Bernal Jazz Quintet


Vibraphonist Jim Zimmerman has had a varied career in percussion. After graduating from the San Francisco Conservatory, Jim spent the following years working in the Bay Area playing jazz, and doing recording, studio and show work. He became staff percussionist and drummer at the Circle Star Theater where he performed with everyone from Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett to the Temptations, Spinners, and Jackson Five.

Jim left the Circle Star Theater to join the legendary Vince Guaraldi Trio with whom he recorded some of the Charlie Brown Peanuts specials. In 1982, he joined the British jazz singer Cleo Laine. He recorded five albums with Cleo including the Grammy winning "Live at Carnegie" double album. From 1992 to 2004 toured with jazz Grammy winning vocalist Dianne Schuur.

Jim has also recorded and played with Toots Thielmans, Joe Williams, Gerry Mulligan, Art Pepper and Blue Mitchell.

Jim appeared here previously (on drums) with Khalil Shaheed and Daria Nile.

http://www.jimzimmermanmusic.com


Michael Gold has been playing jazz saxophone in the Bay Area for years. The son of arranger, big band leader, and RCA recording artist Marty Gold, he grew up listening to the standards of such songwriters as the Gershwins, Cole Porter, and Rodgers and Hart. Though his regular quartet plays modern jazz (Miles, Monk, Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Charles Lloyd) as well as its own original music, he also feel a strong a connection to those earlier tuneful melodies from Tin Pan Alley and Broadway.

The Michael Gold Quartet features Paul Mindrup on piano, Tom Hassett on drums, and Scott Chapek on bass. An earlier version of the quartet, with Sean Nelson on drums and Matt Montgomery on bass, recorded "Personal Standards" on the Evander Music label.

Michael is also heard frequently with guitarist Bruno Pelletier-Bacquaert.

http://mgoldmusic.com/


He hasn't quit his day job, but jazz piano is Paul Mindrup's primary avocation. He has pursued it (in roundabout fashion) since his childhood in Dallas, by way of Palo Alto, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Along the way he's studied with Alfred Mouledous, Herb Mickman, and Mark Levine. He is currently part of the Michael Gold Quartet and the trio Times Three.

Paul appeared here with Rich Lesnik.

http://www.mindrup.com/


Drummer Tom Hassett has been an active member of the Bay Area jazz community, though unrecognized by some and repudiated by a few, for over twenty years. Study with master drummer Jerry Granelli in the '70s left him largely unfit for most commercial work, and so he remains today.

He worked with the Susan Chen Trio at Harris' restaurant from 1988 - 2000, and appears on their cd "Harris Nights". He has appeared on four albums by The Lost Trio (available on Evander Music), as well as singer Jenny Ferris’ 2006 album, "Day In Day Out." He also appears with "Times Three" on their eponymous cd.

Tom was heard previously at Chez Hanny with Laura Klein, Rich Lesnik, and The Lost Trio.


Bassist Ken Lenga is a graduate of Stanford University, where he performed in the Jazz Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra. He has studied with Bay Area jazz bassists Seward McCain and Glenn Richman, and with Steve Tramontozzi of the S.F. Symphony.

He has performed in the area with the Brad Niven Trio, singer Lisa E., the Gerry Grosz Trio, Peter Grey, Bruno Pelletier-Bacquaert, the improvisational duo "The Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers", and in various ensembles under his own name.


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