Writing and performing music was something that always seemed a natural progression to me. Ever since the early beginning of my musical journey at age 11 when I picked up the guitar for the first time.I was very lucky to be able to perform publicly from a very early age on by being involved in the school’s band led in a passionate way by Miss Kern, a brilliant piano player in her own right. Many wrong notes later and at least 10 bands later I have found myself backing a major artist at a prime time television show "Hitparade der Volksmusik". I took this as an incentive to take music to the next level and moved to Guildford 30 minutes south of London to study popular music and Jazz under the brilliant Stefan Redtenbacher.It was here where my love for variety in music such as Jazz and Latin
got fed with the right ingredients. I found myself in a very vibrant
environment and started gigging almost immediately. It was in this scene
where I was allowed to be part of projects which put me on an
inevitable path. Just after my first studio recording for Radio Capitol
FM. I started as musical director on a private Television show called
"Virtuoso Song Contest". An X-Factor type of idea. The show
unfortunately never got off the ground. If it was because of me, many
apologies, I don't hope so. On the back of this I was offered a contract
to go on a cruise ship and ended up 6 months on and off and seeing
nearly the entire world from Southampton to Vietnam.It was from then on when things really started to pick up and I had a
run of performing with some of England’s most prestigious Jazz and
Classical musicians. There were unforgettable moments when I was asked
to play with the London Gala Orchestra under the Musical Direction of
the brilliant Steve Bell. I turned up at the gig with a newly bought
acoustic nylon string guitar, my pride and joy, for 500 pounds. I got it
out of the case and showed it proudly around thinking this must be the
best thing those guys have ever seen. The violin player next to me then
got her violin out of the case which was a 250.000 pound instrument. I
sat quietly in a corner for the rest of the evening:-). There were many others such as Maria Friedmann a protégé of
Stephen Sondheim and Michel Legrand, Teatro a platinum selling vocal
group, the mad Irish Sam Flynne who made his name as piano player for
the Eurhythmics, Roachford and Stevie Wonder or the unforgettable
Rosemarie Squires best known for singing with Les Paul and the magic
Brian Dee who made his name Mding Miles Davies.In the five years of my professional life I had the luck to
play in some of the best venues in Europe such as the Purcell Room in
the Royal Festival Hall being on the same bill with one of my heroes
John Schofield. All in all there are too many to name. PETE ROTH BAND
Born and raised in the Chicago Area, Amy Hart got her start playing
blues in festivals as a teenager opening for such artists as Koko
Taylor, Junior Welles and James Cotton. Putting her own stamp on the
groove she migrated to LA and released "Too Cruel" a track on the
Mercury Records Soundtrack for the cult movie "Girls Just Wanna Have
Fun" Starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt and from there hit
the road as a singer/songwriter.
Decades, deals and several disks later she has returned to her blues
roots, with the lastest release, "Congratulations" on Painted Rock
Records.was born and raised in Chicago. She began her musical career at the family piano at age 2. When she was in high school she began playing guitar and writing songs. Her first professional gig was in 1979 with Flash Point, a west side Chicago Blues Band. Her first appearance was at Mayor Jane Byrne's Summertime Chicago Concert Series on Broadway at the Armory in Chicago. She was soon a regular on the Blues stages, playing at Kingston Mines on Lincoln Avenue and at B.L.U.E.S. with Junior Welles. She has also opened for Koko Taylor and James Cotton. She entered and won the WLUP sponsored Chicago Rocks Contest twice and released two compilation records with the radio station. She took her music to California to work with producer John Ryan (Doobie Brothers, Santana) and released a song on the Mercury Records Soundtrack "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" in 1985. The song "Too Cruel" was co written by Tim Tobias and Amy and Tim were a duo for some time performing in L.A. The movie has achieved cult status, and continues racking up royalties around the world for Amy Hart. AMY HART
Patrik Jansson Band was formed in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden in
late 2007. After playing drums in various blues bands and jazz combos,
hard-rock and metal acts for several years, Patrik decided it was time
for another challenge. He picked up the guitar and started playing and
singing in hopes of developing as a songwriter and a musician. “I’ve
always loved to learn new things” he says. With a passion for heavy
Texas blues and with a new mission in life he started looking for
musicians to play with. “I had a pretty clear idea of what I was looking
for” he says, “I wanted to play blues with a more modern approach.
