Who We Are

The Saxophone Cartel is:

Matt Cashdollar - alto, tenor, baritone, C melody sax, flute, didjeridoo: Matthew Cashdollar is a multi-intrumentalist that hails from Fort Wayne, In. After graduating North Side High School in 1996 with an academic-honors diploma, he attended Indiana-Purdue University in Fort Wayne where he was part of the saxophone quartet, wind ensemble, jazz ensemble, as well as the vocal jazz ensemble and university singers. Outside of IPFW, Cashdollar also played with several groups (including jazz, funk, soul, reggae, hip-hop, and modern rock) that toured around Indiana and its surrounding states. He finished his Bachelor's in Instrumental Music Education in the Fall of 2001. Matt graduated from IU with an MM Jazz Studies in 2005. Currently, he resides in Chicago where he teaches privately, coaches jazz combo at Benet Academy (Lisle, Il), and records with international jazz-house producer Anthony Nicholson.
Cam Collins - alto, soprano sax, clarinet: Cam Collins is originally from Columbus, Indiana, and grew up around music. Upon deciding to study music at the collegiate level, Cam began studies at the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington. There, he studied saxophone with Dr. Thomas Walsh, and clarinet with James Campbell. During his second year in college, Cam auditioned for, and was accepted into, the U.S. Naval Academy Band as lead alto in the “Next Wave” jazz ensemble. Cam has performed as a soloist with many leading ensembles, including the Columbus Philharmonic, Indiana Ambassadors of Music, Carmel Symphony Orchestra, Pat Harbison Big Band, and most recently, lead alto saxophone with the Disneyland All American College Band. Cam has received numerous awards and honors for musicianship, like the Columbus Indiana Mayor’s Arts Award (2002), Esprit de Corps Award (2002), U.S. Marine Corps’ Semper Fidelis Award for Musical Excellence(2002), and the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award. Over the course of his career, Cam has appeared with many big names of the music industry, including Fred Hersch, Bill Watrous, Tom Kubis, John Clayton, Shelley Berg, Wayne Bergeron, Bobby Rydell, Steve Allee, Bob Florence, Gregg Field, Steve Houghton, Bill Warfield, Dave Samuels and Gary Foster, to name a few. He has studied privately with Rich Perry, Mark Turner, and Ellery Eskelin. Cam currently resides in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
Michael Eaton - alto, tenor sax, clarinet: Michael Eaton is from Liberty, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City. He attended IU-Bloomington from 1999-2004, studying with Eugene Rousseau and Tom Walsh. He was a member of David Baker's IU Jazz Band, which recorded a CD in 2001. Michael appeared with local and regional ensembles, including the Steve Allee Big Band, the Buselli-Wallerab Jazz Orchestra, Rob Dixon's Triology, the Bloomington Pops, Monster Zero Orchestra, eclectic rock band Blue Moon Revue, rock/funk/jam band Montezuma's Revenge, Brandon Meeks, Üt Haus, Art Deco Quartet, Kyle Quass, and others. He co-led the (x)tet for three years, and recently organized two free improv large ensembles: the 2006 BIASfest Coltrane Ascension Ensemble (an electro-acoustic "Ascension"), and the Michael Eaton Large/Large Ensemble (reminiscent of the Brötzmann Tentet). Michael has studied privately with James Moody, David Baker, Gary Foster, and Doug Webb. He has performed live in concert with David Baker, The Temptations, Sylvia McNair, Matt Darriau, Ingrid Jensen, Jim Snidero, Eugene Chadbourne, and Fred Hersch. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Morgan Price - soprano, alto, baritone sax, recorder: Morgan Price comes from Rockville, Maryland. He graduated with a BM Jazz Studies degree from IU. He appeared locally with Mojai, Clockwork, the (x)tet, Monster Zero Orchestra, IU Soul Revue, the Threepenny Opera, DJ Triers, the Art Deco Quartet, jazz quartet at Grazie!, and his own ensembles. Recent projects have included tributes to the music of Charles Mingus, and studio albums with the (x)tet and Clockwork. Morgan and saxophonist Michael Eaton also led a band called the (x)tet, which is inspired by and exploring music of such contemporary instrumentalists as Steve Coleman, Greg Osby, Gary Thomas, Mark Shim, Ravi Coltrane, Steve Lehman, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Mark Turner, Andrew Hill, and others. In July 2005 he served on the faculty of the Birch Creek jazz camp. and in 2006 he attended the Steanes Institute for Young Artists at the Ravinia Festival. Morgan lives near Washington, D.C.
Colin Renick - alto, tenor, baritone sax, bass sax, bass clarinet: Colin Renick is a saxophonist/composer currently living in Annapolis, MD where he is active as bandleader, free-lance saxophonist, and composer/arranger in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area. A member of the United States Naval Academy Band since 2007, Mr. Renick earned Masters degrees in Classical Saxophone Performance and Jazz Studies from Indiana University, where he studied with Otis Murphy and David Baker while serving as Associate Instructor of both Saxophone and Jazz. Comfortable in a spectrum of musical styles from classical to free improvisation, he seeks to unite the broad landscape of his musical and non-musical influences with the spirit of the moment through his performances, improvisations, arrangements, and compositions.
Peter Sparacino - alto, tenor sax: Peter is from San Francisco, California and graduated from IU with a bachelor's degree in Jazz Studies. In Bloomington he performed with David Baker's Jazz Band, IU Soul Revue, Monster Zero Orchestra, Bahama Llama, and various small groups in jazz, funk, R&B, and other genres. He currently lives in San Francisco, CA.

