Guitarist/Composer Will Sellenraad Live at The 55 Bar - Monday, March 23 + Wednesday, April 29 In Celebration of Balance
CD Available Now at Beezwaxrecords.com and to be officially released on March 31, 2009
Sellenraad will be appearing with Abraham Burton (saxophones), Kiyoshi Kitagawa (bass) + Eric McPherson (drums)
The 55 Bar
55 Christopher St.
212-929-9883
55bar.com
“...you will definitely be hearing more from Will Sellenraad" - Kenny Barron
“sleek original themes..." - The New York Times
Hailed as a “hidden gem,” guitarist/composer Will Sellenraad has earned a fast growing reputation of being at the forefront of a new generation of jazz musicians. Known for his brilliant improvisations and his compelling, emotive compositions, this New York City native melds the various styles, phrasings and concepts of the jazz idiom with the raw elements of soul, rock and funk, to create a singular sound that is nothing short of inspiring.
More on Will Sellenraad:
The son of prominent New York artists, Johan and Ellen Sellenraad (who named their son after Willem de Kooning and Piet Mondrian), Sellenraad was destined towards music at an early age. Raised and immersed in the City's downtown art and music culture, Sellenraad was able to focus all his energies and talent toward the guitar. After being awarded numerous scholarships, Sellenraad graduated from the New School University Jazz Program, where he studied under many jazz giants including John Abercrombie, Garry Dial, Jim Hall and Reggie Workman.
In the mid-1990's, the guitarist landed the house gig at Visiones, one of New York's finest jazz clubs. Over several years of performances at the club Sellenraad developed a great musical kinship with fellow native New Yorker, drummer Eric McPherson and first-call bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa. This great musical rapport led to the 1998 recording of his critically acclaimed debut album, Streams, which features a special appearance by Blue Note recording artist James Hurt.
In 2002, Mr. Sellenraad recorded Star Hustler with his band Root Down, featuring Brian Charette on organ and Darren Beckett, of Ambulance Ltd., on drums. This album, which embraces the spirit of the great organ trios of the 1960s, creates compositions that legendary drummer Victor Lewis has hailed as “fresh… and taken with spontaneity.” Incorporating elements of soul jazz through to the Meters, Soulive and beyond, Star Hustler is truly music for all audiences.
A recipient of several grants from the New York State Council on the Arts, Sellenraad is a mainstay on the music scene in and around New York City, regularly appearing at storied jazz venues such as The 55 Bar, Smalls, The Blue Note, Birdland, the former Bradley's, The Iridium, the former Sweet Basil and many others. As a bandleader, he has also performed at the Panasonic Village and JVC Jazz Festivals in New York and the Discover Jazz Festival in Burlington, Vermont.
As a sideman Sellenraad has toured extensively, and has played with some of today's most influential jazz musicians, such as Brian Blade, Victor Lewis, Dwayne Burno, Ben Street, Tommy Campbell, Garry Dial, Ed Howard, Adam Nussbaum, Nasheet Waits, Donny McCaslin, Gary Versace, Steve Wilson, and others.
Beezwax Records: Since October of 1997, Beezwax Records has been quietly and slowly building a reputation for remarkable quality in jazz, brass, and blues: a level of quality that reflects both the quirky philosophy and extraordinary musical ear of label founder David Seyboldt, who imagined a record label that wouldn't let the quest for growth hamper the groove. To that end, Beezwax was born with a peculiar, built-in safeguard against that kind of success: each and every Beezwax CD is hand-assembled and hand- stamped with a serial number and the owner's name.
While this does allow Beezwax to maintain a very complete database of customers, it also serves a larger purpose: to remind both the label and the listener that the most important part of the equation is the music on the disc. Call it crazy or call it brilliant, the Beezwax Records approach ensures that everyone who is touched by the music knows they are listening to a work of art, made in the traditional manner, just as the label's slogan says; “One Of A Kind, One At A Time."
CD Available Now at Beezwaxrecords.com and to be officially released on March 31, 2009
Sellenraad will be appearing with Abraham Burton (saxophones), Kiyoshi Kitagawa (bass) + Eric McPherson (drums)
The 55 Bar
55 Christopher St.
212-929-9883
55bar.com
“...you will definitely be hearing more from Will Sellenraad" - Kenny Barron
“sleek original themes..." - The New York Times
Hailed as a “hidden gem,” guitarist/composer Will Sellenraad has earned a fast growing reputation of being at the forefront of a new generation of jazz musicians. Known for his brilliant improvisations and his compelling, emotive compositions, this New York City native melds the various styles, phrasings and concepts of the jazz idiom with the raw elements of soul, rock and funk, to create a singular sound that is nothing short of inspiring.
More on Will Sellenraad:
The son of prominent New York artists, Johan and Ellen Sellenraad (who named their son after Willem de Kooning and Piet Mondrian), Sellenraad was destined towards music at an early age. Raised and immersed in the City's downtown art and music culture, Sellenraad was able to focus all his energies and talent toward the guitar. After being awarded numerous scholarships, Sellenraad graduated from the New School University Jazz Program, where he studied under many jazz giants including John Abercrombie, Garry Dial, Jim Hall and Reggie Workman.
In the mid-1990's, the guitarist landed the house gig at Visiones, one of New York's finest jazz clubs. Over several years of performances at the club Sellenraad developed a great musical kinship with fellow native New Yorker, drummer Eric McPherson and first-call bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa. This great musical rapport led to the 1998 recording of his critically acclaimed debut album, Streams, which features a special appearance by Blue Note recording artist James Hurt.
In 2002, Mr. Sellenraad recorded Star Hustler with his band Root Down, featuring Brian Charette on organ and Darren Beckett, of Ambulance Ltd., on drums. This album, which embraces the spirit of the great organ trios of the 1960s, creates compositions that legendary drummer Victor Lewis has hailed as “fresh… and taken with spontaneity.” Incorporating elements of soul jazz through to the Meters, Soulive and beyond, Star Hustler is truly music for all audiences.
A recipient of several grants from the New York State Council on the Arts, Sellenraad is a mainstay on the music scene in and around New York City, regularly appearing at storied jazz venues such as The 55 Bar, Smalls, The Blue Note, Birdland, the former Bradley's, The Iridium, the former Sweet Basil and many others. As a bandleader, he has also performed at the Panasonic Village and JVC Jazz Festivals in New York and the Discover Jazz Festival in Burlington, Vermont.
As a sideman Sellenraad has toured extensively, and has played with some of today's most influential jazz musicians, such as Brian Blade, Victor Lewis, Dwayne Burno, Ben Street, Tommy Campbell, Garry Dial, Ed Howard, Adam Nussbaum, Nasheet Waits, Donny McCaslin, Gary Versace, Steve Wilson, and others.
Beezwax Records: Since October of 1997, Beezwax Records has been quietly and slowly building a reputation for remarkable quality in jazz, brass, and blues: a level of quality that reflects both the quirky philosophy and extraordinary musical ear of label founder David Seyboldt, who imagined a record label that wouldn't let the quest for growth hamper the groove. To that end, Beezwax was born with a peculiar, built-in safeguard against that kind of success: each and every Beezwax CD is hand-assembled and hand- stamped with a serial number and the owner's name.
While this does allow Beezwax to maintain a very complete database of customers, it also serves a larger purpose: to remind both the label and the listener that the most important part of the equation is the music on the disc. Call it crazy or call it brilliant, the Beezwax Records approach ensures that everyone who is touched by the music knows they are listening to a work of art, made in the traditional manner, just as the label's slogan says; “One Of A Kind, One At A Time."
For more information contact Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity.
