Alden Hellmuth shifts effortlessly between composition & improvisation.
Alden Hellmuth is consistently weaving and blending composition and improvisation and a reed that feels familiar right out of the box makes makes that journey effortless.
Alden's Reed:
Select Jazz Alto Saxophone 3H
The classic but dark tone is something that has always felt familiar to Alden.
D’Addario Select Jazz Marble Mouthpiece
“I started playing it in 2022. So it's been a while, and I really love this mouthpiece. It has a lot of brightness and that evenness…but there's still a lot of character, which is why I love it.”
About Alden Hellmuth
Alden Hellmuth is a saxophonist, composer, and improviser based in New York City. A native of Hartford, Connecticut, she grew up surrounded by the legacy of Jackie McLean and studied with saxophone great Abraham Burton at the Hartt School's Jackie McLean Institute, later earning her master's at the Herbie Hancock Institute at UCLA, where she graduated in 2025. In 2024 she released her debut album, Good Intentions, on Fresh Sound Records, which earned the German Jazz Prize for Debut Album of the Year (International). Her aesthetic blurs the line between written and improvised material, and her sophomore album Tether (2026) is an experimental two-bass chordless quartet featuring Logan Kane, Miller Wrenn, and drummer Justin Brown. She has performed worldwide with artists including Herbie Hancock and Dianne Reeves, and her honors include ASCAP's Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award and Chamber Music America's Performance Plus Grant.
