Kensington Garage Jazz profile picture

Kensington Garage Jazz

About Me

"An original" are what Kensington Garage Jazz (KGJ) have been and still are today, both as artists and as people. Their voice is unique, yet still not completely formed.To inform younger music fans I would like to list their most notable jazz-related activities prior to this their latest album; (1) their 1957 debut with the core group of JC Boissy, Brian Pierini, Michael Yates, Philip Anton, and Albert Hsieh (2) their 1962 ABC Paramount album recorded live at the Hollywood Bowl, (3) their 1968 Blue Note album with guest Rashaan Roland Kirk on nose flute (representing the transitional period of their career), and (4) their 1975 appearance with Bob Crosby's band in the Hoagy Carmichael tribute program at Carnegie Hall during Newport Festival, which was recorded by the public radio (if you can find this recording please notify me immediately). Their surprise three week long appearance at the intimate East Side supper club Freddy's in November 1985 was their first appearance in New York City since 1975.I am happy to report that KGJ still performs occasionally in and around Southern California. To my surprise, no record company has asked them to record for the last twenty years. Now that many of their old albums have been re-issued in the U.S., Japan and England, their music has proven to be evergreen. There is nothing more for them to prove. As a fan, the only thing more I would like to say is that if you are a jazz fan, do not miss their 1984 GNP Crescendo album "Back To The Roots" which is now available on CD. Many people overlooked this wonderful album because its cover looks like a country album and, due to a mistake at the printing factory, the band name was left off the cover. It was the most authentic jazz album KGJ has ever made. It was produced by the great jazz DJ-producer Petey J. Cool. In his liner notes, he closed by saying "Kensington Garage Jazz - one of the most under-rated jazz groups." I agree.Please, do your self a favor and enjoy the modern sounds of KGJ.- Nate Hentoff, NYC

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Music:

Member Since: 5/24/2007
Band Members: Brian Pierini plays tenor saxophone, clarinet, and flute. He first caught the jazz bug while under the tutelage of jazz master Abe Most. He performed in the Bay Area for ten years in a variety of jazz and funk groups. Brian’s compositions have been featured on two studio and one live album. Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Joe Henderson and John Coltrane have all been important musical influences. A recent arrival to San Diego, Brian continues to record and perform on various jazz and bossa nova projects.

Philip Anton first picked up the slide trombone in the sixth grade in Texas and has yet to put it down. In 1998, he graduated from Humboldt State University in Arcata, Ca with a degree in Music with an emphasis in Jazz where he studied under Dan Aldag. His musical experience spans to the borders of jazz and beyond, encompassing varied small groups, big bands, reggae, '50's rock-n-roll, pop, and punk, all which have contributed to his unique style.

Albert Hsieh has been playing piano since he was 6 years old, and continues to enjoy it to this very day. In 2007, he graduated from the University of California, San Diego, with a degree in Music with an emphasis in Jazz and the Music of the African Diaspora. Now, he hopes to pursue a career in education, and hopes to strengthen the musical community.

Born and raised in Senegal (West Africa), JC Boissy a self proclaimed frustrated musician finally started playing Bass --an instrument he always wanted to learn-- in mid 2004. To this day he is still studying the fundamentals of Bass playing while trying to incorporate the rich rhythmic vocabulary of Africa into jazz harmonies. JC was lucky enough to have been a regular student of Gerald Veasley's Bass Boot camp and many clinics throughout the US, he has had the opportunity to meet and learn from a Bass Masters such as Gerald Veasley, Gary Willis, Michael Manring, Adam Nitti, Anthony Wellington, Brian Bromberg, Todd Johnson, Norm Stockton and many more... His fanatical approach to learning fueled by a real passion for the instrument drove him to rapidly develop into a decent groove machine. Playing Bass has been in many ways a life-changing choice made relatively late in life but it continues to be a rewarding learning experience well beyond the music.

Mike Yates has been playing drums for 15 years. He has performed with many different bands, and has played numerous idioms of music. Hails from Peoria, Illinois, a historic stop for blues musicians coming from the South on the way to Chicago. His influences range from funk bands such as the Meters, to jazz such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, to blues artists such as BB King, to the Rolling Stones, to rock bands of today such as the killers, Soulive, and Galactic. Currently plays with three bands in San Diego. With years of experience, and a great desire to play, Mike looks forward to playing your next event.
Influences: All the greats... All of them!
Record Label: Unsigned

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