Thursday, October 20, 2016

USA: Martin Wind’s “20th Anniversary Quartet” Jazz at Kitano, Friday and Saturday, October 21 & 22, 2016

Martin Wind’s “20th Anniversary Quartet”
Featuring
Martin Wind (bass), Ingrid Jensen (trumpet), Jim McNeely (piano) and Matt Wilson (drums)

Jazz at Kitano
Friday and Saturday, October 21 & 22, 2016
66 Park Ave, New York, NY 10016
Phone(212) 885-7119
Tickets & Info




It’s been 20 years since Martin Wind moved to NYC to study Jazz composition and performance at New York University. During his time as a graduate student he studied with Mike Richmond, Mike Holober, Jim McNeely, Tom Boras and Kenny Werner a.o.

Even before achieving his Master’s Degree he started teaching at NYU and has been on the faculty for more than 19 years.

Just a couple of weeks into his first semester Martin was asked to play in the “house band” to back up incoming guest artists in the program’s Master Class series run by Dr. Dave Schroeder, who moved on to being appointed head of the NYU Jazz department in 2003.

In that role he got the chance to share the stage with artists such as Joe Lovano, Bob Mintzer, Joey Barron, Mike Manieri, Michael Brecker, George Garzone,
Dave Douglas, Phil Markowitz, and many others.

Since his beginnings at NYU Martin has become an integral part of the NYC jazz scene and has performed at most major clubs and concert venues both as a leader, as well as a sideman supporting pianists Don Friedman, Bill Mays, Dena DeRose, Jim McNeely, Bill Cunliffe, Ted Rosenthal, as well as the bands of Matt Wilson, Ken Peplowski, Anat Cohen, Scott Robinson, Ann Hampton Callaway, Mark Murphy, James Morrison, John Scofield, Duduka da Fonseca, Philip Catherine, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and many others.

In his “20th Anniversary Quartet” Martin brings together three musicians that had a major impact on his development especially during his first few years in NYC.

Ingrid Jensen (trumpet)
“I used to love Mondays as a student: we’d rehearse with the NYU jazz orchestra until about 8:45 pm or so; afterwards I would walk over to “Visiones”, where Maria Schneider’s band used to play every week – imagine that! I loved hearing that group and started zoning in on some of the band’s wonderful soloists: saxophonists Rich Perry, Rick Margitza or Scott Robinson, pianist Frank Kimbrough, guitarist Ben Monday, and especially Ingrid Jensen on trumpet.
There was (and still is!) something in her sound that just hits me, that touches my soul. She is always searching, willing to take chances, allowing herself to be vulnerable…
I ended up inviting her and Rich Perry to form the frontline for my first CD recorded in New York, the 1999 release “Family” (A-Records/Challenge NL).”

Jim McNeely (piano)
“Fortunately master pianist, composer and arranger Jim McNeely was still on the faculty during my year and half as a student at NYU. Obviously I knew some of his work and had already experienced him conduction and playing with the WDR Big Band while being a classical bass student in Cologne, Germany.
Jim would put up sign-up sheets for any students who wanted to spend time with him one-on-one. I did not need a second invitation: I put my name in as often as I could, and as a result we ended up playing piano and bass duos for hours.
He also encouraged me to apply for the BMI composer’s workshop, which he led at that time together with Manny Album and Michael Abene.
I will always remember Jim’s class “Jazz Orchestra” as the best structured, researched and most beneficial college course of my student carrier!
Since our early years we’ve played together in duo, trio and tentet settings, as well as part of the rhythm section of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.”

Matt Wilson (drums)
“I met Matt on a gig out in Connecticut somewhere with the late singer Carla White and guitarist Ron Affif, and it’s fair to say that no other musician has shaped me more over the past 20 years than him.
Through him I learned to believe that I belong here, that I have what it takes to become part of the NY scene.
During the recording session for the before-mentioned album “Family” Matt, pianist Bill Mays and I shared music together for the first time; an extremely productive period with several wonderful albums on the Palmetto label and many tours were the result. Matt also recommended me to singer and pianist Dena DeRose, who we still record and perform with frequently.
Since the passing of bassist Dennis Irwin I’ve also been holding the chair in Matt’s group “Arts and Crafts”. He is a great leader and the most welcoming musician I’ve ever met!”

The band will be revisit a few selections from “Family”, as well as new compositions that Martin Wind intends to record, soon.