Dick Oatts

Richard Dennis Oatts (born April 2, 1953) is an American jazz saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator.

While growing up in Des Moines, Iowa, Oatts gained an interest in music from his father, Jack Oatts, who was a saxophonist himself and a respected music educator in the Midwest.

Since the 1970s, Oatts has released more than a dozen albums as a leader and co-leader, and he has appeared on over 100 albums as a sideman with Joe Henderson, Jerry Bergonzi, Eddie Gómez, Bob Brookmeyer, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Joe Lovano and others, working extensively with Steeplechase Records.

He has also accompanied Joe Williams, Sarah Vaughan, Mel Tormé, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Oatts has taught at the Manhattan School of Music and has been artist-in-residence at the Amsterdam Conservatory.

After high school, Oatts attended Drake University for one year before dropping out and moving to Minneapolis to begin a career in music in 1972.

In 1977, he was called by Thad Jones to join The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, which later became the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.

Oatts moved to New York City to join the band, first playing tenor saxophone, and began playing Monday nights with Jones and Lewis at the Village Vanguard, as well as touring in Europe with them.

Eventually Oatts switched to playing alto saxophone in the band, and he continues to play with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra at the Village Vanguard every Monday night.

Oatts' work on woodwind instruments (saxophone, clarinet, flute) became more widely known when he led the crossover jazz group Flim & the BB's in the 1980s and '90s with bassist Jimmy "Flim" Johnson, drummer Bill Berg, and keyboardist Billy Barber.

In 2006, he became a professor and artistic director of the jazz studies department at Temple University in Philadelphia.

With Thad Jones/Mel Lewis

With Vanguard Jazz Orchestra

With Flim & the BBs

With Red Rodney

With Ray Mantilla

With Colors of Jazz

With Everything but the Girl

With Armen Donelian

With Susannah McCorkle

With Joe Lovano

With Nnenna Freelon

With Ted Rosenthal

With Eddie Gómez

With Gary Smulyan

With others