Saxophonist Nathan Woodward ’09 released a self-titled smooth jazz album through 8Eighty Records, the University of Mobile’s record label.
The new album can be purchased online as a digital download for $10 at 8eightyrecords.com. The Pascagoula, MS native has emerged into the jazz, gospel and R&B industry as an outstanding saxophonist and composer.
He began playing saxophone at the age of 12, and since then has played for thousands of people across the globe. Woodward’s journey toward a successful musical career began in 2005, when he enrolled in the University of Mobile. During his college career, Woodward performed solos and toured with UMobile vocal and instrumental ensembles, gaining real-world experience and making connections that would help catapult his career to the next level.
By June 2011, Woodward played across the country with the TRUTH 40th anniversary tour. In addition to playing saxophone for the tour, Woodward directed the horn line and arranged music for many of the instrumentalists. Since then, Woodward has released several instrumental albums including Ivory Wind and Prayer Language.
Chris Springer, producer of the new album titled Nathan Woodward, said the musician is “one of the most talented instrumentalists I’ve had the pleasure to work with. I’ve dreamed for years about writing and producing this kind of project and I’m so glad that dream was realized with Nathan.”
Woodward’s unique style blends together components of jazz, gospel, and R&B to create a soulful performance with each song. Whether he is playing in a concert hall or a church auditorium, Woodward’s improvisational jazz/gospel sound aims to encourage and move any audience.
“These are the melodies that have been running through my head for the last two years,” said Woodward, “and they’ve finally been recorded. Because of that I view this as my debut album and I feel like I’ve finally found my musical niche.”
8Eighty Records is part of the University of Mobile Center for Performing Arts/ School of Music and School of Worship Leadership. Along with its music publishing arm, 8Eighty Records includes the state-of-the-art Fisher-Brewer recording studio that provides a hands-on learning laboratory for university students to record and produce CDs in the same type of professional environment they will encounter in their music careers. Both Woodward’s individual success and his new project with 8eighty Records are examples of what the UMobile Center for Performing Arts aims to do with each student, according to Dr. Roger Breland, vice president for project development. For more than 50 years, University of Mobile musicians have impacted the world through their musical skill and committed lives as recording and concert artists, music educators, church musicians, and missionaries.
For more information about the Fisher-Brewer Recording Studio and academic programs in the Center for Performing Arts/School of Music and School of Worship Leadership, visit www.umobile.edu or call 251.442.2222 or 800.WIN.RAMS. For more about Woodward, visit his website: nathanwoodward.com.
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