Mary-Sue Tobin
Mary-Sue Tobin
Mary-Sue Tobin is a full-time professional performer and instructor on saxophones, woodwinds and piano with vast experience as both a side person and bandleader. Her work ethic and talents ensure that she stays busy and in high demand. You can find Mary-Sue performing regularly with the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble (saxophone and woodwinds); Rebirth of The Cool (lead alto); The Quadraphonnes (soprano and alto saxophone); The Paul Brainard Horns (all saxophones); MSTrio, MSQ (Quartet and Quintet), and Rhythm Dogs.
mary-sue tobin is a portland-based saxophone master
Mary-Sue is a professional saxophonist, composer and educator with a long history in a multitude of Portland based ensembles and in the local music community.
She has performed with Oregon Symphony Pops (Pointer Sisters, Johnny Mathis), at numerous Festivals (Portland Jazz Festival, Waterfront Blues Festival, Mt. Hood Jazz Festival, Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, Vancouver Jazz Festival, Banff International Jazz Festival) and has shared the stage with international jazz and R&B stars such as Dave Douglas, The Temptations, James Moody and Esperanza Spalding. She appears on the Soundtrack for the Oscar nominated movie, "The Holdovers" with The Quadraphonnes (an all female saxophone quartet she helped found) as well as the movie "Hear No Evil" with the group Dub Squad.
She has toured internationally with the groups Flatland, DK Stewart, Dub Squad and Industrial Jazz Group.
She has recorded and performed with numerous regional and international artists of all genres.
She is currently a Top Call Player and Band Member of: The Quadraphonnes, Paul Brainard Horns, PJCE, Re-Birthing The Cool and leads her own ensembles as well.
Mary-Sue brings her passion for music and years of experience to her students through private instruction as well as clinics and adjudicating.
She was Adjunct Saxophone Instructor at George Fox University and substitute instructor for Darrell Grant in the Jazz Studies Department at Portland State University.
Mary-Sue received her Masters of Music in Saxophone Performance (Classical) in 2005 and a Bachelor of Music (Jazz Studies) from Portland State University in 2003, where she served as the graduate teaching assistant for the jazz studies department.
In addition to performance and education Mary-Sue has a long history programming, curating and starting local music series in addition to serving as local Montavilla Jazz Festival Artist in Residence and PDX Jazz Festival Programming Committee.
She lives in SE Portland, where she plays and teaches music all the time.
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For their fifth album, the Oregon-based Rhythm Dogs took advantage of the pandemic downtime to create their finest effort, aptly titled “Rewired.”
The band fuses the elements of jazz, AfroBeat, ska, reggae, dub, blues, and their trademark funk on this effort with stunning results.
Read the entire review here: https://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2022/01/cd-review-rhythm-dogs-rewired/
Now available!
Quadraphonnes + Andrew Durkin
Five-Pointed Star
Digital Album
Listen to track samples and purchase here: https://pjce.bandcamp.com/album/five-pointed-star
(Coming soon on Amazon, Apple Music, and other online outlets).
“This music is riveting. The saxophone quartet of sopranist Mary-Sue Tobin, altoist Chelsea Luker, tenorist Michelle Medler, and baritonist Mieke Bruggeman keep a tight orbit around the melodies of Andrew Durkin’s compositions, while simultaneously unleashing harmonic waves, one after the other, as far as they’ll carry them. It is one of those recordings that keeps the ear locked in the present moment, focused on the newest expression. In the jazz tradition of re-arranging pop songs and taking them to new horizons, the quartet teases the melody to Faith No More’s arena-friendly anthem “From Out of Nowhere,” to the point where it’s tantalizingly familiar, hovering at the edge of perception.”
-Dave Sumner, The Best Jazz on Bandcamp: January 2021
Check out our interview with Tom D’Antoni of Oregon Music News here:
https://www.oregonmusicnews.com/durkin-tobin-coffeeshop-conversations276
The Quadraphonnes 2014 CD Release:
"Just the two of us"
