contemporary jazz | Musicosity

contemporary jazz

Mike Stern

One of the premier guitarists of his generation, the three-time Grammy nominee was born on January 10, 1953 in Boston. After growing up in Washington D.C., he returned to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music and got his start as a guitar player with Blood, Sweat & Tears at the age of 22. Following a stint with Billy Cobham's powerhouse fusion band from 1979-1980, Mike moved to New York City and was recruited by Miles Davis and played a key role in his celebrated comeback band of 1981 (which also included bassist Marcus Miller...

Read more about Mike Stern on Last.fm.

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SaxAssault

SaxAssault consists of 9 saxophonists, (ranging from sopranino to bass sax), plus rhythm section led by saxophonist and composer Andy Scott. Formed in 1994 the group comprises nine saxophones (from sopranino through to bass) with rhythm section. Andy’s compositions for SaxAssault are carefully crafted to feature every member of the ensemble, whether an improviser or more classically-trained musician. Featured Musicians:

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Tribal Tech

Tribal Tech is a progressive fusion band, originally formed in 1984 by guitarist Scott Henderson and bass player Gary Willis. The band includes Scott Kinsey on keyboard and Kirk Covington on drums, and has produced nine CDs that stretch the borders between blues, jazz, and rock. The band is widely regarded for the prodigious talents of its individual members and for its importance to the modern fusion music scene, but has informally dissolved following the release of 2000's Rocket Science, with the various members pursuing solo careers.

Tribal Tech on Last.fm.

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Bill Frisell

Bill Frisell was born in Baltimore, but was raised in Denver, CO. Once a classical clarinetist, he established a firm base in his traditional harmonic knowledge early on in life. Throughout high school and college he also played guitar in various rock and R&B groups in the Denver area. During high school, however, he became profoundly interested in jazz guitar. In 1971 Frisell attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, and also began studying with Jim Hall, one of the prominent jazz guitarists of the 1960s.

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Paul Hardcastle

British synth player, born December 10, 1958. Enjoyed success on the scene in the early 80's before breaking into the mainstream with "19", an international smash which spent five weeks at number one in the UK. In the latter half of the 1980s he specialised in work. He made the theme tunes for Top of The Pops and Saturday Live, popular British entertainment shows. Paul now records mainly under the pseudonym Jazzmasters. Early tracks of note include the popular 'Rain Forest' and 'King Tut', both were big dance hits in the U.S.

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Maria Schneider

Biography
Schneider was born in Windom, Minnesota. She moved to New York City in 1985 after attending college at the University of Minnesota, the University of Miami and the Eastman School of Music. She studied under Bob Brookmeyer and Gil Evans, working on various projects with Evans, including the film The Color of Money. Schneider formed the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra in 1993, appearing weekly at Visiones in Greenwich Village for five years. Her orchestra performed at many jazz festivals and toured Europe.

Read more about Maria Schneider on Last.fm.

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José James

Brooklyn based jazz-singer José James took a pretty direct route to getting Gilles Peterson’s attention. He flew over to London, went out clubbing and slipped the hugely influential DJ and prescient A&R man a copy of his demos! Intrigued by the hip young singer’s attitude, Gilles took a listen, and blown away by his stunning vocal version of Trane’s classic tune Equinox, immediately signed him to his thriving young indy label Brownswood.

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Steve Swallow

Steve Swallow (born October 4th, 1940 in Fair Lawn, New Jersey) is a jazz bass guitarist and composer. As a child, Swallow studied piano and trumpet before turning to the double bass at age 14. While attending a preparatory school, he began trying his hand in jazz improvisation. In 1960 he left Yale, where he was studying composition, and settled in New York City, playing at the time in Jimmy Giuffre's trio along with Paul Bley. Since joining Art Farmer's quartet in 1964, Swallow began to write. It is in the 1960s that his long-term association with Gary Burton's various bands began.

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Marcin Masecki

From Marcin's website:
www.marcinmasecki.com I was born in Warsaw in 1982. When I was six months old I moved with my parents to Popayan, Colombia. My father, a clarinetist, started teaching me simple harmony, rhythm and singing when I was three. At the age of seven I moved with my mother to San Fransisco where I began taking piano lessons. A year later I moved back to Poland and continued studies with my grandmother - one of the best piano teachers I know. Since I was seen improvising little melodies here and there I was also sent to my first jazz piano teacher, Jurek Kossacz.

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