Columbia College Chicago Music Department Artists in Residence Series 2011-12

This exciting addition to our music program will give you even more opportunities to learn your art from contemporary masters. Think of it – a week of workshops, master classes, classroom instruction, and the opportunity to perform or record with such renowned artists as Jon Faddis, Terence Blanchard, Ivan Neville, Kevin Eubanks, Charlie Sexton, Peter Erskine, Joan Osborne, Darmon Meader, Bob Mintzer, Vincent Gardner, Fred Wesley, Udo Dahmen, Shele Sondheim, and the Verdehr Trio.

It’s all here at Columbia College Chicago.

 

   

Angelo Valori  - Jazz/Film Composer/Producer

In Residence October 3 – 7, 2011

The Music Center, 1014 S. Michigan Ave.

Residency Concert – October 7, 2011 – 7:00 pm

For Reservations call 312-369-6300 starting 9/19/11

At a very young age Angelo Valori started writing compositions that were performed at major avant-garde and experimental music reviews. He studied piano with Marco Fumo, and graduated in composition and orchestra conducting at the conservatories of Pescara and L’Aquila, attending courses by Mario Gusellaand and Donato Renzetti. He attended the Masters program in Arranging and Orchestration at Berklee College of Music in Boston (courses with Jerry Gates, Dan Moretti, Ben Newhouse, and others). In 1996 Angelo attended a post-graduate course on entertainment management at the Bocconi University in Milan. 

For some years he stopped composing, then devoting himself to a language more open to acoustic jazz influence and Mediterranean music. His music has been performed at festivals and European reviews (Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, Teatro Stabile in Turin, Teatro Lirico in Parma, Autunno Musicale in Como, Teatro Stabile in Parma, Istituzione Sinfonica Abruzzese, Societa’dei Concerti of L’Aquila, Spoltore Ensemble, Societa’del Teatro e della Musica and “Jazz in Fall” of Pescara. In addition to prestigious reviews in Hamburg, Frankfurt, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Trieste, Bologna, Madrid, Ravenna, Bari, Rovigo, Bolzano, Sant’Arcangelo di Romagna, La Spezia, etc.),broadcasted by Rai, Radio France, Osterreicher Runfunk, Radio 2 de Radio Nacional Espana, Sveriges Riksradio and published by Rai Trade, Edipan, BMG-Ricordi. 

He composed the music for the dance performance “Cleopatra,” performed at the Teatro Nazionale as part of the 2008 season of the Teatro 

Dell’Opera in Rome, and "Water," performed at Vignale Danza Festival. Angelo wrote the music for theatre performance with David Riondino (Nuove Milonghe 1996; Satire e Milonghe, 2007), Pamela Villoresi (Le isole dell’anima, 2001), Claudio DiScanno ( Uragani, Concert/azione ), and the original soundtrack for the movie “La figlia di Iorio” (2004), directed by Mario Di Iorio. 

His compositions are among others recorded on the CDs  "Notturno Mediterraneo" (Egea, featuring Gil Goldstein, Pietro Tonolo, Gabriele MIrabassi, Marco Zurzolo), “Gli anni del buio”, “The lodger”(EcamLab), “Uragani, Concert/azione” ( Il Manifesto), “Dove volano gli angeli” (Wide-Sound, feat. Bob Mintzer, Fabrizio Bosso, Diana Torto), "AbruzzoMediterraneo" (Wide-Sound, feat. Javier Girotto, Michele Rabbia). He conducted music by Rota, Piazzolla, Part in a CD by the Adriatico Ensemble (label Sculture d’aria) and the first World performance of Variations for Electric Bass and Strings, with John Patitucci. 

He is the Artistic Director at EcamLab for which he produced over 30 compact discs as part of the development of new music languages. Since 2001 he has been Artistic Director for Festival Spoltore Ensemble, and since 2004, Artistic Director of Teatro Massimo and Teatro Circus. He serves as Professor at the City Music Conservatory “Luisa DAnnunzio” in Pescara where he is the Chair of Popular Music Department and he teaches contemporary writing and production, contemporary arranging, and music theory. 

 

 

 

Samuel Strouk  - Guitarist/Vocalist/Composer/Gypsy Jazz Specialist

In Residence October 17 – 21, 2011

The Music Center, 1014 S. Michigan Ave.

Residency Concert – October 21, 2011 – 7:00 pm

For Reservations call 312-369-6300 starting 10/3/11

The Music Center of Columbia College Chicago in partnership with the cultural service at the Consulate General of France in Chicago

Samuel Strouk started his musical career playing the piano, before opting for the guitar. He graduated with honors from the Conservatoire Superieur de Paris (C.N.R.), France in classical guitar, and from the C.N.R. of Montpellier, France in chamber music. He now dedicates himself to both traditional and improvised music.

