Jazz Articles about Gene Ess

Gene Ess: Modes of Limited Transcendence

by AAJ Italy Staff
September 8, 2009

Il chitarrista asiatico Gene Ess parte dai Queens di New York per offrire il suo punto di vista molto filosofico sul mondo, in compagnia di validi scudieri che gli consentono di offrire una musica assolutamente adeguata agli standard del jazz moderno. Le sue otto composizioni sono ben strutturate, con interessanti soluzioni armoniche che risentono probabilmente del fatto che Gene Ess è anche un buon pianista. In occasione di questo album si concentra solamente sulle sei corde lasciando all'amico Tigran Hamasyan ...

Gene Ess: Modes of Limited Transcendence

by Edward Blanco
March 19, 2009

An award-winning guitarist and vital part of the music scene in New York city since moving there in 1991, Gene Ess continues his exploration of music with another dose of tasteful modern jazz featuring sophisticated and engaging compositions on Modes of Limited Transcendence. A classically-trained pianist, Ess also plays the electric guitar and is often compared to John Scofield and John Abercrombie in style. Once considered a child prodigy, Ess draws on pop, jazz, and classical influences when composing his ...

Gene Ess: Modes of Limited Transcendence

by Dan McClenaghan
January 3, 2009

Guitarist Gene Ess put together a quartet with saxophonist Donny McCaslin for his Sandbox and Sanctum (SIMP Music, 2005) . On Modes of Limited Transcendence he ups the harmonic ingenuity factor with a different quartet, replacing the horn with a guitar, to craft an often cooking, quartet-of-equals chamber vibe.Ess began his musical journey as a pianist, but left the eighty-eight keys for the six strings. His chording cohort on the set, pianist Tigran Hamasyan, comps behind the leader ...

Gene Ess: One Note Says It All

by Paul Olson
July 11, 2006

Guitarist Gene Ess--born Gene Shimosato--grew up on an American military base in Okinawa, Japan, and the eclectic mix of music he was exposed to there gave him a far-reaching enthusiasm for music. It also, perhaps, pulled him away from the classical piano his mother had encouraged him to pursue. A musical scholarship sent him to the Berklee College of Music in Boston and meaningful apprenticeships with saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi and pianist Charlie Banacos. It was inevitable that Ess would relocate ...

Gene Ess: Sandbox and Sanctum

by Tom Greenland
September 14, 2005

Guitarist Gene Ess' third effort as a leader is a noteworthy departure from his sophomore release (Sunrise Falling, Amp Records 2003) in significant ways: while the earlier work straddled rock and fusion-jazz sensibilities, forefronting groove and melody with looped electronica and digital pastiche, the latest is leaner, cleaner, and full straight-ahead, underscoring the guitarist's impeccable tone and taste. More importantly, it represents Ess, for the first time, in complete artistic control of compositions, arrangements, recording, mixing/mastering, and production--with admirable results. ...

Gene Ess: Sandbox and Sanctum

by Wayne Zade
August 14, 2005

Guitarist Gene Ess came to jazz via country rock and blues clubs frequented by US service personnel in Okinawa, classical music studies at George Mason University, and performance studies at Berklee before he hit the New York scene. Upon arriving there, he established key contacts with Matthew Garrison, son of bassist Jimmy; Rashied Ali, one of John Coltrane's last drummers; and Ravi Coltrane, John's son. Ess's early jazz listening centered around recordings by John Coltrane. As he revealed in a ...

Sunrise Falling: Gene Ess

by Phil DiPietro
February 12, 2004

Gene Ess Sunrise Falling Amp Records 2003

Even if you knew who Gene Shimosato was, you're still going to be surprised when you hear Gene Ess! Fans of electronic music and fusion will be most pleasantly surprised with Sunrise Falling. Ess lays it on thick with the aural fruits from expert tinkering with his self-built, PC-based studio and tweaked-out tones produced from a diverse arsenal of axes. An absolutely world-class core rhythm tandem of ...