Blues is supposed to feel fresh and alive, it’s a most vital music in my
opinion. In short I wanted to play the kind of music that I would like
to hear myself and that I think a lot of other people would like and
appreciate”. In the beginning of 2011 PJB released their self-titled critically
acclaimed debut album on the Sneaky Foot Records label. The music could
best be described as a mix of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Winter, Buddy
Guy, Freddie King and Joe Bonamassa, to name a few of the influences. After some line-up changes it was time to start writing songs for the
follow up to the debut album and in late 2013 the band entered the
studio to record “Here We Are” their second full length album, an album
full of heavy, funky, groovy blues with a focus on strong melodies and
great songwriting. With guest appearances from Mikael Fall (Harmonica world champion 2013)
and the great Swedish female blues singer Lisa Lystam, the record is
full of great songs and great performances. A lot has happened since the
start in 2007 and since the first record, and it becomes even clearer
when you listen to the new record. It’s a heavier, darker and more
mature band you'll be hearing. "I put a lot of time and effort into
making this record and I really try to make my music mean something, I
try to write songs that make you feel something, songs that matter and I
believe we're gotten closer to that goal with the new record and I
think you will hear it when you listen to it. I hope you enjoy it”. THE PATRIK JANSSON BAND
Whether accompanying her self at the piano, fronting a trio, big band or
symphony, Dee Daniels' musical career is as varied as her four-octave
vocal range is thrilling. She is a unique talent who transcends musical
borders when she brings her jazz styling, infused with gospel and blues
flavoring, to the stage. One critic says, "Daniels' voice has a hypnotic
quality, delivering an impressive range that gives the romantic songs
and verse of 50 years ago new life and raw emotion."Though Dee has a B.A. Degree in Art Education and taught high school art
for a year in Seattle, she quickly realized that her true calling was
music. Her vocal style was born in her stepfather's church choir in
Oakland, California, refined through the R&B era, polished during a
five-year stay in The Netherlands and Belgium from 1982 to 1987, and
brought to full fruition upon her return to North America. During those
years to the present, she has performed and recorded with many 'Legends
of Jazz' including Toots Thielemans, Houston Person, Clark Terry, Lionel
Hampton, Ed Thigpen, Monty Alexander, John Clayton, and Jeff Hamilton,
Hank Jones, Bill Charlap, and Russell Malone – to mention a few.Dee's international career includes performances in twelve African
countries, Australia, South America, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong,
Japan, throughout North America, and many countries within Europe. Career highlights include Dee being named Artistic Director, in
September 2011, of the Frank DeMiero Jazz Festival - a camp dedicated to
Jazz Vocals with around 60 participating schools; a nomination for
Atlanta Theater’s 2010 Suzi Bass Award; the 2009 receipt of an Honorary
Doctorate Degree of Fine Arts and 2008 President’s Award, both from
Capilano University; 2003 recipient of the prestigious Commemorative
Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and
induction into the University of Montana’s School of Fine Arts Hall of
Honor as well as a 1997 University of Montana Distinguished Alumni
Award; a 2002 inductee into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame with a
plaque installed on Vancouver's Granville Street Walk of Fame; and a
command performance for the King and Queen of Belgium’s 25th Wedding
Anniversary. Sharing the stage while singing the blues with the late
Sarah Vaughan, and singing gospel and blues with the late Joe Williams
remains at the top of her list! DEE DANIELS
Born
in Detroit, Michigan and raised in Queens, New York, Missy’s first real
memory of singing is at age six. Her mother entered Missy in a child
talent contest and everyday she practiced with her after school. It was
her favorite thing to do. For some reason the contest was cancelled and
her afternoon practice sessions stopped, but Missy was hooked from then
on. “Singing would always be my friend and I would turn to it whenever I
needed to express something I couldn’t find the words to say,” says
Missy.Her
parents had an extensive music collection that included lots of soul,
R&B, blues, jazz, and gospel. Her favorite songs were always the
ones that told a story. It wasn’t always the most popular song on the
album, but she would play them over and over and over. She listened to
Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, The Staple Singers, Teddy
Pendergrass and a host of others. And like many before her, Missy
mimicked other singers until she found her own voice. Later she would
discover Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn, and Billie Holiday and that
eventually lead her to O.V. Wright, Bobby Bland, Little Milton, James
Carr, Ray Charles, Ann Peebles, and Irma Thomas.Although
singing is her love, she had her first stab at the music business while
in her teens with the rap single, “Be For Real” under the moniker,
Denyce "Flip" Isaac. Although the record’s success was small, it still
led to her being the opening act for Cissy Houston in a string of club
dates. It wasn’t long before Missy turned back to singing, honing her
skills fronting local bands as well as doing studio sessions as a
background vocalist. Moving
to San Diego, California, she met local blues man, Earl Thomas in the
late 90’s. It was then that she became one of the original Juke Joint
Jezebelles, a gospel, blues, and soul quartet, who provided backup
vocals for Earl’s stage show. She played and toured with Earl for
several years hitting festivals and venues in the U.S. and Europe. Earl
Thomas and the Jezebelles shared the stage with Ray Charles, B.B. King,
Robert Cray, John Hammond, Keb’ Mo’, Kenny Neal, and The Meters. MISSY ANDERSEN
Christos Anestopoulos born in Patras,Greece in 1971.
