contents

jazz
 
Tony Moreno, Bill Gerhardt, Mike Holstein: Trio Music

Art of Life Records is proud to present the recording debut of New York-based drummer/leader Tony Moreno. Joining Tony on Trio Music are Bill Gerhardt on piano and Mike Holstein on acoustic bass. The album features ten original compositions written by each of the band members. Trio Music was recorded and mixed by Tom Hamilton at Bond Street Studio in Brooklyn, New York in June & July 2006. All tracks have been digitally mastered using 24-bit digital technology.

Drummer/composer Tony Moreno has performed and recorded with Dave Phillips and Freedance, John O'Gallagher, Rez Abbasi, Russ Lossing, Dave Ballou, Russ Johnson and Alan Ferber, Larry Willis, Eddie Henderson, Frank Lacy, Miguel-Angel Chastang, Sonny Fortune; Timucin Sahin-Greg Osby Quartet, Jean-Michel Pilc Trio, Spooky Actions, European Jazz Orchestra - Parma Frontiere Jazz, Jurgen Friedrich Trio - and Quartet w/Dave Liebman, Marc Mommaas and Global Motion, Fred Favarel, Richie Bierach, Jean-Jaques Avanel, Gene Shimosato, Matt Garrison, Ravi Coltrane, Billy Harper, Dean Johnson, Dave Kikoski and The Lounge Lizards.

Pianist Bill Gerhardt is a prolific composer and arranger. He teaches privately and has been commissioned to compose for movies and television. He is a founding member of the Jazz Composers Forum and has traveled the world playing Jazz music with the top musicians in the field. He has played with Joe Locke and Ingrid Jensen, Jackie Allen and Kendra Shank while they toured in the South . Based in Asheville, NC he is a first call musician by his peers in NYC and Europe. He has a new recording being shopped for a label by his NYC based Band Cotangent. Since 1999, Bill has lived in New York City where he has recorded with such artists as Billy Higgins, George Mraz, Billy Hart and Tom Harrell. He is a member of a nine-piece group, The Staring Into the Sun Orchestra and a trio featuring Michel Gentile on flute and Masa Kamaguchi on bass as well as leading his own quartet. He is head of the advisory board and a founding member of the Jazz Composer's Forum in Asheville, North Carolina, a non-profit organization dedicated to performing and documenting new original music. In concert settings Bill's music has been heard on festivals, concerts, radio, television and in Jazz clubs around the world. His music has also been featured in an independent film by Robert Dew. Since his first professional job at age 15, Bill has played with Ben Allison, Benny Bailey, Jeff Ballard, Clarence Becton, John Betch, Michael Blake, Jeff Brillinger, Joe Daley, John Engels, Leonard Gaskin, Arjen Gorter, John Hebert, Ron Horton, Leonard Jones, Jed Levy, Tony Malaby, Ron McClure, Billy Mintz, Rutger Molenkamp, Tony Moreno, Idris Muhammed, Emily Remler, Mike Richmond, Roswell Rudd, Mike Sarin, Gary Thomas and Steve Wilson among others.

Bassist/composer Mike Holstein has been playing music since early childhood. His first instruments were guitar, violin, piano and drums. It wasn't until he was attending Western Carolina University that he discovered the bass. His affinity for the instrument was immediately apparent. Within a few years he was performing regularly and became one of the most sought after bassists in the Southeast. From the beginning he was writing his own music. He joined the creative young Jazz group, the Taken Back Quartet. This ensemble soon became a fixture on the thriving Asheville, North Carolina music scene. They played to a loyal almost cult-like following. In 2001, the members of the quartet along with Sharon LaMotte formed the Jazz Composers Forum, a non-profit organization dedicated to the presentation and documentation of original, instrumental Jazz. The Forum became a mainstay of the local music fabric as Mike and the Taken Back Quartet accompanied guest composers in concert presentations. Mike's involvement grew with the forum whose activities now include workshops, presentations in grade schools and tours of venues throughout the region. He has presented his own music multiple times as leader and in the capacity of 'Composer-in-Residence'. Since 2004, Mike has been a member of the band Cotangent, a New York based group led by pianist/composer Bill Gerhardt. He has played on two recordings with this band, “Stained Glass” and “Thrive”. He has performed with Joe Locke, Ingrid Jensen, Randy Brecker, Frank Kimbrough, Kendra Shank, Ron Horton, Marc Mommaas and Tim Horner among others. A truly gifted musician, Mike is finding himself more in demand than ever as he performs in Jazz clubs in New York, throughout the Carolinas and continues to be a force with the Jazz Composers Forum.



write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page