ANDRÉ WARD
TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ALUM AND AWARD- WINNING SAXOPHONIST
BY PRINCESS GADSON
T ennessee State University alum and award-winning smooth jazz saxophonist, André Ward, has released his fifth album, “Africa Rising.” The project consists of originals and remakes, each with their own undeniable sound. From the silky- smooth single “Planet Earth,” to the soulful remake of Sade’s “Kiss of Life,” André covers several musical tastes. In 2013, André’s fourth album, “Caution” ranked #1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, remaining in that position for four weeks.
through an afterschool program, which encouraged children to play musical instruments. “The afterschool program gave me an opportunity to not be on the streets in another capacity. I think [it] was really helpful for myself and a lot of other friends that we had growing up at that time. It gave us an outlet,” he explained. The second of six children, André grew up in a home surrounded by music, with a mother who was a devoted gospel singer at their local church, one brother who played the drums, and another brother that played the guitar.
the choir;, but whenever there was choir rehearsal, we had to go. There was always music in our household – it all started with gospel music,” André said. “That’s where my musical foundation is.” André’s first instrument of choice was the snare drum. Then, he switched to the trumpet, and lastly, to the alto saxophone. “It was then when I tried the saxophone, I just kind of had a feeling. It just felt right,” he said. Upon graduating from Tennessee State University (TSU) with a bachelor’s in music education, André attended Berklee College of Music, earning a degree in musical performance. From
The Chicago native developed his love for instruments at the young age of 8,
“We were at Sunday school and in church every Sunday. We were not in
4 8 | HBCU TIMES SUMMER ISSUE 2023
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