He study classic guitar and he got diploma on the
instrument.
He study electric guitar and he got lessons and clinics from many great jazz guitarist.He is a teacher of Guitar.He has compose music for dance and theater,movies and he release two albums with his music``swinging over the surfaces`` and ``wish you could stay``There’s no avoiding the influence of Bill Frisell on this recording.
And considering that fellow-guitarist Anestopoulos names two separate
tracks “Friselland” indicates he’s fully invested in Frisell’s sound as
both musician and fan. As a huge Frisell fan, this album totally
floated my boat. There are tracks that sound eminently like Frisell
pieces. There are tracks that sound nothing like Frisell pieces, but
the use of electronics and looping and effects, and a strangely ominous
jazz-folk hybrid put it smack dab in the middle of Frisell territory. A
couple tracks incorporate some elements of Anestopoulos’ native Greece,
and nothing about that breaks the album’s cohesion. Kind of jazz, kind
of folk, kind of rock, all of them but none… music with personality and
dramatic expressionism. Not just for fans of Frisell. A series of
guests contribute to this album, on a variety of wind instruments,
strings, and percussion. Very cool. CHRISTOS ANESTOPOULOS
Jazz singer, songwriter and pianist Tamuz Nissim from
Tel Aviv in Israel has spent the last six years in Europe performing
with the most talented musicians in festivals and music venues, leading
her own projects as well as singing in different bands, theatre shows
and movie soundtracks.Her debut CD “The Music Stays in a Dream” (2013) featuring her original
compositions was presented in radio shows in Israel, the Netherlands and
Greece and in several festivals such as the Athens Technopolis Jazz
Festival, the Preveza Jazz Festival, the Montofoli Festival and the
Tinos Jazz Festival. Her performances won warm reactions from the
audience and the press, describing Tamuz as a “very charismatic artist”
(BHMagazino), “a voice that caresses your soul” and “a proof that jazz
is a living art and that stars are still being born” (Athens Digital).Tamuz grew up in an artistic family; her mother is a dancer and a
choreographer and her father is a writer. Both of them play an
instrument and have a great love for classical and jazz music. She
started playing classical piano at the age of 6. She started to sing
when she was 14 and she was accepted to the Jazz music department of the
Ironi Alef High School of the Arts. Her high school band appeared twice
at an open stage at the Tel Aviv Jazz Festival. At this time she won
twice a scholarship from the American Israeli Art Foundation. By the age
of 16, Israeli jazz giants such as Ofer Ganor, Amos Hoffman and Shay
Zelman had recognized her potential and performed with her. In 2005 she
sang in the soundtrack of Ilan Heitner’s movie ‘Bruno in Love’. At this
time she also worked with a group of dancers and composed the music to a
dance show, her mother’s adaptation of ‘A Street Car Named Desire’.She moved to the Netherlands in 2007 to study at the prestigious Royal
Conservatoire of Den Haag; from there she received a Bachelor’s degree
in Performing Arts. In the Netherlands she met musicians from around the
world and started collaborating with the guitarist Giorgos Nazos, the
bassist Vassilis Stefanopoulos and the pianist Francesca Tandoi, with
whom she recorded her debut CD. In 2012 she played the main role in a
Jazz Musical “One doubt Arose in the mind of a noble Vigilante” The
performances ware fully booked and well accepted.Tamuz spends her time travelling between Greece, Israel and Holland,
performing with her band and as a guest artist in music venues and
festivals. She leads two versions of her quartet, one in Greece and one
in Israel, both with the guitarist Giorgos Nazos, with whom she has been
playing for the last 6 years. She also performs with other influential
artists such as the Greek singer Martha Mavroidi; their project of voice
improvisations was presented in 2013 at Women’s Festival in Israel. TAMUZ NISSIM
Dave Douglas is a prolific trumpeter, composer and educator from New York City.His unique contributions to improvised music have garnered distinguished
recognition, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Aaron Copland award
and two Grammy nominations. Douglas has developed his work for several
unique ensembles with whom he’s currently active, including his new
quintet, an electric sextet (Keystone),
duo with Uri Caine, Brass Ecstasy, Riverside, and the Soundprints
Quintet (co-led with saxophonist Joe Lovano). His new quintet released
its debut recording, Be Still, in September 2012 with singer Aoife
O’Donovan, the first time Douglas has featured a vocalist on a