Early inspirations include Django Reinhardt and genres of black American music – from bop to hip hop; these continue to influence the music he plays.

He composed, arranged, and performed an album of unequalled fusion of Cuban and Gypsy Jazz entitled “Carhabana”, nominated at the International Music Fair Cubadisco 2007. Accompanied by Frank Rubio (Grammy Award Latin Jazz, Live at Village Vanguard as part of pianist Chucho Valdes’ quartet), Tomas Ramon Ortis (Grammy Award Latin Jazz, Cubanismo), Rolando Luna (winner of Montreux Jazz Festival 2007 as piano soloist), he played this album live at the Grand Casino of Geneva, Switzerland and at the Gran Teatro Armadeo Jordan of La Havana, Cuba. 

Having worked with Francios Theberge, Dominique Di Piazza, Pierre de Bethman, Serge Krief, and Lionel Belmondo, he found his place amongst the Caravan Quartet, a string jazz band with whom he has played over 500 concerts and created four albums since 2001.

Samuel Strouk also teaches Master Classes at “l’Instituto Superior del Arte” of La Havana, Cuba, at the C.N.R. of Montpellier, and has taught gypsy jazz at the French Festival “ Les musicales du Puy en Velay” since 2006.

In 2007 at the age of 26, he had his first soloist concert at “lAuditorium des Beux Arts” of Lima, Peru just after having played with his gypsy trio in New York for 2 months.

In 2008, he collaborated on the production of three albums (Deborah Russ’ ensembles “Harmonia Mundi”, Mathias Levy’s Quintet, and Caravan Quartet).

He participated in the creation and recording of various scores for films and documentaries for Kraked Unit with Loik Dury (Baby Love Lambert Wilson, Resistance France 2).

In 2009, he played in a trio with Francois Salque (cello) and Vincent Peirani (accordian) for whom he composed two pieces of chamber music.

He also composed a string quartet on commission from the Festival “les recontres Franco-Americaine de musique de chamber” and he played in Juan Jose Mosalini’s quintet.

 

 

Yoshi Breen  - Singer/Songwriter, Producer

In Residence October 24 – 28, 2011

The Music Center, 1014 S. Michigan Ave.

For Reservations call 312-369-6300 starting 10/10/11

Yoshi Breen, aged 27, is a Songwriter, Musician and Producer. He studied Songwriting at the Rock Academy for five years in Tilburg and finished his studies in 2007. Before he finished his studies he started teaching at the Rock Academy and has been teaching (music theory, songwriting and band coaching) there since 2006. Yoshi teaches classes and workshops at Herman Brood Academy, UCK, Factorium and The University of Eindhoven. Apart from teaching nationally Yoshi also works abroad. Both teaching as well as leading and supporting different projects within the pop music world. He has worked in Germany (as a band coach in Mannheim and Hammelburg), Glasgow (as a teacher, also part of the curriculum reform program as a writer and advisor) and Chengdu/China (as a music teacher for the International Pop Music Forum). 

First and foremost Yoshi’s own musical career and development as an International songwriter is of great importance to him. 

His former band RubyQ won the Spazio Giovanni festival prize in Foggia Italy, played Rai Uno (Italian television), performed many gigs around Holland and recorded two albums before they split up in 2009. The year before that Yoshi recorded and produced their second album FASHIONFEVER/MUSICPITCH. He wrote nearly all the material for the album. The American independent record label Renaissance Records released the album (inter)nationally via all big web shops. There was word of an American tour but in the end this never came about. 

In the same year Yoshi recorded and produced his solo album THE SONGS. The album got great reviews and he played some selected gigs. 

Apart from his own bands and solo work Yoshi is also a Songwriter and Producer for other artists. He signed with the international publisher Chrysalis Music and through them writes musical pitches for national artists such as Jenny Lane, Anny, Mamuschka, Ana Criado, Hot Sushi and Inna-Truth as well as theater and advertisement pitches. 

His latest projects include a new band (still nameless) who have been performing live on national radio and have received enthusiastic responses from the Dutch music industry. The band is currently recording their first album.

As a songwriter Yoshi has not only worked with national artists. In Stockholm he has written with Pelle Nylen who is known for his successful work with Westlife and American Idol. In Berlin he has written with Michelle Leonard who worked a.o. with Seal. Mirko Shaffer, a top German producer, Tom Deininger, producer/songwriter and German rock artist Joachim Witt who has been a legend since the eighties and a father figure for the German new-wave scene. He worked with Seattle based Pete Droge who is a accomplished and thriving songwriter, musician and producer. Yoshi’s aim is to expand his international projects.

 

 

Brian Culbertson  - Jazz Pianist, Trombonist, Producer

In Residence February 6 -10, 2012

The Music Center, 1014 S. Michigan Ave.

