Emilio Modeste

Born in Virginia, New York-based tenor saxophonist and composer Emilio Modeste is lead saxophonist in the bands of Stanley Clarke N 4EVER and Cindy Blackman Santana. Modeste has performed with world-renowned musicians including Ron Carter, Jimmy Cobb, Buster Williams, Patrice Rushen, Lenny White, Gary Bartz, Steve Turre, Christian McBride, Rene McLean, Antoine Roney, Donald Harrison, and many others. In 2016, he opened for Jon Batiste at the Celebrate Brooklyn Festival with Kojo Roney. A close friend and mentee of trumpeter Wallace Roney, Modeste traveled the world with Roney’s Quintet from 2017 to his passing in March 2020. He has also traveled alongside the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on the road in the U.S. Modeste can be found performing at Matthew Garrison’s Shapeshifter Lab, the Jazz Standard, Ginny's Supperclub, Minton's, the Village Vanguard, Smalls, Fat Cat, Zinc Bar, The Blue Note, the Bronx Beer Hall, and many other venues in New York City. He performs occasionally on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s house band: Jon Batiste and Stay Human. Modeste appears on Wallace Roney’s final studio album Blue Dawn-Blue Nights (2019) and Music From and Inspired by The Film Birth Of The Cool (2020).