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Jazz Articles about Geoffrey Keezer
Geoff Keezer: Zero One
by C. Michael Bailey
Geoff Keezer was the last pianist in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, performing between 1988 and 1990. At age 17 he showed himself a capable hard bop pianist whose performance personality echoes that of Horace Silver, Bobby Timmons, and more recently, Benny Green. Since the demise of Blakey, Keezer has logged time for Sunnyside, Blue Note, DIW/Columbia and Sackville as a leader and accompanied the likes of Art Farmer, Roy Hargrove, Antonio Hart, and Ray Brown. Keezer shows up here with ...
Continue ReadingBenny Golson: The Jazz Messengers: The Legacy Of Art Blakey
by Jim Santella
Five former members of The Jazz Messengers plus drummer Lewis Nash make up this Art Blakey Legacy Band that has toured the U.S. recently and paid homage to the legendary teacher and leader. Tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, trumpeter Terence Blanchard, trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Geoff Keezer, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Nash perform compositions written by Messengers for that unit: Wayne Shorter wrote “One by One," Fuller wrote “A La Mode," Blanchard wrote “Oh, By the Way," Cedar Walton wrote ...
Continue ReadingGeoff Keezer: Turn Up The Quiet
by John Sharpe
Turn Up The Quiet is an eclectic mix of standards, pop tunes and even, Japanese folk songs. Keezer hooks up with hot-shot sidemen Christian McBride (bass) and Joshua Redman (tenor) on three tracks, adds vocalist Diana Krall on three and goes it alone on three more. Krall's sultry, smoky rendition of The Nearness Of You, enhanced by a restrained Redman solo, almost steals the whole show. Krall is front and center again on the fantasy love song, Island Palace and ...
Continue ReadingBenny Golson: Tenor Legacy
by Jack Bowers
Benny Golson is back, this time with a salute to 10 legends of the tenor saxophone (including Benny himself, of course). It's such a daunting task that Golson has called for help, sharing the spotlight with tenors Branford Marsalis (on “Body and Soul," dedicated to Coleman Hawkins), Harold Ashby (on five tracks) and James Carter (on four), both of whom take part in a three-tenor conclave with Golson on the busy opener, Lester Young's “Lester Leaps In." Other celebrated tenor ...
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