Jim
Martin is
an active composer/arranger, trombonist, pianist
and music educator in the Midwestern United
States. Jim's charts can be heard on numerous
professional and big band recordings including
the Rob Parton Jazz Tech Big Band, the University
of WI/Milwaukee jazz ensemble, the Stan Bann
Big Band, the University of TX at Austin, Art
Farmer's Big Band and many others.
Commissions have come from Rob Parton,
the U.S. Airmen of Note, Univ. of WI/Milwaukee,
Evanston Township HS, Lake County Community
College, and numerous high school and college
bands in the U.S.
On Friday, January 30th, 2004, Frank died
suddenly in his hometown of Garden City, KS.
A tremendous contributor to big band music,
an amazing pianist and jazz educator and family
man, Frank will be missed the world over by
the jazz world and everyone he touched during
his lifetime.
Frank is will be remembered as one of the foremost
contemporary big band writers, and in my opinion
one of only a few that developed a "signature"
style.
His bio reads like a who's who of the
jazz world. Hundreds of big band charts published,
jazz ed materials for beginners and advanced
players. In 2002, Frank was included in
Grove's Dictionary of Jazz Musicians.
Thanks for all the memories and the great music
Frank! We will miss you...
Before his untimely death in 1978
at the young age of 44, Don Ellis was one of
the most creative and innovative jazz musicians
of all time. In a career span of less than 25
years, Don Ellis distinguished himself as a
trumpeter, drummer, composer, arranger, recording
artist, author, music critic and music educator.
He is best remembered for his
work as a big band leader. His orchestra, which
was active from 1966-78, and in varying configurations
featured a string section, brass sextet and
a woodwind quintet complete with
oboe and bassoon, achieved enormous appeal at
a time when the taste for big band music was
fading.
He won a Grammy Award for his
1972 title composition of the movie "The French
Connection", and his band received 2 Grammy
nominations for their performances on "Live
At Fillmore" and "Soaring".
New rhythmic devices ultimately
became the Don Ellis trademark. His
compositions frequently displayed time signatures
such as 5/4, 7/4, 13/8 and 9/2. Hank Levy, composer
of some of the charts offered here and one of
Don’s "co-conspirators" in the time revolution,
once quipped that "Yes, Don and I do write music
in 4/4, we just subdivide it 5-1!" The compositions
offered here are the actual charts, in standard
big band instrumentation, offered by Ellis Music
Enterprises in the 1970s.
Ed Palermo's Big Band has been together
since 1980 and has been playing and honing the
music of Frank Zappa for close to five years,
mainly in performance at the Bottom Line in New
York City.
Palermo
has recorded three critically-acclaimed big band
albums and worked with Tito Puente for three years,
Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Lena Horne and many other
musical greats. His approach was influenced by
Todd Rundgren, Cannonball Adderley, Neil Young,
Edgar Winter, Nelson Riddle, Charles Tolliver,
Gene Ammons and "heavy-duty" Brian Wilson. His
devotion to eclectic roots also includes classical
composers such as Prokofiev and Shostakovich.
One of the greatest writers you've
maybe never heard of, Ed has written over 300
charts for big band. Visit
Ed's site or Email
Ed for more information
on his schedule for commissions and clinics.
Trent Kynaston is a professor of
music at Western Michigan University where
he teaches saxophone, jazz studies, and performs
as a member of the Western Jazz Quartet, a resident
faculty ensemble in the School of Music.
He
is a recognized artist in both classical and
jazz musics and
has performed throughout the United States,
Canada, Europe, Central America, South
America, and Asia.
Mr.
Kynaston holds degrees from the University
of Arizona in Tucson and the coveted gold Medaille
d’Honeur in saxophone and chamber music
from the Conservatoire National de
Musique de Bordeaux, France.
Trent has
published numerous compositions, books, and
articles on various aspects of music, has recorded
16 record albums/CD's, and is recognized
throughout the world for his jazz solo transcription
books.
Paul
Lohorn is an active pianist, arranger, copyist
and big band leader in the Chattanooga, TN area.
Paul
has served as a band director in the public
school system and has written numerous charts
that are enjoyed by High
School, College and professional bands all across
the U.S.
Ron Davis is a retired Navy Band
unit leader and staff arranger. Ron has
worked as a music copyist for the Tower Of Power
Horns and as music copyist and composer/arranger
with such artists as the late great Don Ellis,
Chuck Mangione, Solomon Burke, Stan Mark, Mike
Vax, Frankie Laine, Lee Greenwood and Ronan
Tynan.
A multi-instrumentalist, he is
a bandleader and arranger for big bands, rhythm
and blues horn bands and brass ensembles in
the Sacramento, CA area. For more information
visit Ron's website at www.highclassbrass.com.
Ryan
Cullen is Coordinator of Jazz and Composition
Studies at the River Ridge Music School
where he directs the jazz ensembles
and teaches composition/theory, piano,
and saxophone.
Ryan
holds a B.M. degree from the Loyola
University (New Orleans) College of
Music and is currently working on his
M.M. degree in Studio Jazz Writing at
the University of Miami (expected completion:
Spring, 2005).
In constant demand
as an emerging young composer of ensemble music,
Ryan Fraley is known for his innovative works
for concert band and jazz ensemble. His compositions
are published by The FJH Music Company, Alfred
Publications, and Les Taylor Publications, and
have been featured at numerous State Conventions
as well as the Midwest International Band and
Orchestra Clinic in Chicago.
Fraley is a recipient
of the ASCAP Plus Award, given to writers whose
works receive frequent performances, or whose
catalogs have a unique prestige value.
Ryan received a master's degree
in composition from The State University of
New York in Potsdam, and a bachelor's degree
in music theory and composition from Ball State
University in Indiana.
Franck Amsallem has been a professional pianist and composer
for over 25 years. He has played many venues throughout
the U.S. and Europe including the Village Gate, Knitting
Factory, Birdland, Blues Alley, Pizza Express (London),
Porgy and Bess (Vienna), the Pori, Molde, Nice jazz Festival
and the Antibes-Juan les Pins Jazz Festival (where he
shared the bill with Earth Wind and Fire).
In
2004-2005, Franck toured throughout Mexico, South America
and South Africa, as well as major concerts in Croatia,
the Czech republic, Armenia, Lebanon.
He
has been a leader on seven recordings, all of which have
received rare critical acclaim. His sideman credits have
included some of the greatest names in jazz, including
Gerry Mulligan, Charles Lloyd, Gary Peacock, Bobby Watson,
Jerry Bergonzi, Bill Stewart, Tim Ries, Maria Schneider,
Harry Belafonte, and Joe Chambers.
