RICHIE GOODS & CHIEN CHIEN: CONNECTED

“CONNECTED” was formed in 2020. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Richie Goods and Chien Chien had frequent conversations about the Black Lives Matter movement and the unwarranted hate crimes against Asians. They decided to do a project that would unify people and invoke imagery of love and peace. As often happens, music was the catalyst that bridged the gap and resulted in a rare collaboration; a partnership that produced “The Path” Sep. 2020, “We Three Kings” Nov. 2020, and “Rain” Dec. 2021. They decided to cement their musical relationship by creating “CONNECTED”, their band featuring Miki Hayama on keys, Quintin Zoto-guitar and Allan Mednard-drums and of course Richie Goods-bass and Chien Chien-vibes. Together, Richie and Chien Chien are “CONNECTED”, creating an exciting, new, energetic listening experience and attracting new audiences everywhere. Look for their new release, “Richie Goods & Chien Chien – CONNECTED” due in January, 2023. RICHIE GOODS – NY bassist Richie Goods, one of the most versatile and accomplished bass players in the industry and the youngest person ever inducted into the Pittsburgh Jazz Hall of Fame, came to prominence while touring and recording with the late Mulgrew Miller and credits him for much of his success. Richie went on to make a name for himself through recording and touring with a variety of jazz and popular artists including Sting, The Headhunters, Louis Hayes Lenny White, Milt Jackson, Whitney Houston, Lisa Fischer, The Manhattan Transfer and Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys and Common and Chris Botti. He tours the US and internationally extensively, including notable performances at the Monterrey, Montreal, Mendocino, Atlanta, Detroit, San Jose, Rochester, and Jakarta Java Jazz Festivals as well as the Punta del Este International Jazz Festival. Richie, a native Pittsburgher, studied with such luminaries as Ron Carter and Ray Brown. He received critical acclaim for his multiple recordings, including his 2019 release “My Left Hand Man”, recorded with THE GOODS PROJECT, a self- produced tribute to his mentor Mulgrew Miller, which spent 36 weeks on the JazzWeek charts in 2020. CHIEN CHIEN – Chien Chien (Lu) is a vibraphonist, contemporary percussionist, and composer whose Taiwanese upbringing, classical music education, and passion for R&B grooves crystallize into a fresh and distinctive approach to contemporary jazz. Chien Chien’s fierce authenticity and jazz mastery shine bright on her September 2020 debut solo project, The Path, which spent 20 weeks on the Jazz Week Charts Top 20, earned Best Jazz Song in the Golden Indie Music Awards (GIMA)and three Golden Melody Award nominations, four GIMA nominations and led to her being named the “vibraphone rising star” in Downbeat Magazine’s 69th Annual Critics Poll. Her band has also played many prestigious festivals including the Clifford Brown and DC Jazz Festivals. She also toured extensively in Europe, Asia, and the United States. Chien Chien obtained a master’s degree in classical music and jazz. In 2017 she met jazz trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and was invited to join his esteemed quintet where she met and began collaborating with Richie Goods.

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CHUCK ISRAELS QUINTET

Chuck Israels, Bass

David Evans, Tenor Saxophone

James Powers, Trombone

Dan Gaynor, Piano

Todd Strait, Drums

New music and jazz standards in colorful new arrangements by Grammy winning bassist/composer/arranger Chuck Israels featuring detailed ensembles and creative solos.

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THE WILLAMETTE JAZZ TRIO

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Booker Collins was born on June 21, 1914 in Roswell, New Mexico. Emerging from the New Mexico Military Institute to play in Bat Brown’s Band, a territory band. By the mid-’30s he was keeping very good company playing with pianist Mary Lou Williams and Her Kansas City Seven, cutting sides with her when he was only 16. In 1934, his break came when he got into the band of Andy Kirk and His Clouds Of Joy, staying for the next decade and playing alongside Williams in the rhythm section. Kirk’s hiring replaced the tuba with the double bass.

Booker’s final job of note was with Chicago, Illinois guitarist and drummer Floyd Smith as part of his trio, a stint that lasted from 1946 until the early ’50s, when this great bass man finally laid his big instrument down in terms of full-time playing. He made a few appearances at festival occasions in the ensuing decades but was in Chicago’s recording studios in the late ’50s cutting sides for independent labels.

Returning to performing he joined a combo called the Shades of Rhythm to backup blues singer Mad Man Jones on the demanding Come Here. Collins’ involvement with this group of shifting personnel began in 1952 when he was part of a version that took the risk of cutting sides for the Chance label.

He also performed and recorded with Bert Johnson and the group Six Men And A Girl. Little is known about the death of double bassist Booker Collins who also played the valve trombonist and tuba. It appears he faded into obscurity.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Guy Eugène Hilarion Pedersen was born on June 10, 1930 in Grand-Fort-Philippe, France. Coming from a family of popular musicians, their story begins in 1855 with all members of his maternal family being fiddlers from father to son. His uncles and his grandfather played all the balls of the region and his great-grandfather composed Tiger Rag, a jazz standard.

He began studying music theory around 1943 at the age of 13, taking free lessons at the Roubaix conservatory until 1952. Already passionate about jazz, he listened to Hugues Panassié ‘s radio broadcasts and bought his first American records by Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, and Lee Konitz. In 1950 he won the prize for best double bass player at the Brussels, Belgium competition, then Jazz Hot in Paris, France and decided to become a musician.

Beginning in Paris with singer Fats Edward, he went on to play with pianist Henri Renaud and drummer Jean-Louis Viale at Tabou, and at Ringside founded by Sugar Ray Robinson. Guy followed this working with Jacques Hélian and Claude Bolling to learn the trade of a large orchestra. From 1955 to 1966, he was a member with drummer Daniel Humair of one of Martial Solal trios, recording the historic Jazz à Gaveau in 1962.

Pedersen and Humair then joined the Swingle Singers to record the group’s second album. They traveled around the world with them, even passing through the White House in 1966. By 1973 he was touring with Baden Powell, recording over a dozen records with him. Between 1973 and 1980, he recorded seven albums and toured frequently with Jean-Christian Michel .

Leading an active career as a studio musician during this period he also appeared on television variety shows accompanying the group Les Troubadours. The late Sixties saw him composing, writing a lot of music for short films. Some of his recordings on Tele Music and Montparnasse 2000 are now cult, especially among disc jockeys.

A serious heart attack in 1977 sidelined the bassist from music and retiring permanently, he became a professional antique dealer. Double bassist, composer and antique dealer Guy Pedersen transitioned on January 4, 2005 in Rueil-Malmaison, Hauts-de-Seine, France at the age of 74 years old.

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