Author: evandermusic

Woodwinds, Bandleader, Composer

Link to home page : http://www.zick.net

Biography:

Damon Bio:

DAMON ZICK (SAXOPHONE) was born and raised in Seattle before heading to the East Coast in 1993. He spent four years studying at the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York where he studied saxophone, jazz and composition before heading south to Miami Beach to join the New World Symphony. Since then Damon has performed concerts with his own groups in Europe, Australia and throughout the United States. He has performed with such jazz artists as Joe LaBarbera, Vinny Golia, Lee Konitz, Joe Henderson, Ralph Alessi, Gerry Hemingway and Bob Mintzer. He now resides in Los Angeles where he completed a Masters degree in Jazz Winds from the California Institute of the Arts. Besides his performing schedule, Damon is active as a clinician and teacher presenting Master classes at colleges and universities around the U.S.

Composer, trumpeter, singer-songwriter

Link to home page : http://www.sarahwilsonmusic.com/index.html

Biography:

Composer/trumpeter Sarah Wilson has emerged as “one of the most intriguing and promising composers and trumpeters on the contemporary music scene” (Derk Richardson, San Francisco Chronicle).

Her music has premiered nationally and internationally and she earned wide critical acclaim for her 2010 Brass Tonic Records release, “Trapeze Project”. This CD features herself on trumpet and vocals with clarinetist Ben Goldberg, pianist Myra Melford, bassist Jerome Harris, and drummer Scott Amendola and showcases her “…danceable, visually evocative, and melodic music that is both sophisticated and accessible” (Jazziz).

Wilson’s original work has earned numerous commissions including the prestigious 2011 Composers Collaborative grant from the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation as well as the highly acclaimed 2010 Center for Cultural Innovation Artistic Innovation Award. She is a 2011-2012 Artist Fellow at the de Young Museum with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.

In 1993, she moved to New York City to concentrate on music, studying with trumpeters John McNeil and Laurie Frink. Through her affiliation with Bread and Puppet Theater where she worked as a puppeteer and musician, she soon found herself musical director and composer of Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors Festival’s annual puppet program.

Moving back to native CA in 2005, Wilson hit the music scene with her critically-acclaimed CD, “Music for an Imaginary Play” on Evander Music. Wilson has received numerous accolades since then including a 2010 William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Honorary Fellowship as well as funding from the Zellerbach Family Foundation, East Bay Fund for Artists, de Young Museum Cultural Encounters Initiative in collaboration with Intersection for the Arts and Meet the Composer’s MetLife Creative Connections program. She was also a 2010 Djerassi Resident Artist.

She currently resides in Oakland, CA.

Composer/Pianist

Link to home page : http://www.myspace.com/harrytrio

Phone: 498-333-6726

Email: harrytio@gmail.com

Phillip Greenlief, saxophone; Adam Levy, guitar; Dan Seamans, bass

Biography:

When I was living in Los Angeles in the late 1980’s, I had a steady Thursday night trio gig at Gorky’s with guitarist Ken Rosser and a host of bassists, mainly Roberto Miranda, Jesse Murphy, Jeff Hobbs, Ken Filiano, or Dave Carpenter. I was also in a horn/bass/drums trio at the time, and appreciated having a drum-less trio to work in. Ken has a tremendous knowledge of harmony, and I learned a lot from him in that setting – I’ll always value that experience. I’ve been able to work in a few trios with the same configuration over the years, and I’m also grateful for countless gigs offered to me by LA guitarist Tom Osuna and SF guitarist Bruno Pelletier.

When I arrived in the SF Bay Area, I was anxious to get another trio formation going with some folks that would help me further explore the potential of playing in this particular setting. I had been playing with Adam Levy, who introduced me to Dan Seamans, and we started playing sometime in 1994 – around the same time The Lost Trio was formed with Dan and Tom Hassett. One night after playing duo with Adam at Daniel’s in Albany, we had a delicious plate of Pasta Putanesca and realized we had found a name for the group – Trio Putanesca

Our first CD, Who Ordered the Fish, was recorded in Dan’s basement by Jeff Cressman, and we released it and sparked Evander Music all in one fell swoop. The disc has been out of print for a long time now and friends have always told us that it was one of those rare records they bought by a friend that they actually listened to a LOT – we’re most grateful for that!

Our second CD, Live at Yoshi’s, was recorded at the old location before Yoshi’s moved to Jack London Square. Yoshi’s was good to that band, we played a few times at both locations, and the band always felt it was the perfect place to realize the kind of quiet intensity we were going for.

Phillip Greenlief
March, 2005
Oakland, CA

Work-In-Progress:

We keep talking about trying to get together when Adam isn’t on the road with Norah Jones, but our schedules are crazy. One of these days we’re going to make it happen though so check in on the Evander Music Calendar at www.evandermusic.com

Jeremy Steinkoler – drums, Jim Peterson – saxophone, Andre Bush – guitar, Sam Bevan – bass

Link to home page : http://www.jsteinkoler.com

Biography:

Playing mostly original pieces written by drummer Jeremy Steinkoler and saxophonist Jim Peterson, the quartet navigates through a wide range of feels and textures, bringing sensitivity and inspiration to bear on every tune. The band draws influences from eclectic sources, with nods to both jazz and rock legends, and plays a handful of creative arrangements of tunes by Abdullah Ibrahim, Pat Metheny, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young, among others. Sometimes funky, sometimes swinging, sometimes moody and pensive, the Quartet delivers meaningful music with an intensity that can be felt throughout the audience.

