Results for "jazz"

Dave Ricketts

Dave has committed his life to music. He plays guitar, sings, composes, songwriter and even plays a bit of cornet! His formal study and training was with Michael Chapdelaine (a student of Andres Segovia, among other accomplishments) at the University of New Mexico, where he earned a bachelors in music. Dave is founder and bandleader for nationally and internationally known Gaucho Jazz (gypsy jazz/blues/gutbucket music), which he has led since 2002. Gaucho is based in San Francisco and in 2009, won SFWeekly’s Reader’s Poll, “Best Jazz and Blues Band”. In 2016 Gaucho was very honored to have won the title of “Best Band” for the same publication

Ikechi Onyenaka

Born: December 2, 1996

   Ikechi Onyenaka is an American jazz saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and recording artist from Upper Darby, Pennsylvania on the rise in modern jazz. Although his primary instrument is the alto saxophone, he also plays the tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet, piano, keyboard, bass, and drums. As a saxophonist and songwriter, he takes a wide range of influences from the likes of Grover Washington Jr, Kenny Garrett, Robert Glasper, Stevie Wonder, and J Cole. Through emotionally driven saxophone melodies, atmospheric piano chords, and immaculate bass lines, Ikechi Onyenaka has truly created his own lane in modern jazz with his original music. 

Andres Hayes

Zachary Biggus

Born: August 8, 1984

Zachary Biggus was surrounded by music at a young age. He began playing guitar at the age of 11, focusing first on rock and later turning his interest to jazz. By 16, he was working with local bands in the Chicago land area. In 2010 Biggus released his first album, "Jusqu’a Présent". This independent release displays Biggus’ capacity for composition as well as improvisation. Since it’s release, Biggus continues to perform regularly in the Chicago land area, and has established himself both in his tasteful complements to the rhythm section and on innovative solo flights.
"From The Very Start" is the latest studio release from Zachary Biggus and features original compositions, drawing from styles of Rock and Jazz

Ernst Bier

Born: January 12, 1951

Ernst Bier studied drums with Billy Brooks, Charlie Persip, Vernell Fournier, and Elvin Jones. He lived and worked in New York City from 1982 through 1987. After his return to Germany he lived first in Cologne, and later in Berlin, where he leads a continually running series of jazz workshops. The list of musicians with whom he has worked reads like a "Who's Who" of jazz. With his dedication, his sensitive playing style, and his constructive approach, he is a highly valued drummer who is continually in demand.

"The way I see it musicians are a lot like doctors - people come to a concert to be treated by the music."

Neil C. Young

Born: December 31, 1973

Navigating musical highways with melodic flair and harmonious finesse whilst keeping live performance as alive as possible, UK-based fusion guitarist Neil C Young has established himself as a composer, arranger, and musician on both the British scene and international stage.

Praised for his cool, melodic and harmonic sophistication yet maintain a feel good instrumental format, Neil has worked with the likes of – Nick Blacka (Go Go Penguin), Nathan Bray (Guy Barker); Anton Hunter (Beats and Pieces, Sloth Racket, Ripshaw Catfish), Soweto Kinch; Wendy Kirkland (Piano Divas) Gary Boyle (Isotope, Soft Machine); Steve Tromans (Indo Jazz Fusions, Dan Nicholls, Alison Symons)

Kevin Hart

Born: October 10, 1966

Kevin Hart is a jazz vibraphonist, pianist and drummer from Central Illinois. His stylistically eclectic The Road to Everywhere was chosen as a 2005 recommended release by Laura Kennedy from WGLT who says, “Kevin Hart is a masterful musician—a generous artist with style, class and a forever sense of fun. His originals sparkle with innovation and cosmopolitan charm and as Axel F demonstrates, his choice of cover material reveals imagination and vision.” Latin-flavored Corazón was also a 2010 top ten pick by KXLU in Los Angeles. Early on, Kevin played his father’s drums to jazz records, studied piano as required by his mother, imitated Lionel Hampton on an older sister’s vibraphone, and began drumming with local pros at 15

