Peter Eldridge Trio featuring David Goodrich

band bios:

Peter Eldridge from www.petereldridge.com

Peter Eldridge has been called “perennially classy” (JazzTimes) and ranks “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 with 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 (Manhattan School of Music, jazz voice faculty since 1993).  He has released three solo recordings: Stranger in Town, characterized by its bittersweet swing and called the Best Jazz CD of 2001 by Boston radio station WICN; Fool No More, full of Peter’s original compositions in a sophisticated pop style, released in the same year (both on the independent label Rosebud Records); and Decorum, a 2005 release of originals.  Downbeat said of his latest CD, “If musical intelligence and artistry were prompters to marketplace success, Decorum would grant him stardom. . . .strong, far-ranging voice . . .hauntingly wistful”.

 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 (including A Day Like This released on MCG Jazz in September 2007), 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: 'Minds of Their Own', written with Brazilian composer-performer Ivan Lins, was included on Nancy Wilson's R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) on the MCG Jazz Label, which won the 2004 Grammy award for Best Jazz Vocal Album; 'Difficult' was recorded by Cuban saxophonist-clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera for his The Jazz Chamber Trio, a 2005 release on Chesky Records; and Jane Monheit, who was at one time one of Mr. Eldridge's many talented students, features Peter's song 'Surrender' as the title track on her acclaimed 2007 CD and also features the Eldridge duet 'Around Us', based on a James Thurber quote, on her 2003 Encoded Music DVD, Live from the Rainbow Room. One of his many choral pieces, simply entitled 'Prayer', was recently recorded by New York City's own Marble Collegiate Sanctuary Choir, on its recording With Many Voices.

In spring 2006, Peter was invited to join Kurt Elling, Jon Hendricks, and Mark Murphy for a ‘concept concert’, the Four Brothers.  He is also a member of the vocal group Moss, which combines the talents of Luciana Souza, Kate McGarry, Theo Bleckmann, and Lauren Kinhan. The debut album by Moss was just named one of the best CDs of the past decade by Downbeat.  Peter also continues to perform with his own band in venues all over New York and beyond, including Joe’s Pub, Birdland and the Jazz Standard. He has also worked with Bobby McFerrin, Michael Brecker, Meredith Monk, George Benson, David Byrne, Jim Hall, the Roches, Jonatha Brooke, Bill Charlap, Betty Buckley, Joshua Redman, and many others.  He 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.  

Ben Wittman www.benwittman.com

Percussionist, composer, and producer Ben Wittman was raised in the creative and adventuresome atmosphere of Bennington College, Vermont in the '60s and '70s. His parents, Josef and Martha Wittman, were both artists and were senior faculty at the college when Ben was growing up. Martha is one of the seminal dancers to emerge from the Judson Project dance scene in New York City and, after a successful and highly respected four-decade teaching career at Bennington, is currently choreographing and touring with the Liz Lehrman Dance Exchange. Joe Wittman was an accomplished classical and jazz pianist, as well as a composer who wrote numerous dance scores and chamber works, and accompanied dance at Bennington for 27 years.

From an early age, Ben had a rich and supportive environment in which to explore the creative arts. Ben initially studied piano, but by age 11 was drawn to the energy and rhythm of the drumset. He pursued this passion into high school, where he studied with Milfred Graves and Freddie Waits. He moved to Boston in 1982, attending the New England Conservatory of Music and graduating in 1986 with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance. He spent his time in Boston working with some of the great artists there, including Bob Moses, Mike Methany, Bruce Bartlett, Duke Levine, Ruthie Ristich, Brad Hatfield, and African percussionist and ethnomusicologist David Locke, with whom he had a six-year association. This period also included a two-month tour to Ghana in 1984.

While in Boston, Ben played with the regionally popular rock band, "Knots and Crosses," and along with Alain Mallet, produced two records for the duo "The Story." While his work with "The Story" and "Knots and Crosses" helped develop his rock/pop/folk playing and production experience, it was a five-year association with Spanish vocalist Olga Roman and her love of classic Brazilian repertoire that inspired Ben to dig deeply into the African, Cuban, and Brazilian cultures. Another local band, "Oyie," that Ben lead with composer/ keyboardist and long-time colleague Jamshied Sharifi, proved to be an excellent outlet for fusing his traditional Ghanaian drumming studies with his love of more contemporary funk/dance-based rhythms.

Ben moved to New York in 1993, where he continues to combine his love of world rhythms, songwriting, and production. Upon his arrival in NYC he reconnected with a musician with whom he'd played in Boston during the mid '80s, clarinetist Don Byron. As luck would have it, Don was forming an ensemble to play and record some newly composed material using Cuban rhythms as a foundation. Ten years later, Ben's playing with Don remains one of his most vital performance outlets. His tenure in New York has also included recording and performing with a diverse range of artists from Paul Simon, Laurie Anderson, Jonatha Brooke and Rosanne Cash, to Don Byron and
contemporary Celtic artists Eileen Ivers, Solas and Cathie Ryan.

While in town, Ben leads a busy and diverse life in the live and studio scenes, appearing on numerous records, TV jingles and film scores, as well as producing records for artists including Jennifer Kimball, Lucy Kaplansky, Patty Larkin, Peter Eldridge, and Joel Harrison.

Ben can also often be found touring internationally in Europe, the UK, Asia and South America, with an eclectic roster including Don Byron, Laurie Anderson, Erasure, Solas, Keiko Lee, Jiro Yoshida, Yungchen Lhamo, and the New York Voices. 

David "Goody" Goodrich www.davidgoodrich.com

Born and raised in the Washington D.C. suburb Bowie Maryland, David Goodrich (a.k.a. Goody) began playing music at the age of two on a drum set given to him by a neighbor. Picking up guitar in junior high, he spent his teenage afternoons jamming with friends and soon found himself in a variety of bands, gigging professionally in Annapolis and D.C. clubs before he was old enough to get into them.

