Nick Russo, guitar, banjo & effects
Miles Griffith, voice & his CrAzY vocal Effects
Mark Turner, tenor saxophone
Bryan Murray, tenor saxophone
Greg Glassman, trumpet
Art Hirahara, piano & Fender Rhodes
Pandit Samir Chatterjee, tabla
Nathan Peck, bass
Matt Clohesy, bass
Willard Dyson, drums
Ari Hoenig, drums
David Pleasant, drums & percussion
Influences
jazz, swing, blues, traditional jazz, bebop, modern jazz, free jazz, Brazilian music, West African music, Moroccan Music, Classical Music, Baroque Music, North Indian Classical Music, R & B, Gullah/Geechee culture, dance, rock, reggae, rap, hip hop, pop music, Louis Armstrong, Bird, Dizzy, Monk, Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, Jim Hall, George Benson, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, John Coltrane, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, James Brown, Elmore James, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, Rev. Gary Davis, Albert King, Johnny Winter, Jimi Hendrix, J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Bela Bartok, Stavinsky, Gyorgy Ligeti, Richard Strauss, Steve Coleman, Dave Holland, Mamady Keita, Tuck Andress, Andres Segovia, Julian Bream, John Williams, Shakti & John McLaughlin, Pat Martino, Billy Bauer, Lennie Tristano, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby McFerrin, Miles Griffith, David Pleasant, Willard Dyson, Ari Hoenig, Pandit Samir Chatterjee, Ali Akbar Khan, Aashish Khan, Ravi Shankar, Mulazim Hussain, Ralph Peterson, Montez Coleman, Essiet Essiet, Dr. Eddie Henderson, Vince Giordano, Jimmy Heath, Fred Guy, Eddie Lang, Charlie Christian, McKinney's Cottonpickers, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Adam Rogers, Ben Monder, Pete Bernstein, Russell Malone, Ron Affif, my family (esp. my mom & dad and Uncle Mike), my roommates & friends, comedy (Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Monty Python, Saturday Night Live, In Living Color, Wayne's Brothers, Robin Williams, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, John Candy, The Blues Brothers, Cheech & Chong, The Jerky Boys), modern art, film, good food, good wine, sincerity, honesty, good people, Mathematics, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Pyschology, breath, zen, life & death.
Sounds Like
eclectic jazz influenced by North Indian Classical music & other influences
Guitarist, Nick Russo, accepted participant of the 2004 International Jazz Workshop at The BANFF Centre in Canada (director, Dave Douglas) & accepted participant of the 2001 JAS academy in Aspen Colorado (director, Christian McBride, mentioned in Dec. 2001 issue of Down Beat magazine), leads a life of full-time performing, including performances at: Carnegie Hall, The U.N., Lincoln Center, Blue Note, Birdland, Iridium Jazz Club, The Zinc Bar, 55 Bar, Showman’s, Lenox Lounge, Charles Ives Center, Tilles Center, Cleopatra’s Needle, Kavehaz, Merchants, The C-Note, Smiths, Moto, WKCR (Jimi Hendrix tribute with Victor Jones, Kim Clarke, Anastasia Rene, Vernon Reid & Andre Lassalle), WUSB, 7 weeks at Huis Ten Bosch (Sasebo, Japan), Omsk, Tomsk, Novasibersk, Akademgorodok (Academy City), Moscow, Brazil, St. Kitts in the Caribbean & at the Banff Center in Canada.
Nick Russo is currently the guitarist and banjoist with Vince Giordano and The Night Hawks, Victor Jones, Miles Griffith's New Ting, Jenn Jade Ledesna, Eric Pakula, Ian Riggs, & others. Nick also has worked with the legendary Jimmy McGriff, vibraphonist, Teddy Charles, bassist, Sony Dallas, saxophonist, Tim Berne, violinist, Jim Nolet (formally with the Jazz Passengers), Tony Moreno, Mike Bisio, the Frank & Joe Show, David Pleasant Trio, Bruce Cox Trio, Dan Levinson, Anastasia Rene Quartet, Section 8 (with Matt Kane, Nate Shaw, Wayne Batchelor, & rappers: Guestos Asbestos & Retsam Gillette), and others. Nick's recent recording "Ro" features Nick Russo + 11: Mark Turner, Miles Griffith, Samir Chatterjee, Bryan Murray, Greg Glassman, Art Hirahara, Nathan Peck, Matt Clohesy, Willard Dyson, Ari Hoenig & David Pleasant.
Musicians such as Frank Wes, Mark Turner, Antonia Bennett, Eddie Henderson, Ralph Peterson, Miles Griffith, Todd Coolman, Barry Altschul, Charlie Persip, Elliot Zigmund, Dennis Irwin, Gerald Cannon, Jim Cammack, John Ormond, Essiet Essiet, Montez Coleman, Alvin Akinson, Alvester Garnett, Joe Ascione, Bruce Cox, Ed Schuller, Ari Hoenig, Charles Blenzig, Jaleel Shaw, Will Vinson, JD Walter, Eve Cornelious, Stephanie Rice, Monica Lynk, Sachel Vasandani, Jenn Jade Ledesna, Jeb Patton, Bill McCrossen, John Ray & Dominic Duval have appeared in his group. Nick is also the author of 2 books: "Metallica, Legendary Licks series vol. 1 & vol. 2 as well as the editor of the GRP arpeggio book and exercise book (published by Cherry Lane/Hal Leonard). Nick is currently study bol with guru, Samir Chatterjee.
The new self produced album "RO" is getting reviews in Down Beat, Jazz Times, All About Jazz, Jazz Improv magazine, Hot House, ejazz news, Boston Gazette, Vintage Guitar, Cadence, Jazz-iz & others across the country as well as reviews in Italy, Turkey, Brazil, Greece & other countries. National radio play and internationally radio play in Sweeden, Switzerland, France & other countries. "Nick Russo + 11" performed their CD release at the 55 Bar October 4, 2006 and video clips from Manhattan TV (Metro Elvis/ch. 56/84) as on the website as well as www.yourtube.com. http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Nick+Russo&search=Search
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Hey, it was really great seeing you today! You sounded fantastic and you looked good too! :) Get old already!! Just kidding... keep in touch, we miss you out here!
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