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TRANE STORIES
IS…
TEODROSS AVERY- TENOR AND SOPRANO SAX
THEO SAUNDERS- Keyboard
HENRY FRANKLIN- BASS
MARVIN “SMITTY” SMITH- DRUMS
AND
SPECIAL GUEST CURTIS TAYLOR- TRUMPET
Celebrating the music of John Coltrane
Franklin played on Hugh Masekela’s 1968 number one single, “Grazing in the Grass,” as well as with Masekela’s band at the Monterey International Pop Festival in June 1967. In addition, Franklin played and recorded with Gene Harris and the Three Sounds, Hampton Hawes, Freddie Hubbard, Bobbi Humphrey, Willie Bobo, Archie Shepp, O.C. Smith, Count Basie, Stevie Wonder, Al Jarreau, Curtis Amy, Teddy Edwards, and Sonny Criss. Franklin’s recording—composed by Sanifu Al Hall, Jr.— “Soft Spirit” was featured on the Breakbeat compilation Tribe Vibes as it had been sampled by the musical group A Tribe Called Quest.
Theo (Ted) Saunders was born and raised on the island of Manhattan. His Russian heritage is masked by his name, which was legally changed along with the rest of his family so that his father, Nicholas, could get work as an actor during the Communist paranoia era of the 1950’s, which makes more sense when you know that he was the only actor in SAG/AFTRA who could speak fluently in both languages without a trace of an accent in either. He comes from a family whose theatre and musical roots go back four generations. His mother, Gedda, was pregnant with Theo when she was in Carousel on Broadway and, as a young teenager, he regularly provided piano accompaniment for her Broadway Show auditions. He attended the High School of Performing Arts (along with fellow jazzers George Cables, Bob Moses, and Ray Maldanado) where he got the jazz bug and spent several years at New York University before leaving to pursue his jazz calling. Besides working in NYC, he also lived and worked in Boston, Montreal, and Cincinnati. He was professionally known as Teddy or Ted Saunders until 1985 when he decided to use the name Theo because it felt closer to his European/Russian heritage.
He first moved to Los Angeles in 1974 and returned to NYC in 1980. He spent 5 years there before permanently moving back to Southern California in 1985.
Highlights of his career include: Performing at the Village Vanguard for a week in 1969 with guitarist Sonny Greenwich, Jimmy Garrison, and Jack DeJohnette….Playing electric piano and clavinet on the Bill Evans/George Russell album, “Living Time” on Columbia Records in 1971….. one of the first members of saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi’s group, Con Brio in the early 70’s….a member of John Klemmer’s group that opened for the first national tour of the VSOP band in 1978 (including a concert at Avery Fisher Hall)…. a member of Ted Curson’s group that played Monday nights at Sweet Basil for a year in the early 80’s……first gig in Los Angeles- a three month stint with Willie Bobo in 1974……six national tours with Freddie Hubbard between 1981-95…..European tour and Japanese tour with Carla Bley’s band in 1983-84 and a DVD, “Live at The Montreal Jazz Festival” ( a band that included Joe Lovano, Steve Slagle, Steve Swallow, and Victor Lewis)……being a member of Bob Brookmeyer’s Quartet in Los Angeles from 1979-80 and touring nationally as well as in the Netherlands…Musical Director for 3 contemporary operas by composer Noa Ain (“Trio” at the Berkshire Music Festival, first american music theater festival in Philadelphia, Carnegie Hall and virginia tech University, “The Outcast” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Merkin Hall, and the Houston Grand Opera, “Verse of Fortune”, lyric by christian holder and still in development), member of Mike Stern’s group that played regularly at The 55 Bar in Soho from 1981-83….a number of gigs with Sonny Fortune in NYC from 1981-84 and a week with his band at the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles in 2009……first recording as a leader- The Teddy Saunders Sextet, “Sueblue” on Discovery Records in 1978…..second recording as a leader- The Theo Saunders Trio, “Three For All” on Blue Chip Jazz….my sixth recording as a leader- Theo Saunders and Intergenearation, “When The Saints Go Out” on Arabesque Records…my collaboration with George Herms at The Redcat Theatre in Los Angeles in 2011 and the recording it led to, which is my latest -“Jassemblage”……Performance collaborations with poet David Meltzer at the Hammer and Getty Museums in Los Angeles and the bird and Beckett book store in San francisco….. a member of bassist Henry Franklin’s group for the last decade with seven recordings…..a member of Bobby Matos’ Afro-Latin Ensemble for the last decade with six recordings…..a member of Azar Lawrence’s west coast band for the last three years, including a 2011 appearance at the Inntone Jazz Festival in Austria and at the Porgy and Bess club in Vienna and an eleven month residence at the RG Club in Venice, CA (2014) along with henry franklin and alphonse mouzon and many special guests. He recently (2016) toured with saxophonist Sonny Fortune as a member of a quartet that included Henry Franklin on bass and Marvin “Smitty” Smith on drums. The tour included gigs at the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society in Half Moon Bay, CA, The Jazz Alley in Seattle, and The Portland Jazz Festival……a member of the jazz tap ensemble performing with iconic hoofers like Jimmy Slyde, Harold Nicholas, and gregory hines…..took part in the 45th anniversary celebration of the Keystone Korner, hosted by founder Todd Barkan……performed in Dakar, Senegal with the Azar lawrence Quartet, My seventh recording as a leader….”Trane Stories” with Dwight Trible, Teodross Avery, Henry Franklin, and Marvin “Smitty” Smith…John Coltrane’s music with lyric and spoken word.
