Jazz Saxophonist and Composer Oliver Lake Makes Music Filled With Soul https://t.co/LW4tJLwxwy

— The Jazz News (@TheJazzNews) July 11, 2016

The Oliver Lake Organ Quartet

The Oliver Lake Organ Quartet at the Blue Note

Monday June 22, 2015

8:00 & 10:30 PM Sets

The Blue Note, 131 West 3rd St. - New York, NY 10012

Oliver Lake - alto sax 
Freddie Hendrix -trumpet
Jared Gold - Organ    
Chris Beck-drums

Oliver Lake:"It's all about choices," states modern Renaissance Man Oliver Lake to explain his expansive artistic vision. An accomplished poet, painter and performance artist, Lake has published a book of poetry entitled Life Dance, has exhibited and sold a number of his unique painted-sticks at the Montclair Art Museum, and has toured the country with his one-man performance piece, Matador of 1st and 1st. But it's his extraordinary talents as composer, saxophonist, flautist and bandleader that have brought him world-renown. Although his greatest reputation exists in the world of jazz, Lake's amazingly eclectic musical approach is best expressed by his popular poem SEPARATION: put all my food on the same plate!


Whether composing major commissioned works for the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra and theBrooklyn Philharmonic; creating chamber pieces for the Arditti and Flux String Quartets, the Amherst Sax Quartet and the San Francisco Contemporary Players; arranging for pop diva Bjork, rocker Lou Reed and rap group A Tribe Called Quest; collaborating with poets Amiri Baraka and Ntozake Shange, choreographers Ron Brown and Marlies Yearby, Native American vocalist Mary Redhouse, Korean kumongo player Jin Hi Kim, and Chinese bamboo flute player Shuni Tsou; doing unique performances with MacArthur Award recipients, actress/author Anna Devere Smith and writer/law professor/political commentator Patricia Williams; sharing thestage with hip-hop artist Mos Def and pop star Me'shell Ndegeocello; or leading his own Steel Quartet, Big Band and cooperative ensembles the World Saxophone Quartet and Trio 3; Oliver views it all as parts of the same whole. dixieland, be-bop, soul, rhythm & blues, cool school, swing, avant-garde jazz, free jazz, rock, jazz rock

OLIVER LAKE ....

AACM NEW YORK CONCERT

Friday, November 7, 2014

OLIVER LAKE

Performer's Bio:

Whether painting or composing major commissioned works for the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra the Brooklyn Philharmonic; creating chamber pieces for the Arditti and Flux String Quartets, the World Sax Quartet, the San Francisco Contemporary Players, arranging for pop diva Bjork, rocker Lou Reed and rap group A Tribe Called Quest, collaborating with poets Ntozake Shange or Chinese poet Huang Xiang: choreographers Ron Brown and Marlies Yearby, Native American vocalist Mary Redhouse, Korean kumongo player Jin Hi Kim,  Chinese bamboo flautist Shuni Tsou; doing unique performances with MacArthur Award recipients, actress/author Anna Devere Smith and writer/law professor/political commentator Patricia Williams; sharing the stage with hip-hop artist Mos Def and pop star Me'shell Ndegeocello; or leading his own Organ Quartet, Steel Quartet, Big Band and cooperative ensembles the World Saxophone Quartet and Trio 3; renaissance man Oliver Lake views it all as parts of the same whole.  Lake attributes much of his diverse array of musical styles and disciplines to his experience with the Black Artists Group (BAG), the legendary multi-disciplined and innovative St. Louis collective he co-founded with poets Ajule  Rutlin, and musicians Julius Hemphill and Floyd La Flore over 35 years ago. www.oliverlake.net.

Oliver Lake:"It's all about choices,"

Sat Feb 12th 2011 - OLIVER LAKE ORGAN QUARTET

@ Cecil's Jazz Club W.Orange NJ

Oliver Lake - Alto Saxophone
Jared Gold - B3 Organ
Freddie Hendrix - Trumpet
Bill McClellan - Drums

9:00 PM, Cecil's Jazz Club, 364 Valley Rd., West Orange, NJ
http://www.cecilsjazzclub.com/

Sat Feb 19th 2011 - OLIVER LAKE ORGAN QUARTET

@ Roulette New York

Oliver Lake - Alto Saxophone
Jared Gold - B3 Organ
Freddie Hendrix - Trumpet
Mclenty Hunter - Drums

8:30 PM
Roulette
20 Greene St.
New York, NY
http://www.roulette.org/

http://www.oliverlake.net/
Oliver Lake:"It's all about choices," states modern Renaissance Man Oliver Lake to explain his expansive artistic vision. An accomplished poet, painter and performance artist, Lake has published a book of poetry entitled Life Dance, has exhibited and sold a number of his unique painted-sticks at the Montclair Art Museum, and has toured the country with his one-man performance piece, Matador of 1st and 1st. But it's his extraordinary talents as composer, saxophonist, flautist and bandleader that have brought him world-renown. Although his greatest reputation exists in the world of jazz, Lake's amazingly eclectic musical approach is best expressed by his popular poem SEPARATION: put all my food on the same plate!

