Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Min Rager was born on February 4, 1975 in Seoul, Korea and began her music career playing in local jazz clubs and her reputation rapidly grew. In 1997, she moved to Montreal to attend McGill University and while there she continued to evolve as a pianist and composer. She graduated in 2003 with an Award of Excellence in Jazz Piano and formed a quintet as support for her original compositions and arrangements.
The following year her quintet recorded a studio recording for CBC Radio Beat Jazz II program. The show aired nationally in 2004 and was released as Min debut album Bright Road on Effendi in October 2005. She has composed a jazz suite for two pianos in 2008, performed at the International Jazz Festival of Montreal, had her quintet was named for General Motors Grand Jazz Award and played the Montreal Off Jazz Festival where she received “Best New Artist” honors.
Min Rager is currently on staff both at McGill University as a faculty member part-time where she teaches at the jazz department at the Conservatory of McGill University where she teaches jazz piano when not performing.
Dose A Day – Blues Away
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Jonny King was born Jonathan Z. King on February 2, 1965 in New York City, New York. Raised in New York City, he graduated from Princeton and Harvard Law School. A jazz pianist primarily self-taught, he has neither received any formal music education nor attended any jazz schools. His school of music was life – obsessively listening to records, going to jam sessions and soaking up as much live and recorded music as possible from traditional to avant-garde.
He credits pianist Mulgrew Miller and Tony Aless as his important influences, mentors and personal teachers. As well as recording under his own name, he has performed with, among others Roy Hargrove, Kenny Garrett, Bobby Watson, Christian McBride, Joe Lovano, Ira Coleman, Billy Drummond, Mark Turner, Vincent Herring, Steve Nelson, Peter Washington, Joshua Redman, Steve Davis, David Sanchez, Milton Cardona and Larry Grenadier.
He has released three albums in the 90s on the Criss Cross and Enja labels – In From the Cold, Notes From The Underground and Meltdown. In between his duties as an attorney at a copyright practice, he continues to approach music the way he learned, both as a performer and composer.
Give A Gift Of Jazz – Share
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Daily Dose OF Jazz…
Lena Bloch was born on January 31, 1971 in Moscow, Russia. She immigrated to Israel in 1990, to attend Rubin Academy of Music and Dance, and then received a full scholarship for Jazz In July workshop. Acquiring her Artist Diploma cum laude from Cologne Conservatory, she was granted another full scholarship to attend the Jazz Workshop in Banff, Canada. Bloch has studied with Yusef Lateef, Billy Taylor, Joe Lovano, Kenny Werner, Dave Holland and Lee Konitz.
By 2001 Lena met her most important teacher, Lee Konitz, who she studied and was introduced to the music of Lennie Tristano’s school, especially Warne Marsh. She played the first tenor chair in the Jazz Ensemble and got a “Downbeat Student Award” 2005 and MENC Award 2004 in Minneapolis. She has won the “Outstanding Performance Award”.
Since 1993 Lena has been leading her own quartet and trio, writing music and arranging and she played in the legendary “Embryo” band touring Italy. She is an inventive improviser who incorporates Middle-Eastern and Eastern European elements into the jazz idiom, achieving a unique sound.
She has performed with Mal Waldron, Johnny Griffin, Horace Parlan, Keith Copeland, John Marshall, Alvin Queen, Steve Reid Vishnu Wood, Arturo O’Farrill, George Schuller, Billy Mintz, Dave Shapiro, Roberta Picket, Scott Wendholt, Dan Tepfer, Bertha Hope, Ray Drummond and Matt Wilson among many others. Alto saxophonist Lena Bloch is also a creative and inventive educator, who continues to successfully teach woodwinds and jazz improvisation to all ages and levels since 1990.
Put A Dose In Your Pocket
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
D.D. Jackson was born on January 25, 1967 in Ottawa, Canada. He started playing piano as a child, eventually graduating from the Manhattan School of Music. He would go on to become an alumnus of the Lehman Engel BMI Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop.
Jackson performs all over the world with his groups and has also appeared and recorded with some of the most distinguished names in jazz and beyond including: David Murray, Art Davis, Ray Drummond, James Spaulding, James Carter, Dewey Redman, Oliver Lake, Billy Bang, Regina Carter, Dafnis Preto, Cindy Blackman, Billy Hart, Andrew Cyrille, Mor Thiam, Mino Cinelu, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and others.
He is also an accomplished classical pianist, released a recording of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”, he wrote a regular column “Living Jazz” for Downbeat magazine and the related “D.D. Jackson Living Jazz Podcast”.
Jackson is an alumnus of the Manhattan Producers Alliance, was a composers for The Wonder Pets and 3rd & Bird; scored the entire 26-episode season of The Ocean Room, won a Juno Award, is currently based in New York City teaching at Hunter College and the Harlem School of the Arts and has recorded twelve CDs as a leader and co-leader.
Jazz Is Global – Share
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Lizz Wright was born January 22, 1980 in the small town of Hahira, Georgia, one of three children and the daughter of a minister and the musical director of their church. She started singing gospel music and playing piano in church as a child, and also became interested in jazz and blues.
She attended Houston County High, where she was heavily involved in choral singing, receiving the National Choral Award. Lizz moved to Atlanta and went on to attend Georgia State University, studying singing. Since then she has studied at The New School in New York and also in Vancouver.
Wright joined the Atlanta-based vocal quartet In The Spirit in 2000, performing at the local jazz haven Churchill Grounds and with the guidance of then manager, Ron Simblist, she was consistently featured on the late night jazz radio program Serenade To The City,and was soon achieving critical acclaim and notoriety. In 2002 she signed a recording contract with Verve Records, where her musical compositions and vocal style were comparable to that of Norah Jones.
Her debut album, “Salt’ was released in the spring of 2003 and reached number two on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz chart in 2004. Her sophomore release in 2005 ”Dreaming Wide Awake”, maintained the jazz and pop blend, while incorporating folk music to her musical blend. It reached number one on the Top Contemporary Jazz chart in 2005 and 2006.
Lizz has most notably performed and recorded with the late Joe Sample, Danilo Perez, David Sanborn, Toots Thielemans, Amos Lee, Regina Carter, Jakob Dylan, Massimo Biolcati and Meshell Ndegeocello among others.
In 2008, she released “The Orchard” to positive reviews and then released her fourth album, “Fellowship”, a collection of gospel standards, in 2010. Vocalist and composer Lizz Wright continues to perform and tour and is currently working on the release of her fifth album.
Take A Dose On The Road
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