Biography

Laura Dreyer, a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, has been a dynamic member of the New York jazz scene since her arrival. Her original compositions fuse elements of jazz, funk, and rock with a Brazilian flair, creating a unique, contemporary palette of sound with a wide array of textures.

Laura has headlined at the Kennedy Center’s "Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival" and opened for David Sanborn at the Syracuse Jazz Festival. She have also performed at many of New York City’s top clubs, including The Blue Note, Sweet Rhythm, Birdland, Le Bar Bat, The Zinc Bar, El Taller Latino Americano, Caviarteria, Europa Café, Dekk, and Cachaça, to name a few. Laura’s debut CD, “Mysterious Encounter,” is available at cdbaby.com/lauradreyer. In addition, Laura also produced a compilation CD entitled Sax in the City on Apria Records, for which the proceeds benefit breast cancer charities. Laura's new release. "Free Flying Bird," was released on Piloo Records and Sony Premium Latin on November 22nd, 2011. Laura was recently awarded two grants in 2010 from The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council to produce a live concert which featured The New York Brazilian Jazz Funk Project. In the Summer of 2010 Laura was a featured performer and educator in Busan, South Korea at The Friends of Music in Korea music festival.

A multi-instrumentalist, Dreyer is in great demand as a sideperson. Her love of Brazilian music in particular has been fostered by her work with such noted musicians such as pianist Dom Salvador, with whom Laura performed in Rio de Janiero at the 2010 Copafest, vocalist Leny Andrade, guitarist Romero Lubambo (who has performed as a guest with Mysterious Encounter), pianists and Weber Iago, drummer Portinho, percussionist Helcio Milito, Brazilian Breeze, vocalist/percussionist Kerry Linder, as well as many others. Audiences have heard her burning alto and rugged tenor in the bands of such diverse artists as Dr. Billy Taylor, Rufus Reid, Akira Tana, Walter Bishop Jr., Mel Lewis, Robert Palmer, Nnenna Freelon, Lea Delaria, The Big O Orchestra, and saxophonist/author James McBride. Laura has toured Cyprus with the Broadway show Five Guys Named Moe, performed in the national tour of the Duke Ellington tribute Hit Me With a Hot Note which featured Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., as well as performing in the on stage band of the award winning musical Hot and Sweet at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Dreyer has also appeared with various big bands and small ensembles at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Village Vanguard, 7th Ave. South, S.O.B.’s, the Hartford Jazz Festival, and the Savannah Jazz Festival, as well as tours of Europe and Japan.

A scholarship student at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, Dreyer studied with noted music educators Andy McGee, Joe Viola, and John LaPorta. In addition, she took private lessons with saxophone greats Joe Henderson and Joe Lovano, composers Lyle Mays and Jim McNeely. The National Endowment for the Arts awarded Laura three grants: one in performance and two in professional jazz study/composition. She participated in the BMI composition program conducted by composer/trombonist Bob Brookmeyer. Four of her songs have received honorable mention in Billboard Magazine's songwriting contests.

Laura was a founding member and contributing arranger for the big band DIVA. She remained with the ensemble for six years, playing both lead alto and tenor. With DIVA, she performed at Tavern on the Green, annual conferences for the International Association of Jazz Educators, New York’s famed Blue Note jazz club, the Kennedy Center, and such prestigious festivals as Newport, Montreal, Pori, and Berlin. Since Diva accompanied a wide range of solo artists, Dreyer also had wonderful opportunities to perform with major talents such as Rosemary Clooney, Dave Brubeck, Joe Williams, Jack Jones, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Rebecca Parris, Maurice Hines, Diane Schuur, Slide Hampton, Clark Terry, and many others.

Dreyer is very active as a music educator, having served on the faculties of the Jamey Aebersold jazz clinics, Cazadero Music and Arts Camp, and the New York Pops Salute to Music program. Laura is currently a faculty member in the Jazz Department of the prestegious Hoff-Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale, New York where she teaches jazz woodwinds, theory, conducts ensembles, and leads jazz improvisation classes, The Church St. School for Music and Art in Tribeca, where Laura teaches piano and woodwinds, as well as Riverdale Country School in Riverdale, NY. She regularly conducts clinics and workshops at high schools and colleges which have included The Berklee College of Music and The 2007 Jazz Improv Convention. Dreyer was a featured columnist in Saxophone Journal for five years, and continues to write for various music publications including Jazz Improv Magazine, and Sax on the Web. In addition to her music career, Laura has studied and performed comedy improv and sketch comedy at The People’s Improv Theatre and the Magnet Theatre in New York City, and has appeared on television and radio as an improv and voice actor.