Malcolm Hunter (soprano, alto, and tenor saxophonist) excels at providing background music (Jazz, Smooth Jazz, R&B, and Pop) that enhances any event. This includes corporate events, birthday parties, bar/bat mitzvahs, and any other event for which live music provides an elegant soundtrack for a memorable occasion.
(Photo: Rosanna Ramirez Hunter)
Sounding like Stan Getz or Sonny Rollins on tenor sax, Paul Desmond or Grover Washington on alto, and Kenny G or Dave Koz on soprano, Malcolm has honed his craft over most of his life since age nine, including one year at Northwestern University (NU) studying with renowned classical saxophonist, Fred Hemke. He also participated in jazz combos (which included performing with actress/singer Megan Mullally and vocalist and recording artist Sarah Partridge) at NU.
Malcolm earned a B.A. in French as a student-athlete at NU while also serving as a dorm Resident Assistant (R.A.) for the latter two years as a four-year varsity football letterman (Go, ‘Cats!). He was voted NU’s varsity football team’s Freshman of the Year on the strength of his finishing with the second most interceptions total in the Big Ten Conference’s 1974 football season. During his junior season in 1976, he finished tied for second in the Big 10 with interceptions and he was selected by Sports Illustrated as the Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Michigan State. Later on, he had tryouts with the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams.
Before and after graduating from NU, Malcolm performed regularly with a jazz quartet called ‘Tri-Tone” at an off-campus pizza parlor called “The Spot.” He later produced several demo recording sessions at the legendary Soto Sound Studio in Evanston IL. His introduction to musical soundtracking occurred courtesy of his friend and a fellow NU Bobb Hall coffeehouse performer, William “Bob” Clark, who would become a noted writer for the TV series, “America’s Most Wanted” and the co-author of the book “Temples of Sound” that chronicled the histories of the most influential personnel and studios in the American music recording industry.
Malcolm sat in with undergraduate New York University (NYU) jazz combos, and an ensemble comprised of NYU graduate (now known as Stern) business school faculty members while he was earning an M.B.A. in Marketing. He spent his last semester at NYU in France as a foreign exchange student at ESSEC (École Supérieure des Sciences Economique et Commerciales) in Cergy-Pontoise. He performed at ESSEC, busked one night in the passarelle under the Arc de Triomphe, and sat in as a guest at Le Petit Journal night club in the “quartier” Montparnasse of Paris. This was after he spent the summer interning at Thomson-CSF in Gennevilliers to which he commuted from his temporary residence (Hotel d’Argenson) in the 8th arrondissement in Paris. On Sundays, he attended the American Church in Paris, where, on an informal basis, he wound up serving as a small group leader for the first time.
(Photo: Hunter Family Collection)
Having worked approximately 40 years in world-class corporations like Motorola, Hewlett-Packard, a Bank Austria subsidiary, Mellon Bank, and Wells Fargo Bank, to mention a few, Malcolm brings his professionalism when you hire him as a soloist with amplified backing tracks, or with other live musicians in duos, trios, quartets, and more. He was a preferred musical vendor at the following venues:
- Crowne Plaza Hotel (Concord, CA)
- The Club at Ruby Hill (Pleasanton, CA)
- Oakhurst Country Club (Clayton, CA)
(Photo: Hunter Family Collection)
Malcolm has served in a variety of civic, community, and church roles. He was a board member of the Antioch Music Foundation (AMF), which brokered musical instrument donations, organized school assemblies for Antioch Unified Public Schools, and staged musical talent contests for high schoolers in Antioch’s historic El Campanil Theatre.
El Campanil was also the venue at which Malcolm spearheaded organizing AMF’s Antioch Collegiate Jazz Festival. He made the rounds promoting it on San Mateo’s KCSM 91.1 Jazz station with DJ Alisa Clancy, and a Comcast cable TV station in Walnut Creek. The festival included quartets, quintets, and sextets from San Jose State, Cal State East Bay, Fresno State, and the University of Pacific’s Dave Brubeck Institute. The event was headlined by three world-renowned jazz musicians: bassist Christian McBride, pianist Geoffrey Keezer, and drummer Justin Brown. In the midst of these activities, Malcolm landed his second musical soundtrack gig. This time it was for his friend Dave Sidley’s award-winning animated video that you can view at the following link called “One Lucky Night.”
As 31-year members of Golden Hills Community Church (GHCC) in Brentwood CA, Malcolm and his wife Rosanna served for many years as Small Group leaders in their home. In addition, Malcolm was asked to serve on GHCC’s Elder Board during their last three years at GHCC. After having moved to the Pacific Northwest, Malcolm and Rosanna resumed hosting a Small Group at their home, now as members of Calvary Community Church in Southern Washington.
To learn about Malcolm’s musical journey, at the following link you can read his story from an interview in the East Bay County’s 110° Magazine.
(Photo: Gail Hansen)
Malcolm Hunter: Composer, Arranger, and Saxophonist 