recording. The follow-up to that critically-acclaimed recording, Time
Travel, released April 2013.Since 2005, Douglas has operated his own
record label, Greenleaf Music, releasing his own recordings as well as
albums by other artists in the jazz idiom. Douglas has produced over 50
records, including all titles at Greenleaf. Through his artist-friendly
approach and innovative practices, he continues to prove himself a
pioneer in new music marketing and delivery methods for the jazz world
and among artist-run labels.Douglas has held several posts as an
educator and impresario. From 2002 to 2012, he served as artistic
director of the Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music at The Banff Centre
in Canada. He is a co-founder and director of the Festival of New
Trumpet Music, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2012. In 2013,
he begins his second year as International Jazz Artist in Residence at
the Royal Academy of Music in London and launches his own Jazz Workshop,
dedicated to enriching the musical experiences of younger players. DAVE DOUGLAS
Generation Blues Experience was co-founded by dedicated 12-year old
singer and guitar virtuoso Ray Goren in 2012 in South Central L.A.
together with veteran blues septuagenarian, Sammy Lee, and octogenarian,
Jamie Powell. A true product of his “generation,” Goren learned from
YouTube videos of the legends and was playing blues guitar in gigs
before the age of 10. But together with Powell and Lee the band has
busted age and musical barriers, resulting in landmark recordings of
blues power.Jamie Bluesboy Powell is an 80 year-old guitar player with an
unforgettable blues shouting vocal style, who has been playing the local
blues scene in South Central LA for years. His friend, harmonicist
Sammy Lee. is well known in Watts for the lonely train whistle sounds of
his harp as he sways with the relentless shuffle beat of his Louisiana
blues upbringing. Known to the locals at Bell’s Blues Workshop as the
Odd Couple, their conversations take on a Jack Lemmon/Walter Matthau
quality making much ado about nothing, and having fun doing it!Ray Goren is a 14-year old musician, who began as a jazz pianist but
migrated to the blues guitar at about 8 years old. He’s acquired quite a
reputation despite his tender age, playing on opening night at the Main
Stage of the Chicago Blues Festival, at Doheny Blues Festival and
walking onstage with Buddy Guy at the Greek Theatre. Playing at the NAMM
conventions, he draws crowds of seasoned musicians. Recently Ray has
recorded an EP of his original music which was produced by Eddie Kramer
(Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Kiss) and sits in on gigs with Robbie
Krieger of the Doors.These three came together two years ago when a well-meaning fan asked
Ray’s father if he’d like to meet some of the old men from Watts, who
really knew how to play the blues – the Real Deal. And that’s how they
first came to meet at Bell’s Blues Workshop – a residential juke joint
in South Central LA (an old drummer’s converted garage) that hosts a
blues jam every Sunday evening. Far from the festival and club scenes
Ray found a bustling sub-culture where the soul food is hot off the
stove, the laughter is loud and pure blues is in the air. When the three
next stepped onto the stage at a blues jam in a fashionable Burbank
club, magic was in the air. Electricity filled the room and everyone saw
the torch being passed from one generation to another. Generation Blues
Experience was born.The three of them bonded and became best of friends with age, color and
lifestyle boundaries all blurred. Blues became their language, They
landed a gig opening at the Golden State Theatre in Monterrey,
California for B.B. King in early 2013. “A band came out on stage to
open for the legend, B.B. King, and this kid – 12 years old – comes out
to front on lead guitar and vocals. What was more surprising is the
gifts that this musician possesses. He is a real phenomenon, and you sit
there not believing what you are seeing and hearing…. It was really one
of the most unbelievable moments I’ve experienced at any concert.” Rock
Subculture.With two albums already recorded - the first within 2 weeks of the
formation of the band and the second recorded live at their residency
gig at Lucy’s 51 in Toluca Lake - they decided it was time to create
their own music. Ray began writing songs – writing one specifically for
Jamie. Sammy wrote about his home state’s troubles with Hurricane
Katrina, and other band members wrote songs that Ray modified with his
own style while staying true to the blues shuffles and slow blues
melodies. These collaborations have resulted in “Private Angel” released
August 2014. GENERATION BLUES EXPERIENCE
