With music as his muse, SF State junior Aaron Rockwell is on his way to becoming one of the most innovative filmmakers on campus.

A jazz saxophonist turned cinema major, Rockwell has found a balance between his dueling aspirations to become a musician and the writer, director and actor in his own films.

“Music is a parallel for my personal relationships,” said Rockwell, 20, who plays the title character in his upcoming film “Dumping on Lenny,” a romantic comedy based on his decision to stop playing music full time. “Because of my frustration with music, Lenny seeks out other things like women, but realizes that music is what he needs to get the right girl.”

Rockwell said Lenny represents a part of his personality that is constantly striving towards fusing all his creative and emotional faculties. Playing both tenor and soprano sax for over ten years and writing short stories from a very young age, Rockwell said he considers cinema to be the most effective way to use his talents.
The film, to be completed next month, is his most highly esteemed work to date but due to technical restraints, it is not the end to his grand vision.

“He has very good ideas but he hasn’t realized his full potential yet,” said Cristian Alvarado, a fellow 20-year-old cinema student at SFSU who lent some of his equipment to Rockwell for the film. “None of us have done enough at this level to accomplish what he’s trying to do.”

The world of cinema is something Rockwell has been exposed to ever since he can remember, he said.

Born in San Francisco but raised in Fairfield, Ca., he said he can recall hearing fascinating stories about all the cool people and things his uncle, Pete Rockwell, encountered (while unsuccessfully) trying to make it in the film industry.

His cousin, Sam Rockwell, is most well known for his roles in the “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” and “The Green Mile.”

When it comes to movies, Woody Allen is Aaron Rockwell’s most powerful influence, he said. The sheer quantity of films Allen has produced and the endlessly clever and tormented story lines are a guiding force in his developing care, he added.

Allen is also a musician who plays clarinet with a regular band in New York. Rockwell said he looks at his musical ability as a way to make some money doing an occasional gig while focusing most of his time and energy into film as his first priority.

From a musical standpoint, Rockwell’s influences include tenor saxophone legends Sonny Rollins and Lester Young. Rockwell said he models much of his music around the improvisational jazz styles founded by such masters but he also notes that Jimi Hendrix is just as much of an influence.

Rockwell’s wild side is apparent when he plays his tenor saxophone live, the veins in his neck bulging as his body careens forward when he erupts into solos.

“He’s a real versatile cat, but music is a full-time thing,” said Andrew Speight, a lecturer and saxophone teacher in the SF State music department. “If he worked at his music he could become a real player - he’s very diligent with the material.”

Speight is also the organizer of the Monday night jam sessions at the Shanghai 1930 jazz club and restaurant in San Francisco, where Rockwell plays three or four times a month. Usually Rockwell practices playing saxophone for about forty-five minutes each day and composes his own material on the piano.

During a show on August 22 at The Shanghai 1930, Rockwell, clad in blue jeans and a Hawaiian shirt, felt confident enough to step out in front of the rotating jazz trio and belt out the lead melody of “On Green Dolphin Street.”

“He plays a lot in the house but it’s good background music,” said Brandon Voo, his Park Merced roommate and a first-time audience member at Rockwell’s show. “It’s nice because he doesn’t suck.”

Rockwell fills the dual role of a musician and filmmaker rather comfortably, according to his friends.
“Film is my passion, but music helps my creative juices flow,” said Rockwell. “And that can be carried over into anything.”