Gary Smulyan is critically acclaimed as one of the major voices on the baritone saxophone today. As a teenager growing up on Long Island, Smulyan had the opportunity to perform with Lee Konitz, Chet Baker, and Jimmy Knepper.

In 1978 he was asked to join Woody Herman's Young Thundering Herd, which at that time included Joe Lovano, Marc Johnson and John Riley. He left Herman in 1980 and moved back to New York to join the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra led by Bob Brookmeyer. Smulyan has recorded and performed worldwide with Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Tom Harrell. Cedar Walton, George Coleman, Joe Henderson, Joe Lovano, Tommy Flanagan, Chick Corea, Diana Ross, Clark Terry, Kenny Wheeler, Charles McPherson, James Moody and Slide Hampton, among others. He has recorded five CDs for the CrissCross label, including: The Lure of Beauty, Saxophone Mosaic (voted one of the best 25 CDs of 1995 by WBGO, New York's leading FM jazz station), Homage (featuring Tommy Flanagan), Gary Smulyan with Strings (selected as one of the 10 best jazz CDs of 1997 by the Boston Globe) and recently Blue Suite with Brass. Smulyan's new release, The Real Deal, on Reservoir Records is currently available.

Smulyan was announced the winner of the 2004 Jazz Journalists' Award for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year. He currently performs with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Joe Lovano Nonet, the Dave Holland Octet and Big Band, the Three Baritone Saxophone Band, the George Coleman Octet, the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band and the Top Harrell Octet as well as his own projects. He is also on the faculty at William Paterson University.

At its annual Century Jazz Festival, the band teams up with the Century Foundation to raise money for student scholarships. The Festival is held at the Century College, 3300 Century Ave., N., White Bear Lake on Jan. 27, 8 p.m. and Jan. 28, 3 p.m.. FFI/tickets, call (651) 779-3942 after Jan. 1.