Hristo Vitchev Quartet
The Hristo Vitchev Quartet is an impressionistic jazz ensemble lead by Bulgarian modern jazz guitarist/composer Hristo Vitchev. Residing in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1998, Hristo has performed with some of the premier musicians in the region and has toured nationally and internationally with a wide variety of formations. The quartet was formed in late 2008 with the goal of showcasing Hristo Vitchev’s completely unique voice as a composer, featuring Brazilian pianist Weber Iago, drummer extraordinaire Mike Shannon, and one of the most original bassist in Northern California; Dan Robbins. Their debut record “Song for Messambria” presents a unique blend of modern jazz (ECM), classical, and Brazilian textures, and showcases the completely unique and masterful interpretation of the jazz idiom by each one of its members. The album received outstanding reviews by the international jazz community and was selected as one of the six best jazz records of 2009 by E-Jazz News.
The band's 2013 release "Familiar Fields" displays Hristo's rich and multihued evolution both as a player and composer. Hristo Vitchev has been featured in jazz publications all around the world and has performed at some the most important jazz stages. As JazzTimes magazine describes his music: “Vitchev’s sophisticated and adventurous work is imbued with shimmering harmonies and lyrical improvisations.”
"Vitchev’s multihued compositions are like impressionistic sound paintings." - JAZZIZ
Digital Jazz News says: "Hristo Vitchev may be one of the best kept secrets in jazz today. He is the epitome of sonic gold."
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Dann Zinn
As a world-class saxophonist/flutist, Dann Zinn is renowned for being a passionate soloist and composer/arranger. Hailed over the years as “inventive,” “distinctive,” and for “creating a stunning and emotional listening experience,” Dann has developed a unique style distinguishing him as a one of a kind artist with a tone unlike any other horn player on the jazz scene today. Zinn’s resume includes working with Joe Henderson, Taylor Eigsti, Russ Ferrante, Jeff Tain Watts, Freddie Hubbard, Chuck Findley, Mary Wells, Martha and the Vandellas, Barry Finnerty, Frank Martin, among many others. In addition to his three original CDs, Ten Songs, Wish, and Grace’s Song, his impressive discography includes over 80 appearances as a featured soloist and sideman on albums with prominent Bay Area musicians. Dann’s performances have spanned international stages including being featured at the San Francisco Jazz Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, and the world famous Yoshi’s, where he has played to sold-out crowds. He has garnered critical acclaim from prestigious publications such as Jazz Times, Jazziz, and local media such as the Oakland Magazine. Dann’s other performance history includes television, radio, and multi media videos, games, and even children’s specials.
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Errol Rackipov
Errol Rackipov is a vibraphonist, marimbist, and composer originally from Bulgaria. His music displays a very unique blend of jazz and chamber classical music elements with Eastern European folk rhythms and motifs. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and a Master's degree from the University of Miami. While in Berklee, he studied with the great vibraphonists Gary Burton and Ed Saindon. Along with his bands "Dream Hunter" and "Groove Culture" as well as the “Errol Rackipov Gorup” he has performed throughout Europe and the United States with such greats like Terence Blanchard, Bob Moses, Herb Pomeroy, Marc Eagan, Kenny Werner, Ratzo Harris, and Paquito D'Rivera. He is also principal percussionist with "Miami Symphony Orchestra" and has performed as a percussionist with "The Symphony of the Americas," "New World Symphony," and many others. Errol Rackipov's compositions, arrangements and transcriptions are published by King Rak Music (BMI). Currently Errol Rackipov is a professor at Florida International University and Florida Memorial University.
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Jackie Gage
A velvet voice, rich as smooth wine. San Jose's Jackie Gage is the Sade of jazz; she possesses a musical grace that channels torch singers of decades past, mixing elements of jazz, soul, and R&B into her music. Recently relocated to NYC, she has made a lasting mark on California, touring the state yearly from Sacramento to San Diego. As a 2014 Jazz Search West finalist, she was awarded performances at nationally recognized venues Yoshi’s Oakland, the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, and The Sound Room in Oakland—with notable past performances at the Fillmore Jazz Festival (2015), San Jose Jazz Summer Fest (2013, 2012), and Berkeley Juneteenth (2015, 2014) among other venues. Gage is now releasing her debut album, Siren Songs, a masterpiece that places classic torch songs alongside sultry originals; the theme interweaves the story of love and loss into the music. And with original pieces like “It’s Your Love”—a song apprehensively dreaming for the affection of a significant other—to “Mine”, a tale of the woman pushing the boundaries of love, Gage sets the stage for the modern-day siren.
