 Eric Reed
Eric Reed attended Cal State Northridge for one year during which he toured briefly with Wynton Marsalis at age 18. A year later, Eric joined Marsalis’ Septet (1990-91; 1992-95). He spent two years with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (1996-98), making countless recordings and TV appearances with them. Reed also worked in the bands of Freddie Hubbard and Joe Henderson (1991-92). Eric continues to perform and record with an assorted multitude of masters like Elvin Jones, Benny Carter, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Cassandra Wilson, Jimmy Heath, Clark Terry, Dianne Reeves and a host of other diverse performers including Natalie Cole, Patti Labelle, Oleta Adams, Edwin Hawkins, Jessye Norman and Quincy Jones.
 Jeff Clayton
Since 1995, Eric has been touring with his own ensembles, making serious waves in the Jazz community. The legendary Ahmad Jamal has called Eric, "one of my very favorite pianists." Eric’s recording Pure Imagination, shot to #1 on the Gavin chart and stayed there for seven weeks, earning him the 1999 Gavin Artist of the Year award. His next recording, Manhattan Melodies was also #1 on Gavin for several weeks. A masterful composer/arranger Reed has scored music for independent films as well as mainstream, including the comedy "Life," featuring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence.
In addition to leading a quintet that features some of the finest young talent on the scene, Eric presently expands his musical horizons in the area of education, teaching in various situations worldwide. Away from the piano, Eric serves as the artistic director of a concert series called Jazz Composer Portraits at Columbia University’s Miller Theater. Eric’s latest release is Happiness on the Nagel-Heyer label, his first recording of original music in five years. Stacy Dillard
"Jeff has such great command of all of the horns he plays. On this recording he focuses on the alto saxophone and the flute, but he also plays all of the other wind instruments. I particularly love Jeff's ballad playing. Although I can hear the influences of Cannonball Adderley and Johnny Hodges buried in my brother's solos, he always sounds like Jeff Clayton." - John ClaytonInspired by his father, guitarist Benjamin Cannon, Racine, WI native Gerald Cannon began playing bass in his father’s group, Gospel Expressions, at age 12. Meeting Milt Hinton at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, Gerald changed majors from physical education to music and went on to the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee. In New York he worked with Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, Cedar Walton, Billy Higgins, Stanley Turrentine and more. He worked in Roy Hargrove’s band for seven years and was a member of the Cristol Tour with famed Cuban musicians. Cannon more recently worked with the late Elvin Jones, vocalists Ernestine Anderson, Carmen Lundy and Abbey Lincoln, leads his own ensembles and is an in-demand educator.  Gerald Gannon
Stacy Dillard, from Muskegon Heights, Michigan, attended college at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. Very quickly, Dillard acquired the necessary knowledge that would soon put his name out on the local scene. It was a run-in with Wynton Marsalis in Dayton, Ohio that would turn his attention to the New York Scene. After graduation, Stacy took the act to Cincinnati, where he stayed for a short time and made his first recording appearance with Mike Wade on trumpet, drummer Melvin Broach and pianist William Menefield. Maturation was very rapid, finally leading the way to New York.
Seamus Blake was born in England and raised in Vancouver, Canada. Blake was first asked to record at the age of 21 with drummer Victor Lewis while Blake was still a student at the Berklee College of Music. Following his graduation, Blake moved to New York, where he rapidly established himself on the New York scene. At 30, Blake now has 4 releases on Criss Cross Records, including the 1995 premiere release of the Bloomdaddies band featuring 2 electrified tenors, electric bass, vocals and 2 drums. His latest for them entitled Echonomics, and features Dave Kikoski and Victor Lewis. Marco Panascia © Andrea Canter Italian native Marco Panascia came to the United States in 1999 after winning first prize in the International Jazz Double Bass Competition in Edinburgh, Scotland. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston and went on for a master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music; he also attended the Henry Mancini Institute at the UCLA. Panascia’s resume includes performances with Herbie Hancock, Joe Lovano, Bobby McFerrin, Dave Liebman, Gary Burton, Roy Hargrove, Benny Green, Peter Erskine, Dianne Reeves, Shirley Horn, Chris Botti, Dave Koz, Vincent Herring, Jeremy Pelt, and a two-year stint with young Eldar.
Willie Jones III, son of the accomplished jazz pianist Willie Jones II, co-founded Black Note, which was awarded First Place in the 1991 prestigious John Coltrane Young Artist Competition. Willie Jones III was a semifinalist in the 1992 Thelonious Monk Jazz Drum Competition. By 1994, the band toured Europe and across the U.S., and was the opening act for Wynton Marsalis. From 1998-2005, Jones was a member of and toured with the prominent Roy Hargrove's Quintet, and can be heard on Hargrove's latest album release Nothing Serious and RH Factor's Distractions. Continuing the pursuit of musical artistry, Jones not only made his debut as a bandleader in 2000 with his premier record Vol 1...Straight Swingin' (WJ3), but he also revealed his proficiency as a composer as well as a producer. He released his second acclaimed CD in 2002, Vol II...Don't Knock The Swing. Currently, Jones is touring with Eric Reed, Kurt Elling and Hank Jones.
Tue-Sun, Jun 5-10 at Dizzy's
- West Coast Jazz: Eric Reed Quartet featuring Jeff Clayton, Gerald Cannon and Willie Jones III
- Eric Reed, piano; Jeff Clayton, alto saxophone; Gerald Cannon, bass; Willie Jones III, drums
- Tuesday-Sunday, 7:30 & 9:30 sets and additional 11:30 sets on Friday and Saturday.
Tue-Sun, Jun 12-17 at Dizzy's - Tenor Madness: Eric Reed Quintet featuring Stacy Dillard & Seamus Blake
- Eric Reed, piano; Seamus Blake and Stacy Dillard, tenor saxophones; Marco Panacia, bass; Willie Jones III, drums.
- Tuesday-Sunday, 7:30 & 9:30 sets and additional 11:30 sets on Friday and Saturday.
Dizzy's is located at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center Broadway at 60th Street, on the 5th Floor. For Reservations Call: 212 258-9595 or -9795. Seating is available on a first-come first-served basis either at tables or at the bar. For more information, visit: www.jalc.org/dccc
Jazz at Lincoln Center is a not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to jazz. With the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra and a comprehensive array of guest artists, Jazz at Lincoln Center advances a unique vision for the continued development of the art of jazz by producing a year-round schedule of performance, education and broadcast events for audiences of all ages. |
Monday, 01 December 2008
