Eric Person
Encyclopedia
Eric Person is an American alto
and soprano
saxophone
player and leader of Meta-Four and Metamorphosis. Since coming to New York City in 1982, Person has performed with a who's who list of legends on the jazz and rock scene. He's performed and recorded with jazz masters:McCoy Tyner
, Dave Holland
, Chico Hamilton
, John Hicks
and World Saxophone Quartet
. In rock, funk and world music:Vernon Reid
, Ben Harper
, Ofra Haza
and Bootsy Collins
. Person is also on over forty recordings as a leader and sideman.
Because of Person's eclectic musical experience, he's considered a musician for almost any genre.
and heard many top shelf New York City jazz musicians such as Dave Liebman
, Jim McNeely
and Adam Nussbaum
. There he also met St.louis pianist James "Ironhead" Matthews, he would join his jazz quartet for the next four years playing clubs around St.louis such as The Barbary Coast, The Place of Pleasure and Mr. B's in East St. Louis. Eric was living and learning jazz, playing with professionals, getting paid and this was wetting his appetite for more challenges. Around this time he composed his first jazz compositions. He found he had a love for composition and set about composing with the goal of expressing his personal ideas through song. His composition, Magenta which he wrote at age 18, is a personal favorite which he recorded on his Live at Big Sur CD, which was released in 2002. By the time Eric graduated high school in 1980 he was restless. He was hearing the call of greener pastures. He was reading about his idols in the Jazz Spotlight News that he subscribed to. It showed what was happening on the New York City jazz scene. So that Summer he took a trip to New York City with James "Ironhead" Matthews, a trip that would change his life. He knew the "Big Apple" was the place to be. He came back to St. Louis with the goal of coming back to New York in three months. His father, who was all for his adventure, suggested that he stay home one year to save up some money, and "tie up some loose ends." It was wise advise which he heeded. In that year he studied with woodwind teacher Lloyd Smith, and took theory and piano classes at Florrisant Valley Community college while finishing up his stint with the James "Ironhead" Matthews quartet.
Big Band at the Public Theatre. Drummer Ronnie Burrage
took him to Washington D.C to play a gig that included a young Wynton Marsalis
, Kenny Kirkland
and Avery Sharpe
. Person also formed an early quartet that included guitarist Cary Denigris, bassist Kevin Bruce Harris and drummer Ronnie Burrage
. That group rehearsed once a month at the now defunct Air Studios, and performed two explosive performances in St. Louis and at a club called Eric's in New York city. As the months rolled on into 1983, during the Spring and Summer months Eric spent his days practicing his horn outside on Riverside Drive. He either practiced there or in the back of a numbers joint on West 145th street, because the owner of the rooming house where he lived at would not allow him to play his horn there. During the week he went to sit-in at an old jazz club called The Blue Book. In that same year he auditioned for drummer Chico Hamilton
. He would perform with Mr. Hamilton off and on throughout the 80's and 90's, touring and recording six CD releases with him.
In 1984 he joined Ronald Shannon Jackson
's Decoding Society. This gave Person his first extensive European touring and recording opportunities. He would play with Shannon till 1987, and record six recordings with him.
. Person immediately went into the studio and contributed to the CD the band was finishing, Moving Right Along on Black Saint. He contributed two songs to that recording, "Antithesis" and "Sharrod." His first tour with the band was a California tour that featured three African drummers. From 1994 to 1997 Person was a member of the Dave Holland
Quartet, which toured Europe
, the United States
and Canada
. The band's success culminated in their recording of Dream Of The Elders on ECM
. Also During this time Eric released his first three CD releases on Soul Note Records. Arrival, Prophecy and More Tales to Tell all garnered favorable reviews. About "Arrival" and "Prophecy" Down Beat wrote:
3.5 Stars - Person [is] swerving toward the left, finding a fresh path between mainstream jazz and chancier, more personalized terrain....In addition to his bold playing, Person has some fine compositional ideas...
4 Stars - (Prophecy) shows his bold alto and soprano to be as in touch with complex gradations of joy as...with precise shadings of melancholy. Self-probing compositions and his examinations of time-honored music are utterly fascinating...
