Myanna - saxes;
Ken Clark - Hammond B-3 organ;
Dave Limina - Hammond B-3 organ and piano;
David Buda - bass;
Vinny Damaio - drums;
Kevin Barry - guitar;
Ricardo Monzòn - percussion;
Additional musicians:
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie - drums;
Marty Richards - drums;
Tom West - Wurlitzer piano;
Sa Davis - percussion;
Ed Scheer - vocals;
Scott Aruda - trumpet
Jeff Galindo - trombone;
Etkilendikleri
Illinois Jacquet;
Maceo Parker;
James Brown;
Soullive;
Sonny Rollins;
Dexter Gordon;
Miles Davis
In the 1970s and 1980s, it was very unusual for a woman to play saxophone. Then Myanna came along and made headlines with her strong, gutsy horn-work and kickin' compositions! Now, almost three decades later Myanna is still making news with the release of her latest CD. Titled, One Never Knows, Do One? this disc is a solid jazz release . . . sure to garner critical attention.
Illinois Jacquet, Sonny Rollins, Jimi Hendrix, and B.B, King were saxophonist Myanna Pontoppidan’s core musical influences, beginning in her late teen years. Myanna grew up in Weston, Massachusetts and after graduation went on to Berklee College of Music in Boston where she studied with master saxophone teacher Joe Viola. Her career soared early on; she sat in with Grover Washington, Jr., performed with Gray Sargent, Martha Reeves, Ronnie Specter, and the Platters, among others.
After a stint at University of Massachusetts in Amherst (where she studied with bebop drum legend Max Roach), Myanna sprinted off with the respected R&B Northampton-based band, “Lilith.� Myanna left that group in the late ‘70s and joined the Bill Bellamy Project - an original jazz/R&B band.
In 1984, she, saxophonist Cercie Miller and singer Didi Stewart put Girls' Night Out together as a lark - playing ‘60s girl group songs. The band ended up staying together due to high demand - and added more and more originals, until it morphed into an original rock band that also played some oldies. Chris Hamel of the Springfield Morning Union described the band thus: “member for member and in total, one of the best rock acts that New England has ever produced.� “Girls’ Night Out� was chosen as one of five finalists in Musician Magazine’s 1986 national “Best Unsigned Band in America� contest. Around the time that Girls Night Out split up, Myanna joined another highly successful band, The Love Dogs, and also formed her own band, called simply MYANNA.
“There's nothing quite so satisfying as playing one's original music with a bunch of fine musicians,� says Myanna. From the moment she and her band first stepped onto the musical stage, she and the band garnered widespread attention. She released her first CD, Myanna, and in 1992 she won the prestigious Boston Music Award for “Outstanding Local Jazz Act.� She and the band were nominated again in 1994. Then the Myanna band went on to win the coveted Boston Phoenix/WFNX Best Music Poll as the “Best Local Jazz Act� in both 1994 and 1996.
Along the way, Myanna set out to create an outlet for her growing wealth of original material. The pop-jazz style of her first CD, Myanna, evolved into a funky, danceable sound on her second, highly acclaimed release, After Hours, on the Bridge City label.
Critics raved about both of Myanna’s first two releases. Jon Garelick of the Boston Phoenix wrote, “There’s a rhythmic acuity to her playing and a real sense of drama in her arrangements and songwriting.� The Boston Globe’s Steve Morse said, “She play(s) . . . with passion and clarity� while according to John Laughter, writing in the Saxophone Journal, [Myanna is] a “multi-talented individual� who “is gifted with imagination and the ability to express her ideas.�
One Never Knows, Do One?, Myanna’s newest CD, might just be the best yet. The title hints at the musical direction of this CD: from the sweeter, smoother jazz/funk to a hotter, organ-based R&B/jazz beat. At the heart of this new CD the bold funk/blues style of jazz is driven by the inimitable groove of world-renown drummer, Bernard Purdie.
Eric Jackson, the respected host of WGBH’s jazz show, Eric in the Evening, already has exclaimed, “This is exciting music that is full of passionate playing and good tunes.� The CD and one of the tracks are dedicated to the late, great Illinois Jacquet, one of Myanna’s most significant influences.
¡¡¡WOW!!...are you a beautiful musician,MYANNA!. We enjoy very much your music!. Thank you very much for your friendship!. Greetings from Buenos Aires,Argentina. Rouge.
Hi Myanns, Hopped over to peak at your page after I saw the event invite. Your tone is great and the tunes are fun. Hope to see you in Beantown if the road should take me there this year.....Peace
Hi Cool sound Great Music!!! Always it is pleasant to meet here such talented people as you! I wish you a great success! Thanks 4 the friendship Peace & Love Jazzy Greetings from Ukraine Michael
Myanna~missed you at Chan's tonight! I want to wish you a speedy recovery - Eddie told me about your hand. I hope you are doing well and healing fast! I hope to see you in the summer when the Dogs roll around to Chan's again!!
Things are going good out here... still working on finding a steady gig but getting some students and jamming here and there. And it doesn't hurt that it's 80 degrees outside today! =)
Hi Myanna! Just thought I'd drop by and let you know my album, Thinking of you, is online and available for purchase. If you get some time, please have a listen and let me know what you think. Take care and have a great weekend!
Hi Myanna, how are you and your musical life? I just want to tell you that I made my first father-son piece; a composition of my 11 years old son with him on guitar. It took him one track to put his part on! Me..I was wrestling, and needed almost 10 takes LOL.
