Violinist John Blake Jr. will be heading up "The Art of Strings" at
Jazz in Media! at the
Unitarian Universalist Church in Media, PA, on January 18th, 2012. With him will be the astonishing guitarist
Jimmy Bruno and the fabulous bassist
Gerald Veasley.
*** Native Philadelphia John Blake, Jr. has been one of the world's leading jazz violinists for over four decades. A four-time winner of the
Down Beat Critics' Poll "Violinist Deserving Wider Recognition" category, Blake first gained recognition on the early, 1970s recordings he made with Archie Shepp and by the mid-70s, Blake reached a global audience for his years recording and touring with Grover Washington, Jr. and his popular "crossover" jazz band. Blake then spent five years working extensively as a member of various ensembles led by pianist McCoy Tyner. John Blake Jr. has also performed and/or recorded with the Duke Ellington Orchestra,
Turtle Island String Quartet, Quartet Indigo, the Steve Turre Sextet, the
Billy Taylor Trio, Avery Sharpe, Cecil McBee, and James Newton. Blake released his recording debut as a leader and composer -
Maiden Dance - in 1984, the first of five well-received projects on Gramavision Records including one that teamed him up with fellow jazz violinists Michal Urbaniak and Didier Lockwood. He released his sixth album,
Quest, which reunited him with Grover Washington and featured Joe Ford, Charles Fambrough, Ben Riley, Omar Hill, and Joey Calderazzo, on Sunnyside Records in 1992. Blake's first recording with his current quartet,
The Traveler, was released in 2007. In addition to lecturing on campuses throughout the US, Blake is on the faculty of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, and has been a guest lecturer at Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 2004 he was appointed to the Basler Chair of Excellence for the winter semester at East Tennessee State University and that year also was awarded a
Chamber Music America Jazz Composer Grant.
Don't miss this one-of-a-kind concert! ****
Jazz at the Playhouse will be featuring bassist Jonathan Michel and his band, featuring pianist Wilerm Delisfort, drummer Anwar Marshall and special guest, the soulful singer Zenia McPherson at the
Society Hill Playhouse in Philadelphia on January 19th. Born and raised in Waterbury, CT, Jonathan Michel has spent the past 8 years earning a reputation as one of the East Coast's most in-demand bassists.
Along with his work on the local Philadelphia and New York scenes, Jon has spent much of the past few years touring and serving residencies around the world. Recently, Michel has been holding the bass chair in singer Billy Paul's band and has performed regularly with pianist Orrin Evans, Aaron Goldberg, Tim Warfield, and Denise King. In addition to co-leading an original music project called The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Jon is musical director for Zenia & The Natural Experience.
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Never Loved A Man - Zenia McPherson, |