 Geoff Keezer and Joe Locke © John Abbott
Henry Mancini was one of the most loved and best known film score composer of the 20th century. His best known songs include "Moon River", Days of Wine and Roses", "Peter Gun", and "The Pink Panther Theme". Mancini was nominated for 72 Grammys, winning 20. He was also nominated for 18 Academy Awards, winning four. He also won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for two Emmys. He was first nominated for an Academy Award in 1955 for his original score of The Glenn Miller Story. Mancini received two Oscars in 1962: one in the same category, for the song "Moon River" (shared with lyricist Johnny Mercer), and one for "Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture" for Breakfast at Tiffany's. The following year, he and Mercer took another "Best Song" award for "Days of Wine and Roses". He won his final Oscar working with Leslie Bricusse on the score for Victor/Victoria, which won the "Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score" award for 1983.
 Joe Locke
The critical community continually cites Joe Locke for his artistic work. "There seems little doubt that Locke, with his ability to play cool and funky, heady and relaxed, is set to become the pre-eminent vibraphonist in jazz." (The Times, London). He has been voted the #1 vibist in DownBeat Magazine's Critic's Poll (TDWR) and Brazil's International Jazz Poll, was honored with the "Mallet Player of the Year" Award by the Jazz Journalists Association (JJA) in 2006, and has received two Golden Ear "Concert of the Year" Awards — in 2005 with the Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group for their concert at the Ballard Jazz Festival, released on CD as "Live in Seattle" on the Origin Label, and 2007 for his performance at the Port Townsend Jazz Festival. Joe Locke has released more than 25 recordings as a band leader, and appeared on almost 100 albums as a guest artist.
The past years have been increasingly busy for Locke. Besides his work with The Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group, The Joe Locke Quartet and his Duo project with fellow vibes and marimba artist Christos Rafalides, he most recently formed a brand new musical collaboration, "Joe Locke - Force of Four". The group — featuring Robert Rodriguez, Jonathan Blake and Ricardo Rodriguez — will be recording their first album in spring 2008 on the Origin label for a summer 2008 release, followed by international concert engagements. The Joe Locke Quartet, featuring Jay Anderson, Joe LaBarbera and Jonathan Kreisberg, have toured Europe successfully in 2007, receiving raving reviews and media acknowledgements following their release "Sticks and Strings". Joe's celebrated collaboration with Romero Lubambo, Nilson Matta and Duduka Da Fonseca has been selling out the most prestigious Jazz venues. They have just released "Live at JazzBaltica" on the MAXJAZZ label.
Another one of Locke's more recent recording "Rev.elation" with Milt Jackson's last Band remained on top of the Jazz Week album charts for an unprecedented 8 week run in 2005.
While maintaining a busy touring schedule, Locke also found time to work with students. A concert in Rochester, NY with the School of the Arts jazz ensemble (through The Commission Project) proved to be a memorable and rewarding experience. "I worked with the students for several weeks leading up to the concert, and real friendships were forged in that time. The name of the event was Pass it On! - the implication of the title being that I was passing on my knowledge and experience to a new generation of musicians. But it was such a mutual exchange... I learned as much from them as they did from me. The experience put me back in touch with one of the reasons I fell in love with music in the first place, namely, the sense of community that comes from creating something with others."
 Geoffrey Keezer © Andrea Canter
Geoffrey Keezer was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA on November 20, 1970. Born into a musical family, with both parents teaching music, he began studying piano at the age of three. In 1989, at the age of 18, after completing his first year at the Berklee College of Music, Geoffrey joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Since then, Geoffrey has worked with virtually all of the living legends of jazz and has appeared on countless recordings both as a leader and as an accompanist.
His professional career has spanned many projects and genres. In 1992 Geoffrey performed Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra under the direction of John Mauceri. In addition to his 11 solo releases and constant touring, Geoffrey has also had compositions commissioned by the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Saint Joseph Ballet, Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego, Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, the Zeltsman Marimba Festival, and was a recipient of Chamber Music America’s 2007 New Works grant. He has also played bass in a rock band and contributed artwork to David Mack's comic "Kabuki".
Geoffrey continues to work in partnership with world class musicians from all genres. His 1998 release, "Turn Up The Quiet", featured Grammy winning vocalist Diana Krall along with Joshua Redman and Christian McBride. His partnership with world renowned classical artist Barbara Hendricks as musical director and arranger produced "It’s Wonderful — A Tribute to George Gershwin" with subsequent touring in Europe and Japan. His two releases in 2003, "Falling Up" and "Sublime: Honoring the Music of Hank Jones", were both collaborative efforts. "Sublime" is an ambitious set of piano duets with Kenny Barron, Chick Corea, Benny Green and Mulgrew Miller. "Falling Up" features several pieces where Geoffrey worked in tandem with the Hawaiian Slack Key Guitarist, Keola Beamer. His 2005 release, "Wildcrafted", captures the fire and raw energy of Geoffrey’s trio live in concert at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis. And in 2006, Geoffrey teamed up with traditional Okinawan singer Yasukatsu Oshima for a groundbreaking album of duets.
Geoffrey’s latest musical adventure, ÁUREA, is a multinational Afro-Peruvian/jazz recording project featuring some of today’s hottest players from New York City and Lima, Peru. [Click here for a jazz police interview]
 Kenny Washington
Joining the honorary U.S. Navy Band in 1986 Kenny performed and toured nationally and internationally through out the U.S., Asia, Russia, and Australia. After nine years as a musician in the U.S. Navy Kenny made his home in the San Francisco Bay Area. He began performing and recording in various jazz clubs in the bay area with other well known artists. Kenny appeared in Roy Nathanson's off-Broadway production "Fire at Keaton's Bar and Grill" with Elvis Costello and Deborah Harry, in London and New York. Kenny was the featured vocalist at the San Francisco's world famous Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel's "TOP OF THE MARK" for eight years.
Kenny is the featured vocalist on Michael O'Neill's CD, "The Long and the Short of It", recorded on Jazzmo records. Kenny is one of the featured vocalist on the Slammin' All Body Band CD, with Keith Terry.
Vibraphonist Joe Locke with pianist Geoffrey Keezer, bassist George Mraz, drummer Clarence Penn and special guest, vocalist Kenny Washington Tuesday-Sunday March 25-30, 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. |
Friday, 04 July 2008