Person recorded with soul rock singer/guitarist Ben Harper
, on his CD The Will to Live
. The CD peaked at number 89 on the Billboard 200
. It also went gold in France
. Person also arranged a three piece horn section that performed throughout California, in New York City, Paris and London. The performance at Royal Albert Hall
was videotaped and released Pleasure+Pain. It features the horns on three Ben Harper
classics, and with Eric performing a burning saxophone solo on the final song.
. In 2002 Person released Live at Big Sur with a new version of Meta-Four which featured pianist John Esposito, bassist Kenny Davis
and drummer Peter O'Brien. This band played the 2002 Guimarães Jazz Festival in Portugal
.
In 2005 Person released his sixth CD Reflections as a collective statement that summed up his favorite compositions and performances from his first five releases. Three dynamic performances from the 1998 Texaco Jazz Festival featuring trumpeter Dave Douglas were added. After extensive touring in 2005 and 2006, Eric kicked off a four week United States tour with his seventh CD Release Rhythm Edge. This CD would feature his then current Meta-Four band and special guests Robin Eubanks
, Ingrid Jensen
, Cary Denigris and Daniel Sadownick. Since 1994 his band Meta-Four has been featured in clubs, concerts, masterclasses and festivals across the USA, Canada and Europe.
In 2008 Person premiered a new band, Metamorphosis which unlike his four piece jazz group Meta-Four delves into funk, rock, groove and electric soundscapes.
In 2010 Person released his eighth CD release, The Grand Illusion. He calls this his "rhythm and groove" project. This CD features guitarist Cary Denigris, keyboardist Zaccai Curtis, and the late bassist Robert "Bob" Bowen. Critic Donald Elfman states: "Saxophonist Eric Person seems to find something new to say and a different direction to follow with every project he undertakes...the music seems daring at this time, recalling the jazz/funk experiments of the past, and the commitment of the players makes it work"
`s Three Black Kings at the Apollo Theatre
in New York City
. It was the first time a full symphony orchestra had performed at the world famous New York City venue.
Person has also performed with (piano) Michiel Borstlap
, Onaje Allan Gumbs
, Michelle Rosewoman, (drums) Joe Chambers
, Franklyn Kiermyer, Michael Carvin
, (vocalists) Jimmy Scott
, Ofra Haza
, and Jennifer Holiday, (Belgium percussionist) Chris Joris
, guitarist Kelvyn Bell and Bassist/funkmaster Bootsy Collins
. Person is also on unreleased tracks featuring rapper Chuck D
. An April 2009 concert in Rochester New York titled "Person to Person" brought together two generations of saxophonists: Eric Person and Houston Person
. The wildly enthusiastic crowd guaranteed there would be more performances in the future from this collaboration. Person also debuted another project with 2008 Down Beat critics poll elected vocalist Dwight Trible. The two were backed by Person's band, Meta-Four West in a performance at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
and at the Santa Monica Community College.
In the Fall of 2010 a collective with bassist Joe Lepore and drummer Shinnosuke Takahashi was formed from a series of jam sessions at the bassists home. The group titled TrioKinesis has performed shows in New York City
and recorded music that will make up their debut CD.
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
and soprano
Soprano saxophone
The soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...
saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
player and leader of Meta-Four and Metamorphosis. Since coming to New York City in 1982, Person has performed with a who's who list of legends on the jazz and rock scene. He's performed and recorded with jazz masters:McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.-Early life:...
, Dave Holland
Dave Holland
Dave Holland is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for 40 years....
, Chico Hamilton
Chico Hamilton
Chico Hamilton , is an American jazz drummer and bandleader.-Early life through 1960s:Hamilton was born in Los Angeles, California. He had a fast-track musical education in a band with Charles Mingus, Illinois Jacquet, Ernie Royal, Dexter Gordon, Buddy Collette and Jack Kelso...
, John Hicks
John Hicks (jazz pianist)
John Josephus Hicks, Jr. was an American jazz pianist and composer, active in the New York and the international jazz scene from the mid-1960s.-Biography:...
and World Saxophone Quartet
World Saxophone Quartet
The World Saxophone Quartet is a jazz ensemble founded in 1977, implementing elements of free funk and African jazz into their musical routines.-History:...