Residency Concert – February 10, 2012 – 7:00 pm

For Reservations call 312-369-6300 starting 1/30/12

Brian Culbertson began his quest in music at the age of 8 on piano, adding drums at 9, trombone at 10 then bass at 12.  He grew up in Decatur, IL, loving genre-crossing jazz-pop artists such as Chicago, Blood Sweat & Tears, Tower of Power, the Brecker Brothers, David Sanborn, Yellowjackets and Maynard Ferguson.  So naturally gifted was Brian, his 7th grade piano recital consisted of all original tunes.  Brian flourished in high school bands with his father, Jim Culbertson, as the school’s award-winning jazz band director, moved to Chicago to complete his studies at private DePaul University, then went on to compose jingles for clients such as United Airlines, Oldsmobile, Sears and McDonald’s in the bustling city’s highly competitive advertising community.

In 1994, at age 20, Brian self-produced his debut, Long Night Out, followed in short order by Modern Life (driven by the hit single “Come To Me, this 1995 album was his first album to top R&R and Gavin’s Contemporary Jazz charts), and After Hours (1996).  With 1997’s Secrets, the hits kept coming with “So Good” and “On My Mind.”  His 1999 follow-up, Somethin’ Bout Love, also sat high among the CJ Top 20 for nearly a year with the two No. 1 singles, “Back in the Day” and “Do You Really Love Me?”

In 2001, Brian released Nice & Slow (featuring special guest trumpeter Herb Alpert and singer/songwriter Kenny Lattimore), which spent six weeks at  No. 1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Chart  thanks to the No. 1 singles “Get It On” and “All About You.” Then came Come On Up (2003), highlighted by a blazing cover of Earth Wind & Fire’s “Serpentine Fire” and the beautiful “Our Love.”  2005’s It's On Tonight found him making the switch from Warner Bros. to GRP/Verve for a sensual-leaning project featuring the lead-off single "Hooking Up" plus "Let's Get Started," as well as special guests Patti Austin, Will Downing, Chris Botti, Kirk Whalum, Ledisi, and Boney James.  A Soulful Christmas, the 2006 holiday album, swiftly followed.

2008 found him blasting back after two years with the all-star blowout Bringing Back the Funk, a salute to '70s soul music that he co-produced with the legendary Maurice White, and featured William "Bootsy" Collins and Phelps "Catfish" Collins plus members of the Rubber Band and the Horny Horns (all out of Parliament-Funkadelic), Larry Graham (of Sly & The Family Stone and his own Graham Central Station), Larry Dunn (of Earth Wind & Fire), Greg Adams (from Tower of Power), Tony Maiden and Bobby Watson (of Rufus), Michael Bland, Cora Dunham and Rhonda Smith (from Prince's bands), Maceo Parker & Fred Wesley (from James Brown's JB’s band), Musiq Soulchild, David T. Walker, Ronnie Laws, Gerald Albright, Tom Scott, Paul Jackson Jr., Perri, and many more L.A. session greats.  This was an unprecedented assemblage of music royalty participating on the CD with its churchy standout “The House of Music” (which Brian co-wrote with Larry Graham) and his tenth chart-topper as a leader, “Always Remember.” In total, Brian has produced or performed on over twenty No. 1 records.

Last year, Brian produced the ultimate concert souvenir with the dual DVD/CD package Live from the Inside, capturing for posterity what the experience of making music is really like.  “It's not just about the show,” he insists, “it's about everything that happens before and after.”  Far from a stodgy ol’ documentary, it’s a dynamically lensed feature that allows you to get up close and personal with all the action – backstage, on stage, on the road and in the studio – with ever changing angles and focal points.  It features Brian, his band and another all-star assembly of friends/guests.  The package is a brisk seller at Brian’s explosive concerts, affording fans a special way to take him home with them.

After eleven inspired albums that have passionately surveyed a broad spectrum of musical styles and prominently featured many of music’s finest players, R&B/Jazz multi-instrumentalist Brian Culbertson decided to keep conceptualism to a minimum and simply title his twelfth album XII (the Roman numeral for twelve).  Packed with astounding guest performances from the likes of renowned R&B singer Avant (on the first scheduled AC/Urban AC single “Skies Wide Open”), Brian McKnight, Faith Evans, Kenny Lattimore, and Ray Parker Jr. to Go-Go music pioneer Chuck Brown and acoustic guitar legend Earl Klugh (on the first smooth jazz-radio single “That’s Life”), Brian’s latest GRP Records CD is twelve fresh offerings from the man for whom exciting ideas and combinations flow faithfully…like water.

 

Shele Sondheim – Guitarist, Producer

In Residence February 20 – 24, 2012

The Music Center, 1014 S. Michigan Ave.

