With his newest band Circlechant, Santi Debriano has created an original form of world music that ties together the many strains of music he has encountered throughout his diverse career. Consisting of a culturally diverse group of musicians - they hail from Brazil, Israel, Belize, Philadelphia, Cuba and Debriano's own Republic of Panama - Circlechant's music bridges the gap between jazz and other musical traditions from throughout the world. Grounded in New York jazz, they incorporate African beats, latin jazz, tango, experimental jazz and classical music. This eclecticism dovetails nicely with the training in ethnomusicology and World Music, which Santi Debriano received at Wesleyan University, while pursuing his Masters in music. An experimenter at heart, Santi Debriano has always enjoyed close proximity to master musicians from throughout the world. This type of interaction was the cultural norm for musicians at Wesleyan and has continued to be his normal milieu throughout his career. Over the years, Debriano has become accomplished on several instruments which, taken together, reflect the wide range of his musical interests. He plays the guitar, tenor bass steel drums, gimbre (from Morocco), and several percussion instruments including congas, bongos, and gongs. Yet Debriano is first and foremost a jazz bassist and composer, and jazz remains his musical and pedagogical home base, trying to contribute to the continuing evolution in jazz, through composition, experimentation, and by furthering the language of jazz bass playing."
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Influences
br>As a world-class bassist on the New York jazz scene, Santi Debriano has been recorded as a member of the Don Pullen Trio, Pharaoh Sanders Group, Sonny Fortune Group, Billy Hart Band, Louis Hayes Quintet, Larry Coryell Group and Archie Shepp Quartet among others. He has had longstanding affiliations with such diverse artists as Sam Rivers, Danilo Perez, Arthur Blythe, Chico Freeman, Oliver Lake, Kirk Lightsey, Jerry Gonzalez, Barry Altschul, and Kenny Barron. His recent concert appearances in a sideman role have included performances with Chucho Valdes, Hank Jones, Cecil Taylor, Randy Weston, Larry Coryell, Clark Terry and Freddie Hubbard.
Sounds Like
SANTI DEBRIANO'S RESUME AT- A GLANCE:
EDUCATION
B.A. Union College, Schenectady, N.Y. – 1976
Graduate Study- New England Conservatory, Boston Mass.- 1976- 1977
M.A.- Wesleyan University, Middletown Conn.- 1992
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Adjunct Professor- New School for Social Research (Jazz Dept.) 1993- 1995
Classes taught- Jazz Ensemble; Bass instruction; Composition
Adjunct Professor- William Paterson University (Jazz Dept.) 1995- 1997
Classes Taught- Jazz Ensemble; Bass instruction; Composition
Vermont Jazz Center- Summer 2000
Jazz Ensemble; Bass instruction; Composition; Performance
Berklee College of Music- 1990
Classes Taught- Master class- Bass Violin
Massachussetts Bass Society- 2002
Classes Taught- Master class- Bass Violin
New York University- 2001
Classes Taught- Master class- Bass Violin; Jazz Improvisation; Jazz History; Jazz Ensemble
New York University- 2002
Classes Taught- Experiments in World music; Integrating Latin Jazz with tap
Dwight Morrow High School- Englewood , N.J. – 1999
Classes Taught- Music Theory; Music Appreciation; Music History; Guitar; Bass; Steel Drums Ensemble; Jazz Ensemble (beginner; intermediate; advanced)
Warren St. School for the Visual and Performing Arts- Newark, N.J.- 2000- 2003
Classes Taught- Instrumental Music, K-8; General Music K-8; beginner’s improvisation class; Music and Dance Ensemble
Associate Professor- University of Massachussetts, Dartmouth. N. Dartmouth, MA. Sept. 2003- present
Classes taught- History of African American Music; Jazz Listener’s Guide; Jazz Theory and Improvisation; Creative Music Ensemble; Latin Jazz Ensemble; R and B Ensemble; individual lessons (string bass); Music Business Seminar.
EMPLOYMENT
Middle School For the Arts- Brooklyn. Sept. 2006- June 2007
University of Massachussetts, Dartmouth. N. Dartmouth, MA. Sept. 2003 – June 2006
Warren St. School for the Visual and Performing Arts- Newark, N.J.- 2000- 2003. Instrumental Music Teacher
Dwight Morrow High School- Englewood , N.J. – 1999. Instrumental Music Teacher
William Paterson University (Jazz Dept.) 1995- 1997. Adjunct Professor- ,Jazz Studies, Bass Violin
New School for Social Research (Jazz Dept.) 1993- 1995. Adjunct Professor- Jazz Studies, Bass Violin
HONORS
-Two time recipient of National Endowment for the Arts Performance Grant
-New York University Jazz Educator Award- 2001
-Newark Public Schools School Leadership Team 1 Best Practices Award Certificate of Merit- 2002
PERFORMANCE HISTORY
4 Years, member, Archie Shepp Quartet
2 Years, member, Sam Rivers Trio
5 Years, member, Sonny Fortune Quartet
3 Years, member, Roots (Chico Freeman, Arthur Blythe, Sam Rivers, Don Pullen)
3 years, ongoing member, David Murray groups
10 years, Leader, my own projects.
