JUSTAPEDIA

Justin Chart is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, songwriter and bandleader from Los Angeles, California. His recordings include studio and live performances built around collective improvisation, with music drawing on bebop, hard bop, blues and melodic jazz.^[1][2] He also wrote and recorded “Los Angeles the Song”, a project celebrating the city through several musical and multilingual versions.^[3]

Background

Chart grew up in Los Angeles in a musical household. His mother, Betty Chart, was an opera singer, and his father, Lee Chart, was a professional boxer and jazz enthusiast. Chart credited listening to his mother’s singing and his father’s jazz records with encouraging his interest in music.^[3]

He began playing piano as a child and subsequently learned clarinet and saxophone. After high school, he studied music in London.^[3] In an interview with Artenzza, he identified Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt, Bill Evans, Art Tatum and Cannonball Adderley among his musical influences.^[4]

Career

During his youth in Los Angeles, Justin Chart began his musical journey by learning the piano, clarinet, and saxophone, influenced by his family’s musical background.^[5]These early experiences laid the groundwork for his multi-instrumental skills, particularly on piano and saxophone, which he continued to develop through dedicated practice in the city.^[5]Later, Chart pursued formal education at the School of Performing Arts in London, where he honed his technical abilities and began experimenting with composition and vocal performance before entering the professional scene.^[5]

In 2012, Chart wrote, sang and produced “Los Angeles the Song”. The project developed into a series of recordings and videos exploring the city’s neighborhoods, history and cultural diversity.^[3]

One version, “Los Angeles Voice of the World”, brought together 40 singers and three rappers, with performances in 28 languages and participants connected to Los Angeles’ international sister-city relationships.^[3] Other versions included “Los Angeles La Cancion”, “Los Angeles Dance Angeles” and “Los Angeles Word”. The videos incorporated footage of locations including downtown Los Angeles and the Venice boardwalk.^[5]

Chart’s daughter, Tali, contributed keyboards and backing vocals to “Los Angeles Word”.^[5] In July 2014, Mayor Eric Garcetti presented Chart with an Artisan Appreciation Award for the project. The Daily Trojan also reported recognition from Senator Dianne Feinstein in February 2016 and the Los Angeles City Council in May 2017.^[3]

Chart’s jazz discography includes the Colorstorm series, followed by Intuition and Live in Los Angeles in 2021. Subsequent releases include The Scarlet Jazz Room, The Midnight People and Keep the Blue in 2022; Avenue, Prosper and Right On! in 2023; and Today’s Tomorrow, Night Heat and Chillin’ in 2024.^[6][7]

His ensembles have varied between recordings. Live in Los Angeles features a rotating group of sidemen, including trumpeter Mike Cottone, Chris Potter, keyboardist Jon Greathouse, bassists Nate Light and Johnny Hatton. Chart plays both alto and baritone saxophone on the recording.^[1] Keep the Blue incorporates Alex Burke’s piano and vibraphone alongside Bill Markus’s bass.^[8]

Later projects include Tall Trees, a saxophone trio recording with bassist Max Gerl and drummer Kendall Kay, and ART, which features trombonist Kenton Luck. Soul Scene features pianist Bill Cunliffe, bassist Ken Wild and drummer Andy Sanesi.^[9]

The Nightside pairs Chart with organist Brian Charette and drummer Vince Fossett Jr.^[10] Justin Chart & The Jazz Emissaries features bassist Putter Smith.^[7] The ensemble’s Live at The Grape, released in September 2026, was recorded at The Grape in Ventura, California, with trumpeter Cal Crawford, pianist Mario Sulaksana, bassist Armando Wood and drummer Andy Sanesi.^[11][12]

Musical Approach

Chart’s jazz work emphasizes creating music during performance through interaction between ensemble members. Reviewing Intuition, Scott Yanow described first-take performances without editing or overdubbing, noting that their melodic themes, harmonic movement and coordinated playing could give the impression of rehearsed compositions.^[2]

This approach combines spontaneous invention with recognizable melodies and grooves. Reviews have identified blues, swing, funk and ballad elements in his recordings, alongside passages associated with bebop and hard bop.^[2][13

Critical Response

Reviews of Chart’s recordings have discussed both his saxophone playing and the interaction within his ensembles.

Writing in All About Jazz, Hrayr Attarian highlighted the melodic character of Live in Los Angeles and the musicians’ ability to maintain a cohesive ensemble while allowing individual expression.^[1] In his review of The Midnight People, Attarian emphasized the group’s energy, contrasting moods and instrumental exchanges.^[14]

Attarian described The Scarlet Jazz Room in cinematic terms, drawing attention to the interplay between saxophone, trumpet and piano and to the apparent structure of its improvised performances.^[15] His review of Keep the Blue similarly noted its film-noir atmosphere and the contribution of vibraphone and bowed bass to the ensemble’s sound.^[8]

In a Fanfare review reproduced on Chart’s website, Colin Clarke discussed the contrast between lyrical passages and faster playing on Prosper, together with the quintet’s dynamics and responsiveness in performance.^[16]

L.A. Jazz Scene described the interaction between Chart and trumpeter Mike Rocha on Night Heat, noting the rhythm section’s responsiveness and the contrast between energetic material and ballads.^[13] Reviewing The Nightside in Jazz Journal, Richard Berg discussed Chart’s vocal-like saxophone tone, Charette’s organ textures and the trio’s movement between grooves and ballads.^[10]

Performances

Chart’s official biography lists performances at Los Angeles venues including Catalina Jazz Club, The Baked Potato and Vibrato Grill Jazz, as well as The Grape in Ventura. It also lists appearances at European jazz festivals, including Sildajazz in Norway, Jazz in Marciac in France and the Lugano Jazz Festival in Switzerland.^[17]

Chart’s musician profile on All About Jazz describes his involvement in fundraising for school arts programs, wildfire relief and wildlife conservation initiatives. The profile also identifies work with Wildlife Warriors Worldwide and the Australia Zoo foundation.^[18]

The tables list release years for the editions identified in the cited catalogues. Release years do not necessarily indicate when the music was recorded. Labels can vary between physical and digital editions.^[6][7]

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