Shele Sondheim is a guitarist, pop songwriter, music producer, lyricist, vocal arranger, studio session specialist, electronic dance music remixer, industry networking maverick and global music business entrepreneur. He serves as the Chief Creative Officer for his international music production and publishing company CSM Words and Music in the role of President / CEO. Sondheim’s career is featured at  HYPERLINK "http://www.csmwordsandmusic.com" www.csmwordsandmusic.com

Early music training, like most teenagers, began in garage bands with friends. Formal teachers include Jorge Struntz (Los Angeles), Les McCann (Los Angeles), John Handy (San Francisco State University)  and a four year stint at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, graduating with a BA Degree in Jazz Composition - Guitar Major. 

Moving to warmer temperatures after college, Shele landed in Las Vegas and began working with cabaret superstars Lola Falana, Wayne Newton, Roy Clark, Flip Wilson, Paul Anka and a variety of entertainment vehicles that enabled him to tour around the world as a guitarist, arranger, music director, bandleader and sessions contractor.

Relocating home to Los Angeles, Sondheim immersed his focus on pop song writing and music production. Demand for his creative participation included sessions with Natalie Cole, Little Richard, and Billy Preston and producing commercials, tv & film soundtracks. 

He entered into deeper studies in modern music disciplines at Grove School of Music while constructing his vast collaboration partnerships – a pop writer producer network that evolves worldwide, circulating among state of the art facilities, colleagues and established talent. Recent projects include Phil Collins, Little Dreams Band & young ingénue emerging artist protégé Lica, pop duo 2KUEL from Tbilisi, Georgia, Sony BMG soundtracks and inclusion on industry advisory boards and university master residencies. 

Shele was recently appointed and named International Advisor to Sweden in association with municipality government officials, venture capital investors and partners involved in the Boomtown educational initiative & Trigger industry event. In this capacity he seeks to grow their global identity with music branding projects, artist career activities and new song copyright co-publishing developments. Not one for resting on his laurels, Sondheim challenges raising the bar by participating annually at premier music industry trade conferences around the world, in global talent competitions and he strives to elevate his talents and skills in studio sessions, in writer producer collaborations, in business and through fostering relationships and affiliations within the international music community.

 

 

Benny Golson – Jazz Icon, Composer, Tenor Saxophonist

In Residence March 12 – 16, 2012

The Music Center, 1014 S. Michigan Ave.

Residency Concert – March 16, 2012 – 7:00 pm

For Reservations call 312-369-6300 starting 2/27/12

Multitalented and internationally famous jazz legend, - a composer, arranger, lyricist, producer - and tenor saxophonist of world note, Benny Golson was born in Philadelphia, PA on January 25, 1929.

Raised with an impeccable musical pedigree, Golson has played in the bands of world famous Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Earl Bostic, and Art Blakey.

Few jazz musicians can claim to be true innovators and even fewer can boast of a performing and recording career that literally redefines the term "jazz". Benny Golson has made major contributions to the world of jazz with such jazz standards as:

Killer Joe, I Remember Clifford, Along Came Betty, Stablemates, Whisper Not, Blues March, Five Spot After Dark, and Are you Real?

Benny Golson is the only living jazz artist to have written eight standards for jazz repertoire. These jazz standards have found their way into countless recordings internationally over the years and are still being recorded.

He has recorded over 30 albums for many recording companies in the United States and Europe under his own name and innumerable ones with other major artists. A prodigious writer, Golson has written well over 300 compositions.

For more than 55 years, Golson has enjoyed an illustrious, musical career in which he has not only made scores of recordings but has also composed and arranged music for:

Count Basie, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Sammy Davis Jr., Mama Cass Elliott, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Shirley Horn, David Jones and the Monkees, Quincy Jones, Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae, Anita O'Day, Itzhak Perlman, Oscar Peterson, Lou Rawls, Mickey Rooney, Diana Ross, The Animals (Eric Burden), Mel Torme, George Shearing, Dusty Springfield

His prolific writing includes scores for hit TV series and films:

M*A*S*H, Mannix, Mission Impossible, Mod Squad, Room 222, Run for Your Life, The Partridge Family, The Academy Awards, The Karen Valentine Show, Television specials for ABC, CBS and NBC
Television specials for BBC in London and Copenhagen, Denmark
Theme for Bill Cosby's last TV show, A French film 'Des Femmes Disparaissent" (Paris)

He has written music for national radio and television spots for some of the major advertising agencies in the country. Some of these commercials were for:

Borateem, Canada Dry, Carnation, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Clorox, Dodge, General Telephone, Gillette, Heinz Foods, Jack in The Box, Liquid Plum'r, MacDonald's, Mattel Toys, Monsanto, Nissan, Ohrbachs, Ore-Ida Frozen Potatoes, Parliament Cigarettes, Pepsi Cola, Texaco

Benny Golson has absolute mastery of the jazz medium. He has not only blazed a trail in the world of jazz but is passionate about teaching jazz to young and old alike. He has lectured at the Lincoln Center through a special series by Wynton Marsalis. He has lectured to doctoral candidates at New York University and to the faculty at National University at San Diego.