Whether composing major commissioned works for the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra and theBrooklyn Philharmonic; creating chamber pieces for the Arditti and FluxString Quartets, the Amherst Sax Quartet and the San Francisco Contemporary Players; arranging for pop diva Bjork, rocker Lou Reed and rap group A Tribe Called Quest; collaborating with poets Amiri Baraka and Ntozake Shange, choreographers Ron Brown and Marlies Yearby, Native American vocalist Mary Redhouse, Korean kumongo player Jin Hi Kim, and Chinese bamboo flute player Shuni Tsou; doing unique performances with MacArthur Award recipients, actress/author Anna Devere Smith and writer/law professor/political commentator Patricia Williams; sharing thestage with hip-hop artist Mos Def and pop star Me'shell Ndegeocello; or leading his own Steel Quartet, Big Band and cooperative ensembles the World Saxophone Quartet and Trio 3; Oliver views it all as parts of the same whole. dixieland, be-bop, soul,rhythm & blues, cool school, swing, avant-garde jazz, free jazz, rock, jazz rock.

From: Jazz Promo Services
Press Contact: Jim Eigo, jazzpromo@earthlink.net 
http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/

Oliver Lake:"It's all about choices"....

Oliver Lake:"It's all about choices," states modern Renaissance Man Oliver Lake to explain his expansive artistic vision. An accomplished poet, painter and performance artist, Lake has published a book of poetry entitled Life Dance, has exhibited and sold a number of his unique painted-sticks at the Montclair Art Museum, and has toured the country with his one-man performance piece, Matador of 1st and 1st. But it's his extraordinary talents as composer, saxophonist, flautist and bandleader that have brought him world-renown. Although his greatest reputation exists in the world of jazz, Lake's amazingly eclectic musical approach is best expressed by his popular poem SEPARATION: put all my food on the same plate!

Whether composing major commissioned works for the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra and theBrooklyn Philharmonic; creating chamber pieces for the Arditti and Flux String Quartets, the Amherst Sax Quartet and the San Francisco Contemporary Players; arranging for pop diva Bjork, rocker Lou Reed and rap group A Tribe Called Quest; collaborating with poets Amiri Baraka and Ntozake Shange, choreographers Ron Brown and Marlies Yearby, Native American vocalist Mary Redhouse, Korean kumongo player Jin Hi Kim, and Chinese bamboo flute player Shuni Tsou; doing unique performances with MacArthur Award recipients, actress/author Anna Devere Smith and writer/law professor/political commentator Patricia Williams; sharing thestage with hip-hop artist Mos Def and pop star Me'shell Ndegeocello; or leading his own Steel Quartet, Big Band and cooperative ensembles the World Saxophone Quartet and Trio 3; Oliver views it all as parts of the same whole. dixieland, be-bop, soul, rhythm & blues, cool school, swing, avant-garde jazz, free jazz, rock, jazz rock.

Extremely few artists could embrace such a diverse array of musical styles and disciplines. Lake is not only able to thrive in all of these environments, but does so without distorting or diluting his own remarkable artistic identity. Part of this is due to his experience with the Black Artists Group (BAG), the legendary multi-disciplined and innovative St. Louis collective he co-founded with poets Ajule and Malinke, and musicians Julius Hemphill and Floyd La Flore over 35 years ago. But in reality, Oliver's varied artistic interests go back even further than that.

Born in Marianna, Arkansas in 1942, Oliver moved to St. Louis at the age of two. He began drawing at the age of thirteen (and paints daily, using oil, acrylics, wood, canvas, and mixed media), and soon after began playing cymbals and bass drum in various drum and bugle corps. At 17, he began to take a serious interest in jazz. Like many other members of BAG and its Chicago-based sister organization, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), Lake moved to New Yorkin the mid-'70s, working the fertile ground of the downtown loft scene and quicklyestablishing himself as one of its most adventurous and multi-faceted artists.

A co-founder of the internationally acclaimed World Saxophone Quartet with Hemphill, Hamiet Bluiett and David Murray in 1977 (and recently celebrating its 30th anniversary with an album of Jimi Hendrix pieces for Justin Time Records), Oliver continued to work with the WSQ and his own various groups - including the groundbreaking roots/reggae ensemble Jump Up - and collaborating with many notable choreographers, poets and a veritable Who's Who of the progressive jazz scene of the late 20th century, performing all over the U.S. as well as in Europe, Japan, the Middle East, Africa and Australia.

