The Tiptons

“…They unleashed powerhouse unisons, hammering riffs, contrapuntally controlled chaos, fierce counterpoint and sharp solos on a program that ranged from Carla Bley to Los Lobos, from Klezmer to Sun Ra." --Paul De Barros, Down Beat 

The Tiptons are unique among brass ensembles—an all-woman band featuring a quartet of saxophones plus percussion; and a repertoire ranging from New Orleans “second - line” to jazz, Afro-Cuban to Balkan, Klezmer and beyond. On Thursday, April 24th, the Tiptons will bring their wildly exciting musicianship to the Dakota in downtown Minneapolis. 

The Tiptons include Amy Denio (alto sax and vocals); Jessica Lurie (alto and tenor sax, vocals); Sue Orfield (tenor sax and vocals); and Tina Richerson (tenor and bari sax, vocals). Originally founded as the Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet in 1992, the Tiptons have gained an international reputation following the release of two recordings, Tsunami in 2004 and DRIVE in 2005. They’ve since performed at festivals throughout North America and toured through Europe four times. 

Amy Denio

Internationally renowned composer, performance artist, and woodwind specialist, Jessica Lurie co-founded the Tiptons in 1992. The Seattle native now lives in New York, where she performs and composes for her own bands, The Jessica Lurie Ensemble (JLE), The Living Daylights Trio (Seattle), Latin funk band La Buya, and the Balkan brass band ,The Zagnuts. Her wide ranging collaborations have included Bill Frisell, The Indigo Girls, Amy Denio, NYC's Circus Amok, Nels Cline, The Jacob Fred Jazz Oddessy, The Pat Grainey Dance Company, Scott Amendola, Wayne Horvitz, Allison Miller, the Berkeley Symphony, and Steven Berstein. With 22 CD credits, Jessica has received numerous grants and started her own label, Zipa! Music.

Jessicao Lurie ©Daniel Zazlj

Tenor sax specilialst Sue Orfield recently relocated to the Midwest (Eau Claire) from Seattle, making her Dakota debut last year with the Mary Louise Knutson Quartet. Over her 30-year career, Sue has performed blues, jazz, rock and original music, and was voted “Best Horn” by the Washington Blues Society five times from 1999-2004. In addition to the Tiptons, Sue plays with numerous bands including Rada Dada, The Lucy Creek Blues Band, The Catfish Walker Band, Deep Water Reunion, Willie Walker and the Butanes, The Roxxy Hall Band, and many more.  Her own Sue Orfield Band (SOB) features many of her own compositions. Sue has performend with such artists as Jo Dee Messina, the Indigo Girls, Bo Diddley, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, and Bobby McFerrin, and appears on more than 40 recordings. 
 
Tina Richerson received a music degree from the University of Idaho, where she was named Overall Instrumental Soloist at the 1997 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. Classically trained, she earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Washington and was the first woman to perform and record with the Seattle Jazz Repertory Orchestra. Currently Tina performs with the Tiptons, Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra, and her own quintet, Hard Bop or Not? In addition to 20 years of experience with big bands, Tina has also appeared with Claudio Roditi, Don Lanphere, Mallet Jazz, and the jazz trio Love Must Swing.

Sue Orfield©Andrea Canter

The Dakota is located at 1010 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis; www.dakotacooks.com. More on the Tiptons at www.tiptonssaxquartet.com. On April 22nd, the Tiptons perform in Menonomie at the Mabel Tainter Theater (www.mabeltainter.com); on April 25th they will be on stage at the Jazz Estate in Milwaukee (www.jazzestate.com)