. In rock, funk and world music:Vernon Reid
Vernon Reid
Vernon Reid is an English-born American guitarist, songwriter, composer, and bandleader. Best known as the founder and primary songwriter of the heavy metal band Living Colour, Reid was named #66 on Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.Critic Steve Huey writes, "[Reid's]...
, Ben Harper
Ben Harper
Benjamin Chase "Ben" Harper is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances and activism. Harper's fan base spans several continents...
, Ofra Haza
Ofra Haza
Ofra Haza was an Israeli singer of Yemeni origin, an actress and international recording artist....
and Bootsy Collins
Bootsy Collins
William Earl "Bootsy" Collins is an American funk bassist, singer, and songwriter.Rising to prominence with James Brown in the late 1960s, and with Parliament-Funkadelic in the '70s, Collins's driving bass guitar and humorous vocals established him as one of the leading names in funk...
. Person is also on over forty recordings as a leader and sideman.
Because of Person's eclectic musical experience, he's considered a musician for almost any genre.
Early years
Eric Person started music at an early age, picking up the alto saxophone at age seven. His father Thomas Person also a saxophonist started him off with the basics of the instrument, and concept of improvisation. He later sent his son to study privately at different music stores. Eric picked up the saxophone quickly, but it wasn't until his family moved from the city of St. Louis, to the county of Normandy, and he enrolled in Thomas Jefferson Elementary School that a passion for performing and studying music caught fire in him. After he entered Normandy Jr High School he started getting into more and more ensembles in and out of school. While at Normandy Jr high he was in the jazz band, concert band, and competed in his first classical competition where he was given a perfect score. Outside of school he would be in two R&B bands The Black Warriors Express and The Soulful Young Band. Both bands would perform local gigs, and some regional touring. In 1977, Eric entered Normandy High School. It was the beginning of an exciting period of discovery for Eric. Normandy High School had one of the top music programs in the state of Missouri and Eric tried to take part in as many bands as he could. He would join the marching band, concert bands, and one of the three jazz bands. He would later become part of the top jazz band, The Norsemen. While still in high school, he would attend the St. Louis Conservatory of Music, and a Saturday afternoon jazz theory class at Washington University. In 1978, While the jazz band was winning many awards at high school jazz competitions throughout Missouri, Eric won a best soloist award, which included a scholarship to attend a Jamey Abersold jazz camp that Summer. There he studied under pianist James WilliamsJames Williams
-In American politics:*James Williams , U.S. Congressman from Delaware*James D. Williams , US Representative from Indiana and governor of Indiana...
and heard many top shelf New York City jazz musicians such as Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman is an American saxophonist and flautist. In June 2010, he received a NEA Jazz Masters lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts.-Biography:...
, Jim McNeely
Jim McNeely
Jim McNeely is a Grammy award winning jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.Jim was born in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois, and moved to New York City in 1975. In 1978 he joined the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band...
and Adam Nussbaum
Adam Nussbaum
-Biography:Nussbaum grew up in Norwalk, Connecticut and started to play drums at age 12 after studying piano for five years. He also played bass and saxophone as a teenager. He moved to New York City in 1975 to attend The Davis Center for Performing Arts at City College...
. There he also met St.louis pianist James "Ironhead" Matthews, he would join his jazz quartet for the next four years playing clubs around St.louis such as The Barbary Coast, The Place of Pleasure and Mr. B's in East St. Louis. Eric was living and learning jazz, playing with professionals, getting paid and this was wetting his appetite for more challenges. Around this time he composed his first jazz compositions. He found he had a love for composition and set about composing with the goal of expressing his personal ideas through song. His composition, Magenta which he wrote at age 18, is a personal favorite which he recorded on his Live at Big Sur CD, which was released in 2002. By the time Eric graduated high school in 1980 he was restless. He was hearing the call of greener pastures. He was reading about his idols in the Jazz Spotlight News that he subscribed to. It showed what was happening on the New York City jazz scene. So that Summer he took a trip to New York City with James "Ironhead" Matthews, a trip that would change his life. He knew the "Big Apple" was the place to be. He came back to St. Louis with the goal of coming back to New York in three months. His father, who was all for his adventure, suggested that he stay home one year to save up some money, and "tie up some loose ends." It was wise advise which he heeded. In that year he studied with woodwind teacher Lloyd Smith, and took theory and piano classes at Florrisant Valley Community college while finishing up his stint with the James "Ironhead" Matthews quartet.