Having played together around the San Francisco Bay Area for several years, drummer Jeremy Steinkoler, saxophonist Jim Peterson, and guitarist Andre Bush have developed a highly intuitive feel for playing together. The newest member, bassist Sam Bevan, brings a refined spontaneity to his bass lines and a lyrical approach to his solos. Between the four players, there exists a mutual respect and musical understanding which imbues every performance with integrity and playfulness.

In 2001, The JSQ released it’s first full-length CD, The Road Home (Evander Music) to substantial critical acclaim. The album has been featured on radio stations across the country and in Europe, and continues to garner excellent reviews from the media. With the addition of Andre Bush on guitar and Sam Bevan on bass since the recording of the CD, the JSQ has continued to evolve, maturing into a well seasoned group reaching new heights of collective improvisation and interaction.

The JSQ is currently planning on returning to the recording studio in 2005 to record a second CD reflecting the continued evolution of Jeremy’s composing and collaboration with Andre, Jim, and Sam. I hope you enjoy listening to The Road Home. Please visit www.jsteinkoler.com for more information, reviews and updates.

Bandleader: J. Steinkoler Quartet & Mo’Fone

Link to home page : http://www.jsteinkoler.com/

Biography:

“A very swinging drummer who’s mastered the art of coordinated independence,” (Lee Hildebrand, East Bay Express), is a native New Yorker who’s been playing drums professionally since the age of fifteen.

In his last 10 years in the Bay Area, he has built a solid reputation among fellow musicians, music lovers, and critics, as a creative drummer and composer who draws from eclectic musical influences. Inspired by the hard driving bebop of Max Roach, the Elvin Jones “circle of sound,” the modern phrasings of Jack Dejohnette and Paul Motian, as well as a rich influence of New Orleans second-line playing (from the likes of Earl Palmer and Zigaboo Modeliste), funk, R&B;, and classic and modern rock, Jeremy speaks with his own unique voice on the drums that is unmistakably fresh and unique.

He has performed and recorded with a wide array of groups, including Hot Links (New
Orleans R&B;), Phatlip (funk-jazz), Bob Bradshaw & the Resident Aliens(rock), The Big Picture (R&B;), Marie Schumacher (folk-rock), as well as with well-known jazz players Adam Levy & Lee Alexander (Norah Jones), Andre Bush (Jenna Mamina, David Liebman), and Clark Suprynowicz (Tom Waits).

He has performed at dozens of popular Bay Area venues and festivals, including Yoshi’s Nightclub in Oakland, the Shoreline Amphitheater, and at Lincoln Center and the Village Gate in New York City. Currently leading his own J.Steinkoler Quartet, as well as the new sax-and-drums-trio Mo’Fone, Jeremy continues to play weekly all over Northern California. He has been featured on KCSM, KFOG, KPFA, KUSP and KALX radio stations, and was singled out for praise at a live show by the great New Orleans pianist Allen Toussaint.

The J. Steinkoler Quartet recently released their debut CD, The Road Home(Evander Music), which has received much critical praise. Check out www.jsteinkoler.com for full reviews and more info.

Drums, founding member of Good For Cows

Link to home page : http://chessmith.com

Biography:

Ches Smith composes for Theory of Ruin, the Mitch Marcus Quintet, and the
Graham Connah group. He has toured nationally and internationally with Mr.
Bungle, Ben Goldberg, Carla Bozulich, and Mike Park.

He has recorded with the Abel-Steinberg-Winant Trio, Tom Waits, Xiu Xiu, Ben Goldberg, Secret Chiefs 3, Will Bernard and Theory of Ruin.

He has performed in concert under the direction of John Zorn, Wadada Leo Smith, and Pauline Oliveros. He also performs with Trevor Dunn, Annie Gosfield, Nels Cline, John Schott, Hal Stein, Jim Campilongo, and the Rova Saxophone quartet.

Bassist, Bandleader, Composer

Link to home page : http://www.toddsickafoose.com/

Biography:

Todd Sickafoose is an imaginative bass player with a composer’s ear for melody and chops that the LA Weekly described as “technically indomitable”. A Northern California native, he now performs and records with a ton of innovative folks and genre busters (instrumentalists and songwriters alike) including Ani DiFranco, Noe Venable, Jenny Scheinman, Nels Cline, Carla Bozulich, Victor Bruce Godsey, Scott Amendola, jhno, Jessica Lurie, Etienne de Rocher, Adam Levy, James Carney, Will Bernard, Jim Campilongo, Tony Furtado, Danny Barnes, Darol Anger, and Paul
McCandless.

The consistency of his personal voice within wildly diverse collaborations prompted the LA Weekly to call Todd “one of the most comprehensive musical minds of this coast” – and in 2003, he was nominated for a California Music Award for outstanding bassist. As a producer, Todd has helped birth two critically-acclaimed records for folk iconoclast Noe Venable, “Boots” and “The World is Bound by Secret
Knots”. Most recently, Todd has embarked on a collaboration with Ani DiFranco, with whom he is currently touring as a duo.

“Dogs Outside” (Evander, 2000) is Todd’s debut record, made entirely in 10 hours the day before he moved north from LA. It is an electrifying CD, featuring some of the best recorded playing of bandmates Peter Epstein, Justin Morell, and Mark and Alan Ferber. 5/8 of the record are unedited first takes.