CONGRATULATIONS to JWMA Clients for their 2019 Grammy Wins!
Steve Gadd Band Best Contemporary Instrumental Album	John Daversa Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album John Daversa Best Improvised Jazz Solo Don't Fence Me In - John Daversa John Daversa Best Arrangement, Instrumental of A Cappella Stars and Stripes Forever Arranger John Daversa

LATEST ADDITIONS TO THE JWMA ROSTER

DAVE WECKL TOM KENNEDY PROJECT

Legendary drummer and longtime JWMA client Dave Weckl has formed a new band with his longtime collaborator, bassist Tom Kennedy. Touring in support of Kennedy's yet-to-be named CD (early 2020 release), the band will also feature verteran sax player Bob Franceschini (Victor Wooten/Mike Stern) and keyboardist Stu Mindeman (Kurt Elling/Solo).

For more than 40 years, Dave Weckl has developed and maintained a reputation among fans, peers, and the international music community, as one of the great living drummers. His contributions to iconic music, music education, and the gear that drummers use, are many. Modern Drummer magazine has inducted Weckl into their Hall of Fame (2000) and named him "one of the 25 best drummers of all time."

Weckl is best known for his work with Chick Corea, Mike Stern, The Brecker Brothers, Michel Camilo, Lee Ritenour, Oz Noy, and his many solo projects.

Tom Kennedy is an accomplished touring and studio musician who ranks as one of the top acoustic and electric bass players in the world. His credits include performances and recordings with both mainstream legends and leading contemporary players.

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CHRIS MINH DOKY New Nordic Jazz

Chris Minh Doky heads New Nordic Jazz as they explore the enigma of Nordic storytelling through the sounds of acoustic jazz. Together with Nordic jazz stars Jonas Johansen on drums and Peter Rosendal on piano, Chris Minh Doky’s world-acclaimed unique style of bass playing is the voice you’ll hear as the tales unfold in lush melodies and solos.

Chris Minh Doky's rare ability to perform with ample portions of creativity and dynamism--either as a solo artist or sideman--consistently place him in the top-5 lists of reader polls around the world. Carrying on the Danish tradition of spotlighting the bass as the lead instrument, his distinctive styling of each note reflects his roots in American East Coast grooves seasoned with the lyrical traditions of Scandinavia.

He earned the respect of the American jazz elite as member of Michael Brecker Quartet, David Sanborn, Mike Stern Band, Michele Camilo Trio, Ryuichi Sakamoto and many more. As a result, he is today the internationally most widely acclaimed jazz musician of his native Denmark. As a leader and recording artist, Chris Minh Doky has multiple gold and platinum awards, Grammy® nominations - and has been knighted by HM Queen Margrethe II for his contributions to the arts. In the world beyond jazz, Chris Minh Doky is also receiving wide acclaim, most recently in collaboration with famed choreographer Twyla Tharp in her hit production of Come Fly Away where Chris Minh Doky leads and conducts his orchestra for the Royal Danish Ballet.

He continues the Danish bass heritage founded by Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen while exploring new musical paths to new levels. Whether caressing the strings in a seductive lull or taking his instrument to the edge, Chris Minh Doky is the bottom line.

DownBeat magazine: " ... there is a softness and crisp clarity that is very different from the sound others derive from the acoustic instrument."

The New York Times: "...a commanding presence…"

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GEORGE BROOKS ASPADA Music is power - power to inspire - power to transform. George Brooks – saxophone, Kai Eckhardt – bass, Osam Ezzeldin – keyboards, Selvaganesh Vinayakram - percussion
Drawing on the musical traditions of their homelands in Asia, Africa, Europe and America, four world renowned musicians weave a global tapestry for the new millennium.

Saxophonist and composer George Brooks is acclaimed for successfully bridging the worlds of jazz and Indian classical music.
He founded the seminal Indian fusion groups Summit with Zakir Hussain, Bombay Jazz with Ronu Majumdar and Larry Coryell, the Raga Bop Trio with Steve Smith and Prasanna and Elements with Gwyneth Wentink and Kala Ramnath.

