Dante'

Dante’ is a Berklee College of Music graduate who was featured on rapper J. Cole’s 2011 heralded first album, “Cole World: The Sideline Story.”

“I’m constantly tangled up in multiple projects. One day I said to myself, "What will bring me the most joy?’ The answer was music. Instead of dropping everything and start chasing gigs, I decided to create a record and put myself out to the world through music,” said Dante’, who plays soprano sax throughout “Mint” with the exceptions being an alto sax on two songs: “Kansai Groove” and “Before We Begin.”

He knew his first single had to be “something fun to get people moving,” introducing his sound – a fusion of contemporary jazz, soul, funk and pop. Dante’ tapped fellow saxophonist and chart-topping artist-producer-songwriter Darren Rahn to craft “Vibin’ Out.”

Dante’ co-wrote all of the original songs for “Mint,” writing half the tunes with Grammy and Emmy nominee Rex Salas (Janet Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Boyz II Men). The album’s lone cover is Daniel Caesar and H.E.R.’s “Best Part,” which Dante’ re-envisions as an atmospheric instrumental.

“Lately, I have been trying to focus on fewer things and doing them well instead for doing lots of things and overlooking fine details. With ‘Mint,’ I really focused and made sure I had the right people on my team to execute every component of the record. It was a lot of trial and error, but in the end, I came out with a project that I am very proud of.”