Full Biography

Max Bessesen is an award-winning saxophonist, composer and multi-woodwind instrumentalist living in New York City. His music is thoughtfully conceived, ardently rhythmic, and overflowing with joy.

His warm sound and “saxophone virtuosity” (Downbeat Magazine) has helped him perform in bands led by established innovators in contemporary jazz including Miguel Zenón,‍ ‍Mimi Jones,‍ ‍Darcy James Argue and many others. He has toured the United States, Canada and Europe and appears frequently at some of New York’s most reputable venues including The Jazz Gallery,‍ ‍Close Up,‍ ‍Bar Bayeux,‍ ‍Ornithology and Dizzy’s.

Max’s latest recording Feet Don’t Change (releasing April 6th, 2027) draws from his transformative life experiences in Ghana to convey universal truths about American life. It features a hybrid jazz combo and string quartet. One of the pieces on the album was selected for the David Baker Prize and premiered at the 2026 Ravinia Festival.

Max’s other honors include an ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award, a Chamber Music America Artistic Projects Grant, a continuous weekly performance stipend from Jazz Generation, and fellowships from Luminarts and the Frank Huntington Beebe Fund. As a Beebe Fellow, Max spent a year studying music in India, Ghana and Cuba. He has been in residence six times at Avaloch Farm Music Institute.

Born in Denver, Colorado Max grew up in a household surrounded by music and attended Denver’s historic East High School. Fellow East alumni include Bill Frisell, and Ron Miles—a Blue Note recording artist who mentored Max and appears on his first album Trouble (Ropeadope).

Max holds a BM from Oberlin Conservatory and an MM from Manhattan School of Music. He won four Downbeat Student Music Awards including the “Outstanding Soloist” and “Jazz Arrangement” awards.

Max and his trio can be heard almost every Tuesday night at Sugar Monk where they have performed weekly for five years.