Among his collaborators, New York-based saxophonist Dennis Brandner has earned a reputation as a musician with great facility on his instrument, a creative composer with a personal approach, and an improviser employing a lyrical yet exciting calm in his solo work. Steely Dan’s saxophonist and internationally acclaimed jazz great Walt Weiskopf describes him as “… a highly talented jazz musician. Dennis plays with a beautiful, full sound and his lines are always compelling. He has what it takes to excel in the music business.”

Dennis is currently co-leading the trio Invisible Ink with double-bassist Philipp Kienberger and drummer Hubert Bründlmayer, in which the three musicians explore intricate possibilities of expression, tapping the capacities of this tested format. The album “Invisible Ink – Live at Radiokulturhaus Vienna” was released in February of 2022. Focusing on original compositions, this band places an emphasis on a conversational tone, which, in turn, attributes equal significance to each member and questions traditional roles of certain instruments. Another ensemble Dennis is involved with, is an electro-acoustic trio called Still Head. Each of their songs creates a completely distinct atmosphere, and the band achieves this with the deliberate programming of electronic sounds while at the same time making an effort to blend these with tenor saxophone, piano, and drums. At the forefront of all this music are broad dynamics, a flexible treatment of form, and a great deal of variation in sonic concepts.

Dennis has recorded various albums as a sideman, among them for Barnette Records. His first album as a leader – “Dawn Betrayed” will be released in 2023 and features Vitor Gonçalves, Jakob Dreyer, Raphäel Pannier, and special guest Alon Albagli of “Dadalon“. During his relatively short career, he has had the great honor to perform with musicians like Joe Zawinul, Don Menza, New York jazz veteran Rob Bargad (Cobb’s Mob/ Nat Adderley) and with the New York Jazzharmonic. He has performed internationally for the past years and was able to take the stage at venues such as the prestigious Sweet Basil, Aaron Davis Hall, the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, 55 Bar, and New York Symphony Space.

Growing up in a small town in Austria, Dennis started performing in public at an early age. A local big band and small combos he was part of provided ample opportunity to play in front of sizeable audiences. His teacher soon encouraged him to take up music as a career, and soon, aged 15, he was admitted into the jazz diploma program at the conservatory of his native province Carinthia. While he was able to greatly increase his musical skills there, Dennis soon developed a desire to change scenery and move to the jazz capital of the world – New York: “I learned a number of important things from my mentors in Austria; nonetheless, the concern to move closer to the source started to become important when I found that the scene I had been in was rather small and I was constantly playing and jamming with the same group of people. I wanted to pursue jazz as authentically as possible, so moving to the States seemed like the logical solution.” After being awarded a generous scholarship by the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in 2008, Dennis started undergraduate work at their world-renowned program, all the while trying to absorb influences from new musicians he was playing with.

In early 2013, Dennis started the master’s program at The City College of New York, from which he graduated in February 2015. This period critically informed his understanding of music theory and analysis, stylistic choices, and a personal approach to composition. His efforts culminated in employment as ensemble coach and adjunct lecturer at City College – a position he still holds today. During his studies, Dennis was fortunate enough to receive guidance from jazz greats such as Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille, Mark Turner, Chris Cheek, Steve Wilson, Walt Weiskopf, and Seamus Blake. He says: “The knowledge these outstanding musicians were willing to share with me is still something I draw inspiration from and I’m extremely grateful for. It shaped my imagination of what I want my music to sound like and provided a way to keep growing as an improviser.”

In general, the main objective of Dennis’ approach to music is to acknowledge the process it represents: “Each record you do will bear significance in one way or another, whether it is successful or not. It is the constant refinement of craftsmanship and artistic choices that has always fascinated me, and every tune you play, compose, and eventually record is part of that development. Consequently, I like to take musical experiences in as they come, enjoy them, and learn from them.” Dennis draws inspiration, first and foremost, from musicians surrounding him, masters of previous generations, other art forms, and life. Recently, he has also taken up an interest in electronic music, something he would like to incorporate into his own style in the future.

Dennis’ composition “Resemblance of Remembrance,” recorded with the European formation DyadHop, was featured in an audiobook and received national radio airplay in Austria. In 2017 he was commissioned to compose a saxophone quartet piece for the international Outreach Jazz Festival in Schwaz in Tirol, resulting in two movements called “Perpetual Reversal” and “The Spread.” These have been broadcast in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Slovenia. Since then Dennis has completed further commissions like “NYC – This is Us” for the Austrian Cultural Forum New York and the string quartet “Auburn, Gold” for Composers Concordance New York.