Honored with doctorates from William Paterson College, Wayne, NJ and Berklee School of Music, Boston, MA, Dr. Golson has also conducted workshops and clinics at:

Appalachian University, Boone, NC; Berklee School of Music, Boston, MA;
Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY;
Howard University, Washington, DC; Juilliard School of Music, New York, NY;
Manhattan School of Music, New York, NY; New England Conservatory, Boston, MA;
Paris Conservatory, Paris, France; Rutgers University, New Jersey; LA
Stanford University, Stanford, CA;
University of Denver, Denver, CO;
University of Idaho, Moscow, ID;
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, Appleton, WI;
William Paterson College, Wayne, NJ.

Golson's musical odyssey has taken him around the world. In 1987 he was sent by the US State Department on a cultural tour of Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, and Singapore. Later, Philip Morris International sent him on an assignment to Bangkok, Thailand to write music for the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra.

A live performer who consistently knocks audiences off their feet, Benny Golson has given hundreds of performances in the USA, Europe, South America, the Far East and Japan for decades.

Benny is also working on a major college textbook and his autobiography

This humble musical giant continues to impress critics, fans and fellow musicians with his prodigious contributions to the world of jazz. 

 

 

Wycliffe Gordon – Trombonist

In Residence April 2 – 6, 2012

The Music Center, 1014 S. Michigan Ave.

Residency Concert – April 6, 2012 – 7:00 pm

For Reservations call 312-369-6300 starting 3/19/12

Musical ambassador and interpreter of Americaʼs music, Wycliffe Gordon experiences an extraordinary career touring the world performing hard-swinging, straight-ahead jazz receiving great acclaim from audiences and critics alike. His unmatched modern mastery of the plunger mute and his prodigious technique and signature sound has solidified Gordon a place in musical history known as one of the top trombonists of his generation.

In addition to a successful solo career, Gordon tours regularly leading the Wycliffe Gordon Quartet, and headlining at legendary jazz venues and performing arts centers throughout the world. Gordon is a former veteran member of the Wynton Marsalis Septet, Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and has been a featured guest artist on Billy Taylor's "Jazz at the Kennedy Center" Series. Gordonʼs extensive performance experience includes work with many of the most renowned jazz performers of the past and present.

Gordonʼs recordings are a model of consistency and inspiration, and his musical prowess has been captured on numerous recordings, including thirteen solo CDs and seven co-leader CDs. His latest effort “Cone and T-Staff,” released in February 2010, is a quintet recording featuring trumpeter Terell Stafford. Gordon is featured on numerous recordings with the Wynton Marsalis Septet, Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and many others as evidenced in his extensive discography. 

Wycliffe Gordon is also a gifted composer and arranger. He is commissioned frequently by renowned jazz groups and organizations and has an extensive songbook of original compositions that span the various timbres of jazz music. His commissioned works include a vibrant new score for the 1925 classic silent film "Body and Soul" which was premiered at the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestraʼs 2000-01 season opening night performance at Avery Fisher Hall, and was released on DVD in 2008. Gordon's "I Saw the Light," a musical tribute to Muhammad Ali, was commissioned and premiered by the Brass Band of Battle Creek in March 2004, and is scheduled for release on DVD in 2011. He is currently working on an extensive commission for the Jazz Arts Group Columbus, Beyond the Blackberry Patch that will premiere during the Columbus bicentennial celebration 2012. This 90-minute piece of music for ten musicians will tell the story of the King-Lincoln District and incorporates the Eight Columbus City Schools in the district and their study of their own neighborhood, its past, present, and future. In May 2011, the Apollo Theater will premiere a commissioned work by Wycliffe that will celebrate 75 years of great music. Other noted commissions include “Welcome to Georgia Town,” an auto-biography of sorts commissioned by the Savannah Music Festival, and “Cyberswing – Jazz in the Digital Age” that was premiered at Flushing Town Hall in 2009. 

Gordonʼs compositions have been performed by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Wynton Marsalis Septet, the Wycliffe Gordon Quartet, the Brass Band of Battle Creek and numerous other ensembles, and performed in programs throughout the U.S. and abroad including concert halls in New York, Los Angeles, Aspen, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Germany, London, Finland and Switzerland. Two of Gordonʼs arrangements are also featured as a part of the PBS series "Marsalis on Music." Recent concert seasons have included premieres of compositions by Gordon for a variety of ensembles both in the United States and internationally.

