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Jax Jazz Collective

BIO BY SCOTT YANOW - The Jax Jazz Collective, which consists of some of the finest jazz musicians based in Jacksonville, Florida, first came together in 2012. Pianist Joshua Bowlus remembers: “Most of us had played together previously and we wanted to create a group that we felt was representative of our diverse musical experiences and of jazz in Jacksonville in general. Our goal is to perform unique arrangements of standards, paying respect to the tradition while also playing the music in a different and modern way.” The collective is influenced and inspired by such well-respected straight ahead jazz groups as Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, the SF Jazz Collective and the Roy Hargrove Quintet as well as modern groove-based fusion groups such as Snarky Puppy and Kneebody. The Jax Jazz Collective’s recent recordings of the music of Jerome Kern and Billy Strayhorn are important early steps in the promising and exciting band’s development.

All of the members of the Jax Jazz Collective are young, talented and have plenty of musical experience, often stretching beyond jazz into other genres. They integrate all of their individual likenesses and differences into their arrangements to create a cohesive group sound. The sextet is a co-op with most of their arrangements being contributed by Joshua Bowlus and Mike Emmert. “We thought it would be a good idea for our live performances to focus on the music of one composer at a time,” explains Joshua, “providing unique slants to their music, giving the audience something both familiar and different. When we performed the music of Billy Strayhorn live in Jacksonville, it went over so well that we decided to do it again with another well-known composer Jerome Kern. After another successful run of performances, we decided to record the music and document our progress.”

The Jax Jazz Collective has recorded and will be releasing two CDs in 2014, albums simply titled Strayhorn and Kern. Each project has eight selections by the composer with the trumpet playing split between Ray Callender and Alphonso Horne. The JJC has mostly been performing in Jacksonville and Tallahassee thus far most recently appearing in the Jacksonville Jazz Festival. “We hope with the release of these recordings that we will be taking our music to other jazz festivals in the near future,” says Joshua Bowlus. “We plan to continue with future recordings exploring the music of other composers. Eventually we will be creating our own original material as well.” With any luck, the Jax Jazz Collective will soon be bringing their exciting brand of modern jazz to a festival or venue near you.

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4
Album Review

Jax Jazz Collective: All the Things You Are: The Music of Jerome Kern

Read "All the Things You Are: The Music of Jerome Kern" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


This is a marvelous approach to making jazz recordings: picking one Great American Songbook composer at time and exploring a set of his tunes, with a personal touch. Pianist Oscar Peterson released a series of tributes to the Standards tune-smith's on Verve Record back in the 1950s, tagged “Songbooks," celebrating George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Jerome Kern. The Jax Jazz Collective, out of Jacksonville, Florida, seems to be starting similar journey. In 2014 it was Lotus Blossom: ...

9
Album Review

Jax Jazz Collective: Lotus Blossom: The Music of Billy Strayhorn

Read "Lotus Blossom: The Music of Billy Strayhorn" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Duke Ellington (1899-1974)--Americas's finest bandleader, America's finest composer--released his own tribute to Billy Strayhorn, his partner in music and tune smithing. It was called ...And His Mother Called Him Bill (RCA, 1967). Ellington and Strayhorn's music was so intertwined that the Duke's less that fanatic fans might think that “Lush Life," “Take the A Train" and “Lotus Blossom" are Ellington tunes. But those classics, and many more, came from the prolific and always elegant pen of Strayhorn. Now ...

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"The Jax Jazz Collective is an outstanding unit that delivers their musical goods at a world-class level. They succeed by giving satisfyingly great presentations of great compositions. BRAVO, GENTLEMEN!" ~Rufus Reid, legendary jazz bassist & composer


"This is a group of musicians whose dedication to the masters of the past culminates in a musican vision that is both contemporary and traditional. The ensemble features wonderful interplay between the exceptional soloists and the pervasively swinging rhythm section. I highly recommend that you give the Jax Jazz Collective a listen!" ~Barry Greene, world-renowned jazz guitarist & educator

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