Kevin Peter Jones

Kevin Peter Jones | Magnetic Journey

Kevin is releasing a star studded contemporary jazz CD featuring rarely reproduced covers and original scores written by Grammy Award winning musician and songwriter Russell Ferrante. The CD will feature:

Russell Ferrante

www.russellferrante.com

Performed With:
Yellowjackets, Jimmy Witherspoon, Jim Pepper, Joe Farrell, Joni Mitchell, Bobby McFerrin, Robben Ford, Marilyn Scott, Ernie Watts, Sadao Watanabe, GRP Big Band, Lee Ritenour, Tom Scott, Take 6, Michael Franks, and Brenda Russell

Russ’s first exposure to music came from his church, where his father was the choir director as well as being a frequent vocal soloist and having a vocal gospel quartet. His father’s whole family were music lovers and several of his brothers and sisters had marvelous voices, something Russ admits never got passed on to him. "I began piano lessons at 9 with the expectation that I'd one day be the church pianist. My musical interests took me elsewhere, but my sister who is 2 years younger actually went on to fullfill my parent's dreams and is now directing the music department for a church in Watsonville, CA." Russ says.

Scott Ambush

(nom.)

www.spyrogyra.com

Performed With:
Spyro Gyra, Stanley Turentine, Dizzy Gillespie, Omar Hakim, Special EFX, Angela Bofil, Jeane Carne, Pieces Of A Dream, George Howard

I started playing the bass at twelve when my buddies decided to start a band. Since one of them already had a drumset, I became the bass player.(I've been a frustrated drummer ever since.)

Eventually I was spending more time playing than studying, and left school to pursue music. I played,(and still often do) with a wide variety of musicians and bands in the area. This exposure led to gigs with regional and national acts both locally and on the road. Through word of mouth, I was recommended for the bass job with Spyro Gyra. The past five years touring with the band has been a great experience.

Eddie Baccus, Jr.

MySpace

Performed With:
Pieces of a Dream, Regina Carter, Dianne Reeves, Vesta Williams, Norman Connors, Miki Howard, Jean Carne, Angela Bofill, Phil Perry, George Duke, Najee, Bobby Watson, Marcus Belgrave, Lester Bowie, Benny Golson, Curtis Fuller, Regina Belle, Rachelle Ferrell, Ronny Jordan, Gerald Veasley, Grover Washington Jr.

In Sept. of 1993, he went on the road with a play called "A Good Man is Hard to Find". Also at this time, he was touring with world renowned trumpeter "Lester Bowie." Eddie has also performed with and alongside such well known artists as Regina Carter, Dianne Reeves, Vesta Williams, Norman Connors, Miki Howard, Jean Carne, Angela Bofill, Phil Perry, George Duke, Najee, Bobby Watson, Marcus Belgrave, Lester Bowie, Benny Golson, Curtis Fuller, Regina Belle, Rachelle Ferrell, Ronny Jordan, Gerald Veasley, Grover Washington Jr. and many others.

Eddie is currently touring with "Pieces of A Dream." And has recorded four cd's with the group: "Pieces", "Ahead to the Past", "Aquainted with the Night" & the latest cd "Love's Silhouette".

Jimmy Haslip

www.jimmyhaslip.com

Performed With:
Yellowjackets, David Sanborn, Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, John Scofield, Gary Wright, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Brenda Russell, Tom Scott, Jerry Garcia, Bo Diddley, Marilyn Scott, Kenny Loggins, El DeBarge, Larry Carlton, Mick Fleetwood & the Zoo, Bobby McFerrin, Take 6, Anita Baker, Bruce Hornsby, George Harrison

While being mostly self taught on the bass, Jimmy studied with a private bass/tuba player from New York named Ron Smith. He was also very fortunate to have studied with one of jazz music’s greatest talents. "…I did manage to study with Jaco Pastorius for a few weeks in the mid seventies, when he had just joined Weather Report. That was a giant leap for me as a serious musician and it filled me with a much higher level of inspiration. I think he was a major inspiration to all bass players at that time!"

To sum it up, Jimmy offers this inspirational piece of advice that is applicable to any musician, whether new or experienced: "I've basically learned so much from just about every musician I've performed with in the past and I will continue to learn from my experiences in the future.

Eric Marienthal

www.ericmarienthal.com

Performed With:
Elton John, Barbara Streisand, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, Burt Bacharach, Aaron Neville, Johnny Mathis, Dave Grusin, Lee Ritenour, David Benoit, The Rippingtons, Patti Austin, Lou Rawls, David Lee Roth, Yellowjackets, B.B. King, Ramsey Lewis, Patti Labelle, Olivia Newton-John

After graduating high school in Southern California in 1976, Eric went on to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. There he studied with the legendary saxophone professor, Joe Viola. By the time he left Berklee, Eric had achieved the highest proficiency rating given by the school. In 1995, Eric was awarded the Berklee Distinguished Alumnus Award for outstanding achievements in contemporary music. He has since gone on to perform in over 65 different countries, recorded 11 solo CD's and has played on hundreds of records, films, television shows and commercial jingles. After returning to Los Angeles Eric became a member of the Chick Corea Elektric Band. He recorded 6 CD's with Chick's band and 2 of those CD's were Grammy award winners.

