Results for "synthesizer"

Michael A Levy

Born: July 2, 1948

My early musical influesnes were entirely classical. Primarily Chopin. Actually, my mom taught me my first stride bass tune, St.Louis  Blues. In my teens I started playing in bands and acquired copies of the then “illegal” fake books. The world of standards opened up and I learned lots of them, comping basic chords in  my left hand. 

Around 15 I became exposed to the jazz genre. Miles, Monk, Brubeck, MJQ. Those sounds became my jazz foundation. I tried to improvise but it was unguided and not very adventurous. Of course I listened to a lot of lesser luminaries, but still great… Horace Silver, Yusef Lateef, Ahmad Jamal, Ravi Shankar, etc. 

Ricardo Gallo

Born: May 9, 1978

Colombian pianist and composer Ricardo Gallo has written for acoustic and electro-acoustic formats, for short films, videos, dance, installations and multimedia stage productions, and has performed and written for improvisatory groups. He has published twelve albums as a leader, his music has appeared in several compilations in Colombia, USA, and Europe, and has participated in recordings of several other groups. Among his main projects is the quartet he leads since 2005 with some of the best musicians from Bogotá’s scene: drummer Jorge Sepúlveda, bassist Juan Manuel Toro, and percussionist Juan David Castaño, developing repertoire and an improvisational approach that integrates an avant-garde and free language with rhythmic and melodic elements from folkloric musical traditions

City of Four

Active since: 2011

City of Four brings an original brand of modern groove-based jazz, funk, and fusion to music venues across Boston and New England. A composers collective primarily featuring original compositions, the band's current lineup since 2019 is Mike Caudill, Cat Tremblay, Blain Crawford, and Steve Wilkinson. After the self-produced independent release of its first EP with current personnel (Not Lost, 2021), City of Four is set to release a full length album with Mint 400 records on March 25, 2022. City of Four formed in 2011 in Amherst, MA where its founding members were studying music together at UMass

Bryan McAllister

Born: May 3, 1989

Bryan McAllister is a composer, bandleader, and keyboardist from Rocky Mount, NC currently living in Long Beach, CA. Influenced by many genres and music styles, Bryan has found his sound blending electric and acoustic instruments and drawing from his diverse musical background. Bryan has toured his own bands as well as touring with a handful of rock and metal bands, and the acclaimed indie rock group The Tragic Thrills. Bryan lives in Long Beach, CA with his wife and two dogs, and will brag to anyone that will listen that he still has never had COVID.

Constantin Krahmer

Constantin Krahmer studied jazz piano at the Musikhochschule in Cologne from 2006-2011. He plays piano, synthesizer and composes, i.e. for his bands Close Up and Offshore. With Offshore he has released three albums from 2013-2019. The band was in the finals of the Burghausen Jazz Competition and played at the WDR Jazzfest Cologne, Achtbrücken Festival, Jazzfestival Saarbrücken and many more. The debut album of his band Close Up will be released in February 2022. He is also very active as a sideman in various ensembles, e.g. Maik Krahl Quartett, Radius, Filán Quartett, Alexander Bühl Sextett, Synthimania, Ampair:e, Zuzana Leharova Quartett, and many more

Thollem McDonas

Born: 1967

Thollem is a perpetually traveling pianist, keyboardist, composer, improviser, singer-songwriter, activist, author and teacher. He's spent most of his life living on the road throughout North America and Europe. His work is ever-changing, evolving and responding to the times and his experiences, both as a soloist and in collaboration with hundreds of artists across idioms and disciplines. Thollem's known internationally as an acoustic piano player in the free jazz and post- classical worlds, as the lead vocalist for the Italian agit-punk band Tsigoti and as an electronic keyboardist through a multitude of projects. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Thollem began playing the piano, composing and improvising as a child, absorbing the sounds of his culturally diverse upbringing

Miki Hayama

Miki Hayama is a GRAMMY Nominated piano/keyboard player, arranger and musical director, born in Kyoto, Japan, lives in NYC.

She graduated from Osaka College of Music where majored in classical piano, and studied jazz piano with renowned jazz pianist Sadayasu Fujii in Kyoto. After graduated from College, she started to work at many Jazz clubs in Kansai area. Her ambition to pursue Jazz didn't stop her but made her move to New York. Since 2003, Ms. Hayama has been busy making quite a respected name for herself on New York's jazz scene. She has toured and shared the stage with many greats —Kenny Garrett, Ralph Peterson, Sean Jones, Tia Fuller, Michael Dease, Vincent Herring, Bruce Williams, Roy Hargrove, JD Allen, Greg Osby, Cindy Blackman-Santana, Nnenna Freelon, Jazzmeia Horn, Christian McBride, Eric Harland, Gary Thomas, and even the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin to name a few. Her own 2006 sophomore release "Prelude to a Kiss" received a five-star rating in Swing Journal. Her 3rd studio album "Wide Angle" got Swing Journal's Gold Disc Award in March 2009, Best Production Award in January, 2010. She plays on many recordings as a side person includes on Tia Fuller's "Pillar of Strength" and "Healing Space", Sharel Casity's "Evolve", Mimi Jones's "A New Day" and "Balance", Michael Dease Big Band's "Relentless", Nnenna Freelon's "Christmas". She worked as a musical director as well as an arranger and keyboardists on Nnenna Freelon's new studio album " Time Traveler " which was released on May 21, 2021, and won the Grammy nomination.

Matt Ratcliffe

Eddie Moore

Born: October 9, 1985

Jazz runs deep in pianist and bandleader Eddie Moore's veins. Raised in Houston Texas, he began his musical journey at Texas Southern University where he later earned a Bachelors in Arts and immersed himself in the Houston music scene. As a lifelong musician traversing a number of bands and styles he relocated to Kansas City to study under Bobby Watson at the University of Missouri-Kansas City where he received a M.A in Jazz Studies. After forming Jazz/Fusion group Eddie Moore & The Outer Circle in 2012, diversity and inclusiveness have become to define Moore as an artist. His debut album,"The Freedom of Expression", was given 3.5 stars from Downbeat jazz magazine who has stated "Moore's compositions exude a sophisticated soulful elegance that create a tastefully fulfilling venture into a range of dynamic pieces, with the musicianship to match.” Moore’s third album as a leader "Kings & Queens" incorporates elements of soul, r&b, rock and hip-hop into his take on contemporary jazz

Steve Shapiro

Born: 1963

A busy producer, composer, and session musician in New York City, Steve’s credits span many areas of the music & recording business — including major jazz and pop artists, television, feature films, commercials, multimedia, and education. He has led multiple releases as a contemporary jazz vibraphonist.

Steve has recorded with artists such as Phil Collins, Whitney Houston, Ornette Coleman, Pat Martino, Regina Belle, They Might Be Giants, Roberta Flack, and SpyroGyra. He appeared on Steely Dan’s Two Against Nature, which received 4 Grammy Awards including Album-of-the-Year. He also composes music for many television series, films, TV commercials and trailers, and is a long-time producer/arranger for the Walt Disney Company, with credits on an array of projects related to over forty feature film releases.