The Repertory Ensemble: Kenny Davis, Roger Byam, Dave Davis, Mark Shim, Marcus McLaurine, George Gray, Payton Crossley, Billy Kilson, Vince Ector, Gary Fritz, Neil Clarke, Eddie Allen, Dennis Collins, Branice McKenzie, Nicki Richards, Dan-ell Morales, Obba Babatunde, Miriam Sullivan, TK Blue, Gregory Jones, Bob DeVos, Ray Vega, Damon DueWhite, Craig Haynes, Steve Thornton, Chembo Cornier, Roland Guerrero, Rondue Monroe, Teodross Avery, Buddy Williams, Lenny Argese, Sharrif Simmons, Richie Good, Abdul Azhuri, Eric Person, Romero Lubambo, Doc Gibbs, Gregoire Maret, Edson "Cafe" DeSilva, Jerry Brooks, Omar Hakim, Cherl "Pepsi" Riley, Tommy Campbell, Ben Williams, Wally "Gator" Watson, M. Nahadr, Trevor Holder
Influences
My Mother and Father Nichols and Edna Gumbs, my brother C.Nicholas Gumbs, my sister Linda Gumbs, my niece and nephew Shameka and Yero Hakim Gumbs, my wife Sandra, my spiritual sons Chris Morgan and Calvin Stovell, my spiritual daughter Debbra Greene, my extended family and friends, my piano teachers May Tolland and T.Richard Patterson, Music & Art High School, SUNY at Fredonia, Harlem NY, St Albans-Hollis Queens, Buffalo NY(WATU CENTER), Duke Ellington, Sathima Bea Benjamin, Horace Silver, Lonnie Hewitt, Dwight Gassaway, Carl & Charles Bartlett, Gerry Thomas, Andrew Langston, Jerry Gonzalez, Andy Gonzalez, Olatunji, Weldon Irvine, Ferde Grofe, Gil Evans, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Buster Williams, Bennie Maupin, Eddie Henderson, Jabali Billy Hart, Julian Priester, Rufus and Chaka Khan, Richard Tee, Bernard Purdie, Gordon Edwards, Jimmy Owens, George Duke, Gary McFarland, Henry Mancini, Cal Tjader, Nicherin Daishonin, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, Josei Toda, Daisaku Ikeda, Malcolm X, Bill Salter, Ralph MacDonald, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Martin Luther King, Dr Ben, Jeremiah Gumbs, All Black Inventors, Robby Robinson, Vince Taylor, Chauncey Williams, Alq Gurley, Ron & Larry Collier, Benard Ighner, Cecil Bridgewater, Ron Bridgewater, Carmen Lundy, Chris Dickerson, Aaron Baker, Carla Dunlap, Max Julien, Geoffrey Holder, Robert Ford, Kurtis Blow, Frederick Douglass, Frank Foster, Sir Roland Hanna, Grady Tate, Sabu Adeyola, Ahmad Jamal, Billy Strayhorn, Dr. Billy Taylor, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, Jerome Richardson, Paul Griffin, Billy Byers, David Baker, Oliver Nelson, Charles Stepney, Rotary Connection, Plas Johnson, Jack Sheldon, Margaret Harrison, David Lucas, Michael Blackman, Sheldon Watson, Sonny Rollins, Claire Fischer, Kenny Barron, Jimmy Rowles, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Earth, Wind & Fire, Motown, Stax, Richard Davis, Jimmy Owens, Ron Carter, Arif Mardin, Oscar Peterson, William Fischer, Leon Bates, Julian"Cannonball" Adderley, Nat Adderley, Bobby Hutcherson, Todd Cochran, David Sancious, Gap Band, Ohio Players, John Coltrane, Lalo Schifrin, Gil Melle, Woody Shaw, Carter Jefferson, Victor Lewis, Clint Houston, Anthony Cox, Buddy Williams, Yvonne Fletcher, Walter Booker, Onyango Francis Hutchins, Danny Glover, Sadao Watanabe, Freddie Hubbard, Wallace Roney, Patrice Rushen, McCoy Tyner, Marcus Miller, Last Poets, John Blake, Glenn Barrett, Tony Dawsey, Avery Sharpe, Felipe Luciano, Gary Byrd, Mitchell Lake, Yanchie Richardson, Ramsey Lewis, Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, George Clinton, Sly Stone, James Brown, J.S.Bach, Stanley Clarke, Llew Matthews, Norman Connors, Skip Drinkwater, Lee Ritenour, Cecil Taylor, Don Sebesky, Wes Montgomery, Lester Bowie, Claude Debussy, Samuel Barber, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Kenny Burrell, Leroy Kirkland, Egberto Gismonti, Claus Ogerman, Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Ashford&Simpson, Marvin Gaye, Holland, Dozier&Holland, Chuck Loeb, Bela Bartok, W.A. Mozart, Ludwig von Beethoven, Igor Stravinsky, Bob James, Quincy Jones, The Yellowjackets, Hiroshima, Keith Jarrett, Dave Grusin, Dory Cayammi, Milton Nascimento, Mongo Santamaria, Luiz Eca, Sergio Mendes, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Yutaka Yokokura, Music of Anguilla, Jamaica, Brazil, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa.