Gordonʼs television appearances have included the Grammy Awards, the PBS special documentary "Swinginʼ with the Duke," and two Live from Lincoln Center broadcasts with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra – "Uptown Blues, Ellington at 100" (a collaboration with the New York Philharmonic) and "Big Train." Gordon also appeared in Ken Burnsʼs documentary "Jazz."

Other television appearances include "A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert" and "Live from Lincoln Center: The Juilliard School at 100 Years." Gordon is featured in BET's 13-part series "Journey with Jazz at Lincoln Center" and was guest artist and commentator in NPR affiliate WVIA's special program on Tommy Dorsey. Gordon also appeared with the Wynton Marsalis Septet in the feature film "Tune In Tomorrow" starring Peter Falk, Keanu Reeves and Barbara Hershey.

Gordon is rapidly becoming one of Americaʼs most persuasive and committed music educators, and currently serves on the faculty of the Jazz Arts Program at Manhattan School of Music. His work with young musicians and audiences from elementary schools to universities all over the world is extensive, and includes master classes, clinics, workshops, childrenʼs concerts and lectures — powerful evidence of his unique ability to relate musically to people of all ages. Gordon is currently working on a collection of trombone quartets, trios and duos to be entitled "Trombone Majesty," with expected publication in 2011. In addition, his first method book "Basic Training, Exercises and Suggested Studies by Wycliffe Gordon," a compilation of the materials, exercises and approaches he uses in his teaching and in his own practice regimen, will be released in 2012. Gordon received the Jazz Journalists Association 2008, 2007, 2006, 2002 and 2001 Award for Trombonist of the Year, and the Jazz Journalists Association 2000 Criticsʼ Choice Award for Best Trombone.

Born in Waynesboro, Georgia, Gordon was first introduced to music by his late father, Lucius Gordon, a classical pianist and teacher. His interest in the trombone was sparked at age twelve by his elder brother who played the instrument in his junior high school band. Egged on by sibling rivalry, Gordonʼs relentless pleading of his parents led to his first trombone. A year later, an aunt bequeathed the Gordon Family her jazz record collection, and so began his passion for jazz music.

Wycliffe Gordon is a Yamaha artist and endorses Greg Black mouthpieces

 

Paula Cole – Singer/Songwriter

In Residence April 16 – 20, 2012

The Music Center, 1014 S. Michigan Ave.

Residency Concert – April 20, 2012 – 7:00 pm

For Reservations call 312-369-6300 starting 3/19/12

On her fifth album Ithaca, singer and songwriter Paula Cole takes listeners on an intensely emotional, yet uplifting journey through divorce (“The Hard Way,” “P.R.E.N.U.P”) and the struggle to recover one’s identity (“Elegy,” “Waiting on a Miracle”) before allowing herself to revel in the healing, redemptive power of new love ("Violet Eyes,” “Come On Inside,” "Sex", "2 Lifetimes"). Along the way, she acknowledges being torn between work and her child (“Somethin’ I’ve Gotta Say”), and ultimately celebrates having music to get her through it all (“Music In Me”).
 
“My albums are Polaroid snapshots of my life,” says Cole, whose last album, Courage, was released in 2007. “The writing is the hard part because my process is highly personal and autobiographical. One of my biggest musical heroes is John Lennon because he was so brutally honest. I love the songs he wrote after he left The Beatles. They are so outrageous in their courage. This new album is just me processing things."
 
Ithaca is a welcome return by one of pop’s most compelling vocalists, who has enthralled audiences with her soaring, agile soprano. Born the daughter of musicians, Cole studied jazz singing and improvisation at Boston’s Berklee College of Music before attracting rapt attention as a featured vocalist on Peter Gabriel’s 1993-1994 Secret World Live tour. Cole released her debut album, Harbinger, in 1994, followed by 1996’s self-produced This Fire, which spawned the two smash hits “Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?” and “I Don’t Want to Wait.” In 1997, Cole was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, including “Producer of the Year” and “Album of the Year,” and took home the award for “Best New Artist.” In 1999, Cole released her third album, Amen, then decided to take some time off following the birth of her daughter Sky in 2001.
 
“I needed to get off the giant hamster wheel,” Cole says of her music career. “I wanted to find some other meaning to my life and it seemed impossible to combine motherhood with the music business. It was like being at a spiritual stop sign in the road. That’s what inspired ‘Somethin’ I’ve Gotta Say,’ one of the older songs on the album. I thought I was done with the music career after having Sky".    

Several years later, Cole was lured back to record-making by a friend, Blood, Sweat & Tears’ drummer Bobby Colomby, who produced her intimate, jazz-influenced collection Courage, which she released in 2007 while going through a difficult divorce. After the split was finalized in 2008, Cole moved back to her hometown of Rockport, Massachusetts — the inspiration behind her new album’s title.
 
