Random MySpace Page
I was rooting around on MySpace, becuase I do that as you know, and I came across a site and immediately checked it out. I was totally digging the music and everything and immediately thought about directing the people who come to this site to it. Then I had to pause. Did I already direct people to this site? Had I mentioned this one before? Hmmmm…
Being the lazy SOB that I am, I am not bothering to root through my own blog and find out. I figure, if I posted this before, it was a long time ago and, well, quite honestly, it’s a local group and they should get more attention. So, if I posted this before, dammit, it’s worth checking out again.
http://www.myspace.com/pingtree
The band is called Ping Tree. I am totally loving their sound. It’s got that old classic jazz horn sound that I love. It’s also fronted by a guy named Art Davis who is not only a jazz music teacher at NIU, but a great trumpet player who’s played with just about everyone. In fact, here’s his bio from the MySpace page:
“One of Chicago’s leading jazz trumpet artists, Art Davis has been a busy performer and teacher in that city since the early 1980s. He has been a member of the NIU jazz faculty for ten years. As a performer, Davis has had a varied career. He has toured with Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, and Rosemary Clooney. As a charter member of the Chicago Jazz Orchestra (formerly Jazz Members’ Big Band), he has appeared with Joe Williams, Kurt Elling, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Nancy Wilson, and Jimmy Heath, among others. He has also performed with such notables as Maynard Ferguson, the Woody Herman Orchestra, Natalie Cole, Diane Shur, Bill Cosby, Sammy Davis, jr., Tony Bennett, and Michael Feinstein. Art Davis appears on many recordings, including those with Frank Mantooth, Janice Boria, Jackie Allen, Rob Parton, Tommy Meullner, Kelly Brand, and the Chicago Jazz Orchestra. Art Davis has degrees in Music Education (B.M., University of Illinois) and Musicology (M.M., University of Illinois). As a graduate student, he specialized in ethnomusicology with an emphasis in African music. For over fifteen years, he has been mentored by such master drummers as Gideon Foli Alorwoyle and Abubakari Luna.”
That’s not too shabby, my friends.
So, anyway, check out the MySpace page and give the tunes there a listen. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have this evening.
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