Marvin “Smitty” Smith is an American jazz drummer and composer.
Marvin Smith was born in Waukegan, Illinois, where his father, Marvin Sr., was a drummer. “Smitty” was exposed to music at a young age, receiving formal musical training at the age of three.
After graduating from Waukegan East High School, Smith attended Berklee, graduating in 1981. Smith has recorded 200 albums with various artists, as well as two solo albums. He has toured with, among others, Sting, Dave Holland, Sonny Rollins, Willie Nelson and Steve Coleman. He is a former member of The New York Jazz Quartet, and was the drummer for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno band, led by Kevin Eubanks, from January 30, 1995 until the show’s end on May 29, 2009. Smith was also the drummer for the Jay Leno Show band in 2009-10.
As a musician, Dr. Teodross Avery stands as one who defines live music—best experienced front row, and full throttle. His commanding presence, on stage and off, reflects his musical ingenuity and skill. With an outstanding pedigree, both professionally and academically, Teodross is a saxophonist to watch, as evidenced by many of today’s biggest names in music relying on his wide musical reach.
While growing up in Oakland and Vacaville, California, Teodross’ parents exposed him to a wide range of music including traditional Eastern and Western African music, Soul, Rock, and Jazz. At ten, his father started him with classical guitar lessons. Jolted by the sound of John Coltrane’s ‘Giant Steps,’ Teodross switched to the saxophone at thirteen. As a testament to his young promise, the great Wynton Marsalis purchased a saxophone for him. At 17, Teodross eventually won a full music scholarship to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston.
While at Berklee, renowned A&R exec, Carl Griffin of GRP/Impulse Records, heard of Teodross’ cutting edge sound and eventually signed him at 19, stating, “I was so thoroughly impressed with his lyricism and writing talent”. In 1994, Teodross launched his first album In Other Words, which was welcomed by critical acclaim, including a five star review in USA Today. Still an undergraduate, Teodross was now feverishly in demand by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Betty Carter and Ramsey Lewis. He balanced all of these demands and completed college while on the road in 1995.
After graduating, with a wealth of professional experience to add, Teodross did what any other talented musician would do – he tackled New York City. After just one week in New York, he performed at the legendary Bluenote Jazz Club with the Cedar Walton Sextet, featuring Art Farmer on trumpet. He also played and/or recorded in groups that were either led by or included jazz titans such as Hank Jones, Ben Riley, Harold Mabern, Cyrus Chestnut, Lewis Nash, Donald Harrison, Bobby Watson, The Roy Hargrove Big Band and (3X) Grammy Award winner, Dee Dee Bridgewater, among many others. He landed a performing role in the successful film Love Jones in 1995. He then launched his second album, My Generation, under the GRP/Impulse label, in 1996. “This album was ahead of it’s time. I was starting to mix Jazz with the Hip Hop sound of The Roots (The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon) by adding frontman, Black Thought and the Rock-influenced sound of John Scofield,” says Teodross.
Curtis Taylor is a dynamic presence in Jazz, excelling as a performer, composer, and educator. Growing up in Bedford, Ohio, he began playing the trumpet at an early age. Inspired by concerts he attended while in middle and high school, Taylor committed to a career in Jazz, honing his craft under the tutelage of his mentors at Michigan State and Rutgers University.
Taylor‘s artistry has graced many stages worldwide. From iconic venues like the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Apollo Theater & Dizzy’s Club in New York City, to international festivals like The North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands and the San Javier Jazz Festival in Spain. He has also performed and recorded with numerous acclaimed artists, such as Billy Childs, James Carter, John Clayton, Patrice Rushen, Rodney Whitaker, Ed Motta, and Cyrus Chestnut. Notably, his work on Gregory Porter’s Grammy Award-winning album “Liquid Spirit” earned him high praise. As a leader, he has recorded three albums, and his current release TAYLOR MADE has earned rave reviews from various publications, including features in JAZZIZ and DOWNBEAT, two of the top music magazines in the world.
In addition to performing, Taylor shares his knowledge and passion for music with students as a clinician & guest artist and has taught for nearly a decade at the collegiate level. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of Iowa. He teaches several courses integral to the program’s curriculum, is the principal organizer for many Jazz area visiting guest artists, and coordinates the UI summer Jazz camp annually.
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