David Bixler

Alto Saxophone | New York, NY

David Bixler is a saxophonist, composer, and educator whose work occupies the fertile ground where jazz meets diverse global traditions. As the leader of Auction Project, Bixler has garnered critical acclaim— including four stars in Downbeat—for his innovative blending of traditional Irish music with Afro-Cuban and contemporary jazz. This foundation in AfroLatin music was built over a decade-long residency at Birdland with the Chico O'Farrill Afro-Cuban Big Band, culminating in a Latin GRAMMY for the recording Final Night at Birdland.

Bixler has recently embarked on a prolific artistic reemergence, marked by a series of diverse recordings. These include In the Face of Chaos (2019) and BEATitude (2024) with Bixler, Boccato, Cowherd, and Sturm; Blended Lineage (2020); and Inside the Grief (2020) and incognito ergo sum (2025) with trio incognito. His most recent work with the Bixtet, THE LANGSTON HUGHES PROJECT vol. 1 (2024), was described by PARIS-MOVE as "a touch of genius" for its evocative musical reflections of Hughes's poetry.

 A dedicated multi-instrumentalist, Bixler has expanded his sonic palette to include the Irish wooden flute, a pursuit that took him to West Clare, Ireland, to study the country’s traditional heritage. This deep dive into Celtic music, combined with his history touring with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Toshiko Akiyoshi, informs his unique approach to musical pluralism.

Beyond the stage, Bixler is a both a Selmer and Vandoren Artist and serves as the Director of Jazz Studies at Bowling Green State University. He is also the creator and host of the podcast Liner Notes with David Bixler, where he engages in in-depth conversations with the leading voices of the jazz world. Bixler and his family reside in New York City, where he continues to develop projects like Plurality in Motion that use the shared language of rhythm to explore social cohesion and American identity.