2009 Guest Artist Karrin Allyson
Pianist Eric Gunnison
2009 Guest Artist Peter Eldridge
Born in Great Bend, Kansas, Karrin Allyson has spent the last fifteen years carving out an impressive career as a singer, songwriter, pianist, composer and bandleader. The two-time GRAMMY Award- nominated artist has been winning over fans and critics alike. And she's been doing so just about everywhere jazz can be heard or seen since 1992, when Allyson assembled her Kansas City-based rhythm section, borrowed funds from her family and headed into the studio. The result? I Didn't Know About You. The reaction was immediate. "Stunning Debut! Irresistible twists of melody and inflection," wrote veteran jazz critic Neil Tesser wrote, placing the young singer in the company of legends Ella Fitzgerald and Shirley Horn. Critics and jazz lovers from coast to coast echoed the news. Allyson is a major talent that will drive you wild.
Over the years, Karrin Allyson has recorded a series of eleven CDs for Concord Records, each of of which have showcased her astonishing breadth of repertoire, from standards to brazilian bossa nova to samba and Thelonius Monk. She has also taken on French and Brazilian music (From Paris to Rio), the genius of John Coltrane (Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane) and the blues (In Blue). Most recently, the vocalist has released Imagina: Songs of Brasil, a beautiful collection of music that feacutres songs sung fully in Portuguese, as well as Brazilian songs with English translations by artists such as Susannah McCorkle, Chris Caswell and Jon Hendricks. Her many eclectic and steadfast recordings are only the tip of the iceberg. Karrin Allyson spends two days out of three on the road, playing the major jazz festivals and clubs of U.S. and making repeated tours overseas. In 2004 she toured Australia for the first time, and this summer, besides teaching and performing at RMVJC, she embarks on yet another tour of Europe, South America and the Far East.
What has generated this much esteem and success? First of all there is the singers' uniquely distinctive voice. Notable jazz critic and historian Gary Giddins affirms, "Allyson coolly stakes her claim. She brings a timbre that is part ice and part grain...incisive, original, and emotionally convincing." When one listens to Allyson, you hear heart, intelligence, and musical sophistication. Her emotional range, from heartfelt to sassy, is beyond her musical peers. And there is a literate and engaging connection that honors the great traditions of blues, jazz and roots, expands to the Great American Songbook and embraces French and Brazilian rhythms. We are extremely fortunate to have Karrin Allyson as a part of the 10th Anniversary of RMVJC! www.karrin.com
We are pleased to welcome back to the RMVJC Rhythm section Eric Gunnison. He is instructor of Jazz Piano at DU, was raised in a musical family in Buffalo N.Y. and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, graduating with a B.A. in Music Composition in 1979. He lives in Denver where he has been a mainstay in the music scene for 19 years. Eric has toured and recorded with vocal jazz group Rare Silk, jazz vocalist Carmen McRae, saxophonist Nelson Rangell, and trumpeter Ron Miles. In addition, he has performed in concert with Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody, Phil Woods, Roberta Gambarini, Tina Phillips, Red Rodney, Bobby Shew, Jerry Bergonzi, John McNeil and Eddie Gomez. As a part of the Denver scene, Eric has appeared in concert with both the Colorado and Colorado Springs Symphonies. He also works with his own band, Wake Up Call, performing his original music. As an educator, Eric has worked at the Denver and Cherry Creek schools, CU Boulder, and Metropolitan State College as a performer and clinician. Eric is also active in the local studio scene, having created music for commercials by clients such as TCI, Steamboat Springs, Breckenridge, Primestar, and McDonalds.
We are happy to welcome back Peter Eldridge for the 10th Anniversary of RMVJC! Peter Eldridge has been called "perennially classy" and ranked "in the celebrated tradition of melodic poets, most famously represented by such disparate voices as Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison and Steely Dan- singer/songwriters who create catchy, beautiful tunes insightful lyrics that are both personal and universal" [allmusicguide.com]. Mr Eldridge continues to draw on his many faceted talent as he pursues an eclectic mix of activities, including composing, performing, arranging, recording, as well as teaching. He has released three solo recordings: Stranger in Town, Fool No More and Decorum. Peter is also a member of the double-Grammy winning New York Voices, a vocal group he co-founded with Darmon Meader, which has recorded six studio albums, made numerous guest appearances, and toured internationally for more than a decade, with appearances at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and the Kennedy Center, among many others. In addition, compositions by Mr. Eldridge have been included on albums by other artists including Nancy Wilson, Paquito D'Rivera and Jane Monheit. Peter is regularly asked to lead master classes and workshops around the world and, when time allows, teaches privately at his home in New York City. We are so lucky to have Peter Eldrige back on faculty this year as we celebrate our 10th Anniversary! www.petereldridge.com