While he has continued to tour regularly with his own groups, collaborations and guest appearances - in the last three months of 2003, he performed in Europe, Japan andvarious U.S. cities - Oliver recognized the changing trends and new challenges facing creative artists, especially those working in the jazz tradition. Always a strong proponent of artist self-empowerment and independence, in 1988 Lake founded Passin' Thru, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit, dedicated to fostering, promoting and advancing the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of jazz, new music and other disciplines in relation to music.

Under his artistic direction, Passin' Thru has commissioned new works, sponsored performances by emerging artists, documented works by prominent artists, and has established on-going educational activities not only in its home base of New Jersey and New York, but also in Florida, Minnesota, Arizona and Pennsylvania, along with occasional activities in other locales all over the U.S.

The organization also operates Passin' Thru Records, which has recently issued its 12th recording (Dat Love by the Oliver Lake Steel Quartet). In addition to Oliver's albums, ranging from solo to big band, Passin Thru has also issued recordings by the late, legendary multi-reed master Makanda Ken McIntyre, piano great John Hicks and the first recording by Lake's mentor, St. Louis tenor sax giant Freddie Washington. A 13th album by renowned trombonist Craig Harris is scheduled for release in the spring of 2004.

Program
22 May 2010 21:00
New CD Release Party - Oliver Lake’s "Plan" New York, New York , US
5 Jun 2010 21:00
Sista’s Place Brooklyn, US
13 Jun 2010 20:00
Inspiraling: Telematic Jazz Explorations @ Roulette NYC New York, New York , US
19 Jun 2010 15:45
West Oak Lane Jazz and Arts Festival Philadelphia, Pennsylvan, US

StLJN - Live performances from Oliver Lake and Russell Gunn

Two former St. Louisans from different generations, saxophonist Oliver Lake and trumpeter Russell Gunn, will share a stage here next week as Jazz at the Bistro hosts four nights of Lake's Organ Trio with Gunn as special guest. (Jazz St. Louis is offering a special two-for-the-price-of-one deal on tickets for the Lake/Gunn extravaganza; see this post for details.)

Both men have been the subject of previous video posts here - Lake most recently in September, when he performed with Trio 3 at Luna Bar under the auspices of the Nu-Art Series, and Gunn back in June 2008 - and I had hoped this time out to be able to share some clips of Lake's Organ Trio, but alas, there seem to be none to be found online, with or without Gunn.

Instead, we've got a couple of clips each from both Lake and Gunn, all previously unseen here. First up is an excerpt in two parts from a performance by Lake's trio at Jazzfestival Saalfelden 2009 in Germany. According to the notes on the video, this was the first time in 25 years that Lake, guitarist Michael Gregory and drummer Pheeroan akLaff had played together. In this segment, Lake solos briefly, yields the floor to AkLaff for a while, then returns to instigate some three-way interaction.
Down below, we go back in time with a much older clip of Lake performing with the World Saxophone Quartet, probably from 1986 or 1987. It's the original lineup of the WSQ, playing their superb arrangement of "Lush Life," which was recorded for the 1986 album World Saxophone Quartet Plays The Music of Duke Ellington. The clip hasn't gotten many views on YouTube, perhaps because it's not labeled with the song title, let alone the performance date or location, but it's a choice version of the tune, and, from what I can tell, the only WSQ performance of it available on video.

Below that, we're back in the present day with a clip of Gunn, who now lives in Atlanta, fronting a funkified, guitar-drive trio at the Half Note Jazz Club in Athens, GA. The view is shaky and often obscured by audience members walking in front of the camera, but the sound is good, and the clip serves as a representative example of Gunn's approach to electric music.

To close out today's set, there's a video of Gunn jamming some straight-up bebop with drummer Chris Burroughs' Collective at a gig in Atlanta. This version of Charlie Parker's "Au Privave" begins with a trumpet solo by Gunn, followed by a trumpet solo by Dashill Smith, a piano solo by Kenny Banks, and ends with Gunn and Burroughs trading off some two and fours. Craig Shaw rounds out the group on bass.



The Chris Burroughs Collective performs "Au Privave." The video clip begins with a trumpet solo by Russell Gunn, followed by a trumpet solo by Dashill Smith, a piano solo, and ends with Russell Gunn and Chris Burroughs trading solos.
Russell Gunn - Trumpet
Dashill Smith - Trumpet
Kenny Banks - Piano
Craig Shaw - Bass
Chris Burroughs - Drums