Stephens flashed serious talent early on. After attending Berklee College of Music in Boston on a full scholarship, he was selected by judges Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Terence Long for the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz at USC. He also got into Julliard, but chose to go west. While at the Monk Institute he studied and played with, among others, Shorter, Hancock, Dave Holland, John Scofield and Mark Turner.
And while Stephens is not yet as familiar to jazz fans as his two bandmates are, that condition may well soon be changing. Stephens recently recorded his first CD as a leader for CTA records. Featuring musicians including Scofield, Eigsti and Eric Harland, the CD will be released this spring. When that happens, Stephens' talents are sure to become much better known across the country.
Since graduating from the Monk Institute in 2003, Stephens has been splitting his time between his Bay Area home turf and the mettle testing, competitive New York scene. He's performed recently with innovative heavyweights including Carlos Santana, Kenny Barron, Oliver Lake and Josh Roseman. He's been active over the past few months performing with Eigsti, Lage, Peter Apfelbaum, Scott Amendola and a whole host of cutting-edge players both in the Bay Area and New York City.
Jazz at Pearl's is located at 256 Columbus Avenue (near Broadway) in San Francisco. Shows are at 8:00 and 10:00 pm, with doors opening at 7:30. For more information, visit www.jazzatpearls.com.
The Jazz at Pearl's/AAJ 2 for 1 Discount is in effect for both Wednesday night Dayne Stephens performances. Enter All About Jazz discount" in the Information field when ordering tickets online, or simply ask for the AAJ discount when buying tickets at the door. Everyone in your party will get half off the price of admission. Jazz at Pearl's is an all ages" venue.
For more information contact Rocket Words.