|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| Gerald Cleaver & Violet Hour at Cornelia St. Cafe At Cornelia Street Cafe, Greenwich Village, NY this weekend you can hear Gerald Cleaver & Violet Hour (Jeremy Pelt, trumpet & cornet; J.D. Allen, tenor saxophone; Ben Waltzer, piano; Chris Lightcap, bass; Gerald Cleaver, drums; + special guest Andrew Bishop, tenor & soprano saxophone) Gerald Cleaver Born and raised in Detroit. There, he worked with Ali Muhammad Jackson, Marcus Belgrave, Donald Walden, Rodney Whitaker, A. Spencer Barefield and Wendell Harrison. Cleaver earned a B.A. in music education from the University of Michigan. During his studies he was awarded an National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Study Fellowship to study with drummer Victor Lewis. After graduating he began teaching in Detroit, and later joined the jazz faculty at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. He relocated to New York in 2002. Cleaver has worked with Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, Jacky Terrasson, Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Mario Pavone, Charles Gayle, Matthew Shipp, Reggie Workman, Joe Morris, Craig Taborn, Ralph Alessi, and Eddie Harris, among others. Cleaver leads two other groups. Veil of Names, which recorded “Adjust” for the Fresh Sound New Talent label, and Uncle June, soon to record. J.D. Allen Detroit tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen has risen to be one of the most thoughtful and skilled musicians of his generation. Steeping his sound in tradition and fundamentals, he possesses an adventurous, agile voice that honors the musical heritage of the past and serves as a visionary of the future of jazz. J.D. Allen has performed, recorded and toured with Betty Carter, Winard Harper, Wallace Roney, Frank Foster Big Band, David Murray Big Band, Cindy Blackman, Russell Gunn, Duane Eubanks, Bob Belden and Butch Morris. JD lives in New York City and currently performs with his own quartet as well as Cindy Blackman, Orrin Evans, Butch Morris, David Murray, Ralph Peterson, Eric Revis. He is expected to record his next project in 2005. Jeremy Pelt Jeremy Pelt arrived in New York in 1998 after graduating from college. Once he got there, it wasn’t long before he started being noticed by a lot of top musicians in the city. His first professional Jazz gig was playing with the Mingus Big Band. That gig lead to many long lasting associations with many of the talent in the band, and a great opportunity for growth. Since his arrival, he has been fortunate enough to play with many of today’s and yesterday’s Jazz luminaries, such as Jimmy Heath, Frank Wess, Charli Persip, Keter Betts, Frank Foster, Ravi Coltrane, Winard Harper, Vincent Herring, Ralph Peterson, Lonnie Plaxico, Cliff Barbaro, Nancy Wilson, Bobby Short, Bobby “Blue” Bland, The Skatalites, Cedar Walton, and many, many more. Jeremy has also been featured in a variety of different bands, including the Roy Hargrove Big Band, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, and the Duke Ellington Big Band. Currently, he is member of the Lewis Nash Septet, Mingus Big Band, and The Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band featuring Louis Hayes. Ben Waltzer Ben Waltzer is from Lansing, Michigan and attended the Interlochen Arts Academy where he won awards from Downbeat magazine and the National Association of Jazz Educators. He then enrolled in a double-degree program at the New England Conservatory—where he studied with pianists Geri Allen and Bevan Manson, and saxophonist Jimmy Giuffre—and Tufts University. In 1991 Ben transferred to Harvard University to study American History and Literature. While at Harvard, he wrote a thesis on the jazz historian, essayist and novelist Albert Murray. He graduated magna cum laude in 1993 and was the recipient of Harvard’s Braverman Award for artistic excellence. Ben then moved to New York to pursue jazz and soon began working with a wide range of dedicated young musicians, including Bill McHenry, Reid Anderson, Jorge Rossy, and Leon Parker. In 1996 he recorded his first cd, “For Good, ” featuring Mr. Rossy and bassist Anderson for the burgeoning Fresh Sound/New Talent record label. Later that year, Ben moved to Barcelona for eight months to perform and teach jazz. While there he recorded “Jazz is Where You Find It: Live at the Pipa Club” with the tenor saxophonist Bill McHenry which Cuadernos De Jazz named the third-best worldwide jazz release of 1997. Cadence magazine called his next record, “In Metropolitan Motion, ” (2000) a “winner because it revels in the jazz tradition rather than exploits it.” Allaboutjazz.com referred to it as an “inspired statement.” JazzTimes magazine hailed it the strongest of Fresh Sound’s then latest releases. Chris Lightcap Born in 1971 and raised in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Chris Lightcap started on the piano at age eight, switched to violin at nine and began to teach himself the electric bass at fourteen. He has performed with a wide array of musicians, including Paquito D’Rivera, John Abercrombie, Sheila Jordan, Butch Morris, George Garzone, Joe Morris, Archie Shepp, James Carter, Tom Harrell, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Cecil Taylor, Craig Taborn, Joe Morris, Regina Carter, Mark Turner, Ravi Coltrane, Matt Wilson, Terrel Stafford, and Marc Ribot. Lightcap’s recordings “Lay-Up” and “big Mouth”(Fresh Sound New Talent) both made the top 10 of CMJ’s jazz chart and enjoyed wide acclaim in such publications as The New York Times, Jazztimes, Cadence, the Village Voice, All About Jazz and Double Bassist. Lightcap has collaborated on over two dozen releases with such artists as Craig Taborn, Regina Carter, Whit Dickey, Rob Brown, Joe Morris, Tom Harrell, Marc Ribot, Anthony Coleman, Roy Campbell, and Mat Maneri. write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Jazz News :: home page |