NYC based drummer and composer. On Tour
"Anyone is Better than Here" out now on all streaming services

Jeremy Dutton endorses Vic Firth Sticks and Zildjian Cymbals.

MUSIC INFLUENCES:
 
Valentina Lisitsa, Artie Shaw, Bach, Beach Boys, Beatles, Beethoven, Benny Goodman, Bette Midler, Billy Joel, Billy Preston, Blondie, Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly, Buddy Rich, Byrds, Cab Calloway, Cat Stevens, Chet Atkins, Chicago, Chopin, Chuck Berry, Coltrane, Cream, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Dave Brubeck, Dean Martin, Doors, Dr. John Rebennack, Duke Ellington, Eagles, Earth, Wind & Fire, Elton John, Elvis Presley, Emerson, Lake  & Palmer, Eric Clapton, Fats Domino, Fleetwood Mac, Frank Sinatra, Franz Listz, Free, Gene Krupa, George Harrison, Glenn Miller, Hal Blaine, Hollies, Jackson Brown, James Taylor, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmie Hendrix, Joe Morello, John Lennon, Kenny Loggins, Kinks, Led Zepplin, Leon Russel, Little Richard, Loe Kottke, Louie Bellson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, Mozart, Nat King Cole, Neil Sedaka, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Phil Spector, Pink Floyd, Queen, Randy Newman, Ravi Shankar, Ray Charles, Rolling Stones, Santana, Segovia, Steve Windwood, Supremes, Temptations, Three Dog Night, Tommy Dorsey, Tony Bennett, Who, Wrecking Crew, Yardbirds, Yes, Zombies…and more.

Over the past three decades Maddy Winer has enthralled audiences with her inimitable, recognizable voice. Maddy attributes her successes to her love of the Great American Songbook, jazz standards and the pop music of her youth.

Born in New York City, Maddy grew up surrounded by her large Italian family. Her parents had weekly family gatherings featuring a feast of food and non-stop music. At the age of three she performed at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City. Once she experienced the thrill of stage performance it became her lifelong passion.

“I have been fortunate to perform with some great musicians during my career but when I first performed with Cyrus Chestnut I felt a joy and excitement unlike anything I had ever experienced,” Maddy reflected. “Cyrus raises the bar for all that perform with him. His interpretation are so creative; we never perform a song the same way twice so even repeat audiences experience fresh, exciting and masterful performances."

Maddy has headlined concerts at Lincoln Center in New York City. the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, with the Saint Louis Symphony, the Saint Lawrence Centre For The Arts in Toronto and countless venues in between. Maddy’s opening act performances include Dave Brubeck, Lou Rawls, David Sanborn, Joe Sample & The Crusaders, George Shearing, Al Jarreau, Ellis Marsalis and a host of others who introduced her to a loyal following of music lovers from all genres.

The brand new eponymous instrumental album "Sit Down, Servant!!" follows their acclaimed debut "I Was Just Trying To Help".  Following successful North American tours with Joe Satriani and George Thorogood along with headlining shows across Canada and  in their hometown Austin, Texas, look for Sit Down, Servant!! on tour in support of Joe Satriani across Europe June 2014.﻿

Sit Down, Servant!! is Gordie Johnson's latest musical creation: a band comprising of him playing a triple neck steel guitar and Moog bass pedals accompanied by Brannen Temple on drums. Both accomplished musicians in their own rights, with a breadth of experience and knowledge between them the duo take listeners on a musical journey. The group began with more traditional elements of gospel and blues that evolved to incorporate flavors with roots in areas like dub and hip-hop. Performances will see them drop into a jazz standard before journeying through the sounds of Miles Davis, shifting into Dave Brubeck, to The Police and then Mulatu Astatke - all in one song. "We converse musically without needing words or even visual cues." Johnson states. "We're very agile."

Sean J. Kennedy is equally at home on the concert stage or in the teaching studio. His drumset playing has been described as, “…very soulful,” by renowned bassist Will Lee, and jazz legend Dave Brubeck stated that Sean’s drumming, “… sounds like it should-- it swings!” To date, The Sean J. Kennedy Quartet has released two critically acclaimed CDs: Road to Wailea, and Queen Anne's Revenge. Due to the success of these recordings the quartet has performed on NBC television and was invited to open for Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. Because of his versatility, Kennedy has also been able to record and perform with some of the world’s top jazz, classical and rock musicians, including Will Lee, Bob Mintzer, Liberty DeVitto, Richie Cannata, Ricky Byrd, Jerry Vivino, Donald Nally and the late Dr. Frederick Fennell.