Associates, past & present:

In 1999 Steve became the Music Director of Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center where he has since produced and presented over 100 concerts of jazz/improvised music, new music, and multi-media performances as well as several artist residencies. This is where, as he puts it, “my real music education began.” Working closely with saxophonists such as Odean Pope, Charles Gayle, Oliver Lake, Joe McPhee, Peter Brötzmann and countless others, he has also studied with Pope, Hamiet Bluiett, David Mott, Joe Maneri, and others.

In addition to leading several ensembles, including his sextet Eulipion and the Protozoan Improvisers Collective, Steve also plays with the trio Hylozoa (with Tom Abbs and Ravi Padmanabha), The 12/8 Path Band, The Genkin Philharmonic, Protozoa (with Leland Scott Davis), Visiting Sun Ra, and others. Steve performs frequently in the Buffalo area, as well as in NYC and abroad. He has worked and/or performed with many great musicians including Odean Pope, Bobby Previte, Carlo Actis Dato, Joe McPhee, Leland Scott Davis, Dominic Duval, Ramon Lopez, Tom Abbs, Paul Flaherty, Chris Corsano, Jay Rosen, Daniel Carter, Chris Jonas, Birth, Tony Conrad, Ravi Padmanabha, John Bacon, Jonathan Golove, Rey Scott, and countless others. Steve has performed numerous festivals in North America including, most recently, a two-week residency in Monterrey, Mexico for El Encuentro International, and a performance at Toronto’s Fringe Jazz Festival.

Steve has lectured on improvisation, didjeridu techniques, and overtone based music at Buffalo State College, The University at Buffalo, and The State University at Fredonia. CD reviews can be found here.

Steve appears on the Sax Cartel's live CD, released date TBD.
Benjamin Himpel - tenor sax, baritone sax, bass sax: Benjamin Himpel founded the Saxophone Cartel in April 2003. Originally from Berlin, Germany, Ben came to Bloomington in 1998 to pursue a PhD degree in mathematics. He has privately studied saxophone and Jazz with Gebhard Ullmann, Mack Goldsbury, Mike Zilber, and Uli Lenz among others. He writes and arranges music, and has played in several groups over the past years including the Berlin Youth Jazz Orchestra and the IU Big Bands. He earned his PhD in 2004 and as of September, he is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Max-Planck-Institut in Bonn, Germany.


Tony Salas - tenor sax: Tony Salas is a professional saxophonist living in Indianapolis. Tony helped found the Indiana-based Soundcrimes trio, in which he played saxophone, laptop, and keyboard. With Soundcrimes he appeared freqeuntly at such Indianapolis venues Dunaways, The Melody Inn, Coaches Tavern, and the Patio; and Bloomington haunts like Second Story, Upland Brewery, Max's Place, and Roots. Tony graduated from Indiana State University, where he studied saxophone and composition.



Mike Reifenberg - alto, soprano sax: Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mike earned his MM Jazz Studies degree from Indiana University. Prior to his studies at IU, Mike received a BM Saxophone Performance degree from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, where he studied with Rob Wilkerson, Matt Sintchak, and Steve Wiest. He is now lead alto saxophonist in the Jazz Knights, a US Army band. He has been fortunate enough to perform with some of the most recognized names in jazz, including Doc Severinsen, Bob Mintzer, James Moody, Slide Hampton, the late Frank Mantooth, Clay Jenkins, Ed Peterson, Tom Garling, Tom Matta, Scott Harrell, Clem DeRosa, Steve Wiest, and others. Mike has also performed twice with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, under the musical direction of Andreas Delfs. Music aside, Mike has admitted to many that golf is in fact his true favorite pasttime, and is probably the main reason he is not a better musician!
Ariel Alexander - soprano sax, alto sax: Ariel Alexander graduated from IU with a bachelor's degree in Jazz Studies, and she earned a master's degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Southern California. At Indiana she studied under Tom Walsh and played in David Baker's big band. She released her first CD with the group, Conspiracy Theory, co-led with Pat Harbison. She is an alumna of the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead workshop, and the Steans Institute for Young Artists at the Ravinia Festival, and in 2004 was she was a member of the IAJE Sisters in Jazz. She is now the Program Coordinator for the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz, and performed and arranged for Steve Miller's latest album. In 2006, she appeared on the PBS tribute "We Love Ella", with appearances by Take 6, Nancy Wilson, Natalie Cole, Patti Austin, Stevie Wonder, Ruben Studdard, James Moody, Jon Faddis, and Monica Mancini. Ariel heads the Los Angeles-based Rock Star CD Workshop, in which children record their own CDs. Passionate about jazz education, Ariel plans to create an ear training and improvisation method to be used with middle school students.


Joshua Goldberg - alto, baritone sax, clarinet: Originally from Massachusetts, Josh moved from Boston to Bloomington to pursue a PhD in Cognitive Science and Computer Science, but he hasn't let studying keep him from blowing. His musical endeavors in Indiana have included the AfroPop group Afro Hoosier International, children's klezmer-rock goofiness with Kid Kazooey and the Ballroom Roustabouts, and the baritone sax chair in David Baker's big band (2000-01). Josh joined the Cartel on alto and clarinet.