I’ve performed in China with Jon Jang; in Newark, with Amiri Baraka; in Russia, with Igor Butman; in Africa, with Chris MacGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath; I’ve jammed in Woodstock with Sonia Sanchez; in Europe with Aminata Moseke (Abbey Lincoln), Archie Shepp and Mal Waldron; in N.Y. with Elvin Jones; in Columbia with Jerry Gonzalez Fort Apache Band.
RECORDINGS AS LEADER
1. Artistic License (2001)
2. Circlechant – High Note Records (1998)
3. Panamaniacs- Freelance Records re- released by Evidence Records.(1996)
4. Threeology- Konnex Records. (1994)
5. Euphoria- (co- operative trio) Mapleshade Records, (1993)
6. Trio Plus Two- Freelance Records (1991)
7. Soldiers of Fortune- Freelance Records- re- released by Evidence Records (1989)
8. Obeah- Freelance Records (1987)
9. Spirit n’ Samba (co led duet with Paul Meyers)
SELECTED RECORDINGS AS SIDEMAN
With Roni Ben- Hur- Keepin it Open (Motema)
With Larry Coryell- Mingus, Miles, Monk and Me
With Louis Hayes- Louis At Large
With Danilo Perez- Danilo Perez (RCA)
With Billy Hart- Amethyst,
With Don Pullen- Sacred Common Ground (Blue Note)
With George Cables- Beyond Forever (Steeplechase
With David Murray- Creole Project
With Oliver Lake - Impala
With Sonny Fortune- In the Spirit of John Coltrane,
With Stanley Cowell- Back to the Beautiful- Concord Records
With Larry Willis- The Offering
With Freddie Hubbard- Temptation
With Kirk Lightsey-
With Baikida Carroll
With Archie Shepp- I Know About the Life, Soul Song, Tribute to Sidney Bechet,
With Grand Central (Anoine Roney, Ravi Coltrane)- Grand Central
My original compositions have been recorded by many established jazz artists, including:
Larry Coryell (Abra Cadabra, Patience), Louis Hayes ( Our Quiet Place, Patience), Kirk Lightsey (Nandi), Gato Barbieri (Suave), Bobby Battle (The Offering, Jazz Laughter), Marcus Belgrave, Arturo O’farril (Brava), Roots (Linden Blvd.), Billy Hart Band (El Junque ), Euphoria ( Linden Blvd. )
This is a music that is related to African music. African music came to this country then it went back to Africa and influenced musicians over there and now they are creating jazz.
Peace from France
YASKA GIFTED : Dear Circle Chant, i love your music very much.
________ PEACE AND LOVE TO ALL __________ PLEASE BE PATIENT FOR INBOXES AND COMS _I'M NOT OFTEN ON MYSPACE _TOP FRIENDS IS RULED BY FRED THE WEBMASTER___
!Born in Panama in 1955, Santi moved to New York at age four. His father, an Afro-Cuban pianist-composer, sparked Santi's early interest in music. By 9, he was studying classical bass in a New York City school for gifted children. In junior high school he switched to guitar, playing regularly with a jazz-rock group. At age 14 he heard his first live jazz, a Billy Taylor Trio school show. Santi was an instant convert: jazz was the music he wanted to play. At Union College he led the school's jazz workshop, playing both guitar and bass, and taking his first composition lessons. A year at the New England Conservatory brought Santi back to full time bass playing. An offer to tour with Archie Shepp cut short his studies; he played with Archie for the next four years. In 1981 Santi moved to Paris where he played with Sam Rivers and led his own groups. Most notable was one with Chico Freeman, Billy Hart and Kenny Werner. That group was also the first major group to feature his originals—the begining of an ever-deepening commitment to composing. Returning to the New York scene in 1985, Santi was soon playing and recording regularly with giants like Don Pullen, Pharoah Sanders, Louis Hayes and Arthur Blythe. Within a couple of years he was again leading his own groups, including an innovative double bass quintet and Euforia, a Brazilian-flavored trio playing his and Paul Meyer's compositions. Playing and touring actively in the early ’90s, Santi also started graduate studies at Wesleyan in ethnomusicology and world music. Out of these interests grew his current band, Circlechant, combining influences and musicians from Brazil, Israel, Belize, Cuba and Panama. At the same time, his academic career is flourishing: he is currently Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at UMass. Santi continues to compose prolifically and to play with greats of jazz like Hank Jones, Larry Coryell, Randy Weston, Freddie Hubbard and Cecil Taylor. Since his first record date in 1987, Santi has appeared on over 100 recordings, including eight as leader. His previous Mapleshade CDs are Jazznost with Walter Davis Jr., The Offering with David Murray and Euforia.
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Santi DeBriano-Circle Chant's Friend Space (Top 40)
