The Pan

Aaron Fletcher, alto and soprano saxophonist, is a prominent figure in the New Orleans jazz scene and a long-time musical companion of Irvin Mayfield. His roots lie in church music, which had a lasting impact on his deeply emotional approach to playing. He received his training at the renowned New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), where Wynton Marsalis and Terence Blanchard also studied.

Fletcher toured with Terence Blanchard and performed with Stevie Wonder and Anita Baker — yet he remains unmistakably a New Orleanian: earthy, warm, and fluid. His sound tells stories, carried by spirituality, groove, and the rhythmic lightness of his hometown.

I saw him perform in 2002 alongside Irvin Mayfield (tr), Richard Johnson (p), and Jaz Sawyer (dr) — an unforgettable concert. There was something archaic in his presence — like a saxophone-playing Pan, fully immersed in his music: powerful, entranced, almost mythical.

The photographic sketches for the graphics were made in 2002.

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