Results for "modern jazz"

Andrew Nixon

Born: October 1, 1983

As a child, Andrew began classical piano lessons with the late Suzanne Chapin, which he eventually quit, explaining to his parents that he did not like being told what to play. He spent the remainder of his childhood teaching himself, improvising, copying the classical music that he heard his sisters learning, and playing the trombone in various grade school ensembles.  

After several years playing keyboards in rock and blues bands around Buffalo and Rochester NY, he discovered jazz in 2006 and began studying with pianist/composer Paul Hofmann (Eastman School of Music). Now fully devoted to music, he went on to earn a master’s degree in music theory in 2012 from the University of Buffalo, where he also studied classical piano and composition.  After performing countless times in festivals and clubs in and around western New York, he began shifting his focus to composition in 2020.  

Kakafoni

Born: September 17, 1977

Pianist and composer Pelle Eriksson is the driving force behind the project Kakafoni. In the early 2000s, he got the idea to bring together melodic jazz, pop structures, improvisation, samples and loops and consolidate this into a whole. The band found its present form some years later and the first album was released in January 2013.
Some words about Kakafoni: “This is melodic jazz that takes long beautiful paths, often processed in different shapes… “– Ulf Johansson, GP “Beautiful “ 4/5 – Mattias Gustavsson, IKON ”Levitating beautiful melodious jazz” – Lennart Lundberg, Allehanda “The dirtiness in sounds and samples gives an extra dimension, especially when they play so tight and focused together

Piotr Budniak Essential Group

"Heart, Mind & Spirit" is the new album of Piotr Budniak Essential Group. The title loosely refers to the concept of a human being as the sum of the spirit, soul and body professed in early Christianity and derived from Hebrew philosophy. The assumption of the team is an attempt to capture the essence of human integrity with the whole palette of his feelings, thoughts, beliefs, experiences and struggles. The musical layer of the album differs from the choices made by the band, using, apart from - acoustic instruments - electric and enriching the whole with electronic elements and modern production procedures. Piotr Budniak Essential Group was formed in 2014

Will Bonness

Born: October 1, 1985

JUNO-winning pianist Will Bonness has been active on the Winnipeg, Canadian and international jazz scenes for two decades. At 17, Will joined Maynard Ferguson’s Big Bop Nouveau Band for a world tour, which included performances in Europe, Thailand, and the Caribbean. He has performed at many of the major jazz festivals in Canada and the United States, as well as in the world’s most prestigious venues, with such luminaries as Jon Gordon, Avishai Cohen, Quincy Davis, Jimmy Greene, and Derrick Gardner. Locally, he can often be seen performing with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, and the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra. Will’s performance career has led him to spend substantial time in New York City, where he has played at the Blue Note, Smalls, and Dizzy’s. Aside from his performances, he maintains a full-time teaching position at the University of Manitoba, where he has taught music for the past 12 years. Will has four releases to his credit: "Subtle Fire" (2009), "Halcyon" (2016), "Change of Plans" (2020), and "Is This a Dream?" (2023).

Charles Colizza

Born: October 30, 1994

Born and raised in Montreal, Québec, Charles Colizza is a New York based guitarist rooted in jazz. Established in the city since 2018, he has recorded alongside jazz saxophone legend Billy Drewes and has performed alongside Grammy winning arranger and trombonist Alan Ferber. He has performed in various world-renowned establishments and jazz venues across North America, notably at The Blue Note NYC, Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, The Bitter End, Upstairs and the Williamsburg Music Center. He is also the recipient of the Oscar Peterson Jazz Scholarship Competition. Charles draws his musical influences from all styles and genres, from Stravinsky to John Coltrane and from Milton Nascimento to Young Thug

