Wessell 'Warmdaddy' Anderson (alto and soprano saxophones) began playing the saxophone at age 14. He attended Jazzmobile workshops in Harlem, studied with Frank Wess, Frank Foster, and Charles Davis, and frequented jam sessions led by saxophonist Sonny Stitt at the Blue Coronet. 

Before entering Southern University, where he studied with clarinetist Alvin Batiste, Anderson met Wynton and Branford Marsalis. In 1988, he became a member of Wynton Marsalis’ Septet, with which he toured and recorded for seven years, and has been a member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra since it began touring in 1992. 

Anderson has recorded and released three solo albums, entitled "Warmdaddy in the Garden of Swing" (1994), "The Ways of Warmdaddy" (1996), and "Live at the Village Vanguard" (1999). Anderson is a frequent participant in Jazz at Lincoln Center educational events, and he served on the faculty of the Juilliard Institute for Jazz Studies.

Warmdaddy is finishing afive year run as an associate professor of jazz studies at the Michigan State University College of Music and is excited to be returning to the global jazz scene as a full time performer, clinician and jazz advocate.