Biography

"Ernie Krivda is one of the best jazz tenor sax men in the world..." - Harvey Pekar

Ernie Krivda begins his 6th decade on the music scene “on the move” following 10 years of intense activity, achievement and recognition.  In 2009 Ernie Krivda received the Cleveland Arts Prize award for lifetime achievement in music. That same year saw the release of perhaps his most adventurous recording, the critically acclaimed solo saxophone improvisations of November Man. The banner year ended with Krivda being awarded a CPAC (Community Partnership of Arts and Culture) Fellowship worth twenty thousand dollars.

In a career that spans almost 50 years, Krivda enters the new decade with the respect of his peers and the accolades of critics who have called him one of the greatest jazz tenor saxophonists in the world. His very personal and distinctive improvisational style, along with his unique compositions, has been documented on 30 recordings under his name and many others as a guest artist. The last decade has been his most prolific with eight releases since 2003, and more due out in 2010.

“Ernie Krivda almost blew the sun out of the sky...still at the top of his game..."-    Detroit Metro Times

Ernie Krivda was born in Cleveland, began his music studies at age 6, and attended The Cleveland Institute of Music before going on the road. Since that time he has shared the stage with some of the great names in jazz. He was mentored by musicians such as Cannonball Adderley, played in the Quincy Jones Orchestra and performed with artists ranging from Ella Fitzgerald to Jackie Wilson.

Krivda has made his home in Cleveland for most of his life but his music takes him across the United States, and into the concert halls of Europe and Japan. He also is a highly respected teacher and clinician who mentored many young jazz musicians working on the world jazz scene. He projects include the Detroit Connection Quartet, and has a “Live at the Dirty Dog” recording scheduled for release on CIMPOL this year and two others due out in the near future.

"[Ernie] brandishes one of the most ravishing and distinctive sounds in music - a vibrant, rawboned tone colored by an impassioned vibrato." - David Dupont, One Final Note, Jazz & Improvised Music Webzine

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