by Joslyn Layne and Scott YanowAn active composer and an innovator on the electrified saxophone (using echo effects quite effectively), John Klemmer was also a very strong Coltrane-inspired acoustic tenor saxophonist. His solo saxophone recordings preceded smooth jazz and new age and his variety of projects earned him a great deal of crossover appeal that includes his music sampled by hip-hop artists of the 90s. Over the course of his career, Klemmer collaborated with a number of jazz and pop artists and performed the albums by Steely Dan, John Lee Hooker, Lauren Wood, Roy Haynes, and Nancy Wilson, among others. John Klemmer began playing music at a young age, starting with the guitar and switching to tenor sax by high school. In addition to private music lessons that continued up through college, he also attended Interlochens music camp. In school, Klemmer studied a variety of arts including graphics and visual arts, writing, and pup...