1982-92 New York City
Eric arrived in New York City on May 17, 1982. He played his first New York City gigs with the John HicksJohn Hicks
Sir John Richard Hicks was a British economist and one of the most important and influential economists of the twentieth century. The most familiar of his many contributions in the field of economics were his statement of consumer demand theory in microeconomics, and the IS/LM model , which...
Big Band at the Public Theatre. Drummer Ronnie Burrage
Ronnie Burrage
Ronnie Burrage is an American jazz drummer. His style draws elements from hard bop, bebop, funk, and soul....
took him to Washington D.C to play a gig that included a young Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
, Kenny Kirkland
Kenny Kirkland
Kenneth David “Kenny” Kirkland was an American pianist/keyboardist. He is most often associated with Sting, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, and Kenny Garrett....
and Avery Sharpe
Avery Sharpe
Avery Sharpe is an American jazz double-bassist.Sharpe began playing piano at age eight and also studied accordion in his youth. He learned both electric and acoustic bass as a teenager, then studied with Reggie Workman at the University of Massachusetts...
. Person also formed an early quartet that included guitarist Cary Denigris, bassist Kevin Bruce Harris and drummer Ronnie Burrage
Ronnie Burrage
Ronnie Burrage is an American jazz drummer. His style draws elements from hard bop, bebop, funk, and soul....
. That group rehearsed once a month at the now defunct Air Studios, and performed two explosive performances in St. Louis and at a club called Eric's in New York city. As the months rolled on into 1983, during the Spring and Summer months Eric spent his days practicing his horn outside on Riverside Drive. He either practiced there or in the back of a numbers joint on West 145th street, because the owner of the rooming house where he lived at would not allow him to play his horn there. During the week he went to sit-in at an old jazz club called The Blue Book. In that same year he auditioned for drummer Chico Hamilton
Chico Hamilton
Chico Hamilton , is an American jazz drummer and bandleader.-Early life through 1960s:Hamilton was born in Los Angeles, California. He had a fast-track musical education in a band with Charles Mingus, Illinois Jacquet, Ernie Royal, Dexter Gordon, Buddy Collette and Jack Kelso...
. He would perform with Mr. Hamilton off and on throughout the 80's and 90's, touring and recording six CD releases with him.
In 1984 he joined Ronald Shannon Jackson
Ronald Shannon Jackson
Ronald Shannon Jackson is an American jazz drummer. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas.Jackson is notable for his unusual approach to his instrument, which draws as much inspiration from military and parade bands as from traditional jazz drumming.He is the only person to have recorded and performed...
's Decoding Society. This gave Person his first extensive European touring and recording opportunities. He would play with Shannon till 1987, and record six recordings with him.
1993-98 New Horizons
Throughout the 90's Eric continued to be featured with some high power groups. In 1993 he joined the World Saxophone QuartetWorld Saxophone Quartet
The World Saxophone Quartet is a jazz ensemble founded in 1977, implementing elements of free funk and African jazz into their musical routines.-History:...
. Person immediately went into the studio and contributed to the CD the band was finishing, Moving Right Along on Black Saint. He contributed two songs to that recording, "Antithesis" and "Sharrod." His first tour with the band was a California tour that featured three African drummers. From 1994 to 1997 Person was a member of the Dave Holland
Dave Holland
Dave Holland is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for 40 years....
Quartet, which toured Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The band's success culminated in their recording of Dream Of The Elders on ECM
ECM (record label)
ECM is a record label founded in Munich, Germany, in 1969 by Manfred Eicher. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a wide variety of recordings, and ECM's artists often refuse to acknowledge boundaries between genres...
