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San Francisco-based contemporary jazz quartet Times 4 presents an energetic program of original instrumental compositions. Delivering a fresh Bay Area blend of uplifting modern jazz with urban flavor, Times 4 generates an artful and intense musical interplay steeped in the history of friendship and common roots.
Drawing on a wide range of styles including jazz, soul, latin, funk, hip-hop and rock, Times 4 weaves a musical tapestry that expresses their diverse roots in the San Francisco Bay Area. Driving grooves combined with distinctive melodies and dynamic improvisations move the Times 4 audience to tap their feet and feel dance in their bones.The Band Members
Times 4 features Lincoln Adler (saxophone), Greg Sankovich (keyboards), Kevin Lofton (bass), and Maurice Miles (drums). Maurice and Kevin are friends and musical collaborators since high school; likewise, Lincoln and Greg continue a musical dialogue that also dates back to their teen years.
Lincoln Adler started playing various musical instruments at the age of 5, eventually being drawn to the saxophone in high school. Lincoln became fascinated by the power of music to communicate feelings across the boundaries of language and culture. He developed his sound playing in local bands, and refined his abilities at the University of California, Berkeley as a member of the UC Jazz Ensembles. He studied with some great teachers, including legendary saxophonist Joe Henderson and local hero Hal Stein. In Los Angeles he became an in-demand session player and composer/producer for TV and film. He released four albums under his own name as well as one with the successful band Rain-bo Tribe. Lincoln has performed and recorded with many artists including actor/pianist Jeff Goldblum, kd lang, and Olivia Newton John. His musical influences include Sonny Rollins, Johnny Griffin, Grover Washington Jr., Stanley Turrentine, Gustav Mahler and Meshell Ndegeocello.
Greg Sankovich began music with classical piano when he was six years old and later studied with some of the finest jazz and Latin pianists in the San Francisco area, including pianist/educator Mark Levine. As a teen, Greg performed out in the local music scene with a variety of jazz, R&B, and dance bands, including international blues artist Brenda Boykin, and was also active in the UC Jazz Ensembles. Greg lived in Tokyo for over ten years, performing with many top Japanese artists including jazz-fusion group Taikun and Takekawa Yukihide, as well as contributing his sound to many TV and radio productions. Since moving back to the SF Bay area in 1994, Greg has performed in a wide range of musical projects from jazz to house, hip-hop to pop. His musical inspirations include Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Chester Thompson, and Chuck Leavell.
Kevin Lofton is the root and harmonic foundation of Times 4. A San Jose native, Kevin has been playing bass since his early teens. Listening to everything from gospel to hip-hop to metal and jazz, Kevin strives to bring each of these flavors to the Times 4 table. Career highlights include touring the U.S. and Canada with Prot..g.., Stevie B, and Jahi and the Life along with drummer Maurice. Their years of musical friendship produce a rhythmic conception and energetic foundation from which Times 4 launches their adventurous improvisations. Kevin’s bass influences include Marcus, Victor, Bootsy, Jaco, and Stanley.
Maurice Miles , also raised in San Jose, California, is the heartbeat of Times 4. Mo combines complex elements of jazz, funk and hip-hop in his playing to create a sophisticated, syncopated backbeat. The desire to lay down the groove called out to Maurice from an early age. Mostly self-taught, Maurice’s deep-pocket groove emanates from a combination of feel and his appreciation of many different styles of music. Maurice has played in a diverse range of musical projects, including the R&B band Prot..g.., acid jazz group Congo Square, and he has toured and recorded with Kofy Brown. His musical inspirations are Dennis Chambers, Vinnie Colaiuta, Will Kennedy, Billy Cobham and Jack DeJohnette, to name a few.