Marius Billgobenson

Born: April 4, 1966

A true musical citizen of the world committed to bridging longstanding cultural divides, Stockholm, Sweden based singer, songwriter and guitarist Marius Billgobenson has created a soulful and empowering fusion of jazz, blues, pop, R&B and the dynamic rhythms and vocal sounds indigenous to his homeland of the Congo. His invigorating blend of jazz instrumentation and African music seeks to bring awareness of disenfranchised communities. Starting with the release of his 2017 debut album The Sum of My Pardon, the multi-talented artist – also an award-winning anthropologist with intense interests in ethnomusicology and curating cultures - has used jazz as umbrella to bring about intellectual dialogues

Peter Janson

Born: January 1, 1970

Guitarist Peter Janson lives in Boston Massachusetts and has been forging his own path as an independent solo guitarist since 1999. Building what he considers a meaningful life, Peter’s music events are an important part of that - he performs concerts, tours regularly, founded his own Eastern Woods Music label, gives guitar workshops, and he directs jazz ensembles and private guitar lessons at the University of Massachusetts Boston. There aren’t many jazz guitarists today focusing exclusively on solo guitar, but for Janson playing solo jazz guitar is both his passion and love - he is inspired by the solo guitar works of players like Pat Metheny, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Wolfgang Muthspiel, as well as jazz legends such as Joe Pass, Earl Klugh, and Jim Hall. Now growing in international recognition, Peter signed worldwide sub-publishing deals with STOMP Music Korea and with UK based SUPREME SONGS Limited in October 2022.

Buzz Brooks

Born: December 10, 1951

Buzz is a kind of a wacky dude who believes that "He who dies having laughed the most, wins." Bob Brooks acquired the nickname "Buzz" when, in his first band, circa 1967, he developed a reputation as a type-A, high-energy sort of fellow. Between the ages of 11 and 13, Buzz took piano lessons, and quit. Fortunately the piano teacher taught some ear training and theory, so that when an older friend started spinning 45s from the Stax and Motown labels, Buzz was able to decipher the chords. This led to a seven-year stint with an R & B show band called "300 Years", so named because they felt that it had taken 300 years here in the U.S. to get to the point where everyone in a multi-racial performing act could truly be on equal footing. When it was time to go to college, Buzz was accepted at Berklee School of Music in Boston, (and Boston U and Washington U) but he never attended because he had signed a contract with 300 Years and a talent agent in New York. So he went instead to Hofstra University for a semester or two before he had to drop out, due to 300 Years being on the road 265 days a year. During this era, 300 Years opened for Sly Stone, Deep Purple, Sam and Dave, King Curtis, the Manhattans, the Coasters, the Platters, the Chambers Brothers, Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge, the Spinners, the Trammps, Eddie Kendricks, the Stylistics, Isaac Hayes, the Ohio Players, Rufus with Chaka Khan, Kool and the Gang, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and others. The group broke up in 1977, whereupon Buzz moved to San Francisco, and after a few years working as an expediter in the construction industry, he became a cab driver. Buzz has recently been the featured cab driver on a few broadcast TV shows in the Bay Area. In the 80s, Buzz dropped out of the music scene, bought a grand piano, and wrote a few things. In the 90s, seized by the itch to perform again, he played in blues bands in and around the Bay Area, and played as a sideman for an R & B revue. In the late 90s, Buzz came back once again to music, this time as a vocalist. He sang with the Skyline College Choir, then the City College Gospel Choir, and finally the Oakland Jazz Choir for four years. During this period he was also a featured vocalist with the City College Big Band. Buzz released his first CD in Dec. of 2005, "The Oenophile Anthem". For 13 years, right up until the pandemic,  he sang to tracks in his taxicab, which he called the Kabaret Kab of San Francisco. Disposed ~ 4K Cds that way, and was featured on the front page of the SF Chronicle twice. Currently Buzz is laughing about something somewhere. Perhaps it's his silly paraphrase of I Peter 4:8: "A little visual charity covers a multitude of audial sins." That is, sometimes it pays to misdirect the audience via the judicial use of artifice; specifically, histrionics, visual aids, and frequent doses of humor — to distract them from whatever performance deficiencies, real or imagined, they may perceive.