. Also During this time Eric released his first three CD releases on Soul Note Records. Arrival, Prophecy and More Tales to Tell all garnered favorable reviews. About "Arrival" and "Prophecy" Down Beat wrote:
3.5 Stars - Person [is] swerving toward the left, finding a fresh path between mainstream jazz and chancier, more personalized terrain....In addition to his bold playing, Person has some fine compositional ideas...
4 Stars - (Prophecy) shows his bold alto and soprano to be as in touch with complex gradations of joy as...with precise shadings of melancholy. Self-probing compositions and his examinations of time-honored music are utterly fascinating...
Person recorded with soul rock singer/guitarist Ben Harper
Ben Harper
Benjamin Chase "Ben" Harper is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances and activism. Harper's fan base spans several continents...
, on his CD The Will to Live
The Will to Live
The Will to Live , an album by Ben Harper which showed his continuing folk-centric focus, while at the same time expanding on his rock talents...
. The CD peaked at number 89 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. It also went gold in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Person also arranged a three piece horn section that performed throughout California, in New York City, Paris and London. The performance at Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
was videotaped and released Pleasure+Pain. It features the horns on three Ben Harper
Ben Harper
Benjamin Chase "Ben" Harper is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances and activism. Harper's fan base spans several continents...
classics, and with Eric performing a burning saxophone solo on the final song.
1999-present
After his first CD releases on Soul Note Records, Eric decided to form his own label Distinction Records to control and produce all levels of his product. The labels first release, Extra Pressure was released in 1999 and featured the first version of his jazz group Meta-Four. The band included pianist John Esposito, bassist Carlos Henderson and drummer E.J.Strickland. The band toured in the USA and CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In 2002 Person released Live at Big Sur with a new version of Meta-Four which featured pianist John Esposito, bassist Kenny Davis
Kenny Davis
Kenny Davis is an American jazz bassist.Davis released two albums as leader for Soul Note.He was also member of the Blue Note Records group Out of the Blue and has appeared on albums by Gary Bartz, Art Farmer, Don Byron, Eric Person, Michele Rosewoman, Onaje Allan Gumbs and others.Kenny is...
and drummer Peter O'Brien. This band played the 2002 Guimarães Jazz Festival in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
In 2005 Person released his sixth CD Reflections as a collective statement that summed up his favorite compositions and performances from his first five releases. Three dynamic performances from the 1998 Texaco Jazz Festival featuring trumpeter Dave Douglas were added. After extensive touring in 2005 and 2006, Eric kicked off a four week United States tour with his seventh CD Release Rhythm Edge. This CD would feature his then current Meta-Four band and special guests Robin Eubanks
Robin Eubanks
Robin Eubanks is an American jazz and jazz fusion slide trombonist, the brother of guitarist Kevin Eubanks and trumpeter Duane Eubanks.-Biography:...
, Ingrid Jensen
Ingrid Jensen
Ingrid Jensen is a Canadian jazz trumpet player.Jensen is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music and Malaspina University in Nanaimo, British Columbia. She has been nominated for several Juno awards, winning one with her first release, Vernal Fields...
, Cary Denigris and Daniel Sadownick. Since 1994 his band Meta-Four has been featured in clubs, concerts, masterclasses and festivals across the USA, Canada and Europe.
In 2008 Person premiered a new band, Metamorphosis which unlike his four piece jazz group Meta-Four delves into funk, rock, groove and electric soundscapes.
In 2010 Person released his eighth CD release, The Grand Illusion. He calls this his "rhythm and groove" project. This CD features guitarist Cary Denigris, keyboardist Zaccai Curtis, and the late bassist Robert "Bob" Bowen. Critic Donald Elfman states: "Saxophonist Eric Person seems to find something new to say and a different direction to follow with every project he undertakes...the music seems daring at this time, recalling the jazz/funk experiments of the past, and the commitment of the players makes it work"
Collaborations
In 1987 Person formed "Sources" a duo with tabla/sirod/acoustic guitar performer Bob Coke. The music blended elements of avant gard jazz, open Indian grooves, and innovative soundscapes. The group toured Western France, Eastern USA, and New York City clubs and galleries. In 1990 Person was featured soloist with the New York City Symphony for a performance of Duke EllingtonDuke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
`s Three Black Kings at the Apollo Theatre
Apollo Theatre
The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. Designed by architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfield, and the fourth legitimate theatre to be constructed on the street, its doors opened on 21 February 1901 with the American...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It was the first time a full symphony orchestra had performed at the world famous New York City venue.
