Saxes

Alto Sax, Founder/Director

Ken Zampella founded the Garden State Jazz Orchestra in 2010 and has been performing with them since its inception to help promote and advance the betterment of jazz education within the tri-state area. Ken earned his Bachelor’s degree in music education from William Paterson University and his Master of Music degree in saxophone performance from Rutgers University. He has performed with numerous jazz and classical groups including the New Jersey Youth Symphony, Freelance Ensemble Artists, Joey Katz Orchestra, and Alan Chez and the Brothers of Funk at venues including Carnegie Hall, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Westminster Abbey, and the U.S. Ambassador’s residence in London. He has also recorded at the legendary United Sound Systems Recording Studio in Detroit. Ken is currently a band director at Piscataway High School, President of Region 2 for the New Jersey Association for Jazz Educators, serves as an active performer and clinician, and resides in Scotch Plains, NJ with his wife and 2 daughters.

Alto Sax

Frank Amato is an active music educator & performer with over 30 years of experience. Frank has been a high school Band Director in NJ schools since 2006, and since 2017 is currently the Director of Bands at Abraham Clark High School in Roselle. He has been giving private saxophone lessons to students in Morris, Somerset & Middlesex counties since he graduated Roxbury High School in 1997. Frank’s love of the saxophone began with his Grandfather Joe introducing him to the instrument & big band music in 1989. Inspired by the sounds of Count Basie & Charlie Parker, Frank studied Jazz for a few years after high school with studio jazz saxophonist Frank Elmo, in Clifton. In 2000, he turned his attention to classical saxophone, studying with the world-renowned Dr. Paul Cohen, at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. In 2004 he received his Bachelor of Music Performance, in saxophone. Frank is the principal saxophonist of the Raritan Valley Symphonic Band and was happy to join the GSO on tenor & now alto saxophone in 2018. He resides in Roxbury, NJ with his amazing daughter.

Tenor Sax

Don Honeycutt spent three years in the Traditional and Experimental Jazz Ensembles at Cornell University, appearing with guests such as Steve Turre, McCoy Tyner and Billy Taylor. He was the sax player and horn arranger for the band Woodfish from 2005 to 2014.

Tenor Sax

With a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from Morehead State University and a Master of Music in Jazz Performance from Rutgers University, JT has had the privilege of studying saxophone under the guidance of esteemed mentors such as Ralph Bowen, Gordon Towell, Nathan Nabb, Masahito Sugihara, Johnny Salinas, Tom Harmony, Matthew Taylor, and Ed Bingham with additional guidance given by Abraham Burton and Mark Gross. These mentors shaped his musical journey, instilling in him a deep appreciation for the nuances of saxophone artistry.

After graduation, JT has worked as a professional musician, having the privilege of taking part and appearing in national commercials for companies such as META, as well as other contributions to projects for additional companies such as Red Bull. In addition to commercial work, JT's saxophone skills have also been featured on various album recordings, as well as other live broadcasted events.

Currently, JT is an active musician in the vibrant NJ/NYC music scene, where he frequently collaborates with event bands and engages in a diverse array of musical projects, spanning in genres like funk, hip-hop, and jazz. One of these projects co-run by JT, W.R., has also been recognized on a national and international level by fellow musicians, including The Wu-Tang Clan, who featured and broadcasted the band’s work across their social media accounts.

Beyond his musical endeavors, JT partners with several esteemed music businesses such as J. Landress Brass, J.L. Woodwinds, GARD Bags, and others, helping them shape their brand and enhance their social media presence.

JT remains committed to his musical journey, continuously striving to create, perform, and share original music.s.

Currently, JT is an active musician in the vibrant NJ/NYC music scene, where he frequently collaborates with event bands and engages in a diverse array of musical projects, spanning in genres like funk, hip-hop, and jazz. One of these projects co-run by JT, W.R., has also been recognized on a national and international level by fellow musicians, including The Wu-Tang Clan, who featured and broadcasted the band’s work across their social media accounts.

Beyond his musical endeavors, JT partners with several esteemed music businesses such as J. Landress Brass, J.L. Woodwinds, GARD Bags, and others, helping them shape their brand and enhance their social media presence.

JT remains committed to his musical journey, continuously striving to create, perform, and share original music.

Baritone Sax

Alvin Scott holds a Master’s degree in classical saxophone performance from the Manhattan School of Music, and a BM in Music Education from William Paterson University. A performer known for his dark, rich timbers and facile technique, Alvin has recorded and performed compositions with M. Zachary Johnson for the albums “She Walks in Beauty” and “Tribute.” He is currently performing with the Hanover Wind Symphony on soprano and alto saxophone and a part of the High Mountain Saxophone Quartet. He is also a bari sax player for the Garden State Jazz Orchestra and a freelance musician in the New York metropolitan area. In addition to all that, he is a teacher in the Wayne Public Schools in New Jersey.