About Damon

Known for his “authoritative” tenor sound and “exciting, well-crafted” solos, Damon is a saxophonist whose professional life has taken him around the world, working with the likes of BBC Symphony Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestra as well as recording with renowned artists like Mark Lettieri, Issac Gracie and the Spike Orchestra.

Doubling on clarinet and flute, Damon’s versatile musicianship skills have also seen him record for a variety of TV, film and video game soundtracks alongside a busy schedule performing in many of London’s most highly esteemed venues such as Ronnie Scott’s, The Vortex Jazz Club and the Spice of Life, soho.

As a student, Damon had the opportunity to learn from and work with some of the world’s leading artists and musicians after successfully auditioning to study classical music at the Royal College of Music in 2012 and subsequently earning his place to study jazz at the Royal Academy of Music for his postgraduate studies in 2017. Learning from a vast array of professors and world-class musicians, Damon gleaned the knowledge and understanding to effortlessly assert himself in a variety of musical situations, whether that be performing as a side man in jazz clubs around the UK or on stage at the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms (2019)

Damon also leads a variety of his own ensembles, actively championing new music for his band ‘rhinoceros’ and his original jazz project ‘centris’ which reimagines traditional jazz for the 21st century. He also runs a project dedicated to playing the music of Dexter Gordon, one of his musical heroes.

“the orchestra tackled Stan Tracey’s Ballad For Luce that featured(…)gently wrought solos from Damon Oliver on tenor sax…” Derek Ansell - Newbury Weekly News (review for National Youth Jazz Orchestra, June 2017)