The Tenor Conclave is a project that Bay Area reedman Mel Martin has dreamed of for a long time. He has become an acknowledged icon of saxophone through his fine work with great saxophonists such as Benny Carter and Joe Henderson and others as well as his many writings for Saxophone Journal and JazzImprov magazines and his fine web site Mel Martin's Jazz And Saxophone Web Site. He is also a national clinician for Yanagisawa Saxophones and has performed clinics and concerts throughout the United States, Europe and Japan.
In the conclave band he has gathered some of the foremost tenor saxophonists of the day to focus on the repertoire of the great saxophonists of the past. The idea of such a band is not new having been done before by artists such as John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Red Holloway, Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray, Hank Mobley, Johnny Griffin, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn and others. The combination of forceful jazz saxophonists is an exciting and irresistible combination of talents that are, at once, competitive and yet exudes a high level of camaraderie. The first project is The Music of Joe Henderson who Mel Martin and others in the band played and recorded with extensively.
The band received an ecstatic reception this past weekend at Jazz at Pearl's and The Calistoga Jazz Festival. The rousing combination of fiery soloists and sublime Joe Henderson compositions brought about a number of standing ovations. Yoshi's, the premier Jazz club on the West Coast promises to be an extraordinary experience not to be missed. The band will also be recording live.
Mel Martin, Tim Armacost and Rob Roth - tenor saxophones
Mark Levine - piano, Akira Tana - drums and Rob Fisher - bass
In the conclave band he has gathered some of the foremost tenor saxophonists of the day to focus on the repertoire of the great saxophonists of the past. The idea of such a band is not new having been done before by artists such as John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Red Holloway, Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray, Hank Mobley, Johnny Griffin, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn and others. The combination of forceful jazz saxophonists is an exciting and irresistible combination of talents that are, at once, competitive and yet exudes a high level of camaraderie. The first project is The Music of Joe Henderson who Mel Martin and others in the band played and recorded with extensively.
The band received an ecstatic reception this past weekend at Jazz at Pearl's and The Calistoga Jazz Festival. The rousing combination of fiery soloists and sublime Joe Henderson compositions brought about a number of standing ovations. Yoshi's, the premier Jazz club on the West Coast promises to be an extraordinary experience not to be missed. The band will also be recording live.
Mel Martin, Tim Armacost and Rob Roth - tenor saxophones
Mark Levine - piano, Akira Tana - drums and Rob Fisher - bass
For more information contact All About Jazz.
