Sri Lankan/Portuguese Australian born saxophonist/composer Jacam Manricks was raised in an extremely musical family. His parents were resident classical musicians in the state symphony in his hometown of Brisbane, Queensland and his grandfather was a famous Portuguese jazz clarinetist and saxophonist in Sri Lanka. As a child Jacam frequently attended his parents’ symphony concerts and was introduced to jazz at home through his fathers’ jazz record collection. Due to these surroundings, Jacam was able to build a diverse musical foundation from a young age that combined jazz and classical music, two genres that continue to influence his music today. Jacam began studying piano at age 5 and the alto saxophone at 9. His formal musical training continued in New York in 2001, culminating with a doctor of musical arts degree in jazz composition/performance/ pedagogy from the Manhattan School of Music in 2007.

As a saxophonist and woodwind player, Jacam has performed and/or recorded with some of the most prestigious international artists of our time, including Ray Charles, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, David Liebman, Micheal Abene, Bob Mintzer, Dick Oatts, James Morrison, Mike Nock, Ben Monder, Gary Versace, Joe Martin, Tyshawn Sorey, Jerry Lewis and the Queensland Symphony to name a few. He is a popular figure amongst the New York contemporary jazz scene and a familiar face in venues such as the Jazz Gallery, Cornelia Street Café, Smalls, the Jazz Standard and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

As a composer, soloist and ensemble leader, Jacam has recorded three albums to date (Sky’s the Limit, Labyrinth and Trigonometry). Currently Jacam is promoting the release of his second album Labyrinth, which has received outstanding reviews in JazzTimes, Downbeat, All About Jazz-NY, Sydney Morning Herald and the Irish Times. Labyrinth consists of Jacam’s compositions for jazz quintet and chamber orchestra and features some of New York’s finest jazz soloists (Ben Monder – guitars, Thomas Morgan – bass, Tyshawn Sorey – drums, Jacob Sacks – piano & himself on saxophones/woodwinds).

Jacam recently released his third album as a leader in New York for Posi-Tone. The album is called ‘Trigonometry’ and features Jacam’s most recent compositions for jazz quartet and septet, performed by himself and leading New York jazz artists (Gary Versace – piano, Joe Martin – bass, Obed Calvaire – drums, Scott Wendholt – trumpet, Alan Ferber on trombone & himself on saxophones).

Jacam has received a number of prestigious awards and scholarships for artistic excellence and touring, such as the Contemporary Music Touring Program awards in 2009 and 2007, the Marten Bequest Arts Fellowship in 2005, the Queensland Lord Mayors Performing Arts Fellowship in 2000, and the Australian National Jazz Award-third prize 2009. He has toured extensively throughout Europe, Australia, Canada and the US as a soloist and/or bandleader.

Jacam has composed works for a number of different ensembles worldwide. These include a suite for Symphony Orchestra and Big Band, which was presented as a part of the Manhattan School of Music’s 90th Anniversary Celebration Concert in New York in October 2007. The concert featured Jacam as composer/orchestrator and alto saxophone soloist. Other works have been written for the William Patterson University Big Band (New Jersey, USA), the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra (New York, USA), the Helsinki Polytechnics Pop and Jazz Conservatory (Finland), the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo (Norway) and the Queensland Conservatorium of Music (Brisbane, Australia).

In addition to performing and composing, Jacam is a very experienced musical educator. He has done master-classes and clinics at internationally renowned institutions such as the Manhattan School of Music, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Victorian College of the Arts, Queensland Conservatorium of Music, for the New York Youth Symphony/Jazz Band Classic and the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York, where he currently works as a private saxophone, composition and improvisation instructor.