Person has also performed with (piano) Michiel Borstlap
Michiel Borstlap
Michiel Borstlap is a Dutch jazz pianist and composer.Borstlap started playing piano at the age of 5 years....
, Onaje Allan Gumbs
Onaje Allan Gumbs
Onaje Allan Gumbs is a New York-based pianist, composer, and bandleader.-Early life:Born in Harlem, Onaje grew up in St. Albans, Queens, and started playing piano at age 7. Henry Mancini was one of his earliest and greatest influences from watching the TV shows "Peter Gunn" and "Mr Lucky" at age 8...
, Michelle Rosewoman, (drums) Joe Chambers
Joe Chambers
Joe Chambers is an American jazz drummer, pianist, vibraphonist and composer. He attended the Philadelphia Conservatory for one year. In the 1960s and 70s Chambers gigged with many high-profile artists such as Eric Dolphy, Charles Mingus, Lou Donaldson, Chick Corea, Freddie Hubbard, Jimmy Giuffre...
, Franklyn Kiermyer, Michael Carvin
Michael Carvin
Michael W. Carvin is an American jazz drummer. He has performed with Mickey Bass, Charles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, B. B. King, Jackie McLean, Pharoah Sanders, Lonnie Liston Smith, and Clive Stevens.- Notes :...
, (vocalists) Jimmy Scott
Jimmy Scott
Jimmy Scott , aka "Little" Jimmy Scott, is an American jazz vocalist famous for his unusually high contralto voice which is due to Kallmann's syndrome, a very rare genetic condition. The condition stunted his growth at four feet eleven inches until, at age 37, he grew another 8 inches to the...
, Ofra Haza
Ofra Haza
Ofra Haza was an Israeli singer of Yemeni origin, an actress and international recording artist....
, and Jennifer Holiday, (Belgium percussionist) Chris Joris
Chris Joris
Chris Joris is a Belgian jazz percussionist, pianist and composer. He is the son of Jan Joris, an opera singer. Joris joined Aksak Maboul in 1977, appeared on their first album but left the group later that year...
, guitarist Kelvyn Bell and Bassist/funkmaster Bootsy Collins
Bootsy Collins
William Earl "Bootsy" Collins is an American funk bassist, singer, and songwriter.Rising to prominence with James Brown in the late 1960s, and with Parliament-Funkadelic in the '70s, Collins's driving bass guitar and humorous vocals established him as one of the leading names in funk...
. Person is also on unreleased tracks featuring rapper Chuck D
Chuck D
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour , better known by his stage name, Chuck D, is an American rapper, author, and producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious rap music in the mid-1980s as the leader of the rap group Public Enemy.- Early life :Ridenhour was born in Queens, New York...
. An April 2009 concert in Rochester New York titled "Person to Person" brought together two generations of saxophonists: Eric Person and Houston Person
Houston Person
Houston Person is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer. Although he has performed in the hard bop and swing genres, he is most experienced in and best known for his work in soul jazz. Person is also known for his distinctive sassy sound and his expressive style of playing...
. The wildly enthusiastic crowd guaranteed there would be more performances in the future from this collaboration. Person also debuted another project with 2008 Down Beat critics poll elected vocalist Dwight Trible. The two were backed by Person's band, Meta-Four West in a performance at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
and at the Santa Monica Community College.
In the Fall of 2010 a collective with bassist Joe Lepore and drummer Shinnosuke Takahashi was formed from a series of jam sessions at the bassists home. The group titled TrioKinesis has performed shows in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and recorded music that will make up their debut CD.
Recordings
- (1993) Arrival
- (1994) Prophecy
- (1997) More Tales To Tell
- (1999) Extra Pressure
- (2003) Live at Big Sur
- (2005) Reflections
- (2007) Rhythm Edge
- (2010) The Grand Illusion
External links
- Official website
- [ Allmusic]
- http://www.myspace.com/epmf