Art Bouton: A Musical Interlude with a Surprising Twist

By: Nathan Solheim

He plays saxophone, flute and clarinet for two of Denver’s best-known contemporary big bands — the Ninth and Lincoln Orchestra and the Wil Swindler Elevenet — but Art Bouton has one foot in the world of electronic music as well. Among his instrumental specialties is AKAI’s electronic wind instrument (EWI), a wind-controlled synthesizer that looks and plays like a soprano sax but can sound like nearly any instrument, from piano and percussion to strings and synths. The associate professor of saxophone and chair of the woodwind department at the University of Denver Lamont School of Music also is dedicated to nurturing young talent, mentoring students at Yellowstone Jazz Camp, Mile High Jazz Camp, the Telluride Jazz Camp and Clark Terry Great Plains Jazz Camp, among others.

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