Results for "bass clarinet"

Jason Rigby

Born: December 2, 1974

Some musicians seem born with sound in their bones. Jason Rigby is one of them.

Born on a U.S. Naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, to a Navy family with deep Sicilian and Irish roots, Jason had already lived in Hawaii and Texas before his family landed in Cleveland, Ohio, when he was just five. But it wasn’t geography that shaped his path—it was sound.

One evening, when Jason was ten, while tuning into an Indians baseball game on the radio, something on the local jazz station stopped him cold. It was Coleman Hawkins’ legendary 1939 recording of Body and Soul. “That sound stopped me in my tracks,” Jason remembers. “I knew that was where I wanted to exist—inside that huge sound and soulful playing.” And from that moment, the saxophone wasn’t just an instrument—it was home.

Martí Mitjavila

Born: September 1, 2000

Martí Mitjavila, born in Barcelona in 2000, is a young jazz clarinetist and saxophonist currently based in Amsterdam. He began exploring jazz at an early age, inspired by his father's record collection. Martí holds a Bachelor and a Masters Degree from the Conservatory of Amsterdam. He has studied with renowned musicians such as Ben van Gelder, Simon Rigter, Joris Roelofs, Jasper Blom, George Coleman, Dick Oatts and Reggie Workman.

Throughout his career, Martí has performed across Europe at notable events, including the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Grachtenfestival in Amsterdam, the Bimhuis Rough Diamonds Series, and jazz festivals in Breda, Heerde, and Vic.

Anders Lønne Grønseth

Born: February 21, 1979

Saxophonist, reed doubler (clarinet, flute) and composer born in 1979, resident in Oslo, Norway. Anders studied to a master degree in performing arts at Göteborg University (Academy of music and drama) after completing his bachelor at the Norwegian academy of music in Oslo. With roots in the jazz tradition, Anders seeks out a broad span of influences which come to display both in his playing and writing. Studies of classical composition of the 20th century, Indian classical music and Maqam tradition of the Middle-East continue to make way for explorations in playing techniques, composing and theoretical development.

Christopher Balk

Sergey Letov

Born: September 24, 1956

Sergey Letov was born in Semipalatinsk, Eastern Kazakhstan, in 1956 and then lived in Omsk, Siberia, where lived his brother Egor Letov (1964 - 2008). Sergey Letov resides in Moscow region since 1975.

First public performance as a soloist with Percussion Ensemble of Mark Pekarsky took place in The Central House of Artist in 1982 in Moscow .

1983-1993 - collaboration with Sergey Kuryokhin (duo, combo and big band POP MECHANICS). Concerts with POP-MECHANICS and Sergey Kuryokhin - all over Soviet Union, Finland, Italy, France, Denmark. Since 1986 - collaboration with the Gypsy singer Valentina Ponomareva. Duo Ponomareva-Letov performed in USSR, Switzerland.

Hillai Govreen

Hillai Govreen is a clarinetist, saxophonist and composer based in New York. Hillai’s upcoming album Every Other Now is a collaboration with bassist/composer Ben Meigners, and features some notable names of the NY music scene such as Steve Cardenas (guitar), Eric McPherson (drums), Café Da Silva (percussion) among others. The album is set to be released in August 2025 under the Fresh Sound label.

Her previous album “Allusions” (2021) is a duet with pianist Nitsan Kolko. Their duet feature spontaneous musical dialogue and alludes to various ancient fables. In addition, Hillai arranged music for a nonet consisting of strings and woodwinds.  

Anthony E Nelson, Jr.

Born: March 16, 1977

To dedicate a life to the construction and deliverance of music requires not only a tremendous commitment, but also an unparalleled passion for creativity. To wield notes and string them into a breathtaking arrangement of sound and inspiration is a gift that must be perfected daily. With each song created, each note pulled from an arsenal of musical brilliance, musician, composer and arranger, Anthony Nelson, Jr. ignites fans with his melodic originality. Fusing together jazz’s classic tranquility, gospel’s spirituality, funk’s rougher edges and neo-soul’s undeniable velvet ease to produce a sound unlike anything on today’s shelves. A saxophonist, flautist, clarinetist and bass clarinetist, Nelson is blessed with an inherent talent that is boundless in its ability to reach across generational and genre lines.

Klaus Gesing

Griffin Woodard

Born: September 27, 1998

Griffin Woodard is a composer, bass clarinetist, and bandleader who believes in the transformative power of music.

As an instrumentalist, Woodard’s primary focus is playing the bass clarinet in a jazz context. He has dedicated years of study to acquiring an in-depth understanding of the rich historical lineage of jazz clarinetists and bass clarinetists from Johnny Dodds to Eric Dolphy.

He hopes to honor the profound contributions of the masters by pushing his instrument to new frontiers of personal expression.

Woodard’s compositions have been performed by a variety of esteemed ensembles and soloists, including the New England Conservatory Jazz Composers’ Workshop Orchestra, the Bach Festival Orchestra of Bethlehem, the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, concert pianist Michelle Cann, and organist Stephen Williams. In 2022, Woodard was awarded the ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award for his piece, “Kyrie”.

In Motion Quartet

Active since: 2019

Led by Seattle-based saxophonist Steve Treseler and Bellingham-based trumpeter Kevin Woods, In Motion Quartet releases their debut album The Grind, an adventurous set of original music exploring propulsive grooves and the avant-garde. With a nod to the chord-less groups of Ornette Coleman, Dewey Redman, and Lee Konitz, the instrumentation allows the band the freedom to stretch harmonically and melodically, while maintaining an emphasis on rhythmic interaction and improvised counterpoint. Treseler and Woods seem to communicate telepathically, with a great sense of élan, curiosity, and vitality.