Pianist, composer, arranger, producer and NAACP Image Award Nominee, Onaje Allan Gumbs is one of the industry’s most respected and talented musical collaborators. He has worked for more than 30 years with an illustrious list of jazz,R&B and pop artists. In 1974, he created a special arrangement of “Stella By Starlight”for the New York Jazz Repertory Company as part of a concert honoring Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall. He followed that with performances on albums by such artists as Woody Shaw (Moontrane), Buster Williams (Pinnacle), Cecil McBee (Mutima) and Betty Carter (Betty Carter). In 1975, Onaje joined forces with trumpeter Nat Adderley and his quintet, contributing to the group’s releases on Atlantic and Steeplechase Records.
Nils Winter of Steeplechase, upon hearing Onaje’s solo improvisations, invited the young pianist to record a solo piano album entitled Onaje(1976). In 1978, the Woody Shaw Group, which Onaje contributed as pianist and as one of the composers, won the Down Beat Reader’s Poll for Jazz Group and for best jazz album, Rosewood. The album was later nominated for a Grammy. In 1985, Onaje lent his keyboard work and arrangement to "Lady in My Life" on guitarist Stanley Jordan’s enormously successful debut album, Magic Touch on Blue Note Records. This was the 1st jazz album in history to maintain the 1 spot atop Billboard Magazine’s jazz charts for more than 47 weeks.
In 1986 Onaje received the “Min-on Art Award” from the Soka Gakkai International"....in recognition of his great contribution to the promotion and development of a new musical movement for people with the aim of the creation of peace..." Previous recipients of this prestigious honor include Tina Turner, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Buster Williams. He received yet another award from the SGI while in Tokyo in 2005 along with Wayne Shorter, Buster Williams, Nestor Torres, Larry Coryell, Shunzo Ono and other professional members of the Arts Division of SGI.
Motivated by his goal for World Peace, he uses the practice of Nicherin Daishonin’s Buddhism as a philosophical, spiritual and technical approach to all of his projects. In addition to to the release of That Special Part of Me(1988), Dare to Dream(1991) and Return To Form(2003), he has an independently financed solo project for the 21st century, Remember Their Innocence(2005). Onaje has been featured twice on NPR Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland. He composed,arranged and performed the original score for a Showtime film directed by actor/producer, Danny Glover entitled “Override”(1994) and in 1997, he was conductor and arranger for vocalist Cassandra Wilson’s concert Travelin’ Miles, a tribute to Miles Davis. While on the subject of Miles, Onaje recently enjoyed the opportunity of playing some live engagements with trumpeter Wallace Roney who has the distinction of being the only jazz trumpeter personally mentored by Miles.
Onaje is also an integral part of ensembles, both recording and live headed up by the outstanding bassist and composer, Avery Sharpe, having so far recorded Dragonfly , Legends and Mentors and Autumn Moonlight.
The NAACP Image Award in the Outstanding Jazz category was for his independent project Remember Their Innocence. received in 2006.
His current project, Sack Full of Dreams(2007) features singer, actor, producer, director Obba Babatunde singing the title track. It was also picked my Jazz Improv Magazine as one of the best jazz recordings of 2007.
In 2008, Onaje received the "Virtuoso Award" from the Noel Pointer Foundation, named after the late, great jazz violinist, Noel Pointer. Onaje performed live and on two recordings in the late 70s as keyboardist with Noel's ensemble. It was during that same period that Onaje was also the pianist with the Woody Shaw Quintet.
Onaje states, “Music has a healing force that is immeasurable and I am committed to being a part of that healing process.”
PLUS I've got your joint "Everytime I See You" (sexy Roy Ayers vocal remake version of o.g. Woody Shaw instrumental) in my playlist... WHAT?!?!
Final note, I see you've got "Cantaloupe Island" kicking off your playlist - I just saw Herbie Hancock climb on stage at Catalina's to rock that with Marcus Miller during the bass man's 50th Birthday Party jam last Monday. As Johnny "Guitar" Watson would have said, "My goodness...TOO COLD!"
The MySpace Add is but a mere technicality, old friend. Our brotherhood was scribed across the celestial skies many moons ago in conversations about music, art, Sister Phyllis and our boy Roger Byam! Welcome to my little slice of MySpace...and know that you've been here since day one within my Liner Note Slide Show (check it out).
Onaje Allan Gumbs have a blessed week! Peace & Love
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