Azar Lawrence
One of the most powerful and distinctive of all post'Coltrane tenorists, Azar Lawrence was born 1952 in Los Angeles and by the age of 21 had worked with Ike & Tina Turner, War, and Charles Wright's Watts 103rd Street Band ('Express Yourself').
An artist with an avant-garde spirit and style of his own, Azar spent many years with legendary Coltrane pianist McCoy Tyner's Quartet where he recorded several impressive albums such as 'The Enlightenment Suite' and 'Atlantis'. He joined drummer Elvin Jones for two years, and for the next eight years moved between Jones' group and that of McCoy Tyner's.
Azar is also known for his recordings with Miles Davis on the classic 'Dark Magus: Live At Carnegie Hall', Earth, Wind and Fire's Grammy award nominated 'Powerlight' and Marvin Gaye's Grammy award winning 'Here My Dear'. He released seven albums as a leader, and had his songs recorded by Stanley Turrentine and Woody Shaw among others.
He approaches music with spiritual reverence. Through the course of his career, which began in his teens, Lawrence has performed with numerous music luminaries. Lawrence's distinctive sound embodies a deep spirituality, which can be heard on Tyner's "Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit", and his own numerous recordings on Prestige. His current Oeuvre doesn't miss a beat, with frequent New York and Los Angeles shows that sparkle with virtuosity, and vivid ideas and textures.
To the discerning listener, Lawrence's depth can only be attributed to one who has 'been there'. And 'there' he most definitely was. As one of the best to blend the elements of earth and the spirit through music, Azar Lawrence stands apart from his peers with his searing, passionate saxophone sound and brilliant compositional style. Released in 2014; his live recording, The Seeker, stands as an important milestone in the ever-fascinating musical journey that Lawrence has taken to create healing music for the world.
Benito Gonzalez
Benito Gonzalez is being recognized as an exciting pianist and composer for his well-received debut album 'Starting Point' (Christian McBride, Antonio Sanchez, Rene McLean, Ron Blake) in addition to taking home first prize at the Great American Jazz Piano Competition. Benito's acclaimed sophomore album, 'Circles' (Ron Blake, Myron Walden, Azar Lawrence, Christian McBride, Jeff 'Tain' Watts), reveals a very personal body of work as he emerges as a leader and an accomplished improviser.
Recently, Benito received more critical attention for his work on Garrett's Grammy-Nominated album 'Seeds from the Underground. After almost seven years of touring with Kenny Garrett, Benito has added numerous festivals and international jazz club dates to his credit.
He has also shared the stage with Curtis Fuller, Pharaoh Sanders, Bobby Hutcherson, Christian McBride, Ignacio Berroa, Roy Hargrove, Rene McLean, Steve Turre, Hamiet Bluiett, Antonio Sanchez, T.K. Blue, Nicholas Payton, Azar Lawrence, and Jackie McLean.
His multi-cultural talents have led to frequent recording dates, from American jazz masters such as Kenny Garrett and Azar Lawrence, to West African musicians and Latin bands. Benito has also served as musical director for several Venezuelan Recording Artists. Presently, Benito is touring the world with numerous jazz clubs an international festivals to his credit, including several extensive tours of Europe as leader of his own Benito Gonzalez, Trio.
Michael Bowie
Michael Bowie is an internationally recognized musician, performing on both the electric and contrabass. With roots in the Washington D.C. jazz and gospel community, he was a recipient of the National Endowment of the Arts Award in Jazz Studies and trained with Betty Carter and Keter Betts. Soon after, Michael signed with Verve Records as an original member of "The Harper Brothers". He went on to perform, record and tour with Abdulla Ibrahim, Michel Pettruciani, including the Grammy Award winning "Look What I Got" with Betty Carter. Michael has expanded his musical interests and performance to include a wide variety of musical forms from jazz to symphony to rock.
As musical director he has worked with many artists worldwide including Patti Labelle, James Ingram, Jeff Majors, Abbey Lincoln, Angie Stone, Isaac Hayes. He has shared his talents in the recording studio and on the stage with Sarah Vaughn, Joe Williams, Abbey Lincoln, Manhattan Transfer, Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, Della Reece, and Michel Camilo and Ricky Skaggs. He has appeared on countless television shows such as BET, Austin City Limits, Charlie Rose, Radio One, as well as having performed at major venues and festivals such as Carnegie Hall, the Newport Jazz Festival, Playboy Jazz Festival, Montreux, and most other major festivals world-wide.
Marvin "Smitty" Smith
Marvin 'Smitty' Smith is featured on more than 45 albums with a veritable list of additional performances and recordings that are augmented with names like Terence Blanchard and Donald Harrison. Marvin's playing credits include top notables in music like Sonny Rollins, Hank Jones, Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Art Farmer, Benny Golson Slide Hampton, and Milt Jackson. A member for many years of the Tonight Show Band Marvin has played with the Buddy Holland Band, Wallace Roney, Sting, Mulgrew Miller and a substantial list of others.
Video - youtube.com/watch?v=puLaz639MNY
Press - nytimes.com/2014/06/28/arts/music/azar-lawrence-quintet-focuses-on-the-seeker.html?_r=0
Hi-Res Photo - azarlawrence.com/photos/AzarLawrence_BB_099.jpg
Event Flyer: azarlawrence.com/posters/zar_bluesalley_web.2016.jpg
Websites:
azarlawrence.com
benitogonzalez.com
jazzknights.com/bios/mikebowiebio.html
drumsmack.com/marvin-smitty-smith/
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