Alex Murzyn


Multi-reed virtuoso Alex Murzyn was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. While still a student he began performing with Benny Rietveld, Ollie Mitchell, Gabe Balthazar, and Freddie Hubbard. After relocating to San Francisco he worked with Bobby Hutcherson, Pete Escovedo, Huey Lewis and the News, Sammy Davis Jr., the Temptations, the Four Tops, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Arturo Sandoval, Ray Obiedo, Rebecca Mauleon, Bob Florence and Stanley Clark.

Instruments: Tenor sax, soprano sax, alto sax, flute, alto flute, piccolo, clarinet, bass clarinet.

Education: Associate of Arts degree from Berklee College of Music.

Studies: Classical flute with Jean Harling, principal Honolulu Symphony, Michelle Caimoto, California Symphony. Classical Clarinet with Dianne Maltester, California Symphony. Saxophone with Vic Morosco, Andy McGee, Joe Henderson.

Solo Recordings: "Alex Murzyn" (Kamei Records), "Crosscurrents" (Kamei Records), "For All People" (Monarch Records).

http://www.myspace.com/alexmurzyn


Pianist Dan Zemelman studied at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he played under Richard Davis, and was honored as best jazz artist in his senior year, and privately with Kenny Werner and Fred Hersch.

In 1998, he was chosen to tour India and Sri Lanka with trumpeter and vocalist Matt Lewis as part of the US State Department and Kennedy Center's Jazz Ambassadors project.

Since relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area he has performed with Miles Davis/Santana bassist Benny Rietveld, John Lee Hooker, with whom he recorded one album, and Zakiya Hooker's Blues 4 U, with whom he toured as far as Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Currently he is playing regularly with bassist Marcus Shelby, and with the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra at Jazz at Pearl's, as well as appearing in concert with his own quartet at the Hillside Club in Berkeley, and with the jazz/funk/rock band Plum Crazy.

He also works frequently with dancers, including the Moab Contact Improvisation dance festival in Moab, Utah, as well as theater companies, such as the Ragged Wing Theater Ensemble in their performance of 'The Serpent' by Jean Claude Van Damme.

He appeared at Chez Hanny in 2007 with the Aaron Germain / Dan Zemelman Quartet.

http://danzemelman.com


Bassist Sam Bevan moved to the Bay Area in September of 1999 and became a touring member of the David Grisman Quintet from 2000-2001.

He records and performs regularly with multi-instrumental wizard Joe Craven, the Matt Flinner Quartet and the Monk's Music Trio.

Other fine artists he has worked with include Roswell Rudd, Geoff Muldaur, Jim Kweskin, Mary Wilson, The VNote Ensemble, Marco Granados, Mamadou and Vanessa Sidibe, Bjorkestra, Hal Stein, Kenny Washington, Michael O'Neill Quintet, The Sonando Project, Calaveras, Hot Club of San Francisco, Parallel 23, Mimi Fox, Adam Levy, Venezuelan Music Project, Rumbache, Sheldon Brown Group, Chelle & Friends, Candela, Mazacote, Jesus Diaz, the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra and the New Pickle Family Circus.

http://www.sambevan.com/


Drummer Jason Lewis graduated from the classical percussion program at San Jose State University, under the direction of Tony Cirone of the San Francisco Symphony, with a B.A. in music. Mr. Lewis has taught privately in the Bay Area, coached at the Stanford Jazz Workshop, and has performed clinics at schools throughout the San Jose area.

He has played with a variety of talented musicians including; Joshua Breakstone, John Stowell, Gary Burton, James Moody, Mark Murphy, Norma Winstone, Larry Coryell, Darol Anger, Regina Carter, Johnny Frigo, Ann Dyer, James Carter, Taylor Eigsti, John Handy, Anton Schwartz, Mark Levine, Peter Apfelbaum, Cornelius Bumpus, and Kurt Elling. Mr. Lewis has also performed with the San Jose Symphony and the San Jose Civic Light Opera.

Besides performing throughout the San Francisco Bay Area with many groups, often with bassist John Shifflett and pianist Paul Nagel, Mr. Lewis has toured and recorded with Michael Brook, Djivan Gasparyan, Ann Dyer, and Ashwin Batish. For much of the past several years he has been touring with Boz Scaggs, and appears on the latter's recording of standards, "But Beautiful".

Jason was heard here previously with the Dave Mac Nab Trio, the Mike Greensill Trio, and the Dave Scott Quintet.

www.jsklewis.com/


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