The Tiptons Saxophone Quartet

Thursday, March 13, 7 - 9:30 pm

Join us for a special evening at the San Francisco Dharma Collective with The Tiptons Saxophone Quartet and Drums (formerly the Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet)

This will be the Tiptons only San Francisco appearance on their West Coast tour!

This event will highlight new compositions and arrangements, as well as stories and poems by women, BIPOC, LGBTQ, and Trans composers, featured as part of the new Tiptons’ recording (to be released Fall 2025).  

This internationally acclaimed and award-winning all-female sax quartet was founded in 1988 in Seattle, WA by Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame member Amy Denio (alto sax, clarinet, voice). She is joined by co-leaders Jessica Lurie (soprano/alto/tenor sax, voice), Sue Orfield (tenor sax, voice), and Tina Richerson (baritone saxophone, voice). Rick Wabbies (drums, percussion) joins them on drums.

The Tiptons' material ranges from micro-Big Band to Gospel, Bluegrass to Balkan, whimsical Chamber Jazz, and nocturnal Funk to Free Jazz Improvisation, using saxophones, clarinet, their voices, drums, and inventive percussion to create a genre-busting ‘world soul’ sound.

The band takes its name in honor of Billy Tipton, a female-born saxophonist who lived their life as a man in the 20th century to realize their dreams as a professional musician. Like Billy, the Tiptons have developed a personal, eclectic approach to their musical vision, creating some of the freshest sounds on the jazz/world/pop music scene today.

All members of the band are composers, band leaders and experienced improvisers. Their dynamic and playful performances always feature high-energy interaction between these virtuosic musicians and their audiences.

The Tiptons have received multiple commissions and grants to compose, produce multimedia performances, and collaborate with international artists. The ensemble has performed at festivals worldwide since 1993, and has led educational improvisation and composition workshops around the world to people of all ages and musical abilities. They have scored soundtracks for their own original multimedia productions, film, modern dance, radio and television internationally; their signature sound was even commissioned for an episode of the Norwegian TV series 'The Oil Fund’.