Double Bill: Kris Bowers Quintet & the Myele Manzanza Trio w/ Mark de Clive-Lowe & Ben Shepherd at The Additon

Eclectic pianist Kris Bowers touring debut album Heroes + Misfits (Concord Jazz, March 2014) plus acclaimed New Zealand drummer Myele Manzanza's trio
"The future of drums in NZ is firmly in the hands of Myele Manzanza” - NZ Musician Magazine

Sunday, Mar 9, 7pm

GENERAL ADMISSION: $17
DINNER & ADMISSION: $55
DOOR PRICE: $19

Pianist Kris Bowers is one of the newest and brightest lights on the jazz landscape. Schooled in jazz and classical music, raised amid the rap and hip-hop of the 1990s, inspired by the cinematic power of the great film composers of recent decades, Bowers’ sound – though rooted in traditional styles – is open to numerous external influences that keep the music fresh and vibrant for a new century. This rich and eclectic sensibility is evident from the very first notes of Heroes + Misfits, his debut recording on Concord Jazz....

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Eclectic pianist Kris Bowers touring debut album Heroes + Misfits (Concord Jazz, March 2014) plus acclaimed New Zealand drummer Myele Manzanza's trio
"The future of drums in NZ is firmly in the hands of Myele Manzanza” - NZ Musician Magazine

Sunday, Mar 9, 7pm

GENERAL ADMISSION: $17
DINNER & ADMISSION: $55
DOOR PRICE: $19

Pianist Kris Bowers is one of the newest and brightest lights on the jazz landscape. Schooled in jazz and classical music, raised amid the rap and hip-hop of the 1990s, inspired by the cinematic power of the great film composers of recent decades, Bowers’ sound – though rooted in traditional styles – is open to numerous external influences that keep the music fresh and vibrant for a new century. This rich and eclectic sensibility is evident from the very first notes of Heroes + Misfits, his debut recording on Concord Jazz.

Although considered primarily a jazz artist, Bowers has never been afraid to step outside of the genre’s traditional boundaries and dabble in other forms of music. He performed on Watch the Throne, the 2011 collaborative album by hip-hop artists Jay-Z and Kanye West. In addition, he recently composed the score for Seeds of Time, a 2013 documentary by Sandy McCloud about the preservation of naturally occurring seed in an era of genetic engineering in agriculture.

Heroes + Misfits, scheduled for release on Concord Jazz in March 2014, is an ambitious debut album that position Bowers at the forefront of a talented sextet and showcases a musical and compositional style that – while clearly rooted in the jazz tradition – is also reflective of an eclectic musical age.

For the last 6 years Myele Manzanza has turned heads internationally traveling the globe with New Zealand's acclaimed modern soul act, Electric Wire Hustle, forming a critical voice in their live performance and both their debut and forthcoming sophomore albums. In a bold move last year Myele stepped out from this long term post to release his debut solo album 'One' worldwide through BBE Records and now he heads to the U.S. for the first time to lead his own musical project.

An upbringing steeped in traditional African rhythm combined with formal Jazz training and some solid time on the road performing at some of the worlds top festivals has earned Manzanza the reputation as a powerful drummer, a composer full of ideas and vision and musician / producer who is not afraid to experiment.

Now presenting his Trio stateside or the first time, Manzanza teams up with fellow Kiwi musical prodigies Ben Shepherd (Lee Ritenour, Ellis Hall, Sonny Emory) on bass and Mark de Clive-Lowe on keys who will join Myele to assemble the Myele Manzanza Trio for their debut U.S. appearances.

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