Results for "Philadelphia"

City Rhythm Orchestra

The City Rhythm Orchestra has been knocking out audiences for many years at nightclubs, jazz festivals, concert venues and dance events with their high energy music. The Philadelphia Inquirer calls them "Philly's premier swing outfit" and anyone familiar with this group would certainly agree. Their 1,000- tune play list is filled with swingin' jazz arrangements, vintage big band charts, rockin' blues and pop tunes, unique original material, and more. A music critic once wrote that hearing a set by City Rhythm was "great music and great fun". That just about sums up the results that saxophonists Pete Spina and Nick Vallerio had in mind when they formed the band, and they have consistently cooked up exciting music with their key ingredients of hot horn players, a smokin' rhythm section, and innovative arrangements

Garrison Fewell

Born: October 14, 1953

"The guitarist formerly known as one of Boston's most eloquent inside players has become one of its leading experimenters," writes Boston Phoenix's Jon Garelick, who included Fewell's ensemble, the Variable Density Sound Orchestra, on his best of 2009 list. Fewell, a professor at Berklee College since 1977, has toured the globe for more than 35 years as one of the jazz world's premier performer/educators. He has released 13 recordings for Soul Note, Koch, Splasc(H), Boxholder, Accurate, Nubop and CNM Records. For the past decade, he has collaborated with such renowned avant-garde musicians as John Tchicai, Steve Swell, Roy Campbell, Khan Jamal, Borah Bergman and Curtis Clark

Kaylé Brecher

Unique jazz vocalist, composer, and arranger, Kaylé Brecher (Kay-La BrecKer) is a singer who is at once completely distinctive and an amalgamation of her great musical influences. Showcase Magazine described her sound as "a supple voice that suggests the pairing of Sheila Jordan and Sarah Vaughan." One could accurately add Morgana King and Ella Fitzgerald to that description. Hers is a versatile and flexible instrument with wide range, which can move from silky, smooth and subtle to bold and bluesy; refined to brash and raw. Her instrumental and compositional approach to singing leads to explorations of the mood, texture and style in each individual tune, which results in exciting variety

Matt Richards

Born: March 15, 1959

Born and raised in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, guitarist Matt Richards grew up in the culturally fertile cross-currents of the late 1960s. His musical pathway opens in the mix of folk, rock and psychedelic music that defined that decade and eventually guides him into the hyperactive jazz-fusion of the 1970s. Initially a self-taught player, Matt began earnestly developing the technically advanced musical abilities necessary to be part of that highly-energized genre. As his musicianship developed, he discovered straight-ahead jazz and classical music and began incorporating the acoustic guitar in various projects

Joanna Pascale

Born: February 25

Since emerging onto Philadelphia's jazz scene, vocalist Joanna Pascale has established herself as a compelling and skilled vocalist. At just 24 years old Joanna already has a working repertoire of over 400 songs. She brings a strong emotional element as well as a solid sense of swing to her uncommonly large catalogue of jazz standards. Joanna has regular gigs as a leader at some of Philadelphia's premiere jazz venues, as well as regular appearances with Philadelphia's most respected jazz musicians. Joanna began her musical education as a listener to the music in her household. "I grew up listening to old vinyl albums of Billie Holiday, Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan, and Nat King Cole," recalls Pascale, "I learned these songs as if they were a part of my generation's popular music." Joanna's love for jazz voice eventually took her to Philadelphia's Performing Arts High School, and then to Temple University, where she studied music with such instructors as Terell Stafford and Bruce Barth. While still a student in high school, Joanna began to develop her unique repertoire. "When I started going to jam sessions, vocalists would always do the same couple of songs," stated Pascale, "it would amaze me that gems like 'Serenade in Blue' or 'Once in a While', for example, would fall through the cracks

Sean J. Kennedy

Born: September 20, 1971

What They're Saying...
"Your drumming sounds like it should, it swings!"
– Dave Brubeck

"Very soulful..."
– Will Lee

"Organic grooves with a great feel. You're going to swear Sean grew up around the Mississippi Delta."
– DrummerCafe.com

"Creatively new, but built on solid foundations of traditional jazz."
– Jazzreview.com

A Voice in Jazz Drumming
Sean J. Kennedy is an accomplished jazz drummer, composer, and educator whose distinctive sound blends tradition with innovation. Known for his soulful playing and impeccable swing, Kennedy’s career spans over three decades of performing and recording across the jazz world. His work as the leader of The Sean J. Kennedy Quartet has garnered critical acclaim for its fusion of classic jazz influences and modern interpretations. Albums like Road to Wailea (2004), Queen Anne's Revenge (featuring Bob Mintzer) (2007), and Hey! Where’s My Tux?! (2013) showcase his versatility, combining intricate rhythms with deeply rooted jazz sensibilities.

Orrin Evans

Born: March 28, 1975

"The clear-cut best pianist of his time..." is how Hot House Magazine" described Orrin Evans in 1998, praise which was echoed again in the summer of 2002. This remarkable talent was nurtured in a household filled with music due to the efforts of his mother, a classical singer who surrounded the youngster with everything from the melodies of Puccini to the pulsating rhythms of Basie and Ellington. He learned from what he heard which is still the case today when he acknowledges such musicians as Trudy Pitts, Tim Warfield, Kenny Barron, Ralph Peterson, Edgar Bateman, Mickey Roker and Bobby Durham as inspirational guides

Matthew Parrish

Born: October 14, 1969

Matthew Parrish, has ‘come into his own’ as a sought after performer, arranger, composer, producer and instructor. Matthew brings skills and s wing as he puts his heart into every note he plays. He has a genuine warmth and loyalty to the music that transcends into every note, every tune, and every interaction with his fellow musicians.

Born in central California to hard-working, music-loving parents of four children, Matthew is the youngest to his next sibling by eleven years. With a variety of jazz, rock, and classical music being played around him since birth, whether live or recorded, and a father who played acoustic bass early in his military career, Matt was destined for a life dedicated to music. Although he started on trumpet in middle school, he switched from that instrument for the acoustic bass in a last minute decision of the heart right before his Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts music program audition. He was accepted as an acoustic bass student in jazz studies and he has never stopped learning his craft.

Jim Miller

Born: June 13, 1954

I've been involved in the professional music business since 1970, but incredibly, still enjoy playing the drums anyway. I consider it very fortunate that my Indianapolis grade school had a full band program and indoor plumbing as well. At age 12 the "music nun" yanked me from piano lessons to play drums in the orchestra because no one else had exhibited any natural proclivity toward becoming the scapegoat in the school's traditional losses at district band contests. Falling in love with the drums immediately, I demonstrated my interest and gratitude by ripping off drumsticks from the school, using them at home to break the heads on a pair of Emenee bongos.

In order to protect the windowsills and tabletops, a drumset was soon provided and in no time, I was auditioning for my first band ("Do you know the beat to 'Wipe Out'?" "Yeah." "OK, you're in.")

Barbara Montgomery

Born: June 30

Barbara Montgomery has been making a life and a living in the entertainment field as a jazz vocalist, music industry executive, music producer and publisher, as well as working in production for film and television as a director/producer, film editor, camera operator, lighting director, property master and stage manager. She began performing as a jazz vocalist but took a detour in her music career by joining the NBC/Westinghouse television station that produced the “Mike Douglas Show”, working for that program and others. During this time she also freelanced, working on the seminal PBS series, “The Constitution: That Delicate Balance”, as well as touring as a lighting designer for international popular music groups