Please list any awards, competitions, or other acknowledgments you would like to mention.
Excellence in Music Performance Award (2011), Raymond Shiner Jazz Award (2011) both from Nazareth College of Rochester
What do you do? What is your musical specialty?
I'm a guitarist!. My musical specialty? That's sort of hard to answer. I learned music old school you know? So I'm very into the Charlie Christian, Ray Charles, Etta James, T-Bone Walker kind of thing. I'm an old soul so I guess you could say Blues, Jazz and Soul are my specialty but I really love music of all kinds so I'll give whatever a go.
If you were sent to a deserted island, which book, CD and film would you take with you?
my Funny Books I have , I can only name one : BOOK of Farts...I never finished reading it , its funny ...
Ipod in the bag..everything I like about R&B, JAZZ, HIP-HOP ,KWAITO , AFRO POP ..I like any type of music but picky , so...yeah
Which have been the most symbolic works of your career?
I staged Woody Allen's short film noir themed short stories for the theatre, adding bluesy jazz songs. Sounds like a musical? It was more of a blues/jazz cabaret with the fast paced stand up Woody of the 70's. It was called Woody Allen's Murder Mysteries. It ran in London's Off West End for 14 weeks, then transferred to Off Broadway in a much bigger theatre. I started from scratch again! It was a massive project.
What do you do? What is your musical specialty?
my specialties is that I can play a lot of instrumental and I have the experiences .
mainly I play a Guitar , but I can play bass , and percussion and some tribal strings.
additionally I'm a composer , so I can make a song and I can arrange the songs.
I had many experience what I played in band , that was Rock Punk Country Grange Funk Jazz HipHop HR HM Ska Reggae Dub Trance Psychedelic Minimal Techno Asian-tribal Afro-beat surf-music etc
How did you begin making music? Who introduced you?
My parents started me on piano lessons at age 5 and I haven't stopped making music since! My boyfriend in S.F. got me heavily into jazz a long time ago, so I married him.
How did you discover your creative territory? How would you describe it?
Came through years of playing with hundreds if not thousands of different styles of musicians young & old, from Funk, Gospel to Rock.. I do remember a time when I realized that I was a rare player.. I made myself open my eyes and ears in playing every style of music I was able from Jazz, Soul, Rock, Classical, Funk & Pop.
Tower Of Power were my beatles growing up and something about the sound moved me almost spiritually that opened up my musical senses.
What do you do? What is your musical specialty?
I am a singer / songwriter and have been into music since the age of 7. My formation is jazz & blues that progressed into soul.
What type of music do you listen to while you work?
Folk, punk, blues-rock, jazz and whatever Metric is.
I'll listen to only what I deem excellent, I can't just listen to anything. I love music too much to hear it all.
What type of music do you detest?
I like music in all genres, but I am not a massive fan of death metal or free jazz.
How did you begin making music? Who introduced you?
Wrote first song called "jazzy Stars" at age of 5. Just sat down and created music. Always loved and been fascinated in music and the makings of the new sounds so just wanted to be a part of the musical journey.
How did you begin making music? Who introduced you?
My family was a huge influence on me. My brother of course - there is a 15 year age gap so when I was very young I idolised him and wanted to swing my arm in the very same way. Also, my father was a superb Jazz musician - he played in the Squadronaires. My mum was a singer and my grandparents were musical too. There was no other way I could go in life. Music was in my blood.
What do you currently have in your MP3 player?
I have some music, a collection of jazz, 80's rock and pop, and podcasts.
Which musicians or groups have been inspiring to your career?
Most of the great composers of Western concert music, great players of jazz, and eminent composers of film music.
What was your musical education?
Bachelors of Music Performance: Jazz Studies, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ (2006)
Associates of Music Performance: Jazz Studies, Mesa Community College, Tempe, AZ (2004)
Associates of Business, Mesa Community College, Tempe, AZ (2004)
Principal Teachers (Drums):
Mel Zelnick, Professional Musician
Dom Moio, Associate Professor, Mesa Community College/Arizona State University
Bill Goodwin, Professor, William Paterson University
Kevin Norton, Professor, William Paterson University
Rich DeRosa, Professor, William Paterson University
Private Instruction (Drums):
Keith Carlock (Sting, Steely Dan)
Shawn Pelton (Sheryl Crow, SNL)
Matt Johnson (Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright)
Please list any awards, competitions, or other acknowledgments you would like to mention.
