Dr. DENNIS E. DESJARDIN began playing saxophone at age 10, studying with his father who played with Benny Goodman in 1939. He has played in jazz and rock n' roll groups since 1965, and first played with Billy Bramblett in 1971. In the 70's he played with the Fairfax Street Choir, HUG, and Billy's group The Stingers.  Since then he has played many styles of music with many ensembles and continues to play around the SF Bay Area.  Dr. Dennis E. Desjardin is also a Professor of Biology and Mycology currently at San Francisco State University. He is a

 specialist in the diversity and evolution of mushrooms and he has active fieldwork projects in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Micronesia, Hawaii Islands, Brazil, and the west African islands of São Tome and Principe. He has published over 115 scientific papers and 6 books in which he has described 250 new species of mushrooms and 6 new genera.  He takes a soprano sax with him on his jungle expeditions to jam with jaguar in Brazil, enthrall elephants in Thailand, and mesmerize monkeys in Africa.