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| Doug Pierce at the Jazz Lives in Syria Festival 'ASR Records Recording Artist, Doug Pierce is performing at the Jazz Lives in Syria festival from July 2nd through July 12th at Damascus and Aleppo Syria. Prof. Pierce is one of the featured artists and soloists performing with the Syrian/Swiss Jazz Orchestra under the direction of the talented trombonist and arranger, Amadis Dunkel. Doug Pierce, an extremely gifted and talented composer, arranger and trumpeter hails from the motor city; Detroit, Michigan. Detroit is known for having produced some of the finest jazz musicians in the world. During his time in Detroit Doug has had the great opportunity to study with quite a few internationally recognized jazz musicians including Marcus Belgrave, Donald Walden, Rayse Biggs, Jimmy Wilkinson, Larry Smith, Kenneth Cox, Teddy Harris Jr., Russell Green and Herbie Williams. In the Fall of 1993 Doug continued his professional music studies with a two-year stint at Michigan State University's music program. Here he studied music theory and composition. While at MSU Doug had the opportunity to study classical trumpet with Richard Illman who is a trumpet disciple of the great Vince di Martino. In the fall of 1996 Doug transferred his musical studies to the University of DC where he was under the tutelage of the late great Calvin Jones. While at UDC Doug became the second recipient of the Felix E. Grant fellowship award. This award is a very prestigious award not given out regularly and is given solely based on individual talent. It was under Calvin Jones that Doug was made aware of his incredible and unique composition and arranging abilities. Professor Jones often shared with Doug how his uses of harmonic and melodic tools are reminiscent of the same tools used by Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones and Thad Jones. Upon completion of his undergraduate studies in 1999, fall 2002 Doug enrolled into the Jazz Studies program at Western Michigan University. It is here that Doug studied with jazz greats such as Trent Kynaston, Dr. Scott Cowan and Tom Knific. During his time at WMU Doug was awarded the distinct opportunity to participate in a few residency programs including the prestigious Betty Carter Jazz Ahead residency in April of 2004. Doug completed his Masters degree in music spring of 2005 and is currently the professor of Jazz Trumpet at The Ohio State University. Concurrently, Doug leads several musically diverse groups. Those groups include an exciting jazz quintet and sextet, a very powerful and dynamic Gospel music ensemble and a new and very exciting jazz orchestra called the “Band of Brothas” where Doug is the Chief Conductor, composer and arranger. The compositions performed by this group show Doug's fundamental understanding of the jazz tradition, but also display his uniqueness and originality as a composer and arranger. Other artists that Doug has shared the stage with or performed along side include: Bobby Watson, Ren McLean, Karen Francis, James King, Nassar Abbeday, Byron Stripling, Claudio Roditi, Dena DeRose, John Clayton, Jeff Clayton, Regina Carter, Sunny Sumter, Angela Wimbush, Clare Fischer, Bob McChesney, Sunny Wilkinson, Jim McNeely, “Slide” Hampton, Randy Brecker, Roy Hargrove, Arkady Shilkloper, Vincent Herring, Cyrus Chestnut, Bruce Barth, Billy Hart, Eric Lewis, Curtis Fuller, Dr. Nathan Davis, Winard Harper, Carmen Lundy, J.D. Allen, Richie Cole, The Velvelettes and many others. Jazz Lives in Syria festival from July 2nd through July 12th at Damascus and Aleppo Syria. For extensive details and more information about the festival, visit the official Jazz Lives in Syria website. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |