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"When I play something, anything, I step back and listen to myself and ask 'Does this sound good even if I know absolutely nothing about music or jazz?'" This concept is a torch for Dillon, lighting his young and uncharted musical path. Having played music since the age of 3, when his parents put a small bite-sized Cello into his toddler grasp, music has been part of his environment. "Music at such an early age is both a blessing and a curse, because despite the familiarity aspect you have going for you, there is also the world of bad habits and stale concepts to which all of us cling to like a safety vest, which in turn impedes our musical growth." Upon entering middle school Dillon added the alto sax into the mix of piano and cello. It wasn't until being accepted into the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, that he chose sax above the rest as well as deciding to leave high school a year early to pursue his dreams. To say that playing at jam sessions in the city at venues like Cleopatra's Needle and St.Nicks pub were growth experiences for Dillon would be a gross understatement. "So you have James Carter, Eric Lewis, Roy Hargrove, Steve Turre, David Sanchez among other heavies and even Wynton would show up! And then there was little ol' me." Yes, this was where the real learning went on for such a young lion, hitting the Manhattan scene at the age of 16. At Manhattan School he studied with Dick Oatts and Gerard D'Angelo as well as playing in the Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra under Bobby Sanabria. Despite the amazing musical scene and all of the exposure, Dillon found himself in want of more academic stimulation, and returned upstate to complete his undergraduate degree in Psychology. While in Albany, Dillon has started to make a name for himself, playing around the region with the likes of Adrian Cohen, Brian Patneaude, Joe Barna among others, as well as holding weekly jam sessions at the Muddy Cup with his newly formed trio Three Play Jazz. |
