As a follow-up to his first release, Quartet No. 1, Kennedy releases his second album, Idle Afternoon, which will be debuted at the CD Release Party scheduled at Chris Jazz Caf, 1421 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA on Friday, November 3, 2006, 8:00 and 10:00 (details). The album features Kennedy on guitar, Mike Frank on piano, Paul Gehman on bass, and Dan Monaghan on drums. With a sound based in the bebop tradition, yet with a definite modern presence, Kennedy's new CD is a collection of eight poignant and innovative compositions and the group furnishes a poetic and organic interpretation of the tunes.
About Mike Kennedy
Mike Kennedy began playing guitar at the age of eight. By the 7th grade, Mike was working within a group dynamic in both bands and ensembles, playing guitar and bass, and also began exploring composition. Mike's first exposure to Jazz occurred when he heard Johnny Smith's Moonlight in Vermont. He was captivated by the introspective and complex sound which challenged his own musical development. It was not until high school that Mike took a few jazz lessons and, upon hearing Joe Pass on Virtuoso #2, Mike knew that he had found his medium in jazz guitar.
Mike's formal education in jazz guitar was completed at the University of the Arts, College of Performing Arts, in Philadelphia where he received both his Bachelors Degree in Jazz Guitar and his Masters Degree in Jazz Studies. With the ethic that a firm musical foundation expands his ability to absorb, contemplate and create, Mike studied with, among others, Jimmy Bruno, Larry McKenna, Bob DiNardo, Joe Federico, and Allan Slutsky.
Mike has been teaching guitar for over 17 years. He currently teaches jazz guitar, performance, composition, and ensembles, and has recently began teaching a class on computer based programs designed for music. Mike also writes compositions and plays, both locally in Philadelphia, PA and in the surrounding tri-state region. Over the past few years, Mike has had the opportunity to perform with such renowned Philadelphia jazz musicians as Larry McKenna and John Swana and has also has performed with commercially known international pop artists such as Lou Rawls, Michael Feinstein, Bernadette Peters, and Elton John. Throughout his education and career, Mike has performed and created compositions in various musical genres from jazz to rock and R&B, but over the past decade, he has focused almost exclusively on jazz. Mike identified with the rhythmic complexity of jazz music, the wit and perception of improvisation and the dichotomy between the spontaneity of the individual and the communication within a group.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