I've been honoured with the opportunity to work with some fine musicians over the years.
Major highlights include reworking and remixing material by jazz musician Chico Hamilton, Peter Gabriel and The Chemical Brothers.
Also working with lounge lizard Yamasaki and one of Spain's finest producers, Karmasound.
What type of music do you detest?
Well, I guess I should be honest with you in that case.
I am not into metal stuff and martial rock, especially from Germany. Things like the Böse Onkels and even the worldwide successfull german band Rammstein are some kind of poison to my ears and my mind. Stuff like that is hard to digest for me - it actually hurts. On the other hand it may sound funny, but when I was 12 years old, I listened to Kiss and Ozzy Osborne a lot. (Well, not comparable to nowadays stuff, but at least different to my passion for pop-jazz-soul.)
But also and surprisingly I am not that much into Depeche Mode for some reason. I have a lot of respect to their creativity and interpretation throughout the years. But I won't go to concerts. But detesting would be too strong in that case. Let's say, that they are definitely not my favorites.
And probably a No-Go in the music history is my ignorance for the music of the Beatles. They were very important to everything there is musically, still today. But I just don't like them. (not detesting though)
What do you do? What is your musical specialty?
I started out doing music with the age of 4. Since then I learned to play a couple of instruments and singing. During the early 80s I started writing and composing which I am doing ever since. Actually I am a singer, which I do, upon all the other instruments, best.
Within my music I am focussed on something a friend of mine once called: German Acid Jazz, which I find very funny, for there isn't any style like this.
Anyway, within my music there will always be a good portion of Level 42, Duran Duran, electronic lines, jazzy and bossa styles like Peter Fessler, Al Jarreau and Incognito to name only a few. Add a dash of typical 80s pop, warm analog synth sounds like Shakatak, rhythm parts like Mezzoforte and compare my voice to George Michael or Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet) and you get a first little notion of what I am occupied with most of my limited time.
When did you realise that making music could be a way of life for you?
Though I played since I was young, I really started to become interested when I got into jazz a bit as a teenager. But I followed an academic path, studying maths at university and becoming a software engineer. It was during those years that I started to think 'hang on a minute, this stuff's hard - this music thing is a lot more fun!' Eventually I quit my job to go to music college and have been struggling to make a living ever since!
What was your musical education?
Trumpet lessons at school from age of seven, occasional bursts of piano lessons - though I've never really stuck with it. Went to Berklee College of Music where I did a diploma, majoring in Film Scoring and Jazz Composition.
...Of course, that's just the formal part of my musical education! The innumerable hours spent listening, jamming and gigging must help!
How did you begin making music? Who introduced you?
I started off with just drawing art in my spare time and in schools in Gary, Indiana. Later art progressed to music art while playing instruments and writing lyrics as a teenager. Alfonzo Wright the head janitor at Horace Mann High School taught me how to play lead guitar, along with others I learned from during that time in my life.
Alfonzo Wright is one of the Midwest best lead guitarist, it was a great experience for me learning from Mr. Wright. He taught me many formats of blues, jazz, soul, and rhythm guitar.
Please list any awards, competitions, or other acknowledgments you would like to mention.
My first single released titled "Back Up On It" Feat. Sharlene Boodram, former Universal Music (kk) artist from Trinidad was mixed by "O" Midwest Monsters. Mastered by Horace"Bubba"Mitchell who has worked with Block ENT/Bad Boy South, Jazzie Pha, and credited for "Husile and Flow" sound track.
What is your creative process like? What happens before sitting down to write?
What I have found works best for me is simple labor where my mind is allowed to wander. If I am able to do some menial household task like mow the lawn or paint the fence, I can turn on autopilot and let my mind zone out into its own fantasy world.
Music plays a hefty hand in this too, as I normally perform this tasks with my i-Pod on shuffle, allowing everything from opera, classical, and film scores to heavy metal, classic rock, 1920s jazz, and 50s love songs filter through my brain and into my fantasy world. At that point, I just buckle up and enjoy the ride. When I can, I'll just take my memories of that ride and toss it on paper, adding some of my own input as to what would make the characters interesting during the process.
