Walter Blanding

Walter Blanding is an internationally recognized saxophonist, composer, educator, and Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame inductee whose career spans more than 35 years across five continents. Early in his career, he appeared on the debut album by Tough Young Tenors, Alone Together, which reached No. 5 on Billboard's Jazz Albums chart. Since then, he has performed and recorded with artists including Cab Calloway, Roy Hargrove, Branford Marsalis, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, and Elton John. Blanding spent twelve years with the Wynton Marsalis Quintet and 25 years with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. He currently serves as Jazz Ambassador for Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai, where he continues his lifelong mission of connecting cultures through music.