AUTUMN DOMINGUEZ
Photo by Nathan Schweitzer
Autumn Dominguez has been illustrated by her mentors and peers as a “passionate, humble, and captivating musician.”
Autumn Dominguez is a versatile saxophonist, vocalist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator based out of New Orleans, Louisiana. Dominguez is primarily a jazz musician, largely influenced by greats such as Charlie Parker and Lee Konitz; but her classical training and love for different styles of music has created the unique mosaic that is her sound. Her latest original project is a cross-genre blend of jazz and indie pop, where her unique vocals and intimate songwriting shine. Autumn’s eclectic writing, and her ability to convey raw emotion to an audience through sound, is extraordinary.
Autumn is originally from the small mountain town Prescott, Arizona, where she was born and raised by her grandparents. Her grandfather shared his passion for music with her at a young age by showing her records and gifting her a guitar. Dominguez began to play - singing and exploring different genres at just 9 years old. She later switched to saxophone at age 11 and played in all the bands throughout grade school, eventually going on to pursue it as a career path at age 18. Dominguez moved to Tucson, Arizona to seriously study both classical and jazz saxophone at the Fred Fox School of Music.
She began her journey as a professional player and formed a group, the Autumn Dominguez Quintet, that performed all over the city, even opening the Tucson Jazz Festival in 2019. Dominguez also created and hosted one of Arizona's most popular straight ahead jazz jam sessions, Strawberry Jam™, for nearly five years at a cafe she worked at part-time. Musicians would drive hours from different cities in Arizona just to attend her session. After seeing the success of Strawberry Jam™, drummer Arthur Vint asked Autumn to be the first host of a weekly jam session at his new spot The Century Room, now a very well known borderlands jazz club. Autumn hosted the Late Night Jam at the Century Room every Sunday until she moved to New Orleans, where she now works as a freelance performer and music educator. In the Crescent City, Dominguez has been given incredible opportunities; including being a member of Ashlin Parker's Trumpet Mafia™ and being a featured performer with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra for their Women In Jazz tribute, to name a few.
As an educator, Dominguez has been blessed to share her passion in a variety of settings with students of all ages. In New Orleans, she currently teaches at the Don "Moose" Jamison Heritage School of Music, in addition to having her own private saxophone studio. Dominguez also had the privilege to be on faculty at the well-renowned Birch Creek Summer Music Academy in 2024, where she mentored high school students interested in pursuing jazz and served as the faculty orchestra's youngest lead alto player.
Dominguez has many outstanding accomplishments but her proudest so far pertains to her work as a recording artist. Her first album, "Sunflower Seeds," was self-produced and features her own eclectic original compositions and arrangements. The first track on the record features a voice memo interview with legendary saxophonist Lee Konitz that Dominguez recorded on Lee's Manhattan apartment couch when he was 91 years young. Dominguez's latest project is an EP called "grief songs," which is comprised of four original indie-jazz cross-genre tunes that illustrate the different hues of grief. The project is beautifully written and features a ten-piece band comprised of New Orleans-based musicians.
In addition to Konitz, Dominguez has been able to play and study with a great deal of admirable musicians throughout the years; such as Wess "Warmdaddy" Anderson, Nicholas Payton, Ashlin Parker, Derek Douget, Gabrielle Cavassa, Joe Lovano, Terell Stafford, Dick Oatts, Herlin Riley, Jason Marsalis, Quiana Lynell, Khari Allen Lee, Joel Frahm, and many others.
“I am impressed by her work ethic, determination, and musical leadership.”
- Dr. Angelo Versace, UA Director of Jazz Studies
Dominguez earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Arizona in Saxophone Performance/Jazz Studies in May 2019. She studied classical saxophone under Dr. Edward Goodman and was mentored by notable artists such as saxophonist Brice Winston, pianist Dr. Angelo Versace, and trumpet player Jason Carder.
As her journey continues, it is evident Dominguez has a special kind of determination and devotion that will carry her wherever she aspires to go.
