Jason Parker Quartet – Five Leaves Left: A Tribute To Nick Drake
The Jason Parker Quartet pays tribute to iconic British singer/songwriter Nick Drake on their new album
Five Leaves Left: A Tribute To Nick Drake
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On this, their fourth CD, The Jason Parker Quartet pays tribute to the iconic British singer/songwriter Nick Drake. Rather than put together a “best of” compilation, trumpeter Parker decided to remake Drake’s debut album, Five Leaves Left, song by song, in the JPQ’s own inimitable style. The result is an album of delicate beauty, one that pays tribute in the best way – by honoring the feeling of the original while bringing a new, personal sensibility to the music. The JPQ consists of Jason Parker on trumpet & flugelhorn, Josh Rawlings on piano, Evan Flory-Barnes on bass and D’Vonne Lewis on drums. They have been honing their tight swinging sound for three years, which shows in the way they interact with each other on stage and the deep bond that results. Each member of the group pours his passion and excitement into the performance making a Jason Parker Quartet show both musically and visually exciting. These four Seattle musicians have carved their own path, honoring the jazz tradition by bringing their own passions and personalities to bear on the music. For this project Parker enlisted the help of two very special guests, Cynthia Mullis on tenor sax & flute and Michele Khazak on vocals. The JPQ has released three previous, critically acclaimed CD’s and played all the top venues in Seattle, including Jazz Alley, The Triple Door, Tula’s, Lucid Jazz Lounge and Egan’s.
Contact
If you’re interested in booking the Jason Parker Quartet or you’d like more information about the band, please contact J&J Music at (206) 250-5457 or send an email to jandj@jandjmusic.com. For more information on Jason Parker, please visit his blog OneWorkingMusician.com. For more information on the members of the Jason Parker Quartet, keep reading… |
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Released March 29, 2011 on Broken Time Records.
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Credits
Artist: Jason Parker Quartet |
Meet the Band | |
Jason Parker trumpet & flugelhorn Jason started playing the trumpet after seeing a surprise concert by Dizzy Gillespie at his elementary school. Since then the horn has been his constant companion. He has been quietly making a name for himself on the Seattle scene for the past 10 years, and has played and recorded with the likes of Tom Scott, Crooked Fingers, DeVotchKa, Sarah Shannon, Grand Archives, Visqueen, Choklate, Byron Vannoy, Sean Nelson, Brian Kirk and Darrius Willrich. Jason is also an avid educator, teaching private trumpet lessons, classes in recording, performance and music theory, and is an instructor for The Experience Music Project and The Right Brain Center for the Arts. |
Josh Rawlings – piano Pianist and Composer Josh Rawlings is a renaissance jazz pianist at ease playing genre-to-genre, setting-to-setting. Josh graduated from Seattle’s renowned Cornish College of the Arts in 2005, and has twice since been honored by Earshot Magazine’s Golden Ear Award Nominations. Josh quickly developed his own voice while studying and performing with world-class musicians like Denney Goodhew and the Qhromatics, Randy Halberstadt, Jovino Santos Neto and Hadley Caliman. Whether headlining or supporting on stage, Josh has a unique ability to merge with his fellow artists, anticipating, supporting and energizing his band mates to put on premier performances. Josh leads his own band, The Josh Rawlings Trio, and also performs in a wide range of groups, such as Soul Kata, The Teaching, and Industrial Revelation. |
Evan Flory-Barnes – bass Evan’s buoyant swing, cold grooves, blistering solos and inventive bow playing have made him one of the most respected and in-demand musicians in Seattle. His own groups The Teaching, Threat of Beauty and Industrial Revelation exhibit his wide range of influences and talents, and he performs regularly with groups in all genres, including The Marc Seales Quintet, Jovino Santos Neto, Correo Aereo, Choklate and Scandalmonger. He was recently awarded the prestigious Meet the Composer grant to produce a 9-movement orchestral work featuring 10 dancers that was featured in the 2009 Earshot Jazz Festival (previous grantees include Jason Moran and Dave Douglas). In 2007 he was a featured artist on the Seattle Channel’s Verve Series of artist documentaries. |
D’Vonne Lewis – drums D’Vonne Lewis is a self-taught drummer with a background in gospel, funk, and rhythm and blues. Lewis graduated from Seattle’s Roosevelt High School where he received numerous high school jazz band awards, including outstanding soloist at the Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Since then he has performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Marian McPartland, Bucky Pizzarell, Dee Daniels, Eddie Daniels, Larry Fuller, Charles Gayle, and was awarded the Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Award for Emerging Artist of 2006. He now leads his own quartet, Industrial Revelation, and plays regularly with The Marc Seales Quintet, McTuff, Choklate, Hadley Caliman and Blue Scholars. |
Special Guests | |
Cynthia Mullis – tenor sax & flute Since moving to Seattle in 2000, Cynthia Mullis has become an active member of the Pacific Northwest music scene after many years in New York and San Francisco. Cynthia leads her own group and is a valued side-person in numerous ensembles, including the Seattle Woman’s Jazz Orchestra. While in New York she studied with the acclaimed saxophonist Jimmy Heath and played with many of the city’s finest musicians in the DIVA Jazz Orchestra. Cynthia is also a graphic artist who enjoys discovering the parallels between visual art and music. She got to put both skills to work on this project, playing her saxophone and flute and doing all the design work for the CD. |
Michele Khazak – vocals Michele Khazak is a phenomenal singer who was the one and only choice for this tribute. She leads her own band, Scandalmonger, and plays with many great groups in Seattle, including the Seattle Rock Orchestra, Spekulation and Threat of Beauty. She trained as a concert pianist early in life, which has served her well in her music career. She has worked at Jack Straw Productions (where this CD was recorded) and currently works at legendary Seattle radio station KEXP. Also an fabulous artist, Michele did all the paintings that adorn the CD, which were inspired by the music of Nick Drake. |