How did you begin making music? Who introduced you?
My Father who is a Jazz Guitarist Introduced Me to Music when I Was around 5 Years Old.
He Taught Me how to Play Classical Guitar and My Mother who Was a Concert Violinist Taught Me Music Theory.
Which musicians or groups have been inspiring to your career?
So many...!
In early life I was influenced by a wide variety of music sung and played to me by my parents from jazz standards, folk songs, Simon & Garfunkel, music hall and musicals. Classical music was frequently played and I particularly loved Debussy, Dvorjak, Vaughn Williams and Faure.
I loved jazz and my cousin introduced me to Ella Fitzgerald whose freedom of improvisation inspired me immensely. I loved exploring dissonant piano jazz music with piano teacher and concert pianist Harvey Dagul. I later came to enjoy improvisational piano music by Keith Jarrett.
Strong and innovative women singers like Madonna, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Bjork, Tracy Chapman, Joni Mitchell, Natacha Atlas have been important for me.
I enjoy chilled ambient electro music - Massive Attack, Zero 7, Nitin Sawhney, Cafe del Mar etc - and love the music of The Barefoot Doctor who brings spirituality and modern music together in an incredibly powerful way.
I am deeply stirred by powerful modern arrangements of chant and mantra - Snatam Kaur, Dave Stringer, Deva Premal & Miten, Anand Meru, Nikki Slade, Chloe Goodchild, Tim Wheater, Krishna Das, Kate Mackenzie.
I also love R&B - John Legend, Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Anthony Davis, Dwele -and find gospel music deeply moving and uplifiting.
Since an early age I was also inspired by Peter Gabriel, whose collaborations and support of world musicians is universally renowned.
I have been very influenced in recent years by fROOTS magazine and its editor Ian Anderson, and have been introduced to an amazing array of traditional music from many countries. I have spent quite alot of time in Istanbul and love Middle Eastern sounds.
I have been inspired by singers of English traditional music- Ian Anderson, June Tabor, Nancy Wallace, Alisdair Roberts, Pamela Wyn Shannon, Jon Boden and Emily Portman. This has reconnected me with my own 'folk roots' and inspired me to arrange English traditional music myself.
Musical rebels and protestors also catch my imagination and carry torches which are so important in society - The Revolution will not be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron is one of my favourite songs and I love the upfront and naked performance poetry of Benjamin Zephaniah.
I am also very inspired by minimalist and improvisational sounds, such as other practitioners and myself use in sound bath sessions. Working with people with special needs has affirmed my belief that there are no right or wrong sounds and that when we free ourselves from certain ideas about what music 'should' sound like, a whole new territory of creative expression opens up.
Do you work alone or in a group? If in a group, who are the others you work with?
Solo. Right now, my man Mark Dorshak accompanies at clubs, backs me up on guitar. I play acoustic rhythm, do some finger-picking. Mark is on electric, an hellacious jazz cat who digs that the music has a lot of major-7 chords, which really gets in his wheelhouse. In the studio, laid down an EP at Winterland. Winterland Studios, here in the Twin Cities. Got all kinds of insane backup. Yohannes Tona on bass. He also plays piano and did some of the arranging. Jeff "Boday" Christensen" on guitar. He does the rhythm tracks, too. 'Cause, it's like, well, the guy's just got ungodly chops. Stan Kipper on timbales, Chico Perez on conga. Alicia Wiley plays piano and does a duet with me. Long story short, didn't have much choice but to call the thing Dwight Hobbes & The All-Star Hired Guns featuring Alicia Wiley.
What do you do? What is your musical specialty?
I am a jazz singer. I make electronica and folk music. I compose cinematic soundscapes. I do score work, and love to hit things like cowbells, and triangles.
Which musicians or groups have been inspiring to your career?
All kinds of musicians from rap, rock, metal, jazz, punk, folk, and more.
Which musicians or groups have been inspiring to your career?
The musician and groups that have been inspiring to my career were:
KENNIS MUSIC: 2face, ksb, jaywon e.t.c,
EMPIRE MATE ENTERTAINMENT: Banky w, Skales, wizkid e.t.c.
