Jazz Player Series

This series, I painted "Jazz Player" whom I know well in Dallas, Texas.
They are not only very good jazz players but also very nice people.
I always enjoy their music a lot. And I am very happy to listen to them.
This is one of my pleasant time to meet and listen to them. How wonderful people they are.

"Deep Inspiration", "Meditation" and "A Distant Star"; Shelly Carrol
Sometimes his saxophone speak to me very powerfully and vividly, sometimes very softly, then sadly. His saxophone is alive. Becuase he infuse the life to his saxophone. He is our nice friend and nice guy gives us nice time, nice jazz.


"Elegant Fingerworks" and "Into A Merry World"; Jonathan Fishure
He plays his music with big humanity. Sometimes very pleasantly, happily and softly. Also sometimes his base sobs with grief realistically. "Elegant Fingering" must be the right word for his play. Good frined of us.


"Tribute from the Starlight" & "Gentle Intensity" ; Andrew Griffith
A prodigy of imagination. A wizard at making sounds of druming. Andrew's stick works, brush works and so on make very diversification of rhythm and sounds. Bright star in the nebula, gentle but full of passion guy, nice man Andrew.


"Lady May" ; Tatiana Mayfield
She is one of the best vocalist not only around North Texas, but also nation wide. Soulfull, sweet, dynamic and more and more.She sing from standard jazz to her original music.
And recently when she released her new CD, "A Portrait of Lady May", she used me painting not only on her new CD but also inner cover, too. About actual her new CD, please see below.

"Sweet And Lovely" ; David Zoller
Dave Zoller is the great piano player around here. His music has many of variation. Sometimes like child, sometimes urban-like. Sometimes very "sweetly and lovely", sometimes like Thelonious Monk. (^0^) Nice guy Dave.


"Ador" ; Lynn Seaton
Of course all of musicians in this website are great great musicians, and very friendly and swet guys. But he is one of the best bass player and a professor of North Texas University. When he played in NY city, he played numerous number of very famous musician. Why?? If you listen to his music, answer will be inside of it.


"Spiritual Focus", "Buddy and Soul" and "Deep Emotion"; Buddy Mohmed
(I took his first name "Buddy" for one of his painting "Buddy and Soul" instead of "Body and Soul".)
Incredible concentrations from jazz men give us great impressions and excitements. His extraordinary concentration and passion for music draw us into another world. So that we must be impressed with thier touching play.


"Blue Monk" ; Thelonious Monk
I painted this for CD cover in 2015. This is double CDs from music by Thelonious Monk by one of the great jazz pianist, composer and arranger, also nice guy David Zoller and Woody Berner who was used to be a drums player of famous big band "One O'Clock Lab Band" of UNT(University of North Texas).
Especially Dave loves Thelonious music a lot. And I believe this CDs must be one of the best CDs of Thelonious music. Many people may say "No, no, no. The best one of Thelonious is with John Coltrain". But if you say so, you should listen to this CDs.
There are mainly two reasons why I say this is the best CDs from Thelonious music. One reason is musicians. The are just great. Another is Dave's great arrangement of all of all Thelonious musics in this double CDs. If you miss this chance you may regret it.
This CD will be available from late 2017.


"Blessing"; Ardina Lockhart
Sometimes she sing a song very softly, then very forcefully next. Sometimes she wisper to us, then appeal next. Ardina is gifted with great voice and feeling.
If you meet her someday, you will be a captive of her song.


"Inner Thoughts" and "Love Song"; Arlington Jones
He is quite nice guy and nice piano player, too. He plays from very beautiful standard love song to contemporary jazz. He plays his music with big love and passion together. Sometimes very peacefully and pleasantly, then sometimes passionately. He is one of very busy piano player in North Texas. So that he travels a lot not only nation wide but also almost once a month to South Africa.
Very busy, nice and friendly guy, Arlington Jones.


"Mysterious Serious" ; Stefan Karlsson
He is not only great player, composer and arranger but also great man. He is a member of Eddie Gomez Trio almost for 14 years. And he visited to Japan with Eddie more than 20 times.
He is gentle and quiet guy when he doesn't play piano. But when he play jazz, he became a magician of piano. His music is a kind of impressionism painter like Renoir, Monet or Van Goh. His touch of piano is sometimes very gentle, sometimes very bold and sometimes very sensitive.
Also he is a professor of North Texas University which is very known worldwide through "One O'Clock Lab Band". Good guy, good musician and good friend of us.


"In the Blue Illusion" ; Jonathan Fishure
Very few moment, there was a blue light coming through the curtain from their back side. Suddenly all scene had been turned to blue-green. Was it illusion like their music??


