Gordy Knudtson:
Percussion/Producer - While
teaching his Drumset Master Class at MUSIC
TECH, Minneapolis-based musician Gordy Knudtson was explaining
the "basic building blocks of drumming" to the students.
The lesson defined Gordy's approach to both his music and his
life. "Everyone wants to run before they can walk, " he
cautioned. "You must build from the ground up... learn the
move, master the technique, then apply your creativity to it."
Whether he's rocking with the Steve Miller Band, swinging behind
jazz organist Cap'n Jack MacDuff, cutting commercial music or album
tracks in the studio, or sharing his knowledge at high school and
college jazz festivals, Gordy is all about building on what's come
before. Beginning his professional career at age 17, he spent the
first 10 years doing every local Rock, Funk, Blues, Pop, Country,
Jazz, Big Band, Show, and Studio gig that came his way. Then, in
1981, he was called to tour with the late blues guitar legend Roy
Buchanan. From 1982-94 he backed jazz pianist/vocalist Ben Sidran,
touring clubs, concerts and jazz festivals throughout the United
States, Europe, and Japan.
(He also played on three of Ben's CD's Cool Paradise,
Too Hot to Touch and On the Live Side.) In 1987, Gordy joined The
Steve Miller Band. "It's a dream gig!" Gordy says, "Steve
is one of the greatest voices in Rock 'n Roll AND a wonderful guy
to work for! Thanks to his Greatest Hits CD, his good business
sense, and the simple fact that he truly loves performing, we've
toured every year since I joined the band and the crowds keep growing.
It's amazing! I'm a very lucky guy!" (Gordy performed on Steve's
Born 2B Blue, Wide River, and Box Set CDs.)
Over the years, Gordy's ability to adapt to different musical
settings quickly and easily has also allowed him the opportunity
to perform with Dave Brubeck, Ernie Watts, Geoff Keezer, Phil Woods,
Eddie Harris, Manfredo Fest, Kevin Mahogany, Diane Schuur, Keith
Jarrett, Bobby Shew, James Williams, Richie Cole, Peter Leitch,
Chuck Berry, and many others. As a studio musician, Gordy's worked
with record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Tommy LiPuma,
Ricky Peterson, and David Z, backing major label artists such as
Patty Austin, Leo Kottke, Sergio Mendes, Alexander O'Neal, Cheryl
Lynn, and Jevetta Steele. Gordy has also played on literally hundreds
of commercial music sessions (jingles, TV and radio station ID's,
industrial film scores, etc.) and many independent label CD's.
Because
of his diverse professional career, as well as his belief in sharing
knowledge through teaching, Gordy was chosen to create and head
the Percussion Department at MUSIC
TECH, a school for contemporary music and recording arts located
in downtown Minneapolis. Here he passes along a common sense curriculum
based on the philosophy that to succeed at, and sustain a career
in this business you must have the skills and versatility to successfully
meet the challenges of each opportunity that comes your way.
Whether
teaching a master class, clinic, or a private lesson-, playing
clubs, arenas, amphitheaters, stadiums, or recording studios; Gordy's
versatility and dedication to self improvement - his ability to "learn
the move, master the technique and apply it creatively" continues
to allow him to pursue, explore, and discover new things about
what he loves best: playing the drums, making good music, and helping
others to learn and grow.
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Gordy Johnson (upright bass) - As
a bass player, Gordon Johnson is a list-maker's dream. There are
the world tours with names like Maynard Ferguson, Gene Bertoncini,
Roy Buchanan, the Paul Winter Consort, CBS All Stars and Chuck
Mangione. There are the recordings as sideman, over 150 at last
count, from jazz (Jimmy Hamilton, Maynard Ferguson, etc.) to blues/R&B
(Buchanan, Doug Maynard) to bluegrass (Becky Schlegel) to folk
(Greg Brown, Arlo Guthrie). Network television appearances run
the gamut from the Merv Griffin Show to Soul Train. But more important
is the list of adjectives that undeniably apply to Johnson: fluid,
inventive, smart, tasteful, complimentary and complete, to name
just a few. With TRIOS Version 3.0, Gordon Johnson continues to
compile a list of outstanding accomplishments as bandleader.
Born
in 1952 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Gordy Johnson was quickly
immersed in the world of music. His father Clifford was in the
bass section of the Minnesota Orchestra for 47 years and his mother
Thelma taught piano. Gordy's main ax growing up was the flute,
however, he also played bass, keyboards and guitar, sang rock and
roll, you name it. A 1974 graduate of the prestigious Eastman School
of Music at the University of Rochester (New York), Gordy was a
Flute Major and member of the Eastman Wind Ensemble. Not that his
now-primary instrument was in storage during those years. Gordy
played bass in the Eastman Jazz Ensemble, Studio Orchestra and
Arrangers Workshop Orchestra. His well- rounded training in a variety
of instruments provides Gordy with the musical vocabulary and empathy
that defines the great jazz bassists.
