Saxophonist and composer John Palowitch grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and is now one of the top artists in the region's jazz scene. John got his start as a teenager playing gigs in the Bay as well as nationally through placement in high school honor bands such as the GRAMMY Jazz Ensemble, the SFJazz High School All-Stars, the Jazz Band of America, and the Monterey Next-Generation Jazz Orchestra. With these bands, John had life-changing opportunities to share the stage with Wynton Marsalis, James Moody, Miguel Zenon, Phil Woods, McCoy Tyner, Dianne Reeves, and other living legends who passed down their sonic and spiritual wisdom to the students.
After high school, John accepted a full-ride tuition scholarship to the prestigious Frost School of Music within the University of Miami, and quickly rose to play in UM’s world-famous Concert Jazz Band, which learned new sets of music every week for events ranging from yacht parties to downtown Miami showcases. With the CJB, John played on a GRAMMY-nominated album called “An Evening With Dave Grusin”, recorded live at Miami's Arsht Center in 2011.
In college, John pursued a tandem passion in mathematics, and afterward moved to North Carolina to pursue research in statistics and computer science at UNC Chapel Hill, earning a PhD. During those years, John appeared on the Durham/Raleigh music scene playing with Al Strong and Ernest Turner, with the Revive Big Band, and with members of ZooCru, the Christian Scott band, and the Kenneth Whalum band.
In 2017 John moved back to the SF Bay Area, where he now lives and is among the top-performing saxophone players on the scene. As a solely-alto saxophonist who often feeds his sound through guitar pedals, John brings a unique force to every stage with searing melodies and gripping rhythmic patterns. John's main project is BIG TRIPPIN, a progressive hip-hop and fusion group led by Thomas Pridgen (Residente, formerly The Mars Volta and Thundercat) and Giulio Cetto, featuring Javier Santiago on keyboards as well as various MCs from the area including Won Way Posibul and KOOL A.D. John has been called to play locally with many touring acts including Dwele, Fred Yonnet, Lyrics Born, Jonathan Hoard, Kassa Overall, and Benito Gonzalez. John is also a composer, and has brought his own project to Bay Area music venues such as Mr. Tipple's, The Black Cat, The Deluxe, Boom Boom Room, and Cafe Stritch.