"Full of Heart"; Sandra Kaye
"Full of heart" is a word for her style, intensity and serious dedication. From high to low notes with poise, she appeal to our heart.
She is not only one of the best jazz singer around North Texas, but also travels often to Asia tour such Japan or China. On the other hand, she is a vocalist of Curtis Bradshaw Big Band.
If you like Dinah Washington, there is a reminiscence of Dinah Washington in her way of singing.. She is such a vocal jazz triumph.


"Chrisword"; Christopher McGuire
He plays saxophone, flute and clarinet. (Sometimes he plays trumpet, too. But he said it was kind of joke although it was good enough.) Also he plays from Dixieland style jazz and modern jazz. So that I named this painting "Chrisword" for "Crossword((puzzle)" because of complexity of his play. Chris is quite nice guy and good father, too.


"Ardent Love" & "Freedom Finger Dance"; Scott Bucklin
Scott is a fingering magician. Too many new sounds coming out from his fingers. He've been never cramped in his fingers? (Joke) But he is very fantastic magician of piano.
I can lieten to "great love song" from his piano all the time. This is his magic??


"Transient Relief" ; Shelly Carrol
After his ad-lib solo, he had a few moment that he was reliefed from high tension. Momentary relaxation of his mind. Fleeting happiness.


"With Whole Heart" and "Odyssey"; Bernard Wright
He plays music with whole heart always. He play not only jazz but also soul music. So that he plays not only good piano player but also great synthesizer player, too. He used to play jazz with Miles Davis in NY. I can feel big love and passion like lyric poem through his piano play.


"Jazz, My Romance"; Brian Piper
What a marvelous pianist, Brian is. There is no pause in his playing piano. Great and beautiful music coming out one after another fluently from his piano.
Brian?fs first love in music has always been jazz of all kinds. But I sometimes remember Oscar Peterson when I'm in his music. We are in awe of the sound this man can coax from his piano. Brilliant pianist Briapn Piper.


"Storyteller of Love"; Rosana Eckert
Elegance. It is just the word for her.
Listen her. You will simply agree it. I can sit and listen to Rosana Eckert all morning through evening.
When she sings with her beautiful and gentle voice, makes me comfortable. She gives us very pleasant time always.
Rosana always enchants audiences with her musical sincerity, exciting rhythms, and dynamic spontaneity.


"Straight, No Chaser"; Freddie Jones
Playing music with Freddie is always a transcendent experience.
Crisp and clear sounds of his trumpet. Like very good strainght Scotch whiskey with no chaser. Makes me happy.
He never fails to pull in the audience and deliver an exciting performance.


"Intermission of Mind" ; Quamon Fowler Great sax player, great composer and arranger. "Let's Roll" and "Funk Storm"; Kieth Anderson
He plays the preceding band of Tower of Power and Marcus Miller. So that, he plays music not only nation wide but also world wide. He plays from soul music to jazz. Funky and nice saxophone player.


"Hearing the Muse" ; Brad Leali
He is a master of Alto Sax. When he played in Count Basie Band in 1999, this band has won a Grammy award for their CD, "Count Play?fs Duke." On this recording, Brad was also nominated for a Grammy for his solo work on the classic Billy Strayhorn composition, "The Star-Crossed Lover's."
Brad also has performed with such stellar musicians as Freddie Hubbard, Clark Terry, Jimmy Cobb, Nancy Wilson, The Mingus Big Band, Billy Joel, among others.
Great Alto Sax player Brad Leali.


"Thumbs Up" ; John Adams
When we heard his name first time, we smiled at each other. Because his name is same as the second president "John Adams". (Sorry John.)
He usually uses an acoustic base when he plays jazz, and uses electric base when he plays pop-jazz. He is a wide range of base player.
When his band plays jazz at a church for his new CD "Thumbs Up" release party, I've gotten finally his cue for his painting. This is "Thumbs Up".


"Gloria's Eyes" ; Merchel Ivery He was great jazz musician. He was great human beeing. He was a kind of father of North Texas Jazz Sean for long time after he came back from NY. He hated drugs. He eleminated drugs from Dallas Jazz sean. Everybody loved him. But just after he played in Dallas with Wynton Marsaris in October 2008, he died by desies suddenly. It was great loss of Dallas Jazz history.
This is only one "Jazz Players Series Painting" which Junko doesn't know him very well.


"The Beat Goes On" ; Mike Drake
His drum playing is very sharply. His wide range of performances are applauded by many jazz fan.
He plays from combo jazz to big band jazz, also from standard jazz through pop jazz by his versatile performance.
His crisp and clear drums give us a pleasant time. Mike Drake.