THAD WILSON QUARTET

“My personality is youthful in nature so my audiences should be prepared for a high-energy musical journey. Blues, R&B, Hip Hop, Gospel, and Jazz have always been present in my sound. In my travels, the one thing I’ve discovered is how fragile and beautifully unique the human condition is. When I compose and perform, I base all of my musical ideas on the interconnectedness of that thing we call the human experience.” – Thad

Thad was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey. However, his musical life started as a child living in Montgomery, Alabama. At fifteen, he moved back to New Jersey where he was quickly recognized for his talent and awarded the All-American High School Music Award and a place in New Jersey’s All-State Jazz Ensemble. Shortly after, he began studying privately with Jimmy Owens, former member of Dizzy Gillespie’s Big Band. It was Jimmy who gave Thad a glimpse into the life of a true professional musician. In his early days, he performed at the Village Gate, Blue Note, Visiones, Knitting Factory and many other new york city venues.

While in New York, Thad was a member of Charlie Persip’s Super Band and had a brief stint with Illinois Jacquet. Over his career, Thad has performed alongside James Moody, Benny Golson, Steve Turre, Cecil Bridgewater, Andrew White, Buck Hill, Keter Betts, Johnny O’neal, Russell Malone, Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis and many others. He also lived briefly in Atlanta and made his way on the early hip hop scene performing with Bone Crusher, Khalfani, and many others. Currently, Thad tours with the legendary group, The Blackbyrds. He also composes and performs his live film scores all over the world.

More Posts: ,,,,,,,

RODNEY JORDAN QUARTET

Rodney is a native of Memphis, Tennessee where he grew up playing the bass in church and with his high school orchestra. He later studied music with Dr. London Branch, Alvin Fielder, and Andy Hardwick at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. During his college years, Jordan joined the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra where he served as Assistant Principal Bassist. After graduating, he became Chair of the String Department at the Dougherty County Public School and served as Principal Bassist with the Albany Symphony Orchestra in Albany, GA. Teaching has always been an important part of Mr. Jordan’s life and career. In addition to teaching strings in Dougherty County, he also taught in the DeKalb County School Systems.

During his years in Georgia, Jordan served as a bass instructor at Darton College (part of the University System of Georgia) in Albany and at Georgia State University in Atlanta. While living in Atlanta, Jordan became one of the city’s most active jazz bassists, performing and recording with some of America’s finest jazz musicians, including Marcus Printup, Mulgrew Miller, James Williams, Milt Jackson, George Coleman, and Russell Gunn. He joined the faculty in the School of Music at Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL in 2001 where he now holds a rank of Associate Professor of Jazz Studies. Jordan teaches jazz bass, jazz combo playing, music education classes, and a jazz styles class.

Jordan joined the Marcus Roberts Trio in 2009. It was evident during that first official performance of the newly-formed trio at the prestigious Wigmore Hall in London that Jordan thoroughly understood Roberts’ unique trio conception. Rodney Jordan is one of the most versatile jazz bassists on the scene today. His tone is rich and soulful when he plays hauntingly beautiful phrases with the bow. Just as readily, he plays fast virtuosic passages with apparent effortless skill. Jordan’s knowledge of harmony from his classical bass training combined with the relentless feeling of swing in his playing is a perfect fit for the powerful melodic, blues-based, syncopated improvisational sound of the Marcus Roberts Trio. Live from Lincoln Center/ Pivot-Melvin Jones/Turnaround Records.

The Quartet: Rodney Jordan ~ Bass | Avis Berry ~ Vocal | Quentin Baxter ~ Drums | Louis Heriveaux ~ Piano

 

More Posts: ,,,,,,,

The Jazz Voyager

Leaving the African continent for India the next layover for the Jazz Voyager is the Bombay Jazz Club. It is a one of its kind music venture hosting performances at its cozy Bandra space quite regularly. With fairy lights, framed artworks on the back wall and luminous red lamp shades typify this narrow space’s aesthetic.

Founded in 2012 by D. Wood nd Rajesh Punjab, they have consistently produced weekly programming of live jazz at the Bandra Base. They are dedicated to keeping jazz as a central part of the city and country’s music scene. With a self-titled house band performing, in addition to collaborations between Spanish, Japanese and American musicians, they continue to bring extraordinary musicians together, transforming any environment into an authentic jazz experience.

The adventure continues as this will be a new visit to the venue located in Mumbai at Baitush Saraf Building, Off Waterfield Road, TPS 3, 29th Rd, Bandra West. For more information they can be reached at +91-98211-21048.

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

More Posts: ,,,,,,,

SUPERBLUE: KURT ELLING AND CHARLIE HUNTER

GRAMMY® Award-winner Kurt Elling is without question today’s preeminent male jazz vocalist, renowned worldwide for his unparalleled virtuosity and flair for trailblazing artistic exploration. From his stunning reinvention of timeless standards to his own captivating original songcraft, the Chicago-based musician has fused his dazzling talents across a panoply of musical approaches, emblazoning each with signature imagination, insight, and emotional intelligence.

Where many male jazz vocalists at this stage in a much vaunted career have tended to stick to the tried and true, Elling seems to be growing more ambitious and experimental with the passing of time, a tendency evidenced by his stunning new LP, SuperBlue: The Iridescent Spree. The followup to 2021’s remarkable SuperBlue, the album once again sees Elling joining forces with producer/guitarist Charlie Hunter and multi-instrumentalist duo drummer Corey Fonville and bassist-keyboardist DJ Harrison for a kaleidoscopic collection of new songs, surprising covers, and dynamic reinventions.

Showtimes ~ 8:00pm | 10:00pm

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,

MONTY ALEXANDER

Nearly sixty years after he moved to the United States from Kingston, Jamaica, his hometown, Grammy nominated pianist Monty Alexander is an American classic, touring the world relentlessly with various projects, delighting a global audience drawn to his vibrant personality and soulful message. A perennial favorite at Jazz festivals and venues worldwide and at the Montreux Jazz Festival where he has appeared 23 times since 1976, his spirited conception is one informed by the timeless verities: endless melody-making, effervescent grooves, sophisticated voicings, a romantic spirit, and a consistent predisposition, as Alexander accurately states, “to build up the heat and kick up a storm.” In the course of any given performance, Alexander applies those aesthetics to a repertoire spanning a broad range of jazz and Jamaican musical expressions—the American songbook and the blues, gospel and bebop, calypso and reggae. Documented on more than 75 recordings and cited as the fifth greatest jazz pianist ever in The Fifty Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time (Hal Leonard Publishing), the Jamaican government designated Alexander Commander in the Order of Distinction in 2000 and conferred on him the national honor of the Order of Jamaica in 2022 for “Sterling Contributions to the Promotions of Jamaican Music and the Jazz Genre Interpretations Globally”. In 2018 the University of The West Indies bestowed him with an honorary doctorate degree (DLitt) in recognition of his accomplishments.

Monty’s latest album (released August 19, 2022) is titled Love Notes and is his first recording featuring his vocals. The release of “Love Notes” will be accompanied by tour dates worldwide. Also in the works is “The Monty Alexander Movie,” a documentary on Monty’s life and music. Directed by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Jefferson Miller, and veteran filmmaker Arthur Gorson, the project is currently in production in Jamaica, the U.S. and Europe.

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,

« Older Posts       Newer Posts »
© Notorious Jazz 2026