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The Story
"Music is not only a collection of sound/It is a collection of thought/but not only is it a collection of thought/It is the story of our lives"
The Story is an exciting and unique band that consists of an international core ensemble of five talented musicians performing in New York City, Canada, and Europe.
Lars Dietrich , a renowned alto saxophonist from Amsterdam, has many accolades in the jazz world including competition awards in Holland and for Down Beat Magazine. He has also performed with the likes of Herbie Hancock and Joe Lovano.
Samir Zarif is an extraordinary tenor saxophonist hailing originally from Houston, Texas. Samir made his debut as a jazz artist in New Orleans and moved to New York City shortly thereafter. Zarif's discography ranges from Jill Scott's "Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol.2" to his debut as a Fresh Sounds recording artist on his CD entitled "The Paislies."
John Escreet moved from London to New York in September 2006 and is already making waves in the jazz scene. In addition to being an active member of "The Story" he performs regularly with many of today's greatest jazz musicians, such as David Binney and Ari Hoenig, and has also worked with the likes of Wayne Krantz, Adam Rogers and Seamus Blake, whilst also leading and touring with his own group, 'The John Escreet Project.'
Zack Lober, a native of Montreal, is a distinguished bassist with many recordings and international perfromances under his belt. Zack has performed with many jazz greats including Donny McCaslin, Kenny Werner, Dave Binney, Ben Monder, and Dick Hyman.
Greg Ritchie, an exciting drummer to listen to and admire. He hails from the East Coast of Canada. Greg has performed with many notable musicians including Dave Liebman, Seamus Blake, Vic Juris and Ingrid Jensen, to name just a few.
As a group, The Story is an unconventional group of composers/musicians that perform an extensive collection of original compositions. The focus of The Story is to create and/or recreate stories that are illustrated through music. It is a collaboration of music enhanced by thoughts and images that correlate to the full experience of "the story." The group's music has been proclaimed as "a great soundtrack without the movie...the images are seen directly through the music they performed!" It is their collective goal that this group will contribute in taking Jazz music in a whole new direction!
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The Story: The Story
by Terrell Kent Holmes
From its opening notes to the stop-on-a-dime ending, this debut album is an exhilarating shot in the solar plexus. A talented quintet serves up a diverse roster of tunes daring in both imagination and execution. Pianist John Escreet uses his repeated eight-note figure in the song “Misconception of Life and Death" as a starting point for more dazzling and emotional playing. Tenor saxophonist Samir Zarif plays flowing, deep-voiced riffs while altoist Lars Dietrich passionately throttles the upper ...
Continue ReadingThe Story: The Story
by Mark F. Turner
The Story is the real life debut of an exciting new collaborative that is set to make its mark on the jazz world. Invigorated by a young quintet of extremely talented international members--saxophonists Lars Dietrich (Holland) and Samir Zarif (United States), drummer Greg Ritchie, bassist Zack Lober (Canada), and pianist John Escreet (United Kingdom), this eponymous debut is filled with kinetic energy and forward thinking. Earning individual accolades, awards, and grants, the rising musicians have performed with ...
Continue ReadingInstrumental Debut From Kai Craig Offers A Compelling Story Of The Passion For And Commitment To The Rich History Of Jazz
Source:
Angie Lemon PR
For Kai Craig, music is a pathway reaching deep into the past and far into the future, spanning generations and international boundaries with ease. The young drummer/composer has already dived deep into the jazz tradition, assisted by the mentorship of Martin France in his native UK and US legend Gregory ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson in Europe and the USA. Now he’s ready to present his debut album, produced by Hutch in a Cologne studio and featuring some of the most extraordinary young ...
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Eliot King Smith Teams Up With Audrey Martells (Chic) To Bring To Life The Story Of Josephine Baker
Source:
Glass Onyon PR - Keith James
In the 1920s, faced with the grinding poverty and segregation of East St. Louis, Josephine Baker took her dancing and musical talents first to New York, and then, at 19, arrived in Paris to perform with the Folies Bergère. Entranced by her reception and treatment by French society, she rose to stardom almost immediately at the Folies. She starred in multiple films, and scored a big hit song that summed up her reverence for the freedom she experienced as a ...
