Eric Darius - "That Sax Penetrated My Soul"

Named Best Debut Artist of the Year by Smooth Jazz News in 2004, Eric Darius, now 26, will perform for a free concert at the Casselberry City Hall Complex, 95 Triplet Lake Dr., on Saturday, February 21 at 6pm. More recently, the title track of his new album, "Goin' All Out," reached the top spot on the Billboard/R&R Smooth Jazz Songs Chart.

Darius produced his first album, Cruisin', at age 17 under his own label and has subsequently released three more projects including Night on the Town (2004), Just Getting Started (2006) and Goin' All Out (2008).

Born in New Jersey and raised in Tampa, Darius was brought up in a musical family. His father played bass, his mother and sister were vocalists and his brother plays the trumpet. He received his first saxophone on his 10th birthday and Darius "never looked back since."

"I would watch the saxophonist play at our church every week," Darius said. "Something about that sax just penetrated my soul and moved me. I truly believe that I didn't pick the instrument, the instrument picked me."

At the age of 11, Darius was selected to be a part of the Sonny LaRosa and America's Youngest Jazz Band where he toured the country and also performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. He later performed with the jazz ensemble while attending the Blake High School for the Performing Arts in Tampa.

Darius has shared the stage with Rick Braun, Chuck Loeb, Kim Waters, Chris Botti, Norman Brown, Dionne Warwick, George Benson and Prince. He recently performed at the Super Bowl Celebrity Golf Tournament in Tampa and is scheduled to appear in Jakarta, Indonesia for the JAVA Jazz Festival in March and at the Playboy Jazz Festival with Norman Brown and Wayman Tisdale in Hollywood, California in June.

"My new album, Goin' All Out, is about the new directions my music is taking." Frequently, Darius explained, his generation is not exposed to jazz, so he worked on giving them something they could relate to. "I wanted to create an album that would appeal to everyone, incorporating elements from various genres, such as hip hop, R&B and pop." He added that the title track "sets the tone for the whole album and reflects who I am both as a musician and a songwriter."

Darius, in addition to his musical ambitions, is currently studying business at the University of South Florida. "I want to apply business knowledge to my music career," he said, "and be as well-rounded as possible."

For more information on Eric Darius, visit http://www.ericdarius.com/ or contact Lisa Belligan, Tour Manager at 414-899-3865.