Earning a scholarship to Boston's Berklee School of Music in 1985, Goody moved to Boston, found himself studying with jazz greats Joe Henderson and Pat Metheny, and quickly began laying the foundation for his own innovative musical style. Integrating jazz and improvisation with folk and world music, Goody's approach to composing, playing, and performing is based on years of listening and training, along with a carefully honed sense of intuition.

Specializing in stringed instruments (acoustic, electric, Hawaiian, steel & slide guitars, mandolin, mandocaster, piano), he has been an integral part of numerous jazz, rock, and acoustic ensembles. As a member of the influential rock band Groovasaurus from 1991-1998, Goody and his bandmates helped define the resurgent Boston music scene of the '90s, receiving consecutive Boston Music Awards and Best of Boston accolades.

When Groovasaurus called it quits, Goody began collaborating with an extraordinary array of today’s best independent singer/songwriters as an accompanist and producer. He has produced recordings for artists such as Chris Smither, Peter Mulvey, Jeffrey Foucault, Rose Polenzani, The Amity Front, and Moses Atwood. He appears on over 75 recordings, including the Grammy-nominated Avalon Blues, and has performed internationally on hundreds of stages.

Jamie MacDonald Artistic Director - OMC

Jamie MacDonald is a first-call musician for the southern Vermont/New Hampshire/Massachusetts area. His ability to groove creatively in a wide range of musical settings, along with a high level of technique from years of both jazz and classical studies, have given Jamie a reputation as a seriously original improvisor. Jamie performed for several years with confidant Claire Arenius in trio settings with Draa Hobbs and The Ambassadors of Light with Eugene Uman. He has also worked with jazz figures Harvey Diamond, Sheila Jordan, Carlos Averhoff, Bobby Bradford, James Williams, Helmut Kagerer, Mitch Seidman, Scott Mullet, and the Vermont Jazz Center Big Band. As a classical musician, Jamie has performed with Raylnmor Opera Company, and Keene Chamber Orchestra as the Principal Bassist. Jamie formerly taught bass, jazz ensemble and jazz theory at the Vermont Jazz Center and currently at Cheshire Music in Keene, New Hampshire. He holds a B.M. in performance from Keene State College and has studied with jazz icons Michael Formanek, Cameron Brown, and Don Baldini. 

JAZZ GREAT TEACHES IN BRATTLEBORO

Bassist Cameron Brown Teaches Music Workshops At The Open Music Collective

On November 21^st, visiting bassist Cameron Brown will be teaching three workshops for music students of all ages.

Workshops will be hands-on; don't forget your instrument.

At 12:00, Brown will focus on the bass including themes surrounding improvisation, accompaniment, and soloing.

At 2:00, Brown will address vocalists and accompanists by focusing on musicality and tools of musicianship.

At 4:00 Brown will teach a broader ensemble workshop relating to improvisation, the evolution of swing feel, and strategies for free improvisation. 

Brown has made his career as a musician. In the mid-sixties he recorded with George Russell and Don Cherry in Europe. Later, he playedbass for a number of jazz musicians including Sheila Jordan, Joe Lovano, Marc Copland, and Chet Baker.  

Neil Tesser of Chicago’s Reader once said, “…powerhouse bassist Cameron Brown plays with such depth and fervor that he could legitimately stand in for Charles Mingus in Mingus’s own band, after the master died in 1979.” Cameron was often  featured with Mingus alumni such as  Danny Richmond's “Last Mingus Band" recordings with Jack Walrath and Ricky Ford and the critically acclaimed George Adams/Don Pullen Band.

In addition to touring, recording, and leading two of his own ensembles, Cameron Brown is a faculty member at the New School in New York City. Each summer he teaches a workshop near Venice, Italy.

All Workshops are hands-on and will be of value to any musician at any level. Don't forget your instruments!

Price per workshop: $25 for adults, $20 for students.

Special: All day Saturday workshops (attend one or all) plus Sunday concert: $40 for adults, $30 for students (with valid ID or currently enrolled at OMC) with advanced registration.

Registration on the day of workshop, add $5

Vocalist Sheila Jordan and Bassist Cameron Brown Visit The Open Music Collective

Immediately following their return from a European tour, Cameron Brown and Sheila Jordan will be coming to The Open Music Collective at the Cotton Mill to teach and perform.
Hailed by the *Village Voice* as “the only jazz singer left,” Sheila Jordan is a living legacy. Born in 1928, Jordan’s love of jazz was fostered in New York jazz clubs of the 40’s and 50’s. She “chased the Bird” (Charlie Parker) and was married to his pianist Duke Jordan from 1952 to 1962.

Despite her obvious connection to jazz greats, she wasn’t recorded until 1962 when George Russell “discovered” her. With Russell’s sextet, they recorded a jazz version of “You are my Sunshine.” Since then, she has recorded over twenty albums, received various awards, and has been given high praise from many harsh critics. Blue Note calls her “one of the jazz world’s best kept secrets.” She is known for the horn-like quality of her voice and for her ability to improvise.

Jordan met bassist Cameron Brown in 1974. According to *Citizen’s Voice*, he is “widely recognized as one of the finest bassists on the current jazz scene.” Brown has played on more than one hundred recordings. He has played with a number of musicians including Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Chet Baker, Dannie Richmond, Etta Jones, and Betty Carter. He is also a faculty member of the New School in New York City.

Brown and Jordan have toured together for the last ten years. Their duo performances are supreme artistry, an intimate interplay of free improvisation rooted in the history of jazz. This Concert will be held Sunday, November 22, 4:00 at the Open Music Collective at The Cotton Mill.