When not recording and performing with his own group, Kennedy is a busy freelance drumset and percussion artist. He has been the principal drumset player with The Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale since 2005, and can be heard on their new CD Celebrate the Sounds of the Season and seen performing with them on Good Morning America. In the fall of 2009 Kennedy was invited to perform with the critically acclaimed Video Games Live Orchestra, making stops in Philadelphia at The Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall and in New York City, on Broadway, at the legendary Beacon Street Theatre. Other prestigious venues which Kennedy has performed at include The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C, Avery Fischer Hall at Lincoln Center, in New York City, The Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland, World Café Live, Chris Jazz Café, and The Academy of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  And since June 2011 one of Sean's side groups, The KAV Trio, has been the official band of The Philadelphia Phillies pre-game show "Behind the Pinstripes" with Scott Palmer, with frequent performances at Citizen's Bank Park.  (They always swing, even if the ball players don't!)

In addition to performing, Kennedy has been teaching drums and percussion for nearly two decades and maintains a busy private studio. At home in the Philadelphia area, he is a secondary level instrumental music teacher, as well as a college-level music instructor. As a sought-after composer, he has also been commissioned on numerous occasions to create regional and state-level audition pieces. As an active clinician he has presented master classes for students in elementary through the university level. Recent clinic stops have included the Berks Jazz Festival in Reading, Pennsylvania and Fairfield-Ludlow High School’s Jazz Night Festival in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Kennedy’s pedagogical pursuits include writing two new drumset method books with rock drumming legend Liberty DeVitto entitled Rock Solid - Drums (Carl Fischer Music Publishing). This book is being used nationwide and has received glowing endorsements from Dame Evelyn Glennie, Bernard Purdie, and the Camp Jam and Little Kids Rock summer music programs. Modern Drummer Magazine awarded the book a coveted four star rating.  The second book is for former drummers who miss jamming on the kit, entitled I Used to Play Drums: An Innovative Method for Adults Returning to Play.  Kennedy has also been commissioned on multiple occasions by PMEA to compose regional and state-level percussion audition compositions for unaccompanied snare drum, mallet percussion and timpani. 

Kennedy has a B.S. in Music Education and an M.M. in Percussion Performance from West Chester University, and is an Artist Endorser for Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Drumsticks, Casio Keyboards and Evans Drumheads.

Members
..Roger Jepson - Double Bass and Bass Guitar ..Simon Potts - Drums and Percussion..Chris Green - Guitar and Slide Guitar
Influences
..Roger Jepson - 'Constantly updating and too numerous to name' ..Simon Potts - Buddy Rich, Art Blakey, Bill Stewart ..Chris Green - Michael Landau, Scott Henderson, Larry Carlton, Pat Metheny, Lowell George
Sounds Like
Bluesy jazz with a touch of funk and a progressive edge! GEAR ...Roger Jepson - Music Man fretless bass guitar, Stagg upright electric bass, 19th century double bass - Mark Bass amp ...Simon Potts - Yamaha Hip Gig kit, Zildjan cymbals, Vater 5A sticks ..Chris Green - Chris George, Suhr, Valley Arts, Tyler and Collings guitars - Two-Rock, Fuchs, CAE and Divided by 13 amp
Quotations
"Regardless of what you play, the biggest thing is keeping the feel going" (Wes Montgomery) - "If you're trying to be hip, be hip" (Miles Davies) - "To me, if it's anything, Jazz is a verb - it's more like a process than it is a thing" (Pat Metheny) - "Listening is the key to everything good in music" (Pat Metheny) - "Who knows ... we'll be playing Jazz and having a good time!" (Art Blakey; when asked what Jazz will be like in 50 years) - "I'm always hoping for the nights that are inspired where you almost have an out of body experience" (Dave Brubeck) - "Don't push it. Just let it fall" (Duke Ellington) - "Jazz is not background music. You must concentrate upon it in order to get the most of it. You must absorb most of it. The harmonies within the music can relax, soothe, relax, and uplift the mind when you concentrate upon and absorb it. Jazz music stimulates the minds and uplifts the souls of those who play it was well as of those who listen to immerse themselves in it. As the mind is stimulated and the soul uplifted, this is eventually reflected in the body" (Horace Silver) - "I'm not here to raise hippie consciousness, I'm here to wet some panties" (Jaco Pastorius) - "You can play a shoestring if you're sincere" (John Coltrane) - "I always think of music as interior decoration. So, if you have all kinds of music, you are fully decorated!" (Wayne Shorter) -