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The Henry Glover Story, 1947-1961
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Henry Glover is all but forgotten today, but back in the late 1940s and early 1950s, he was one of the most significant executives in R&B recording. After Syd Nathan founded King Records in Cincinnati in 1943, the label began recording roots country artists, what the trade publications used to call “hillbilly music." But by 1946, it was clear to Nathan what type of music was going to pay the bills. With the vast migration of black Americans from the ...
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Mike & Dorothy Longo's Co-Written 'The Rhythm Of Unity,' A Story Of A Search For Musical, Spiritual, & Racial Enlightenment, Due May 9 From Redwood Publishing
Source:
Terri Hinte Publicity
When Mike Longo—the New York jazz pianist who was a longtime protégé, collaborator, and friend of Dizzy Gillespie—passed away in 2020 from COVID-19, he left behind a manuscript of his journey to musical and spiritual fruition. His widow, Dorothy Longo, completed the memoir as The Rhythm of Unity: A Jazz Musician’s Lifelong Journey Beyond Black and White, to be published May 9 by Redwood Publishing. To Mike’s chronicle of his personal quest, Dorothy added the story of their 39-year romance ...
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Pianist / Vocalist Maggie Herron Releases 'My Story In Song' On February 7, 2023
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Maggie Herron
A Hawaii Institution for More Than Four decades, Award-Winning Jazz Vocalist, Pianist and Songwriter Maggie Herron Releases Her Most Revelatory Album with My Story In Song. A polished and prolific singer/songwriter who has often mined her eventful life for material, Maggie Herron is no stranger to self-revealing recordings. With her seventh album, My Story In Song, the Hawaii-based jazz pianist has created her most personal and ambitious project yet. Slated for release on February 7, 2023 on her Herron Song ...
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Early Salsa: The Story of Ghetto Records
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
If you plan on discussing the origins of salsa, you'd better make a large pot of Café Rico coffee. You're going to be arguing late into the night. There are multiple definitions of the music as well as a raging debate over its roots, starting point and how it evolved. To me, as a former resident of Washington Heights, the definition is rather simple: salsa began at the dawn of the 1970s and followed the boogaloo as a popular style ...
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Stan Kenton: The Opus Story
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
After Stan Kenton wrote and arranged Opus in Pastels in 1940, the song was regularly performed by his band and became a hit in 1946 after it was recorded at Capitol. With the arrival of the 12-inch album format in 1955, the song was so pouplar that Kenton commissioned arranger Gene Roland to write a series of “opus" pieces with catchy melody lines to showcase the saxophones. Even arrangers Pete Rugolo and Bob Graettinger got into the opus act. Interestingly, ...
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Toronto Guitarist-Composer James Brown Returns To Recording After Decade-Plus Break On "Song Within The Story," Due March 18 On NGP Records
Source:
Terri Hinte Publicity
Guitarist-composer James Brown returns from a 13-year recording hiatus with the fetching Song Within the Story, set for a March 18 release on NGP Records. Brown’s fourth album, and his first since 2009’s Sevendaze, finds him helming his Toronto-based working trio featuring bassist Clark Johnston and drummer Anthony Michelli. Respected tenor saxophonist Mike Murley joins the band on three of the album’s 10 tracks—eight of which are original compositions that document Brown’s ongoing intermarriage of jazz and classical music, while ...
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The Untold Story of Tubby Hayes: 1965
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Tubby Hayes (above) was a jazz giant whose talent and superb taste have not been fully appreciated by U.S. jazz fans. That's largely because he was British. A multi-instrumentalist who played tenor saxophone, flute and vibes, Hayes began his professional career at age 16 in 1951. His skill and reputation in the U.K. took off and he soon became one of the most towering and exciting jazz figures in the country. He could turn on the heat on up-tempo pieces ...
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