For more than four decades, Horace Alexander Young has maintained a career as an accomplished musician, educator and recording and touring artist. He is equally gifted as a multi-instrumentalist (woodwinds, keyboards, and percussion), vocal musician and composer/arranger.
His saxophone, flute and vocal skills have thrilled audiences in twenty countries across five continents at major Jazz festivals from Houston to Tokyo and beyond.
He also spent 17 years of that time working as Musical Director and a featured soloist with 2019 NEA Jazz Master Abdullah Ibrahim, for whom he wrote numerous arrangements in various instrumental settings, contributed to two studio recordings, several noted television appearances and two award-winning films.
Having contributed to 100+ significant studio and live recordings (in these various capacities), he has also performed and toured extensively with such artists as:
Aretha Franklin
B.B. King
Bill Withers
The McCoy Tyner Big Band
Lightnin’ Hopkins
Carol Kaye
Candido Camero
Joe Williams
James Brown
Johnny Nash
The Spinners
The Temptations
The Four Tops
The Manhattans
Johnny “Guitar” Watson
David “Fathead” Newman
O.C. Smith
Bobbi Humphrey
Gladys Knight and the Pips
Regina Belle
Dionne Warwick
Jono Manson
Tadeu Coelho
Patti LaBelle
Dianne Reeves
Nancy Wilson
Siedah Garrett
Arnett Cobb
Lucy Arnaz
Billy Paul
Michael Cooper
Bobby McFerrin
Peabo Bryson
Aretha Franklin B.B. King Bill Withers The McCoy Tyner Big Band Lightnin’ Hopkins Carol Kaye Candido Camero Joe Williams James Brown Johnny Nash The Spinners The Temptations The Four Tops The Manhattans Johnny “Guitar” Watson David “Fathead” Newman O.C. Smith Bobbi Humphrey Gladys Knight and the Pips Regina Belle Dionne Warwick Jono Manson Tadeu Coelho Patti LaBelle Dianne Reeves Nancy Wilson Siedah Garrett Arnett Cobb Lucy Arnaz Billy Paul Michael Cooper Bobby McFerrin Peabo Bryson
Mr. Young is in constant demand as an adjudicator and as a guest performer for numerous festivals and schools throughout the USA, Canada and abroad. He also performs as a sideman with noted recording/touring artists and as a leader of his own group, ENTOUCHE. His recent recordings are found on the Pacific Coast Jazz label.
As a published author (Improvising Jazz Flute, Music Sales/G.Schirmer) and music journalist, he has contributed articles and book reviews for SB&O (School Band and Orchestra) Magazine, GIG Magazine, Flute Talk, The Instrumentalist, Flute Focus, Canadian Musician and American Music Teacher. He also served on the editorial boards of the MEIEA Journal (Music Entertainment Industry Educator’s Association) and Jazz Education in Research and Practice (Journal of Jazz Education Network).
Horace Alexander Young performs on Selmer Paris Saxophones, uses Vandoren saxophone reeds, mouthpieces, and ligatures exclusively, and uses SKB instrument cases.
