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| Bill Ware and Rez Abbasi at Barnstock, Woodstock NY on 10.26.24 BARNSTOCK is a monthly jazz series in Woodstock, NY. Run by drummer Matt Garrity. The space is set in the top floor studio of a renovated 1911 barn. The warm, intimate setting makes for the perfect listening room. Come hear some of the best musicians on the scene in the hippest house concert you'll ever go to, including Grammy-winning artists and legends like David Amram and Joe Lovano! Vibraphonist Bill Ware and Guitarist Rez Abbasi have a rich collaboration going back decades. Recently, each has recorded on the other's newest projects, with new albums for the Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet and Bill Ware & the Club Bird All-Stars forthcoming in 2025. At this concert, Bill and Rez are joined by bassist Jay Anderson, and Barnstock host, drummer Matt Garrity. In 1990, vibraphonist Bill Ware was invited to Yokohama, Japan, to lead a group of New York jazz musicians for a 3-month engagement at a popular venue called "Club Bird." On returning to the US, Bill added members from AM Sleep to the group, calling it "Bill Ware and the Club Bird All-Stars." The first recording of the Club Bird All Stars was "Long and Skinny" (Knitting Factory Works – 1993) which received rave reviews. Since the 90's Bill has performed numerous times around New York City with the Club Bird All-Stars, always featuring Bill's favorite musicians. In 2024, Bill took his Club Bird All-Stars into the famed Rudy Van Gelder Recording Studio to record new compositions inspired partly by Bill's more recent film score work from the Covid-19 Pandemic years. Born in Karachi, Pakistan, removed at the age of four to the vastness of Southern California, schooled at the University of Southern California and the Manhattan School of Music in jazz and classical music, along with a pilgrimage in India under the guidance of master percussionist, Ustad Alla Rakha, Rez Abbasi is a vivid synthesis of all the above stated influences and genres. Making New York home for the past 25 years, Abbasi is considered by many to be one of the foremost modern jazz guitar players the world over. He has honed his skills with performances throughout Europe, Canada, the U.S., Mexico and India and has performed and recorded with many jazz greats including, Grammy winner Ruth Brown, Peter Erskine, Kenny Werner, Barre Phillips, Tim Berne, Michael Formanek, Billy Hart, Gary Thomas, Dave Douglas, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Mike Clark, Tim Hagans, John Beasly, Ronu Majumdar, Kadri Gopalnath, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Vijay Iyer, Marilyn Crispell, Greg Osby, Howard Levy and a host of others. The Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet, or RAAQ, was conceived for the purposes of featuring Abbasi's acoustic guitar talents. Simultaneously, it serves as an outlet to feature his compositions alongside "gems from other composers that are rarely heard today." Abbasi was well aware of creating a group that would magnify and enhance his acoustic guitar sound – calling upon vibraphonist, Bill Ware (Steely Dan), bassist, Stephan Crump (Vijay Iyer Trio) and drummer, Eric McPherson (Andrew Hill). write your comments about the article :: © 2024 Jazz News :: home page |