Nils

www.nilsmusic.com

Performed With:
The Temptations, George Benson, Larry Dunn (Earth Wind & Fire), Gerald Albright, Nathan East, Reggie McBride, Rick Braun

My first influences were Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. It wasn’t until the age of 17 that I was introduced to Funk music and I was instantly hooked. I spend endless nights learning and copying rhythm players like Nile Rogers, Al McKay and Paul Jackson Jr. But growing up in Germany the chances to become a full time musician were rather slim, unless you wanted to play Top 40 or polkas. The schooling options were either a strictly classical Conservatory or a small private music school. The possibility to study with some of the great players I admired from my records brought me to Los Angeles in March 1985. Since producing music for the independent film "Beyond The Ring" and working as Music Editor on the Fox sitcom Undeclared, Nils has been Music Editor for the show "Weeds" for the past two years and has composed for the Independent Spirit Awards for the past three; he is currently scoring a documentary and composing and adding soundscapes for a multimedia DVD project entitled "Transmuteo.

Mike Miller

(nom.)

All About Jazz Interview

Performed With:
Chick Corea, Bette Midler, Fowler Brothers, Gino Vanelli and Burton Cummings, Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, Wall of Voodoo's Stan Ridgeway, Mark Mothersbaugh, The Frank Zappa Banned from Utopia Alumni Band

Miller joined Chick Corea and the Elektric Band II in 1993 to record the Grammy-nominated album Paint the World and to tour the world for a year and one-half. Following his time with Corea, Miller began working in orchestral settings, performing the music of Frank Zappa as a member of Banned from Utopia (with the Seattle Symphony, the Portland Symphony and the Israeli Philharmonic), recording Joseph Curiale's guitar concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and performing as a soloist in the U.S. debut of Marc Anthony Turnage's Blood on the Floor with Sir Simon Rattle conducting the L.A. Philharmonic New Music Group.

Robben Ford

(nom.)

www.robbenford.com

Performed With:
Yellowjackets, Miles Davis, George Harrison, Little Feat, Keiko Matsui

Growing up in the ’60s, a teenaged Robben Ford spent countless hours listening to artists like Aretha and Otis, at the same time soaking in guitar blues from Mike Bloomfield, Eric Clapton, and B.B. King. In his early 20s, Ford went on to join blues luminary Jimmy Witherspoon’s band. But soon, Ford experienced a diversion from the genre. In 1974, the guitarist was discovered by saxophonist Tom Scott, whose progressive fusion group, L.A. Express, then teamed up with Joni Mitchell to support her Court and Spark tour and play on two of her albums (1974’s Miles of Isles and 1975’s The Hissing of Summer Lawn).

Larry Dunn

www.larrydunn.com

Performed With:
Earth Wind and Fire, Level 42, Ronnie Laws, George Duke, Nathan East, Lenny White, Paulinho DaCosta, Eddie DelBarrio, Foley, Ramsey Lewis, Caldera, Roland Bautista, Hubert Laws, Lenny White, Stanley Turrentine, Dianne Reeves, Who's 2 Say, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Sylvia St. James, Topanga Express

At age 18, Larry Dunn reached star status as a member of the internationally renowned musical group, Earth, Wind &, Fire (EW&F): which sold over 90,000,000 albums worldwide. Larry had major creative influence in, and is proud of his contribution to such EW&F classics as: “Shining Star”, “Spirit”, “Be Ever Wonderful”, "Runnin”, "Sunshine", as well as other melodies that will live on in the hearts of fans and popular music lovers alike. Along with creative involvement, Larry held the position and handled the responsibilities of Musical Director, for many years, in EW&F. As one of the key people behind the scene, much of the group's musical success can be attributed to him. In addition, he rehearsed EW&F for live stage performances and wrote many of the musical segue ways and medleys.

The Drummer's Cookbook | Drum Instructional DVD

Kevin has produced a drum and percussion instructional DVD entitled The Drummer's Cookbook that teaches you how to play and improve your skills on the drums. Learn solid drumming fundamentals, from the basics of holding the sticks to setting-up your drums, basic rudiments, note values, time signatures, concepts of time, reading music, and basic grooves. The DVD will feature:

Aaron Spears

www.aspears.com

Performed With:
Usher, Juan "Natural" Najera, Arthur Strong, Valdez Brantley, Tyler Hicks (American Idol Tour), Jay Leno (Tonight Show)

At the age of 23 Aaron Spears hooked up with a local band in DC called Gideon band (GB). Their music is best described as a fusion of jazz, R&B, and rock, serving as the foundation for lyrics spreading God's word. It was with GB that Aaron began to really express himself as a musician and gained the attention of people not only in his local area, but also all over the country. Shortly thereafter Aaron joined Ushers camp and the rest is history.

Calep Emphrey

Performed With:
B.B. King

Calep has been playing drums on tour with B.B. King, the 'Ambassador of the Blues' and his Band for over twenty eight years, and has performed thousands of concerts with him in dozens of countries around the world on five continents.

Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett

www.jonathanmoffett.com

Performed With:
Michael Jackson, Elton John, The Jacksons, Cameo, Patti Austin, Madonna, George Michael, Janet Jackson, Kenny G, Vosco Rossi

Jonathan Moffett is a very accomplished musician, songwriter, and producer. His wide range of talents led him to perform in concert on twenty major tours including the world famous Jackson's Victory Tour; record with great artists such as Madonna, Diana Ross and Elton John; play on popular television shows such as The Tonight Show, Good Mornz'ng Amerz'ca, Saturday Nite Live, and Arsenio Hall; record music videos, movie song titles, and television commercials. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the third son of a musical family of siblings, Jonathan began playing on a marching snare drum at the tender age of six.