Jazz tenor saxophonist Charles Owens (not to be confused with another tenor saxophonist who is also named Charles Owens, a brief member of the Buddy Rich Orchestra) was born on June 6, 1972, and raised in a suburb of Washington D.C. - Alexandria, Virginia. While attending such music-based schools as Virginia's Duke Ellington School for the Arts, Miami's New World School of the Arts, and New York's New School Jazz Program, Owens became influenced by such tenor sax legends as John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Wayne Shorter. Soonafter, Owens was leading his own group, holding down a weekly Friday night spot at the New York City nighspot, Smalls, plus playing regularly at such other local clubs as Sweet Basil, Chicago Blues, The Blue Note, The Zinc Bar, and Birdland, among others. Having honed his playing and bandleader skills, Owens was ready to record by the late '90s, having contributed a pair of tracks to the 1998 Impulse! Records compilation, Jazz Underground: Live at Smalls, and in 1999, issued the debut recording by the Charles Owens Quartet, Eternal Balance. Joining Owens for the recording of the full-length debut was Jason Lindner on piano, Omer Avital on bass, and Daniel Freedman on drums. Owens has also played on other artists' recordings, including Jason Lindner's Premonition and an unreleased album by the Omer Avital Sextet, plus also arranging and performing the music for the independent film, #Fly Trap. Subsequently, Owens has been the recipient of praise and coverage by such notable publications as Entertainment Weekly, the Village Voice, the New York Times, and the L.A. Times. ~ Greg Prato, Rovi