“The overall theme of Ithaca is the return to home and making peace with it,” Cole says. “It’s about accepting that I actually want to be with a man who is a lot like my father and that I am a lot like my mother — which I’ve written about in ‘Music In Me.’ I rebelled against these classical complexes and got really beat up in the world. So I’ve come to a quiet place of acceptance in my family and my hometown. That’s why I called the album ‘Ithaca,’ which is the island Odysseus came home to in The Odyssey after 10 years of fighting and 10 years of trying to get back home. Rockport is my Ithaca, and coming home has been an Odyssean journey: enduring war and finding beautiful things in home. That’s the tone of the album, that there is both darkness and light to this story. My journey has healed me, and in that healing process I’ve been able to work again.”

Ithaca is the sound of Cole taking back the reigns on her life. She wrote every song and produced it with Decca Records chairman Chris Roberts and engineer Kevin Killen (who produced Harbinger). Her searching lyrics play out against a backdrop of acoustic and electric instruments, including guitars played by Ben Butler, Kevin Barry, and Marc Ribot (who also plays 'back-porch' banjo on the languid “P.R.E.N.U.P”); bass by Jon Ossman and Tony Levin (whom Cole knows from her Peter Gabriel days); piano, Wurlitzer, and clarinet played by Cole; and anchored by Ben Wittman’s rock-solid drumming. With its slashes of electric guitar and kick-ass balladry, Ithaca is musically reminiscent of its pop-rock predecessors This Fire and Amen.
 
“Courage was very gentle and eclectic,” Cole says, “but I have real affection for perfect little pop gems. And I needed the sex, wail, and anger of electric guitar on certain songs, so this album is definitely more rock, pop, and soul-influenced. It combines the styles of This Fire and Amen, but is presented from a wiser woman’s perspective.”
 
And then there’s That Voice, a world-class instrument that led one critic to rhapsodize recently about the ability of Cole’s voice to “leap octaves in a single breath, at once vulnerable and brimming over with undeniable strength.” Cole has never sounded better than she does on Ithaca — passionate and powerful and fully of service to her muse.
 
“I really wanted Ithaca to be an uplifting record,” Cole says. “It was a choice to return to the music business. That alone is big for me because my heart has been heavy. So for me to be here means I have love and enough self-confidence to do it and that’s all positive. Even though I needed to get some anger out on some songs, ultimately, I’m grateful because music is very healing for me. I don’t possess many other skills,” Cole says with a laugh, “so I need this!”

 

Mike Stern – Guitarist

In Residence April 23 – 27, 2012

The Music Center, 1014 S. Michigan Ave.

Residency Concert – April 27, 2012 – 7:00 pm

For Reservations call 312-369-6300 starting 4/9/12

In a career that spans three decades and a discography that includes more than a dozen eclectic and innovative recordings, six-time GRAMMY^® nominee Mike Stern has established himself as one of the premier jazz and jazz-fusion guitarists and composers of his generation.

Born in Boston in January 1953, Stern grew up in Washington, DC, then returned to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music. After college, he got his start as a guitar player with Blood, Sweat & Tears at age 22. Following a brief stint with Billy Cobham’s powerhouse fusion band from 1979 to 1980, he moved to New York City, where he was recruited by Miles Davis to play a key role in Miles’ celebrated comeback band of 1981 (which also included bassist Marcus Miller, drummer Al Foster, percussionist Mino Cinelu and saxophonist Bill Evans). During his three-year period with Miles, Stern appeared on three recordings with the jazz maestro – Man with the Horn, Star People and the live We Want Miles. He toured with Jaco Pastorius’ Word of Mouth Band from 1983 through 1985 and returned to Miles’ lineup for a second tour of duty that lasted close to a year.

In 1985, Stern recorded Neesh, his first recording as a leader, for the Japan-based Trio label. A year later, he made his debut on Atlantic with Upside Downside, featuring such celebrated colleagues as David Sanborn, Jaco Pastorius, saxophonist Bob Berg, bassists Mark Egan and Jeff Andrews, keyboardist Mitch Forman and drummers Dave Weckl and Steve Jordan. Over the next two years, Stern was a member of Michael Brecker’s potent quintet, appearing on Don't Try This At Home.

In the summer of 1986, Stern took to the road with David Sanborn and later joined an electrified edition of Steps Ahead, which featured Mike Mainieri on midi vibes, Michael Brecker on the Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI), Darryl Jones on electric bass and Steve Smith on drums.