MOHIT RECORDS: Don jazzy,Dbanj, wande coal, Dr sid e.t.c.
Akon, psquare, Drake, Justin bieber, Sean kingston, Chris brown, Usher, Lil wayne, Mindless behavior, Lil Twist.
This are the names of musicians that have been inspiring me.
What do you do? What is your musical specialty?
i'm an opera-musical & soul-jazz singer, i was born to sing..
What was your musical education?
Ruben Nievas: self-taught person.
Emilia Ramunda:
- Senior Interpreter Popular Music Singing with Jazz Guidance - Graduated from ISMP (Institute of Popular Music) Argentina Society of Musicians - Artist Career: Singing - Jazz Guidance - 2004 to 2006 - Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Graduated from Inartec (Institute of Art and Technology), Engineering Record and Music Production Course - from June to November 2003 - Buenos Aires.
What do you do? What is your musical specialty?
Musician - Degreed in Jazz Studies Performanace Saz and Piano from Webster University.
What was your musical education?
I had a few years of formal musical training as a child at the Zografou music school. Every summer we performed innovative musicals. I loved it! As an adult I took a brazilian jazz vocal class with Sandy Cressman in San Francisco and vocal training with classically trained singer Suzanna Giannakopoulou and jazz singer Loukia Palaiologou in Greece.
How do you avoid repeating yourself, or falling into formula? How do you stay fresh?
I strive to expose myself to different media, different styles, different forms of expression, et cetera. When I feel that I cant go on with a certain project (medium, style, etc.) or that Im falling into a rut (and not the good kind), I do something radically different for a while. If this doesnt work, I ‘clear my mental cache’ with something thats (seemingly) unstructured or that has a structure thats so foreign to me that it might just as well be no structure at all; I listen to jazz or to Central Asian folk music, look at abstract art, or similar.
What cultural sources do you draw from the most?
I listen to a lot of music while I work, and throughout the day. It's common to find me listening to jazz one moment and then rap the next. I also have an office filled with books on David Ogilvy or Mary Well Lawrence, not to mention the rows of design annuals and logotype publications. Everyday life and my obsession with the creative industry constantly feeds into my work.
Please list any awards, competitions, or other acknowledgments you would like to mention.
First runner up in the WJJZ Smooth Jazz House Band Contest - 2008
Audie Award for our re-make "What You Won't Do For Love" - 2009
Numerous articles:
Articles & Press
http://www.prweb.com/releases/slot_1_studios-pr/7-8-2009/prweb2610004.htm
http://billboard.prweb.com/releases/slot_1_studios-pr/7-8-2009/prweb2610004.htm
http://www.foxreality.com/news.php?id=104033&type=news
http://airplaydirect.com/music/drivetime/
http://74.52.71.146/dispatch/blogzone/src/lyceum/chatter/category/past-runner-ups/justin-guarini/
What movies or television shows inspired you to work in this field?
Ken Burn's "Jazz" documentary for PBS was the original inspiration (specifically, the first episode which talks about late-19th and early-20th century New Orleans).
As we have kept working, HBO's "Treme" and several music documentaries (like "No Direction Home", "The Last Waltz" and 1973's "Jimi Hendrix") have all been major influences.
How did you begin making music? Who introduced you?
I began making music when i was about 8 years old. I just have always loved it. I was introduced through my ears when listening to the radio around 5 years old. Arthur G Wright(once a composer for Motown) taught me how to play the harmonica when I was 10. Wilton Felder(Jazz Crusaders, Bass for Motown) taught about studio engineering and mixing. Tony Brasfield, my father, got me all the equipment I needed to start fulfilling my legacy, and he too plays professional bass, jazz piano, drums, and guitar. Its our ear. Praise Jah.
What was your musical education?
See above!
Seriously, most of my musical education comes from records. Collecting pop and dance vinyls but also listening to sources such as jazz and classical (thanks to my uncle who gave me his own vinyls). And later mixing elements of the above. :)
What do you do? What is your musical specialty?
My mother was a singer and now i wanna be like her. I can sing well. and i love to play keyboard. I love pop and Jazz. i dont like to sing the screamo and rock or punk musics but sometimes i just like to hear it when i'm stressing around
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