Max Haymer

Born: September 1, 1985

Max Haymer was born and raised in Los Angeles. He began his classical piano studies at the age of seven and was introduced to jazz piano at the age of 14. He studied with the great LA based pianist Tamir Hendelman through high school and went on to continue his music education at UC Irvine, graduating with Magna Cum Laude honors and a Bachelor of Music degree in 2007. At Irvine, Haymer studied Jazz Performance with Kei Akagi, Darek Oles, Bobby Rodriguez, and the late Sherman Ferguson. During that time, he also studied Musical Theater Direction with Dr. Gary Busby. Haymer has won 2nd prizes at the Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition and the Great American Jazz Piano Competition in Jacksonville Florida, and was a finalist in the Horace Silver Piano Competition and UWF Phillips Jazz Piano Competition and UWF Phillips Jazz Piano Competition

Russ Lossing

Born: February 18, 1960

Pianist, composer and improviser Russ Lossing, based in New York City for over 35 years, is at the forefront of creative jazz performing and recording with Paul Motian, Mark Helias, Billy Hart, Dave Liebman, Samuel Blaser, Michael Formanek, Eric McPherson, Tim Berne, Billy Mintz, Cameron Brown, Gerry Hemingway, Ralph Alessi, Mat Maneri, Drew Gress, Oliver Lake, Kirk Knuffke, Gerald Cleaver, Gordon Grdina and many others. Lossing played with master drummer Paul Motian over a period of 12 years performing and recording including week-long stints at the Village Vanguard as a member of Motian's Quintet. He has toured world-wide playing major jazz clubs and festivals both as leader and side-man.

Jonathan Andersen

Born: February 24, 1974

Bass-player, Composer and arranger Jonathan Andersen was born in Denmark in 1974. Began exploring the bass in elementary school and was encouraged to develop his skills further at the local music school. He attended the Academy of Music in Esbjerg/Denmark from where he graduated in 2006 and studied with great bassists Thommy Andersson, Morten Ramsbøl and Kaspar Vadsholdt. He also studied Composing, Arranging, a. o. with Butch Lacy, Lars Jansson, Thomas Clausen, Frederik Søegaard, Christina Dahl and Marc Bernstein. His influences count various artists including: Dave Holland, Scott Colley, Larry Grenadier, Michael Formanek, Hugo Rasmussen. He has toured Japan, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and Estonia and has played with various national and international artists like: Jesper Løvdal, Jacob Anderskov, Jens Winther, Bjarne Roupe, Claus Waidtløw, Peter Rosendal, Espen Laub Von Lillienskjold, Maria Faust, Martin Andersen, Marc Bernstein, King Size Big Band, Thomas Hass and Thomas Maintz. He was nominated for a Danish Music Award Jazz 2020 in the category "Composer of the year", for his debut album: “Tiny Grass Is Dreaming”, featuring Jacob Anderskov, Magnus Thuelund and Espen Laub Von Lillienskjold. Balance is the overall idiom in his music

Wolfgang Seligo

Born: December 7, 1968

Pianist and composer Wolfgang Seligo is very much at home in many divergent musical styles. His original music is influenced by jazz, rock, and modern classical music and driven by a funky and powerful sound from the piano. He brought his work onto the international stage in various formations but also solo. He gave concerts in the Forbidden City of Peking, on the Red Square of Moscow, but also in Morocco, Senegal, Chicago and Washington. Other performances include festivals and concert series in Europe, Asia, Africa and the United States. After jazz studies in Vienna, Wolfgang Seligo gathered his first experiences as a composer, producer and musician in the early 1990s

Sharel Cassity

Born: February 10

Saxophonist, Woodwindist, Composer & Educator Sharel Cassity (pron. Shah-Relle) is a musician on the New York, Chicago, and international jazz scenes. Listed as “Rising Star Alto Saxophone” in Downbeat Magazine for the past 11 consecutive years, Sharel has appeared on the Today Show, earned her MA from The Juilliard School under full scholarship, won the 2007 ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award & has been inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. Cassity has shared the stage with jazz luminaries including Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis & the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra; as well as mainstream artists Aretha Franklin, Natalie Merchant, Vanessa Williams & Trisha Yearwood