Saxophone©Andrea Canter

“A superb quintet” – Tom Surowicz

Drummer Dave Stanoch describes the upcoming CD release of the Ellen Lease/Pat Moriarty Quintet as “hot fun in the dead of winter.” And he should know, as Dave mans the trapset for one of the most interesting, innovative jazz ensembles in the Twin Cities. In addition to Stanoch, the band includes leaders Ellen Lease (piano) and Pat Moriarty (sax and other “aerophones”), trumpeter Kelly Rossum and bassist Chris Bates. Celebrating their first release -- Chance, Love, Logic (Innova Records), this dream team of avant garde music will perform at Studio Z in St. Paul on Saturday, March 1st.

The current quintet has been working together for over ten years, leading critics to describe the ensemble as the “best unrecorded band out there.” Noted Avant Music News, “Through the consistency of personnel and a stable but expanding repertoire, the quintet has developed a high level of group interplay and risk-taking within the structures of the tunes. Although comparisons to the musics of Steve Lacy, Charles Mingus, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago are well taken, this band definitely has its own sound and conception.”

Kelly Rossum©Andrea Canter

Saxophonist and co-leader Pat Moriarty has been on the freer end of the Twin Cities jazz scene for the past three decades, recording in the late 70s with drummer Phil Hey and since with a long list of the edgier musicians and ensembles in the metro area. In addition to composing and performing, Moriarty keeps busy leading the jazz bands at Roseville High School.

Chris Bates©Andrea Canter

Chris Bates is also a versatile performer, lending his bass chops to such groups as Framework, How Birds Work, Red Planet, Slide Huxtable and the Kelly Rossum Quartet. He was an original member of the Motion Poets and recipient of a McKnight Composer Fellowship.

Dave Stanoch has handled the trapset for a multitude of diverse artists, including Jack McDuff, Ben Sidran, Herb Ellis, Stanley Jordan, Anthony Cox, Shirley Jones, Robert Goulet, Joan Rivers, and Shari Lewis, as well as the Minnesota Orchestra and the Empire Brass. He’s studied with such giants as Max Roach, Jeff Hamilton, Marv Dahlgren and Ignacio Berroa, and has taught at MacNally Smith for over a decade. He’s a founding member of the trio Triplicate.

Dave Stanoch©Andrea Canter

The Ellen Lease/Pat Moriarty CD release party will be held on March 1st at 8:00 PM, at Studio Z, located in the Northwestern Building - 275 E. 4th Street (Suite 100), St. Paul. Cover $10, reception following the music.