35th ANNUAL TRI-STATE JAZZ FESTIVAL
Dates: April 11 & 12, 2008
Chuck Dotas, coordinator
email: dotascj@jmu.edu
office phone: 540.568.6180
Tri-State Jazz Festival |
35th ANNUAL TRI-STATE JAZZ FESTIVALDates: April 11 & 12, 2008 SCHUDULE: Saturday, April 12 Guest Artists Information
Trombonist Paul McKee holds degrees from the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Texas at Austin. Since 1984 he has been a member of Woody Herman's Thundering Herd and has performed on several recordings with the band. In addition to making frequent appearances as a guest artist and clinician, Paul has served on the jazz faculty at DePaul University, Northern Illinois University and Youngstown State University. His charts have been performed and recorded by big bands worldwide, and he has performed and recorded with many artists in the Chicago area including Frank Mantooth and Brad Goode. His new CD on the Hallway Records label, entitled Gallery, features Paul and special guests Carl Fontana, Bobby Shew, Tim Ries and Ron Stout.
Fretted string whiz Adam Larrabee has an amazing depth as a performer, composer and accompanist. His hard-swinging duo with pianist Dave Zoffer has been called "reminiscient of the masterful Bill Evans and Jim hall duets in it's level of musicianship and interplay" by drum guru Bob Moses, and their album of original "chamber-jazz", "Courage in Closeness: Live in Boston", was voted one of the year's topten albums in 2000 by the Tucson Citizen. In the eclectic, award-winning quartet "Andromeda" he plays Eastern European and tango influenced chamber-jazz on guitar, banjo and mandolin and in the "Enigmatica" Classical mandolin Septet he plays the mandocello and arranges works by Bach and Shostakovich. He has appeared as a sideman on Bruce Hornsby's album "Spirit Trail" and continues to involve himself in a wide variety of projects from original theater productions to theory publications. "Adam's talent's boggle the mind in their range" jazz trumpet player Peter Kenagy. "Fat tone and killer chops ... a feel that is truly amazing" - John Heidt, Vintage Guitar magazine. Most recently Adam has been playing banjo in the neo-bluegrass group "Joy Kills Sorrow" and mandolin and guitar in "Le Bon Vent" a group celebrating the music of France and other music touched by french culture. HIs enormous stylistic range extends to his composing career, which has included every different ensemble texture from classical chamber music to jazz big band. He has been commissioned to write works for The New England Conservatory's Contemporary Music Festival, The Milton Academy Chamber Orchestra, The Virginia Commonwealth Classical Guitar Ensemble, and many others. His music has been premiered at Julliard, Arizona State University, Oberlin, Roger Williams University, and the Notre Dame Jazz Festival. In 2006, he won an Independent Music Award for his composition "Norwegian Slip" in the world/fusion category. Adam taught jazz theory, composition and arranging at The New England Conservatory in Boston for nine years and currently lives in Charlottesville, Virginia and teaches classical and jazz guitar at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and banjo at the University of Virginia. During the summers he is faculty at the AMGuSS(American Guitar & Mandolin Summer School) and Eastern Washington University's, Jazz Dialogue Camp in addition to giving workshops and clinics throughout the U.S.
Jonathan Mele is a New York City based drummer/percussionist/composer/engineer. Since moving to New York City in 1996, Jon has performed with many well-known artists including: Steve Swallow, Carla Bley, Sheila Jordan, Van Morrison, Ronan Guilfoyle, Hugh Buckley, Richie Buckley, and Adam Kolker. In addition, Jon writes for and performs with Nicholas Leichter Dance, while also working with other dance companies in New York. Jon has performed around the world on stage, TV, radio, and in recording studios, including: The Guinness Jazz Festival, Bray Jazz Festival, NYC's River to River festival, Summerstage, RTE (Ireland), Iowa City Jazz Festival, The Windmill Lane Studios, etc. He's also presented numerous clinics in the US and Europe. He owns Tunnel Street Studio, in which he writes and records drum and percussion tracks for singers, songwriters, producers, and other musicians, utilizing computers and the collaborative possibilities of the internet. Recently, BandMateLoops.com released a package of Jonathan's jazz loops that were performed and recorded at Tunnel Street studio. Another package of percussion loops is slated for a 2008 release. Jonathan is a Yamaha performing artist and endorses Sabian Cymbals, Evans drumheads, Vic Firth Drumsticks, and Grover Pro Percussion. For more information, please visit: www.JonathanMele.com |
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