Welcome to the
Damention
Mr. Damen Tolbert is a saxophonist/ writer/ educator/ producer who proudly hails from the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. Even though his father is a DJ and vocalist, Damen didn’t find his artistic spark until he got into creative writing at age 14. Two years later, he got the opportunity to play saxophone in the high school beginning band. He took to music very quickly; participating in all the school‘s band ensembles, solo competitions, all-city programs, and even began composing, arranging and performing publicly early on.
Upon graduation in 2009, Damen left home to receive an education in Sound Recording Technology at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) on academic and music scholarships. There he became a member of the Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South (M4) show style marching band, jazz band, and eventually the UAPB Vesper Choir. In 2012, he produced his debut album, “Into the 3rd Damention” as his senior project. Mr. Tolbert received his Bachelor of Science degree in Music: Sound Recording Technology from UAPB in December 2013.
Immediately afterwards, he enrolled at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, Illinois. Finally home, Damen didn’t hesitate to start networking and performing about the city once again. Despite a year-round class schedule, part time jobs, and life’s unforeseen adversities, he made time to perform, compose and teach; making a swift mark in the Chicago music scene. In July 2016, Damen graduated from VanderCook as a Master of Music Education.
Through divine coordination, he was immediately asked to return to UAPB as a woodwind and Sound Recording instructor. In the Fall semester of 2016, Damen began his career as an educator. Since then, he has continued to hone his skills as a musician, educator, and producer. In the past few years, Mr. Tolbert has fulfilled a myriad of audio engineering roles, performed across the nation as a musician and public speaker, and produced live public events.
In the past few years Damen has produced three musical projects: spoken word EP “Late Reflections,” the modern R&B cover album “Unintentional Interpretations,” and hip-hop/jazz fusion double EP “Feed-Pack” x “Feed-Pack Loops.” Besides his own music, he remains open to collaborate in any capacity with other artists. Damen is currently in production of his next album of original works and continues to build as he is led.