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Wasabi
As their mantra states, Santa Cruz band Wasabi offers a highly viable, heavily rockin’ and very righteous “funk rock future,” featuring bassist Dan Robbins, drummer Alex Work and guitar-slinger Ron Work. Wasabi’s collective stage credits include performances with luminaries such as Maceo Parker, Lee Scratch Perry and Dick Dale, forming a varied, yet accurate, testament to where the soul of this band lies. Their new album Wide Open is filled with full-tilt instrumental rallying, smooth melodicism and plenty of glorious twists and turns.
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Jemal Ramirez
Jemal Ramirez is a San Francisco based jazz drummer who leads a stellar jazz group featuring the internationally acclaimed vibraphonist Warren Wolf. Jemal has performed with Eric Reed, Joshua Redman, Marcus Shelby, Dayna Stephens, Howard Wiley, Bob Kenmotsu, Andrew Speight and many other notable jazz musicians. He has performed at the Antibes Jazz Festival, Big Sur Jazz Festival, Yoshi’s, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, The California Jazz Conservatory, Fillmore Jazz Festival, The North Beach Jazz Festival, Cafe Pink House, California Theater and Biscuits and Blues. He is referred to as Mr. Ramirez by 200 public school music students everyday as a band director and private percussion teacher in the city of San Jose, California. His purpose is to promote instrumental music within the lives of people of all ages. First Orbit Sounds Music is honored to welcome Jemal to the family and present his outstanding debut album “Pomponio.”
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Joe De Rose & Amici
Joe De Rose, a native of the Bay Area, has been playing drums professionally for 21 years in various styles ranging from Jazz, Funk, Hip-Hop, Latin, Blues, Rock, and Fusion. He is an alumnus of the Alum Rock Jazz Band (1988) and has also graduated from The Prestigious Berklee College of Music (1998) with honors Magna Cum Laude. Joe has toured Europe, Japan, and the United States with various artists such as Toni Lynn Washington, Kofy Brown, Yoshiko Oda, and The Hristo Vitchev Quartet.
Joe is now leading and writing for his own Jazz Fusion band, Joe De Rose and Amici. “Amici” literally means “friends” in Italian. However, the definition of Amici for this band is: where Great friends, Great minds and Great souls come together to make Great music. Amici is composed of some of the most gifted players and improvisers from all over the globe featuring Hristo Vitchev, a Bulgarian virtuoso and co-writer for this group, playing guitar. Also, adding to Amici’s progressive and deep talent is Grammy-nominated Weber Iago on piano, the soulful sounds of Dann Zinn on sax, and the groove maker of the low end, Dan Robbins on Bass.
Joe De Rose and Amici’s debut record “Sounds for the Soul” will be available January 2010.
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Mason Razavi
Mason Razavi is a jazz guitarist, composer, educator, and bandleader living in the San Francisco Bay Area. While Mason's first album People, Places, and Monsters featured music for solo classical guitar, his latest release Quartet Plus features original music for jazz quartet and nonet and is being released on the First Orbit Sounds label in September 2014. An avid educator, Mason maintains a busy private teaching studio, has conducted clinics for San Jose State University, South Bay Guitar Society, and the Vancouver Classic Guitar Society, and will be a lecturer in music at DeAnza College in fall 2014.Mason has studied guitar and composition with Tuck Andress, Mimi Fox, John Stowell, Corey Christiansen, Rick Vandivier, Aaron Lington and others. He holds a M.A. in Jazz Studies from San Jose State University and a B.M. from the Berklee College of Music where he studied jazz composition and majored in Contemporary Writing and Production.
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Mark Arroyo
Guitarist Mark Arroyo mixes his love of jazz, funk, rock, hip-hop, dub, and electronica to create a sound that’s both foreign and familiar.
Starting with the music of Miles Davis's electric period, Mark Arroyo's "The Last Dose" explores the links between jazz, rock, funk, and dub, with brand new takes on an almost forgotten sound. On this debut recording, opening track "Movements (one)" sets the tone with a groove deep in the pocket by drummer Peter Do. Accented with Mark Arroyo's Wah-Wah guitar work, the album focuses evenly on the keyboard work of Joey Trombly and the omnipresent low end of bass mechanic Fred Paclibon. Lead single "Airports" bridges the groove of Rage Against The Machine with the experimentation of The Mars Volta.
Bridging the gaps between generations of fusion, The Last Dose aims to change the face of electric jazz in Silicon Valley. Together, these musicians take you on a journey through electric grooves, earthshaking dub workouts, and group improvisations.
