bio
"Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom."
-Charlie Parker
AJ Huang is a saxophonist, arranger, and composer currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a rising young musician on the scene, known for his ability to fit harmoniously into any musical setting. Growing up in a suburb near Cleveland, Ohio, and being taught by jazz greats of the area such as Chris Coles, Dominick Farinacci, and Mark Mauldin, AJ’s abilities are rooted in jazz, but his influences range widely from neo-soul and funk to indie acoustic pop. AJ's ability to seamlessly transition between all saxophones and musical styles while keeping his unique voice on the instrument is versatile and allows him to blend or stand out in any situation. AJ was recently named a Finalist in the 2024 North American Saxophone Alliance College Jazz Competition, and was awarded an Honorable Mention.
After moving to Nashville in the middle of 2020, AJ began attending Belmont University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Commercial Music with a double emphasis in Performance and Music Business under the tutelage of Dr. Alex Graham, Evan Cobb, and Kevin Gatzke. There, he was a part of Belmont’s top jazz ensembles as well as a leader of the horn sections for Belmont’s premier pop and gospel vocal groups. He graduated with a B.M. in Commercial Music from Belmont University in May 2024. As a result of Dr. Graham's mentorship, AJ worked seasonally as a resident musician at the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island, Michigan, where he played alongside incredible jazz musicians from around the world every night. It is here that he was been able to develop and realize his talents as a musician in both the jazz and pop idioms.
In addition to his involvement at Belmont, AJ is a force on the Nashville music scene and beyond. Most notably, he is a founder and leader of the Pitch Horns, a horn collective that is a part of Pitch Meeting, a non-profit artist development organization that was named “Nashville’s 3rd Best Band” in 2022 by Nashville Scene. With Pitch Meeting, AJ has had the opportunity to share the stage with renowned artists such as Cory Wong, Theo Katzman, Jacob Jeffries, Jeremy Passion, Tommy Sims, and Joseph Wooten, to name a few.
Furthermore, AJ spearheads his own project under his name – a versatile jazz/fusion group that plays anything from large corporate events to intimate house parties. This group has been a vessel for AJ's ambitious jazz/fusion compositions that reflect influences from the likes of Snarky Puppy, Braxton Cook, Ghost-Note, Dynamo, and more. Additionally, AJ is a co-founder and co-manager of The PitchPockets, a funk/soul/pop band that won Belmont University and Lightning 100’s Battle of the Bands in 2022. Their debut EP "Pool Party" has garnered a large local following for the band, and the single "Woman" has achieved radio airplay on Lightning 100. AJ works full time doing freelance work as a bandleader, saxophonist, horn arranger, session musician, and educator around the Nashville area and beyond.