Brooks has collaborated extensively with American composer Terry Riley and has performed and recorded with genre defining artists Etta James, Anthony Braxton, Jaki Byard, Talvin Singh, poet Michael McClure, and Ray Manzarek (of the Doors). He has performed throughout the US, Canada, Europe, Asia and the UK and was a featured soloist on John McLaughlin’s Grammy nominated “Floating Point” CD

Brooks studied with Count Basie saxophonist, Frank Foster and at the New England Conservatory of Music with George Russell, Joe Allard and Jaki Byard. He traveled to India for a year of study with classical Indian vocalist Pandit Pran Nath. In 1996 he recorded “Lasting Impression” and “Night Spinner,” for Zakir Hussain’s Moment Records. The success of these CDs led to performances and recordings with India’s leading artists; Hariprasad Chaurasia, Sultan Khan, VM Bhatt, U Srinivas, Vikku Vinayakram, Trilok Gurtu, Shujaat Khan, Shankar Mahadevan and many others.

Brooks is a recipient of the American Composer’s Forum “Global Harmony" Prize and has received grants and commissions from SFMOMA, New Music USA, USArtists International, MetLife Creative Connections and San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music. His compositions have appeared in films by Merchant/Ivory and have been performed by Yo Yo Ma and members of the Liverpool Philharmonic. His solo harp composition ‘The Alchemy of Happiness” premiered at the 2012 Gaudeamus Muziekweek.

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Steve Smith's Groove Blue Organ Trio

We owe the existence of this modern Organ-Trio to a chance encounter in Indonesia's capital Jakarta in March, 2011. Drummer Steve Smith and guitarist Vinny Valentino decided to go for a nightcap after playing the Java Jazz Festival with their band Vital Information.

As they approached the lounge bar, they heard the sound of a wild swinging electric organ. Wondering “who the hell was swinging that hard on the B3,” they walked in and saw Tony Monaco, an unsung-hero of the instrument. Few people knew Monaco at that time, though he had been promoted by organ legend Jimmy Smith and had spent two years touring with jazz guitarist Pat Martino. Smith and Valentino made their way through the crowd and asked if they could join in. They proceeded to spend the rest of the night jamming together, later joined by festival greats George Benson and Roy Hargrove.

Five months later, fate once again intervened. Smith and Valentino had been booked for Drum Fantasy Camp, an annual drum camp which was being held in Cleveland Ohio. Tony Monaco lived close by in Columbus, a modest 230 km drive away. A spontaneous phone call resulted in a car journey and the three of them playing in Monaco’s home studio.

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Elements

Elements combines the unique talents of three extraordinary musicians, American saxophonist and composer, George Brooks; North Indian violinist and vocalist, Kala Ramnath; and Dutch harp virtuoso, Gwyneth Wentink.

Their dynamic and adventurous music bridges cultures and genres, drawing inspiration from a wide spectrum of rich musical heritages. Innovative compositions inspired by Indian ragas, western minimal music and contemporary improvisation unify the aesthetics of Europe, India and the Americas to form an engaging and distinctive global chamber music.

Since the release of their eponymous first CD, Elements has performed in Netherlands, Dubai, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco and at the Sri Moonshine Music Series curated by composer, Terry Riley in Camptonville, California.

They are celebrating the release of their second CD “Elements - The Alchemy” on the Earth Brother Music label.

Kala Ramnath, born and raised in the southern Indian city of Chennai, represents the seventh generation of her family to play violin. While Chennai is the heart of the Carnatic classical world, Ramnath was drawn to the North Indian Hindustani tradition, spending more than a decade studying intensively with revered Mewati vocalist Pandit Jasraj.

Her extraordinary technique and lush, singing tone have attracted fans from across the music world. American classical violinist Hilary Hahn commissioned Ramnath to contribute a piece to the Grammy Award-winning 2013 album “In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores.” As a classical soloist she has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, Theatre d’ Ville and most major concert halls. She has collaborated with the London Philharmonic, Kronos Quartet, Aarhus Jazz Orchestra, Randers Chamber Orchestra, Alonzo King “Lines” Ballet, Zakir Hussain, Giovanni Hidalgo, Edgar Meyer, and banjo star Bela Fleck, as well as film composers James Newton Howard and George Acogny.

In 2017 Ramnath received the Sangeet Natak Academy Award, the highest honor a musician can attain in India. To quote composer Terry Riley, Kala Ramnath “ is like an angel in human form. Just to watch her play is an extraordinary thing…she’s one of the greatest musicians on the planet”.

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