Darcy Rolston Hepner (born December 22, 1954) is a Canadian saxophonist, composer, and arranger.

Biography

Born in Edmonton, Alberta and raised in Hamilton,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, he is the son of professional musicians (conductor Dr.

Lee Hepner Dr. Lee Hepner (November 24, 1920 – July 24, 1986) ARCT 1950, B MUS (Toronto) 1951, BA (Washington) 1957, MA (Columbia) 1961, honorary FRHCM 1970, PH D (New York) 1972 was a Canadian teacher and orchestral conductor. Hepner was born in Edmont ...

and pianist Patricia Rolston). His professional career began as a cellist at the age of 15 and transitioned to flute, clarinet, and

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

during his studies at

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...

(BMus 1978). While pursuing

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

studies at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

he performed with

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Awards, ...

, B. B. King,

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

Mel Tormé Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed "the Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arrangement, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roa ...

and many others (MMUS 1980). Moving to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1983 he studied composition and saxophone at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

with

Lee Konitz Leon "Lee" Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist and composer. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's ass ...

and

Bob Mintzer Robert Alan Mintzer (born January 27, 1953) is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader. Early life Mintzer was born and raised in a Jewish family in New Rochelle, New York, on January 27, 1953. He attended the Inte ...

. During his second residency in New York from 1996 to 2005, Hepner toured with

Blood, Sweat and Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is an American jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. BS&T has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and ...

, played in Broadway and Off-Broadway shows and in clubs with such artists as

Buster Poindexter David Roger Johansen (January 9, 1950 – February 28, 2025) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor best known as lead singer of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under the pseudonym Buster Poi ...

and

Tom Wopat Thomas Steven Wopat (born September 9, 1951) is an American actor and singer. He first achieved fame as Lucas K. "Luke" Duke on the long-running television action/comedy series ''The Dukes of Hazzard''. Since then, Wopat has worked regularly, ...

. Since 2008 he has recorded and performed with

Tom Wilson (musician) Thomas Lazare Wilson (born 1959) is a Canadian rock musician from Hamilton, Ontario. A veteran of the Canadian music scene, Wilson has been a writer and performer for many years. Wilson's eclectic musical style has ranged from the psychobilly/R ...

and

LeE HARVeY OsMOND Lee Harvey Osmond, stylized as LeE HARVeY OsMOND, is a Canadian psychedelic folk project fronted by musician Tom Wilson. History The act first took shape with Wilson in his LeE HARVeY OsMOND persona, backed by Michael Timmins of Cowboy Junkie ...

as both a woodwind player and conductor/arranger for his symphony shows which have included performances with the

National Arts Centre Orchestra The National Arts Centre Orchestra (NAC Orchestra) is a Canadian orchestra based in Ottawa, Ontario. The NAC Orchestra's primary concert venue is Southam Hall at the National Arts Centre. Since its inception, the Orchestra has commissioned more ...

and the

Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (HPO) is a professional Canadian orchestra based in Hamilton, Ontario. The orchestra gives concerts primarily at the FirstOntario Concert Hall. History The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1949. ...

. He arranged and produced the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra’s Beatles shows in 2017, 2019 and 2023 and their “The Music of James Bond” concert in February of 2025. In 2015, he collaborated with Canadian musician Ian Thomas as arranger and conductor to develop a concert for the

. The music for the concert was used to produce Thomas's “Life In Song” recording. Hepner taught at

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

(Boston) 1985–89, and was founder and head of the Music Program at

Selkirk College Selkirk College is a public college founded in 1966 with its main campus in Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada. The college has student housing at its Castlegar and Nelson campuses. Students frequently struggle to find accommodation. The col ...

in Nelson, BC, 1989–96. From 2005 to 2020, he held the position of professor of music at

Mohawk College Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology is a public college of applied arts and technology located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1966, the college currently has five main campuses: the Fennell Campus on the Hamilton Mount ...

, Hamilton.

Discography (selected)

As Leader The Darcy Hepner Jazz Orchestra • Blues In Another Minute (Water Street 2010) As Sideman With The

Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra The Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra is a large German jazz ensemble led by Alexander von Schlippenbach. The orchestra performs orchestral jazz and experimental big band music and has included in its ranks such leading musicians as Misha Mengelbe ...

•

The Morlocks and Other Pieces ''The Morlocks and Other Pieces'' is an album by Alexander von Schlippenbach and the Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. It was recorded in July 1993 at RIAS Studio 10 in Berlin, and was released in 1994 by FMP. It features six compositions by Sc ...

(

FMP/Free Music Production Free Music Production (FMP) is a German record label that specialises in free jazz. Origins FMP originated from the New Artists Guild, which was an informal cooperative of musicians in the mid-1960s. In 1968, The New Artists Guild sponsored the T ...

1993) With

Larry Carlton Larry Eugene Carlton (born March 2, 1948) is an American guitarist who built his career as a studio musician in the 1970s and 1980s for acts including Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell. One of the most sought after guitarists of his era, Carlton has ...

• Plays the Sound of Philadelphia (335 2010) With Andy Middleton • Reinventing the World (Intuition 2003) With Ian Thomas • A Life In Song (Universal Music 2016) • How We Roll (IAN 2024) With Tom Wilson (LeE HARVeY OsMOND) • A Quite Evil (Latent Recordings 2008) • The Folk Sinner (Latent Recordings 2013) • Beautiful Scars (Latent Recordings 2015) • Symphonic Scars (TCW 2018) • Mohawk (Latent Recordings 2019)

References

Darcy Hepner , The Canadian Encyclopedia
thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 2013-12-05
Darcy Hepner -Canada Jazz – Canada's Finest Jazz Artists
canadajazz.net. Retrieved 2013-01-31

" curtainup.com. May 14, 1998
Newly Discovered Charlie Parker Arrangements Played in Upcoming Concert
jazzelements.com. February 16, 2006
Darcy Hepner gets the big band back together
The Spectator, January 12, 2008

The Spectator, February 16, 2016

The Spectator, June 16, 2016
Lee Harvey Osmond in Madison
madison.eventful.com November 6, 2016
From The Beatles With Love"
looklocalmagazine.com January 14, 2019 *''The Morlocks and Other Pieces'' ( FMP, 1994) *"The McMaster University Alumni Awards

Faculty of Humanities, 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hepner, Darcy 1954 births Living people Canadian jazz bandleaders Canadian jazz saxophonists American jazz composers Canadian jazz composers American male saxophonists