Keith Loftis has been described as one of the most lyrical and compelling jazz saxophonist of today. Keith was born in Dallas, TX where he began his study of jazz and classical music as a child. He is a graduate of the nationally recognized Booker T. Washington High School of the Visual and Performing Arts in Dallas, with fellow classmate and two-time Grammy Award Winner, the late Roy Hargrove.
Keith received his bachelor's degree in music from the New School for Social Research in NYC and his master's degree in composition/film scoring from New York University. Over the course of his career, he has performed with several jazz legends such as Benny Carter, Cedar Walton, Nancy Wilson, Frank Foster, Alvin Batiste, Clark Terry, Bobby Shew and Ray Charles, to name of few.
Keith has traveled extensively around the globe performing regularly throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and parts of the Middle East with legendary South African jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, master drummer Michael Carvin, the Roy Hargrove Big Band and the Frank Foster Loud Minority Big Band. He has also performed at VH1's Fashion Rocks with Mary J. Blige and Usher as well as on VH1's Storytellers again with Mary J. Blige. Keith performed regularly at New York's renowned Carlyle Hotel for 13 years with the late pianist and singer Chris Gillespie. In addition to performing live, Keith works on film projects to broaden his film scoring portfolio. He has performed music in the motion picture Three Can Play That Game, starring Vivica A. Fox, and in the independent film Black Out, starring Jeff Wright and Melvin Van Peebles. Keith works with vocalist and educator Ruth Naomi Floyd in Ruth Naomi Floyd Presents: The Frederick Douglass Jazz Works. Keith is also a main fixture in the two-time Grammy nominated husband and wife duo, The Baylor Project, featuring Jean and Marcus Baylor and touring with four-time Grammy Award Winner bassist Christian McBride in A Christian McBride Situation and the Christian McBride Big Band.
