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02/09 Thursday
7:30 PM Unfulfilled Desires
http://lily-pad.net/movabletype/mt.cgi?__mode=view&_type=entry&blog_id=1Unfulfilled Desires is a genre-defying group of eclectic musicians. You can call them “jazz-funk-rock” or maybe “new fusion.” The label doesn’t matter – just listen and you’ll find yourself drawn into a power-packed, contagiously positive vibe that’s always pushing the edge. These tireless risk-takers have been turning heads across the three continents where they’ve been performing for over ten years. Every tune they play – whether it’s one of their own take-you-by-surprise, sometimes quirky compositions, or they’re paying tribute to a loved jazz great – they always communicate something way beyond just inspired, inventive music. It’s really a spiritual thing…like tuning in to a higher frequency… check it out and you’ll see for yourself.
On a recent European tour, Time Out London described them as “a hard-driving jazz-funk quintet playing virtuosic jazz and jazz-rock” and chose them as “Hot Pick of the Week.” And Evan Bellaff, radio host at WBAI in NYC, defined them “a band of musical explorers and fearless risk takers who creatively combine the richness and sophistication of jazz, and the soul and vitality of funk with the uncompromising attitude of rock & roll.”
Unfulfilled Desires tours in the US and Europe and into the Middle East. In addition to regular shows in western MA (where most of the musicians live), and some of New York City and Boston’s most respected clubs, they’ve played sold-out performances in Israel’s top jazz venues and were chosen for an international band residency at famed Paris club Le Baiser Sale. UD has shared the stage with contemporary jazz greats Mike Stern, The Bad Plus, Oz Noy Trio, and master guitarist David Fiuczynski, Fareed Haque with Garaj Mahal, and blues great Jon Cleary. They’ve released four CDs: Live at the Iron Horse (2002), Enlightened Dog (2005), Punk Funk (2008), and Plugged (2011).
Founding Members
Andrew Cohen (drums) began playing drums in his teens while living in Rome. He later attended Berklee College of Music in Boston and has trained professionally with Sonny Igoe and the legendary Gary Chaffee. Not only is Andrew the creative visionary behind Unfulfilled Desires—he’s also a world-renowned teacher, pioneering voice in the field of evolutionary spirituality, and founder of Berkshires-based global nonprofit EnlightenNext and its award-winning magazine.
Rodrigo Tarraza (sax, electronic wind, flute) is a Chilean-born, classically trained professional flutist. He toured, performed, and recorded with many international orchestras before moving to sax and electronic wind and playing bossa nova, improvisational jazz, and avant-garde music. In 1995, he founded Ensemble Les Inegales, which released several recordings in Europe. Rodrigo has taught at the San Francisco Conservatory, the New England Conservatory, and several universities in South America. In addition to his work with Unfulfilled Desires, he performs baroque flute with the Berkshire Baroque Trio and other groups, and teaches a course on music and the evolution of consciousness.
US Band
Jeff Link (bass) graduated from Berklee, later becoming a professor there. He has taught music in several schools and currently teaches at Berkshire Community College. Link has performed internationally, sharing the stage with artists such as Robben Ford, Ernie Watts, Mart Morell, and Sarah Brightman. He has also performed in Broadway orchestras and toured internationally with several Broadway productions including Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Cats, West Side Story, and Cabaret. Link founded and managed both a corporate entertainment company and a music publishing house in the 1980s. He has released two original CDs.
Steve Haase (trumpet) studied at the Eastman School of Music and received his master’s degree in music from the University of Maryland. He was a founding member of the Prism Brass Quintet and played for several years with the US Navy Band in Washington DC. Haase has performed with such renowned artists as Randy Brecker, Dennis Di Blasio, Steve Weiss, and the late, great Frank Mantooth. He has recorded CDs with the Navy Band, the Prism Brass Quintet, and the Washington Winds.
Ben Kohn (keyboards) studied music at Westfield State College and also at Berklee College of Music. Upon graduation, he moved to New York City performing with a
variety of jazz groups for several years before returning to the Berkshires. He now plays with the best jazz and blues musicians in western MA, including Charles Neville, Chris Smither, Charlie Toklaz, Perry Robinson, and the Mary Verdi Band. Ben is also featured on several jazz and blues CDs with Jason Short and Mary Verdi.
Dan Esko (bass) is a native of the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, Dan has been playing bass across several musical genres for over fifteen years. After studying jazz performance at the University of Massachusetts, he entered the Berkshires music scene and has played with the top musicians in the area at Tanglewood’s Seiji Ozawa Hall, the Colonial Theater, and many other local venues. Dan has also shared the stage with several regional and national notables including Arlo Guthrie, Max Creek, and Bobby Sweet.
Zack Cross (keyboards) is a graduate of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Zack has studied and played with some of the most revered names in modern jazz, including Jerry Bergonzi, Darius Brubeck, Michael Spiro, Randy Brecker, Jim Snidero, Steve Houghton, Mark Buselli, David Baker, Brent Wallarab, and Rob Dixon. He was nominated for the American Pianists Association’s Cole Porter Jazz Fellowship, currently the most prestigious award for jazz piano in the world. His jazz trio recorded their first CD in January 2011, Up/Under.
Jon Suters (guitar, bass) grew up in a musical family and began studying classical guitar at thirteen. In his late teens, he joined a German rock group, Pearls at Swine, and toured the US and Germany for two years before settling in the western MA, where he’s made a living as both a performer and music educator. Jon has appeared on numerous albums as a sideman, played for various productions of Broadway and off-Broadway musicals, and toured with several different groups.
James Campagnola (sax) is a regular special-guest saxophonist. Also a keyboardist, composer, and bandleader, Jim is one of New York City’s most sought-after session musicians. Since he began his career in 1975, he has performed throughout the world both as a band leader and as a featured soloist with such notable artists as Eric Clapton, Natalie Cole, Larry Coryell, Roberta Flack, David Sanborn, Brian Auger, Bo Diddley, Jon Lord, The Young Rascals, Kenny Kirkland, Jan Akkerman, The Four Tops, David Bromberg, and many others. Jim’s music and performance have been featured on hundreds of CDs, film scores, and television commercials and he has performed at some of New York City’s legendary jazz venues including The Blue Note, Birdland, and The Knitting Factory.
10:00 PM Scott Boni Trio
Scott Boni - alto saxophone
Mark Zaleski - bass
Devin Drobka - drums
Scott Boni Trio will play the music of Philip Glass, Beethoven, Billy Strayhorn, as well as original compositions and standards.