jazz drummer Archives - Cliff Bell's

Sean Dobbins

admin — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 01:30:00 +0000

Southeastern Michigan jazz drummer Sean Dobbins has been the most active sideman on the local scene during the first decade of the new millennium for good reason. A facile, limber, inventive, and playful musician who adds extreme value to any band, his happy persona and zest for life easily translate into every performance. Stepping away from his duties with the mainstream jazz combo Urban Transport, Dobbins and this quintet take their Modern Jazz Messengers name seriously, in tribute to Art Blakey and the Blue Note hard and post-bop musicians of the ’60s who have influenced at least three generations of jazz lovers. Those three age brackets of players are represented here, with baby boomer bassist Marion Hayden, ’80s wunderkind vibraphonist Robert Pipho, and Gen-Xers Dobbins, pianist Steve Richko, and alto saxophonist Dean Moore. All are impressive musicians — collectively and individually. From the Blakey repertoire are Wayne Shorter numbers — the bouncy shuffle groove “One by One,” a unique 3/4 modal Latin treatment of “Lester Left Town” featuring Pipho on the marimba, and the jumpy staccato-accented hard bopper “Ping Pong.” Moore is clearly the standout, as his alto sax sound reflects Kenny Garrett in some respects, but you hear a distinctiveness developing. He’s one to watch. There are several other tracks not readily associated with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, like standard takes of Cedar Walton’s “Bolivia,” Tom Harrell’s “Sail Away,” and Clare Fischer’s “Pensativa.” Chick Corea’s “Humpty Dumpty” has the most intriguing arrangement, with Hayden’s bass leading, Moore’s alto following, and Pipho on the second chorus before all join in. The lone original is the title cut, written by Dobbins, a spirited waltz feature for Moore. A competent and credible effort, if not all that original, it’s a well-conceived and thoughtful recording of a combo that hopefully will do more, stretch the parameters, and expand its repertoire within Blakey’s purview or not.

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The Louis Jones III Quartet

admin — Thu, 19 Sep 2019 00:30:00 +0000

The Louis Jones III Quartet is a collective of young lions in the city of Detroit. Playing original compositions and arranging classic standards in ways you might’ve never heard before now. This quartet pushes boundaries and incorporates all styles from latin, hip hop and carnatic music to add flavors to their music. Together these young giants have a synergy on stage and off and play great together as if they’ve been a band for years.

https://youtu.be/O0MDM_A5Xo0
https://youtu.be/vnDmLj_lTzc

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Sean Dobbins

admin — Sun, 15 Sep 2019 01:30:00 +0000

The post Sean Dobbins appeared first on Cliff Bell's.

Sean Dobbins

admin — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 02:30:00 +0000

Jazz drummer Sean Dobbins got his start as sought-after Detroit area jazz sideman at a young age, when he would regularly play with Blue Note artist Louis Smith. As Sean’s Career progressed, he found himself the recipient of many awards and accolades including the “Woody Herman Jazz Award”, an award for outstanding musicianship, as well as the Louis Armstrong Scholarship. Due to Sean’s great talent both as a player and an educator, he has been the focus of countless news articles and jazz radio programs.

Though still young by jazz standards, Dobbins has amassed an impressive list of playing companions. He has performed/toured/recorded with Johnny Basset, Benny Golson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Frank Morgan, Joey DeFrancesco, George Cables, James “Blood” Ulmer, Marcus Belgrave, Larry Willis, Rodney Whittaker, Claude Black, Johnny O’Neal, Paul Keller, Tad Weed, Kurt Krahnke, Jon Hendricks, David “Fathead” Newman, Donald Walden, Cyrus Chesnut, Barry Harris, David Baker, Randy Johnston, Marion Hayden, Mose Allison, and a host of other great musicians.

Sean’s sound can best be described as hard-driving, solid rhythm with refreshing melodic sensibility. Some of Sean’s influences include Art Blakey, Jeff Hamilton, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Ed Thigpen, Sonny Payne, and also Detroit area greats Gerald Cleaver and the one and only Elvin Jones. A product of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, Sean has stayed devoted to education throughout his life. Early mentor Louis Smith, an Ann Arbor Public Schools band teacher, impressed the importance of a good education upon Sean at an early age. Sean is known in his community as a band director, drum teacher and positive influence for many.
In 1999 Sean was asked to become the director of the Ann Arbor Public Schools Summer Jazz Program. This program was designed to help educate and inspire young artist as they began their quest of learning jazz. In 1998, a year before Sean’s arrival, the program was in jeopardy of being cancelled due to low enrollment. In 2000, a year after Sean took over the reigns, the enrollment more than tripled and a year later, the group was featured on WEMU, a national jazz radio program.

As a father of three, Sean knows, understands, and accepts the challenge of continuing the art from through clinics, master classes, and concerts for up and coming musicians. Sean makes it a point of incorporating educational opportunities into all of his road trips.
Sean is no stranger to local or national headlines; he frequently plays at venues such as the Firefly Club (Ann Arbor), Baker’s Keyboard Lounge (Detroit), the Music Hall Jazz Cafe (Detroit), Murphy’s Place (Toledo) and Buddy Guy’s (Chicago). His recent recordings include “Odyssey” (PKO Records), “Revealing” (Reparation Records), and “Christmas Songs for Jazz Lovers” (PKO Records), and Blue Horizons featuring Sean and his quintet, the Modern Jazz Messengers.

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Sean Dobbins

admin — Sat, 30 Jun 2018 01:00:00 +0000

The post Sean Dobbins appeared first on Cliff Bell's.

Benefit for Master Drummer George Davidson

admin — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 23:00:00 +0000

Drummer & jazz master George Davidson grew up in Detroit and started his musical career tap dancing at the tender age of eight. In high school, he was fortunate enough to continue his studies with the great Rex T. Hall and, briefly, with James Thurston at Wayne State University. Davidson’s career afforded him the opportunity of traveling throughout the world. He has worked and performed with the giants of Motown such as The Four Tops, The Supremes and many others. He went on to work with numerous jazz, pop and blues artists: Aretha Franklin, Paul Butterfield, Spanky Wilson, Leon Thomas, Eddie Russ, Eddie Harris, Dorothy Donegan, Tribe, Kirk Lightsey, Rodney Whitaker, Geri Allen, Rufus Harley, Teddy Edwards, Dr. Donald Byrd, The Michigan Jazz Masters, Wendell Harrison, Bill Heid and others.

House rhythm section will include Tad Weed (piano), Kurt Krahnke (double-bass) & Pete Siers (drums), all close friends of George. Guest musicians / vocalists are welcome to participate in a Jam Session between 8PM – 11PM.

If you can’t attend this event, but want to help out: https://www.generosity.com/medical-fundraising/george-davidson-recuperation-fund

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