Stern’s second Atlantic album, Time In Place (1988), delivered on the promise of his debut. He followed with Jigsaw (1989) and Odds Or Evens (1991), both of which ably showcased his legendary guitar prowess and musicality. During this period he also formed a touring group with Bob Berg that included drummer Dennis Chambers and bassist Lincoln Goines. They remained a working unit from 1989 to 1992, at which point Stern joined Michael and Randy Brecker in a reunited Brecker Brothers Band, appearing on Return of the Brecker Brothers, released in 1992. Other notable sideman credits include work with the late tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson and the live recording 4 Generations of Miles, in which he joins other Miles Davis alumni George Coleman on tenor sax, Jimmy Cobb on drums and Ron Carter on bass.

The ‘90s proved to be a prolific and critically successful period for Stern. His acclaimed 1993 release, Standards (And Other Songs), earned him the pick of Best Jazz Guitarist of the Year by the readers and critics of Guitar Player magazine. He followed that up with two hard hitting offerings – Is What It Is in 1994 and Between The Lines in 1996 – both of which scored GRAMMY^® nominations. In 1997, he recorded Give And Take with bassist John Patitucci, drummer Jack DeJohnette, percussionist Don Alias and special guests Michael Brecker and David Sanborn. Their freewheeling covers of Sonny Rollins’ “Oleo,” John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps,” Cole Porter’s “I Love You” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Who Knows” helped Stern earn the Orville W. Gibson Award for Best Jazz Guitarist that year. Stern’s ninth release for Atlantic was a six-string summit with colleagues Bill Frisell and John Scofield that was appropriately titled Play.  His Voices (2001) release, his first foray into vocal music, was also another GRAMMY^® nominee.

After 15 years with Atlantic, Stern shifted to ESC for the 2004 release of These Times, an eclectic set that included guest appearances by some high-profile session players – bassist Richard Bona, saxophonist Kenny Garrett and banjoist Bela Fleck.

Stern joined Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group, with the August 2006 release of Who Let the Cats Out?  Regardless of who let them out, the cats are indeed loose on this album, and making a serious noise. Included on the guest roster are bassists Richard Bona (who handles vocals on two tracks), Anthony Jackson, Meshell Ndegeocello, Chris Minh Doky and Victor Wooten, trumpeter Roy Hargrove, saxophonists Bob Franceschini and Bob Malach, drummers Dave Weckl and Kim Thompson, harmonica player Gregoire Maret, and keyboardist/producer Jim Beard. Stern received his 4th GRAMMY^® nomination for Who Let The Cats Out? .

At the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal in June 2007, Stern was honored with the Miles Davis Award, which was created to recognize internationally acclaimed jazz artists whose body of work has contributed significantly to the renewal of the genre. Previous recipients include Keith Jarrett, Michael Brecker and Charlie Haden. Stern was also the artist in residence.

During that same festival, Stern joined the renowned Yellowjackets for some electrifying live performances. The dates served as the catalyst for Lifecycle, a Yellowjackets/Stern studio collaboration considered by many to be one of the most innovative and memorable jazz albums of 2008. The first Yellowjackets recording in 15 years to feature a guitar player, Lifecycle illustrates the kind of energy and creative brilliance that results when five talented players pool their individual skills as songwriters and musicians and merge into an entity that’s far greater than the sum of its parts. Lifecycle was later nominated for a GRAMMY^® for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.

A frequent world traveler, Stern took his group to Europe, Asia and elsewhere throughout much of 2008 – an ambitious itinerary that included a memorable one-nighter at the New Morning, the longstanding and highly celebrated club in Paris, France. This electrifying show in front of a capacity-plus crowd in May 2008 was captured on film for posterity and presented in New Morning: The Paris Concert, a live DVD released in March 2009. Backing Stern on this gig is the expert crew of saxophonist Bob Franceschini, bassist Tom Kennedy and drummer Dave Weckl (who also mixed the DVD).

In February 2009, in the first in a series of articles to celebrate DownBeat’’s 75th anniversary, Stern was named to the venerable jazz magazine’s list of 75 Great Guitarists. The list spotlights many all-time great jazz, blues and beyond guitarists and shows the wide-ranging influence that the guitar has had on music since it made its way into jazz in the 1920s. 

In August 2009, Stern released Big Neighborhood. Aiding him in this latest chapter in his never-ending quest for the new and better groove is a long list of talented guests: guitarists Steve Vai and Eric Johnson; bassist-vocalists Esperanza Spalding and Richard Bona; jamband godfathers Medeski Martin & Wood; drummers Dave Weckl, Terri Lyne Carrington, Cindy Blackman and Lionel Cordew; bassists Chris Minh Doky and Lincoln Goines, saxophonists Bob Franceschini and Bob Mstalach, trumpeter Randy Brecker and keyboardist/producer Jim Beard. Big Neighborhood was also nominated for a GRAMMY^® for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.