The Jazz Voyager
This Jazz Voyager is jumping a plane for the streets of The Big Apple famous for Broadway, Harlem, Wall Street and Greenwich Village. It is the latter destination that I am ultimately spending the evening within the walls of the Zinc Bar. Live jazz headlines this subterranean club known for its African, Latin & Brazilian rhythms.Within this beautiful, small jazz club lies everything you want in a classic New York jazz experience. Dress up or dress down, it kind of doesn’t matter. But you know I’ll honor the music.
This Thursday I will be in the company of pianist Axel Tosca and his mother, international vocalist Xiomara Laugart. This will be a rousing jam session of Cuban rhythms that will keep the crowd enthused well into the morning hours. I trust there will be some afro rhythms included also but I look forward to the surprise of what I will hear.
The Zinc Bar is located at 82 W 3rd St, New York, NY 10012. For more information visit https://www.zincbar.com.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Joseph Bowie was born October 17, 1953 in St. Louis, Missouri and was greatly influenced by his older brothers, saxophonist Byron and trumpeter Lester. His first international tour was with Oliver Lake of the Black Artists Group in 1971. During this time in Paris, France he worked with Alan Silva, Frank Wright, and Bobby Few. He also worked with Dr. John in Montreux, Switzerland in 1973.
Moving to New York City, and with the help of Off Broadway Theater impresario Ellen Stewart he established La Mama children’s theater. He performed with Cecil Taylor, Human Arts Ensemble, Nona Hendryx, Leroy Jenkins, Vernon Reid, Stanley Cowell, Sam Rivers, Philippe Gaillot, Dominique Gaumont and Ornette Coleman.
In 1976 Joseph relocated to Chicago, Illinois where he led bands for Tyrone Davis and other R&B artists. Returning to New York City in 1978 he began singing with punk and funk musician James Chance and the Contortions. Defunkt was born during that time and over the next 25 years, Defunkt recorded 15 albums.
Bowie has collaborated with Jean-Paul Bourelly and Jamaaladeen Tacuma. He has performed “big band funk” arrangements with Ed Partyka at Music School Lucerne, Barbary Coast Ensemble at Dartmouth College, JazzArt Orchestra, and the HR Frankfurt Radio Big Band. The first Defunkt Big Band debuted in 1999 in New York City at the Texaco Jazz Festival sponsored by the Knitting Factory.
In 2003, he moved to the Netherlands where he met Hans Dulfer and was introduced to the Dutch music scene. He has performed with Hans, Candy Dulfer, Saskia Laroo Band, Naked Ears, Monsieur Dubois, Emergency Room, Funkateer, Seven Eleven, and Almost Three.
In 2014 he produced Sax Pistols Allergy for the U.S (ZIP Records) with lyricist Hilarius Hofstede. The album Defunkt Mastervolt was released in 2015 on ZIP Records. Robin van Erven Dorens directed the documentary In Groove We Trust about Bowie’s life.
Trombonist and vocalist Joseph Bowie continues to perform and record.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
John Funkhouser was born on October 16, 1966 in Boston, Massachusetts and studied classical piano from the age of seven, and classical bass starting at nine. He earned a B.A. in Musicology at Cornell University and returned to Boston to earn a Master’s degree from New England Conservatory in jazz piano, bass and composition in 1995. After a year performing in Singapore and four years performing and teaching in New York City, he again returned to Boston in 2000. This move was to raise a family, perform, and accept a job at Berklee College of Music, where he taught ear training, piano, bass, harmony, and ensembles until 2021.
Performing a wide spectrum of music, including all types of jazz, funk, rock, hiphop, Indian classical music, reggae, other world music and Western classical music, John is in equal demand as a jazz bassist and pianist. He has performed and/or recorded with Grammy winners Joe Lovano, Charles Neville, Steve Gadd, Abe Laboriel Sr., Luciana Souza, Mark Walker, Max Weinberg and Grammy nominees Bobby Watson, Francisco Mela, and Tierney Sutton.
In addition he has performed with among others Geri Allen, Bill Pierce, Joe Hunt, Herb Pomeroy, Francisco Mela, and Rebecca Cline. He leads Piandia, a duo specializing in Indian classical music, with tabla player Jerry Leake and the John Funkhouser Group, and has toured the U.S., Europe, Africa and Asia several times with both bands.
Pianist, bassist, arranger, and producer John Funkhouser, whose discography catalogue includes over 80 compact discs, currently resides, performs and teaches in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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AXEL TOSCA
Three time Grammy-nominated Axel Tosca is a highly talented Cuban jazz pianist and composer who has gained recognition for his virtuosic performances and innovative compositions that blend elements of jazz, classical music, Hip-Hop and Afro-Cuban rhythms. Born in Cuba in 1983, Tosca grew up in a prestigious musical family. His mother is the renowned Cuban Trova singer Xiomara Laugart and his father is Cuban folk singer-guitarist Alberto Tosca. Introduced to guitar at age four, Tosca was also playing piano by age seven and soon joined his parents on stage playing his first show at Casa de las Americas.
Along with performing with his parents, he attended music school. One of his beloved teachers was Miriam Valdez, the daughter of Cuban piano legend Bebo Valdez and sister of Chucho Valdez. This first-class education enabled him to gain a wide range of experiences. Tosca has since become a sought-after performer, collaborator, and session musician, working with a diverse range of musicians and groups including jazz greats like Roy Hargrove and Steve Turre, Dennis & Swing, the Afro-Cuban All-Stars, Bobby Carcases, Teresa Garcia Caturla, Jose Miguel Crego, and more. Along with classical music, jazz, and Latin traditions, he also discovered hip-hop and played with The Roots when they toured Cuba. There is no limit for this visionary pianist, composer, producer, arranger and musical director.
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MARTA SÁNCHEZ
Born and raised in Madrid, Spain, pianist and composer Marta Sánchez is actively working in the contemporary creative music scene in New York City and around the globe. Charting a significant path through her innovative and original music, she has reached an international audience, gaining significant global recognition.
Marta has toured the United States, Europe, South America, and Central America, performing as a leader or as a sideman at prestigious venues and prominent festivals such as the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, Jazzaldia in San Sebastian, Inntone in Austria, Eurojazz in Mexico City, Eurojazz in Athens, Jazz Festival Vitoria Gasteiz, Winter Jazz Festival in New York, and Madrid, among many others. In the United States, she has performed at some of the most prestigious clubs including the Carnegie Hall, Blue Note, Village Vanguard, Birdland, Roulette, Dizzy’s Jazz, The Jazz Gallery, The 55 Bar, Smalls, Mezzrow among many others.
Furthermore, Marta has been actively collaborating with other artists, playing and recording in David Murray’s Quartet, Maria Grand’s duo, and the Anna Weber and Angela Morris Big Band, among others.
The Band: Marta Sanchez – piano | Harish Raghavan-bass | Ofri Nehemya – drums
Two Shows: 7:00pm & 9:00pm
Cover: $35.00
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