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Dion Kerr

Dion Kerr is a forward-thinking multi-dimensional artist (multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger, songwriter, photographer, and videographer) born and raised in South Florida.  Kerr’s work reflects a broad range of influences and mediums.  He has toured and recorded worldwide as a leader and a sideman to various groups spanning multiple genres.

Dion can be seen at some of the most renowned festivals, venues, studios, and galleries with many great young and upcoming artists of all art forms.  Kerr has shared the stage with Ignacio Berroa, Nicholas Payton, Marcus Strickland, Etienne Charles, Lillias White, Godwin Louis, Jean Caze, Immanuel Wilkins, Justin Brown, and Tivon Pennicott.  Dion is the co-founder of the band ‘The Smoogies.’ They released their debut album ‘Planet Smoogies’ with trumpeter Nicholas Payton and just released their second full-length album ‘People Music’ alongside completing a national tour funded by South Arts for their grant-winning proposal.  Dion was the engineer and co-producer of Seafoam Walls record ‘XVI’; he also played guitar in the live incarnation, released on Thurston Moore’s label ‘Ecstatic Peace Library,’ which was recorded and produced all in his home studio.  Dion is also credited as a songwriter and arranger for Jessica Tonder’s ‘A Rise Of Peace’ feature with Nowness. He is also a key member in many other highly sought-after bands in South Florida and New York art scenes.  

His musical career began early on by being billed with the Dave Leibman quartet while he was still in High School, leading them to reconnect at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in NY, where he attended school on full scholarship.  He has been seen at venues and festivals such as The Blue Note, Sevilla Jazz Festival, Martinique Jazz Festival, Ground Up Festival, Guatemala Jazz Festival, Quebec City Jazz Festival, Young Jazz Festival, Casa Del Jazz, Adrienne Arsht Center. He has toured North America and Europe extensively with different bands.  Dion has scored music for films that have been featured at SXSW, New Orleans Film, and Miami Film Festivals.  

Dion Kerr displays his unwavering talent as not only a producer and multi-instrumentalist but a conceptual artist.  Utilizing acoustic and electric elements, he blends a wide range of influences and styles into a cohesive sound that expands the limitations of genre-bound music. There are hints from all of Dion’s eclectic taste found in his records’ melodic groove-based instrumentals. Experimentation is essential in Dion’s process and is always represented in vivid fluidity.

Dion Kerr’s new solo record, set to be released in 2023, follows up his latest releases ‘Ivy’, which also features Jeff Parker, Bubby Lewis, and Adam O’Farrill, ‘Reptile Ground,’ ‘Echoes of Lost Time’ and ‘Ruby.’  His records showcase his expansive musical knowledge and arranging abilities featuring himself on bass, guitar, drums, keys, vocals, engineering, production, and mixing.


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Album Review

John Daversa: All Without Words: Variations Inspired by Loren

Read "All Without Words: Variations Inspired by Loren" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Quest'ambizioso concerto per tromba e orchestra composto e orchestrato da Justin Morell per il trombettista John Daversa rinnova il fascino delle pagine che Gil Evans scrisse per Miles Davis negli anni cinquanta. Nessuno dei due ha voluto ricreare quei lavori e si tratta di sfumature, dovute al clima impressionista, al lirismo della tromba sordinata e agli arrangiamenti maestosi. Quasi sconosciuti in Italia Morell e Daversa sono artisti di prim'ordine ed hanno prodotto un concept album splendido, ottenendo ...

3
Album Review

Roberto Magris: MatchPoint

Read "MatchPoint" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Registrato prima della pandemia e pubblicato lo scorso dicembre, il nuovo album del pianista triestino nasce in uno dei suoi soggiorni statunitensi. Com'è noto Roberto Magris pubblica dal 2007 con l'etichetta di Kansas City JMood Records e, come già successo col disco Live in Miami comprendente Brian Lynch, uno dei suoi “approdi" è la metropoli della Florida con la sua nutrita comunità caraibica. Qui lo troviamo a capo di un quartetto comprendente il vibrafonista e percussionista cubano Alfredo ...

5
Album Review

John Daversa Jazz Orchestra: All Without Words: Variations Inspired by Loren

Read "All Without Words: Variations Inspired by Loren" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


Music can be inspired by many things, such as romantic affection, personal experience, world events and social concerns among many others. This extraordinary piece of music was inspired by a parent's love for a child. Trumpeter John Daversa asked his friend, composer Justin Morell, to write a large-scale orchestral piece for him. Morell came up with a composition based on his life with his son, Loren, who is autistic. Loren struggled with verbal communication from a very young ...

5
Album Review

John Daversa Jazz Orchestra Featuring Justin Morell: All Without Words: Variations Inspired by Loren

Read "All Without Words: Variations Inspired by Loren" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Trumpeter John Daversa takes the biggest artistic challenge of his career with All Without Words: Variations Inspired by Loren. It is a large scale orchestral piece--a “jazz with strings" affair if it needs a label--that goes well its seminal predecessors in the style, to wit a pair of Charlie Parker With Strings albums (both bearing the same title), initially released on EmArcy, and reissued together later on a CD compilation (plus extra tracks) in 1995 on Verve; and trumpeter Clifford ...

3
Take Five With...

Take Five with Dion Kerr

Read "Take Five with Dion Kerr" reviewed by Dion Kerr


Meet Dion Kerr: Dion Kerr is a multi-dimensional artist (multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger, songwriter, photographer, and videographer) born and raised in South Florida. Kerr's work reflects a broad range of influences and mediums. He has toured and recorded all around the world as both a leader and a sideman to a wide variety of groups spanning across multiple genres. He is a recording artist for the Grammy-nominated record label CAM Jazz, BACE Records, Hologram Label, Concerned Relatives and continues to release ...

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"I say this not because I'm on it or to be hyperbolic, but this is one of the great compositions of our time" -Nicholas Payton (Blender Spaceship by Dion Kerr)

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

People Music

Planet Smoogies
2022

buy

Match Point

JMood Records
2021

buy

Planet Smoogies

Self Produced
2020

buy

Ivy

Bace Records
2020

buy

Echoes of Lost Time

Self Produced
2020

buy

Yours Is The Light

From: Match Point
By Dion Kerr

Videos

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