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Weber Iago
Born Weber Ribeiro Drummond in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on February 17th 1962, it wasn’t until mid 90’s that Weber adopted the stage name Weber Iago as homage to the Roma People, also known as Gypsies. Iago has spent all of his musical life researching different types of sounds, ultimately dedicating most of his endeavors to uniting elements of Classical, Jazz and Brazilian Music. Weber Iago has worked with Moacir Santos (one of Brazil’s greatest composer and arranger), flautist James Newton, guitarist Romero Lubambo, Carla Bley Big Band, Steve Swallow, Billy Drummond, Paul McCandless, Ali Ryerson, Kenny Stahl, Claudia Villela, Charles Loos, Marcia Maria, Alex Acuna, Alphonso Johnson, Joe Lovano, and many more.
In 2009 Weber Iago was nominated for a Latin Grammy (Best Instrumental Album).
Weber Iago has participated as a pianist and band-leader in Jazz festivals all over the world: Brazil, Mexico, United States, France, Belgium, as well as shows and interviews in the most important Jazz radio stations in the country such as KRML in Carmel and KCSM in San Mateo, California. Iago has also performed extensively as a solo artist and sideman in Italy, Luxembourg, New York, Japan, and Czech Republic.
Since 1991 Iago has made constant appearances at the Monterey Jazz Festival (the longest running jazz festival in the world and one of the most prestigious as well).
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Neil Kelly Quartet
Neil Kelly is a Jazz Guitarist / Composer / Arranger / and Band Leader who has been working in the greater San Francisco Bay area for the past 10 years. Originally from the East Coast and Chicago Neil arrived in California in 1992. Since that time he has devoted his life to the craft of music. He holds a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies from San Jose State University where he majored in Jazz composition and arranging. Neil’s original compositions “Threshold” and “All the Things We Were,” orchestrated for Big band, were selected compositions for the San Jose Jazz Society’s Local Composer’s Showcase of 2009 and 2010.
The Neil Kelly Quartet formed in early 2010 to express Kelly’s compositional and arranging talents in a raw and cutting edge small combo. The group is a modern day expression of the unique piano-less quartet sound first explored by Sonny Rollins and Jim hall in the early 60’s, and includes Jonathan Bautista (Tenor Saxophone), Lukas Vesely (Bass), and Jemal Ramirez (Drums). Their debut CD “Rivers Converge” presents a promising new voice and vision in the San Francisco Bay area Modern Jazz scene.
The Neil Kelly / Robby Elfman quartet started as a meeting of minds at the Playa Jazz Café, a jazz based theme camp that appears annually at the Burning Man Festival in Black Rock City Nevada. This camp entails a collective of SF Bay area and LA based jazz musicians who come together to perform concerts, host jam sessions, and provide educational workshops throughout the week of the Burning man Festival. Kelly and Elfman were encouraged to forge collaboration when sound man/producer Ken Deloria saw them perform on the playa. Robby originally from LA relocated to North Bay San Francisco and he and Neil began co-writing the album “In Roads”. What transpired was a mixture of Elfman’s edgy punk style jazz (his first record project Smashups recorded with the Jazz Punks bears witness to this aesthetic), with the modern Jazz lush harmonies witnessed on Kelly’s premier album Rivers Converge. Both musicians approach jazz from a composer’s perspective. Elfman holds a degree in Film Score Compositon from USC and Kelly a Master’s Degree from SJSU in Jazz composition and arranging. Teaming up with bay area all star rhythm section of Lukas Vesely and Joe DeRose a unique sound and approach to music was created and is now being unveiled.
Vitchev / Iago
The “Vitchev / Iago” project was formed in 2009 by Bulgarian jazz guitarist Hristo Vitchev and Grammy nominated Brazilian pianist Weber Iago. The goal of the duet is to exploit and explore the infinite sonic hues and tonal nuances of the two instruments while creating some of the most intimate, engaging, and interactive instrumental improvised music. Their debut outing “The Secrets of an Angel” has gained critical acclaim on the international jazz scene and their brand new record “Heartmony” is generating quite a wave of admiration all across the globe. The entire FOS Music team is excited to be able to present this completely amazing music.
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Devet
“Devet” (meaning “Nine”) was founded as a project of two musicians from Eastern Europe – Lubomir Gospodinov (Bugarian) and Nikola Stanosevic (Serbian), both with extensive experience in classical, chamber and other types of music. Their aim is to experiment and combine jazz modus with techniques from traditional folklore in search of a novel expressive language. Devet’s unique interpretive style, made up of wide range of motifs blended in an artful jazz performance, brings about inimitable atmosphere charged with the light energy of virtuoso saxophone and the playful dynamics of the lyrical piano.
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