Lars Dietrich , a renowned alto saxophonist from Amsterdam, has many accolades in the jazz world including competition awards in Holland and for Down Beat Magazine. He has also performed with the likes of Herbie Hancock and Joe Lovano.
Samir Zarif is an extraordinary tenor saxophonist hailing originally from Houston, Texas. Samir made his debut as a jazz artist in New Orleans and moved to New York City shortly thereafter. Zarif's discography ranges from Jill Scott's "Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol.2" to his debut as a Fresh Sounds recording artist on his CD entitled "The Paislies."
John Escreet moved from London to New York in September 2006 and is already making waves in the jazz scene. In addition to being an active member of "The Story" he performs regularly with many of today's greatest jazz musicians, such as David Binney and Ari Hoenig, and has also worked with the likes of Wayne Krantz, Adam Rogers and Seamus Blake, whilst also leading and touring with his own group, 'The John Escreet Project.'
Zack Lober, a native of Montreal, is a distinguished bassist with many recordings and international perfromances under his belt. Zack has performed with many jazz greats including Donny McCaslin, Kenny Werner, Dave Binney, Ben Monder, and Dick Hyman.
Greg Ritchie is an exciting young drummer making waves in the New York music scene. He hails from the Canada's east coast and is busy performing and recording with a wide variety of groups throughout the globe. Greg has performed with many notable musicians including Dave Liebman, Seamus Blake, Vic Juris and Ingrid Jensen, to name just a few.
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"Music is not only a collection of sound/It is a collection thought/but not only is it a collection of thought/It is the story of our lives"
In the short time since its inception, The Story has already been highly acclaimed as one of the most exciting new groups originating from New York.
Each member of the band came to New York from different parts of the world seeking to further develop his own musical voice. Awarded with a prestigious grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, Greg arrived in New York in 2003 and quickly began making a solid reputation as a highly sought after sideman. After performing and recording as a regular band member of the illustrious Jill Scott Band and Jason Marsalis Group, Samir Zarif came to New York in search of a place where his highly personal and poignant voice was able to flourish. In 2005 both Lars Dietrich and Zack Lober were offered full scholarships to the prestigious and highly regarded Manhattan School of Music in addition, they were both awarded with multiple grants from their respective countries. John Escreet, a London native, was rewarded a Scholarship to study in New York after having been one of the most revered, sought after and rewarded pianist in the London Jazz circuit. The 5 musicians got together at an impromptu jam session in a Harlem apartment. The profound musical and personal connection was immediately formed. Soon after, they decided to form what has become the performing group The Story. With their unique approach to jazz music, many quickly regarded them as the fresh new ensemble to watch out for.
The Story is an acoustic/electric-performing collective based in Brooklyn consisting of an international ensemble of five unique and extraordinary musicians/composers from diverse cultural backgrounds: Lars Dietrich from Amsterdam, Holland, Samir Zarif from Houston, United States, John Escreet from London, United Kingdom, Zack Lober from Montreal, Canada, and Greg Ritchie from Saint John, Canada.
In addition to regularly performing in New York, The Story frequently tours throughout the US, Canada and Europe. Some of the performance highlights include: Townhall (New York), Upstairs (Montreal), Cachaca (New York), The Rex (Toronto), 55Bar (New York), JID (Holland), as well as clinics for: University of New Orleans (New Orleans), McGill University (Montreal), Humber College (Toronto). In addition to a busy performance schedule The Story has recorded for such international radio broadcasts as CBC Jazzbeat and VPRO Jazzradio, Jazz in Duketown
Hi guys! Impressive play on "The Story", the songs are sounding really amazing, cool compositions! Hopefully that you guys have more great stories to tell in the upcoming years!
Thank you for your Friendship!! I just noticed you can now purchase my
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♫Shairah♫ www.shairah.com
Hello, many thanks for sharing your music with me! Just honored for friendship! I appreciate yours works! Hope to hear from you soon. Have a nice day. VN