La musique avec un grand Aime!! 
Du soft, du trash, du tranquillou, de la grosse brutasse, du gratouillant, du binaire, du 120 bpm, du 200 bpm, du live, du mix, de la guitare, du piano, du Mike Brant (pour le coté ultra kitch éternel!!), du Cryptopsy, du Guigoo, du Dvorak, du Archive, le grand Pink Floyd, les Banditos, Psyopus, Heretik Big Up à vous!!!, Metallica, Cabrel aussi, Portishead, Dave Brubeck,  Birelli, les frères Rosenberg, Smashing Pumpkins, Satriani, Germain et les Fils de Personne, KaraE 112, Evan Emmalol, Arkilomène Ansunamntrah et Le Projet AïgA. Tous ceux que je kiffe, les copains de son et bien plus et tous ceux qui braillent devant les enceintes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Vocal Jazz that Joani Taylor and her band performs  at the Highest Level.

Joani is a passionate singer and a prominent and outstanding performer in the Jazz genre.
A status which is no easy feat to lay claim to. Each and every year of performing, touring, recording, writing, and teaching which have combined to form Joani’s Jazz resume, are the notes on the staff paper of a singularly unique piece of music.

Whether it’s her stunning renditions of Standard tunes like, “You are my Sunshine”
or a cool, fresh version of “Take Five” or her improvisations on “Lucky in Love”, Joani is stunning! Her prolific lyrics are written to the brilliant melodies of fellow master musicians. 
With her 6th solo recording just released and  quickly picking up speed with radio play across Canada, the U.S. and world wide, and with 6 albums and  a huge repertoire, Joani Taylor and her group of stellar musicians are ready to take the stage to excite audiences everywhere. 

Vancouver’s top players, has now given rise to Joani’s sixth album, In My Own Voice.

“It's been too long between records for vocalist, Joani Taylor, 
 who returns to the scene with In My Own Voice, which features nine
 tracks she co-wrote.  She is effective on the ballads, most notably 
 Jim's Lament.  Taylor updates the Dave Brubeck number, Take 5 with
 the help of hip hopper Jay Kin.”
Marke Andrews, Vancouver Sun 



 

 Jazz vocalist Joani Taylor changes things up on her latest album
In My Own Voice.
The disc features the finest musicians performing her tunes live in the studio.
Known as a master of interpreting other people’s songs this time out she co-wrote almost all of the 
14 tracks. From her years  as a standard-bearer for the jazz tradition Taylor knows what it takes to create a great song. Taylor fans know what to expect from her and they won’t be disappointed --- deep intense
feeling operating at the highest level of artistry.  Start to finish  the album is a sublime exercise in jazz 
creativity .
    *John Goodman,  nsnews

Following four successful years at Penn State University, Memphis Hat has moved back home to the suburbs of Philadelphia to become a major player in the city’s growing live music scene. Heavily influenced by a variety of Classic Rock/Blues bands like The Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead and The Doors; Jazz/Funk musicians like Herbie Hancock and Dave Brubeck; as well as Alternative Rock bands such as The Black Keys and Brian Jonestown Massacre; Memphis Hat has caught the attention of live music lovers everywhere.
Through the creative song writing skills and soulful guitar licks of JD Dronson and Matt McGovern, Memphis Hat has steadily built its own catalog of original material. Incorporating the thunderous rhythms of Rory Flynn on bass and Steve Clarke on drums, they’ve evolved into their own style of genre-defying music. Their studio work is enough to grab anyone’s attention, but to truly understand the power of their music; one must attend a Memphis Hat show in person. What the studio cannot seem to completely capture is the high energy and joy displayed by the entire band, as well as the jaw-dropping crowd reactions during course of a show. By adding improvisational jams and blistering guitar solos, each night is a new experience for both the band and the crowd. That energy has carried over into the band’s personality, impressing audiences wherever they play.


I am a composer and performer, originally from Montana, in the United States.

I love exploring the labyrinths of layered pulse streams and interference patterns; the intimacy of a melody; the power of language and sound. I write music for both acoustic and electronic instruments and ensembles. I have recently been featured in the ZEPPELIN Festival (Barcelona and Zaragoza), Adelaide Festival (AUS), Festival Neue Musik (Lüneburg), Insomnia Festival (Tromsø), KoMA ’6 Festival (Belgrade), as well as the Gaudeamus Music Week (Amsterdam & Utrecht), and the November Music Festival (Den Bosch).

As of 2012 I have been living and working in the wilds of North East England.

@rockern88 is following