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| Kendra Shank Quintet at Jazz Standard On August 14, The Kendra Shank Quintet returns to The Jazz Standard where their March CD release concert brought the house down. In June, the quartet toured with their critically-acclaimed album, A Spirit Free: Abbey Lincoln Songbook, playing to packed houses at Dakota Jazz Club (Minneapolis), Green Mill Jazz Club (Chicago), and to a crowd of 7,000 at Jazz in June (Lincoln, NE). A Spirit Free, which establishes Shank as one of the foremost improvisational vocalists in jazz today, has received glowing reviews and features in New York Times, Down Beat (4 stars), Jazz Times, Jazziz, Entertainment Weekly, among many others, and Minneapolis Star Tribune named it “Best Vocal Jazz Album of 2007.” In their August 14 appearance at Jazz Standard the quintet will feature a few selections from A Spirit Free, plus creative arrangements of standards and originals from previous releases and new songs by composers such as Kirk Nurock, Fred Hersch and Frank Kimbrough. Known for their exciting improvisational group interplay and polyphonic sound, the ensemble's genre-bending music is tinged with jazz, folk, country, and world music influences. They have been playing together since 1999. KENDRA SHANK - Voice, Kalimba Vocalist Kendra Shank's critically acclaimed debut recording, Afterglow, was co-produced by Shirley Horn for Mapleshade Records (1994). This was followed by Wish (1998) and Reflections (2000) on Jazz Focus Records, which charted on jazz radio and won Top Ten of the Year awards in numerous publications. A Spirit Free: Abbey Lincoln Songbook was released on Challenge Records in February 2007 and received glowing reviews in New York Times, Downbeat (4 stars), Entertainment Weekly, Jazz Times, and many more. Shank has headlined at major jazz venues across the U.S. and internationally, and has been featured on NPR's JazzSet and Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz. She combines jazz originals, standards, French songs, folk/pop tunes, and open improvisation in an adventurous, genre-bending style that inspired Gary Giddins to call her “one of New York's most original performers” (Jazz Times). BILLY DREWES - Saxophones Billy Drewes (soprano, alto & tenor saxophones, clarinets, flutes) has been creating music, composing, performing and recording since the mid 1970's and is featured on over 100 recordings. He is a member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and has recorded and toured with a Who's Who of jazz greats, including Joe Lovano, Bill Frisell, Paul Motian, Tony Bennett and Toninho Horta, at venues from Egypt to Cuba, Israel to Africa, New York's Carnegie Hall to Albert Royal Hall in London. FRANK KIMBROUGH - Piano Pianist Frank Kimbrough has played with Kendra since they were introduced by Shirley Horn in 1992. He is currently a Palmetto Records recording artist, with previous CDs as a leader on OmniTone, Soul Note, and Mapleshade. In addition to leading his own critically acclaimed trio, he has played with the Maria Schneider Orchestra, Dewey Redman, Ben Allison, Joe Locke, and Ted Nash, among others. Frank was a founding member and composer-in-residence of the Jazz Composers Collective (1992 - 2005). His work has received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, Meet the Composer, and from Chamber Music America's Doris Duke Jazz Ensembles Project. DEAN JOHNSON - Bass Since arriving in New York from Seattle, Washington in 1980, bassist Dean Johnson has been busy free lancing with a wide variety of artists including his 10 year association with Gerry Mulligan. Other artists he has performed with include Bob Brookmeyer, Randy Brecker, Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, Art Lande, Dave Douglas, Lee Konitz, Nguyen Le, Steve Kuhn, Wynton Marsalis, The New York Voices, Jackie and Roy, Roseanna Vitro, and many others. Dean has also appeared on over 50 recordings with a variety of artists. TONY MORENO - Drums Drummer/composer Tony Moreno has recently performed and/or recorded with Dave Phillips and Freedance, Marc Mommaas and Global Motion, Jurgen Friedrich Trio - and Quartet with Dave Liebman, Roberto Bonati and the European Jazz Orchestra- ParmaFrontiere Jazz, “Tribute to Elvin Jones” with Larry Willis, Eddie Henderson, Frank Lacy, Miguel-Angel Chastang and Sonny Fortune; Timucin Sahin-Greg Osby Quartet, Jean Michel Pilc Trio, Art Lande, Fred Favarel Quartet with Richie Beirach, and many others. Tony has also composed music for film and dance, as well as having recently published a new text: “Rhythmic Studies for all Instruments.” write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |