..THE STORY
"Music is not only a collection of sound/It is a collection of thought/but not only is it a collection of thought/It is the story of our lives"
The Story is an exciting and unique band that consists of an international core ensemble of five talented musicians performing in New York City, Canada, and Europe.
Lars Dietrich , a renowned alto saxophonist from Amsterdam, has many accolades in the jazz world including competition awards in Holland and for Down Beat Magazine. He has also performed with the likes of Herbie Hancock and Joe Lovano.
Samir Zarif is an extraordinary tenor saxophonist hailing originally from Houston, Texas. Samir made his debut as a jazz artist in New Orleans and moved to New York City shortly thereafter. Zarif's discography ranges from Jill Scott's "Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol.2" to his debut as a Fresh Sounds recording artist on his CD entitled "The Paislies."
John Escreet moved from London to New York in September 2006 and is already making waves in the jazz scene. In addition to being an active member of "The Story" he performs regularly with many of today's greatest jazz musicians, such as David Binney and Ari Hoenig, and has also worked with the likes of Wayne Krantz, Adam Rogers and Seamus Blake, whilst also leading and touring with his own group, 'The John Escreet Project.'
Zack Lober, a native of Montreal, is a distinguished bassist with many recordings and international perfromances under his belt. Zack has performed with many jazz greats including Donny McCaslin, Kenny Werner, Dave Binney, Ben Monder, and Dick Hyman.
Greg Ritchie, an exciting drummer to listen to and admire. He hails from the East Coast of Canada. Greg has performed with many notable musicians including Dave Liebman, Seamus Blake, Vic Juris and Ingrid Jensen, to name just a few.
As a group, The Story is an unconventional group of composers/musicians that perform an extensive collection of original compositions. The focus of The Story is to create and/or recreate stories that are illustrated through music. It is a collaboration of music enhanced by thoughts and images that correlate to the full experience of "the story." The group's music has been proclaimed as "a great soundtrack without the movie...the images are seen directly through the music they performed!" It is their collective goal that this group will contribute in taking Jazz music in a whole new direction!
