: Google Drive, Dropbox are preferred. Q: What is your expected turn around time for completing the project? A: I usually can turn things around in a week or less, depending on the size and scope of the project.

  35. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  36. A: I think that sometimes there is a misconception that since I play the saxophone, I'm only able to play or compose jazz music. I have a much broader palette of music that I draw from and inspired by.

  37. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  38. A: How would you like audio files sent/shared? Do you want me to provide mixing/effects on sax? What DAW do you use (if any)?

  39. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  40. A: I've been performing and recording in a variety of contexts with both saxophone and piano since my high school years. Over the past two years, I've gotten more serious about building a home studio and delving more into the world of DAWs and recording gear.

  41. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  42. A: Recently I recorded piano, organ, and saxophone for several tracks for singer Rana Farhan's latest album. I recorded all the instruments using my home studio setup and they came out really great. Rana and her producer loved the work and I'm featured on 8 out of the 10 tracks on the album.

  43. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  44. A: I am working on: -Composing/recording/producing battle music for full orchestra for my video game music demo. -Developing my program "Altoism: The Masters of Alto Sax" -Arranging and rehearsing for my band "Squonk: A Jazz Tribute to Genesis"

  45. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  46. A: I think that sometimes there is a misconception that since I play the saxophone, I'm only able to play or compose jazz music. I have a much broader palette of music that I draw from and am inspired by.

  47. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  48. A: I'm digital all the way in terms of what I'm working with for recording. I don't know, it just happened that way!

  49. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  50. A: I promise that you'll get high quality work done in a reasonable amount of time.

  51. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  52. A: I like being able to create on a regular basis and bring more art into the world using my skills as a musician and artist.

  53. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  54. A: Q: How should I send you audio files? A: Google Drive, Dropbox are preferred. Q: What is your expected turn around time for completing the project? A: I usually can turn things around in a week or less, depending on the size and scope of the project.

  55. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  56. A: How would you like audio files sent/shared? Do you want me to provide mixing/effects on sax? What DAW do you use (if any)?

  57. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  58. A: I've been performing and recording in a variety of contexts with both saxophone and piano since my high school years. Over the past two years, I've gotten more serious about building a home studio and delving more into the world of DAWs and recording gear.

  59. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  60. A: My strongest skill is as an improviser on the saxophone.

  61. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  62. A: Keyboards: Yamaha P45 Electric Piano and Oxygen 61 Controller Woodwinds: RS Berkeley Virtuoso Alto Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet Roland XV2020 Rack Mount Synth 2008 Mac Pro Tower with Logic, Studio One,Ableton Live, Native Instruments Kontakt Ultimate, Arturia synths plugins. Line 6 UC2 Audio Interface ASUS Laptop with Studio One and PreSonus Orchestra and Piano Plugins ASUS 27" Monitor

  63. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  64. A: My saxophone, a piano, a laptop, a microphone, and an audio interface. Hopefully there is electricity. :)

  65. Q: How would you describe your style?

  66. A: My style is informed by both modern jazz and classical music, but I also have a healthy dose of pop and rock up in there too!

  67. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  68. A: Bjork - mainly because of the big band that I created that plays her music. Also I think she is a musical visionary that isn't afraid to take chances

  69. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  70. A: Don't be afraid to turn knobs and sliders in effects and synth plug-ins - a lot! Play and have fun - you never know what sounds you will come up with.

  71. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  72. A: I work on music in jazz (traditional to modern) and classical primarily. I also have experience working with rock, pop, and hip hop artists.

  73. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  74. A: As a saxophonist and pianist I bring a passionate, intense sound that reflects my experience as a modern jazz and classical artist, playing both as soloist and for background parts

  75. Q: What's your typical work process?

  76. A: Depending on the needs of the project, I will either improvise or compose melodic lines and accompaniment parts to create the tracks. Then I edit and arrange the material. After this I create stems for the individual instrument tracks and send them to the client.

  77. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  78. A: I'm inspired by jazz artists such Wayne Shorter and Ornette Coleman. I am a big fan of video game composers such as Inon Zur. I am also inspired by film composers such as John Williams and Howard Shore.

  79. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  80. A: I record saxophone and keyboard tracks at my home studio. I prepare scores and parts for recording sessions. I also work as a music transcriber and copyist.

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"Who Is It" (Bjork) by Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra

I was the conductor, arranger, and alto saxophone soloist in this production

Terms Of Service

Prices and turn around time may very depending on size and length of project. Typically one week turn around time for most projects.

GenresSounds Like
  • Björk Guðmundsdóttir
  • Ornette Coleman
  • Wayne Shorter
Gear Highlights
  • RS Berkeley Virtuoso Alto Saxophone
  • Yamaha P-45 Digital Piano
  • Oxygen 61 Controller
  • Studio One
  • Logic
More Photos
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