Roy Jay Nathanson is a saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and teacher, born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 17, 1951. He is best known for being the leader and principal composer of the Jazz Passengers, a six-piece group he founded with Curtis Fowlkes in 1987. The band has toured extensively throughout Europe, the United States, and Canada, recording eight albums to date.
In 1994, Nathanson composed and produced an original vocal album titled "Jazz Passengers in Love", featuring Deborah Harry as a full-time member alongside guest vocalists Jimmy Scoff, John Kelly, Freedy Johnston, Bernard Fowler, Jeff Buckley, and Elvis Costello.
Nathanson has also co-led a duo with keyboardist Anthony Coleman, touring the U.S. and Europe together. As an independent composer, he has collaborated on several theater productions, films, television projects, and composed children's songs for HBO's "Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child".
In 1997, Nathanson received two grants from Meet the Composer organization funded by the Carnegie Corporation to create new work with children. The result, "Dreams of Someday", was co-written and performed with the children of P.S. 188 in Queens.
His album "The Fire at Keaton's Bar & Grill" was released under his own name by Six Degrees Records in March 2000, featuring collaborations with artists he has worked with throughout his career. Nathanson is also a teacher at the Institute for Collaborative Education.
