Jacob Duncan’s musical journey has been fascinating. He combines a spiritual, intuitive inclination and a keen, educated intellect. Duncan is a band leader, composer, arranger, and force of nature saxophonist. His ensemble playing is just as assured and rewarding as his solo playing. The Louisville, Kentucky native began playing alto sax when he was eleven years old. He quickly became known as the “kid who could play.” After graduating from Interlochen Arts Academy in Kentucky, he played the lead alto position in the Yamaha Big Band high school and was awarded a music scholarship to University of North Texas in Denton Texas. He was also a member of the internationally renowned One O’Clock Lab Band and Little Jack Melody and his Young Turks and other stimulating outlets including his Liberation Prophecy. Duncan flew from Interlochen Arts Academy to Lisbon with his alto, $500 and very little else. He survived in Europe by playing on streets, French jazz clubs, and hitchhiking with other musicians. He returned to the States and felt the pull of New York. A day job at a coffee shop kept him afloat, while he performed countless sessions, giggled endlessly at Nimrod’s, Knitting Factory, as well as reassembling Liberation Prophecy into a sextet. A cruise ship tour of service seemed the best solution after he became frustrated with stress, rehearsal conflicts, and a constant diet of ramen noodles, bad poetry, and was eventually defeated. Duncan traveled far and wide from Unalaska, Aleutian Islands to Ushuaia (Tierra Del Fuego), South Asia–Thailand to Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore to many ports of call in New Zealand. He proudly recalled that he finally returned to Louisville, Kentucky, the “home of Muhammad Ali” and Hunter S. Thompson. Duncan has recorded two Liberation Prophecy records, been a father to an amazing boy, and created a web-series for children called “Liberation Living Room”. He also made great friends. He collaborates with many talented musicians including Mike Hyman and Todd Hildreth as well as Chris Fortner, Mike Hyman and Carly Johnson. He has also recorded many of his own songs, along with those of Norah Jones and Debbie Boone. Jacob Duncan’s creative crucible is best served by Louisville’s vibrant arts scene. It has a wealth of like-minded spirits who are committed to human expression. Visit www.jacobduncan.com
