jazz
9:30 p.m
$10 donation
Bakriges, Pelletier, Sato Trio
about ChristopherBakriges, DennyPelletier, KazuSato Trio:
Christopher Bakriges, pianist and composer. A Detroit native, Bakriges has lead his own groups since the early 80s. His first ensemble in Detroit included the noted rhythm section of Tani Tabbal and Jaribu Shahid. He has performed internationally since 1990, including tours in India, Pakistan, Turkey, England, France, Canada, and the Czech Republic. In the early 90’s he was invited to become music director of “Jazzfest” on Northeast Public Radio after its station director heard his ensembl! e, Critical Theory, in concert with Bobby McFerrin and David Darling. Broadcast monthly from the WAMC-FM Studios in Albany, New York, “Jazz Fest” became the only live jazz radio program being aired at that time in the United States. Besides performing his compositions, Bakriges was able to accompany many acclaimed artists such as Kenny Burrell, Bernard Purdie, Lee Shaw, and Pat Metheny’s original rhythm section of Danny Gottleib and Mark Egan. Bakriges has been music director and pianist at the Mo’ Jazz Cafe, Vermont’s only jazz club, since the late 90’s. Besides his regular engagements with the trio, Bakriges has performed and recorded with the likes of saxophonist Salim Washington, Italian trumpeter Cicci Santucci and bassist Mauro Battisti, Swedish 9-string guitarist Jonny Johansson, Hungari! an jazz diva Agnes Zsigmondi, and India’s Jazz Manglam, featuring master percussionist Sivamani.
A published scholar, Bakriges earned his doctorate in ethnomusicology from York University in Toronto and regularly lecturers around the world. His background in world music as well as his own Greek cultural heritage lends a decidedly Mediterranean flavor to his work. His singular approach to composition and performance have been influenced from study with artists who embrace the entire scope of African American and jazz history, including Jaki Bayard, Nadi Qamar, Harold Danko, Billy Taylor, Frederick Simmons, and Anthony Braxton. Bakriges has also worked with Indian classical masters Pandit Sushil Mukherjee and Tanjore Vishwanathan as well as with Indonesian gamelan composer Sumarsam.
Denny Ray Pelletier, drums, developed strong roots in jazz early on, and his American Indian background and spiritually-centered approach to rhythm help to forge the trio’s musical identity. The son of a jazz trumpeter, Pelletier began performing as a drummer in many local social events, dances, and talent shows. He studied with Les Harris Sr., then head of percussion at Boston’s Berklee School of Music, which led to freelance opportunities on the Boston circuit. Years of experience have found Pelletier in a wide variety of musical situations, performing with J.J. Johnson, Ronnie Laws, Michael Omartian, and Anthony Cox. He also has backed Cleo Laine, Peggy Lee, Bonnie Raitt, and Linda Ronstadt with orchestras for musical theatre performances. Pelletier’s recording credits include dozens of radio and national albums, and several children’s television shows including “Zoom” and “Sesame Street.”
Kazu Sato, bass, has traversed the world performing in all musical genres. Born in Okayama, a southern city not far from Hiroshima, Sato studied both music and electrical engineering in college. His classical lessons soon yielded to jazz studies and performance opportunities while still residing in Japan. Sato had the opportunity to work with many prominent artists early in his musical development, including Papa Jo Jones, Jr. and Evelyn Blakey, the gifted son and daughter of the great legends of jazz drumming. Sato’s distinctive approach to the bass has been heard in a myriad of contexts, from Japanese popular music in Tokyo to New York’s creative downtown scene supporting artists like Raschied Bakr, Denis Charles, and Charles Gayle. Sato recently moved to western Massachusetts and has performed regularly with Christopher Bakriges and drummer Denny Ray Pelletier since the trio’s inception.