Following his time at Eastman,
Johnson spent about a year breaking into the New York City music
scene, often playing with pianist and college classmate Phil Markowitz.
In 1975, Gordy hit the road for a three-year stint with the Maynard
Ferguson Orchestra, much of that time playing alongside drumming
great Peter Erskine. More world tours followed with top names like
Roy Buchanan, the Paul Winter Consort and Chuck Mangione. Throughout
this period, Gordy was also busy with studio recordings.
In 1989
Gordy moved back to the Twin Cities, where he has been one of the
most in- demand bass players in town ever since. He has performed
at top Twin Cities venues with scores of national artists, including
Joanne Brackeen, Herb Ellis, Rosemary Clooney, Scott Hamilton,
Michael Johnson, Jay McShann, Dewey Redman, Jim Rotondi, Diane
Schuur, Marlena Shaw, Stacey Kent and Toots Thielemans. Gordy's
services have been employed by most every notable Twin Cities-based
jazz artist, both on stage and in the studio. Those credits include
CDs by Connie Evingson, Bruce Henry, Pete Whitman's X-Tet, Shirley
Witherspoon and many, many others. It's not all jazz either, as
Gordy has recorded with artists from several genres in addition
to countless jingles, film scores and the like. Playing an average
of 250 gigs a year, Mr. Johnson keeps quite busy.
With his TRIOS
series, Gordon Johnson has distinguished himself as a bandleader.
The 1996 TRIOS release was followed by 2002's TRIOS V. 2, both
of which featured a variety of stellar pianists and drummers and
garnered critical acclaim. His new release, TRIOS Version 3.0 continues
the series with incredible players such as drummers Steve Gadd
and Joe Pulice and pianists Jon Weber and Matthew Fries. On the
list of exceptional bass players, Gordon Johnson has earned his
spot.
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Dave Jensen (trumpet) -is a member
of the Hornheads, a Billboard magazine award-winning a capella
jazz group. As a group, they have released two solo albums. As
a horn section, they have recorded hundreds of tracks for artists
in the U. S., Argentina, Denmark, Portugal and the UK From 1991
through 2001, the Hornheads recorded nine albums with Prince and
the New Power Generation and toured Europe, Japan, Australia and
the U. S. Before this, Dave spent three years touring with the
Artie Shaw Orchestra. Dave is a pit musician for musical shows
and theatrical productions at the Orpheum, Ordway and Guthrie theaters.
Dave has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra and is a faculty
member at Musictech College. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Boston's Berklee College of
Music.
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Gary Berg (Saxophone/chromatic jazz harmonica) As
a high school student in the 1950’s, Gary Berg discovered
the sweet, soulful sound of tenor sax player Stan Getz—and
he was hooked.
After graduation, he enrolled at the University Of Minnesota where
he majored in Latin, Greek, and Ancient History. His minor
was music—which Berg suggests, “soon became a better
reason to show up each day.” Also during this time Gary remarked, “I
needed to figure out where Stan Getz’s music came from.” It
wasn’t long before he discovered his new mentors—Charlie
Parker, Lester Young, and eventually Dave Karr, who became Berg’s
first and only teacher. Gary never graduated from the University—he
remains 3 English credits short of his degree. But like so
many great young artists, a new opportunity offered a more interesting
road to travel. . .a road he took.
In 1959, Berg and three of his University classmates traveled
to Notre Dame and entered the first Midwest Collegiate Jazz
Festival as a Quartet. They took 1st place in the small
group category. As part of their prize, they were also awarded
one week at the Blue Note in Chicago—opposite Sarah
Vaughn. There, another opportunity appeared. He auditioned
and joined the Jimmy Dorsey Band for a one year stint until returning
to Minnesota and hooking up for a brief time with Bobby Lyle at
the Blue Note Bar in Minneapolis.
By the summer of 1960 he was back with the Jimmy Dorsey Band which
had set up shop at The Flamingo in Las Vegas. “Duke
Ellington was playing next door at The Thunderbird,” Berg
recalled. “Sinatra was everywhere—he owned the
town. But we (the Dorsey Band) had the weirdest hours; I
worked from 9:00 pm to 5:00 am with these long hour and a half
breaks. And I had just picked up this ’49 Buick for
a hundred bucks so when I got off work, I’d race down to The
Golden Nugget to sit in with Vito Musso’s small band. He
was this old Italian sax player who would get tired by morning
so I would play the last couple sets for him.” For
five years, Gary would call Vegas home. “I had some really
interesting musical experiences, but it was a weird time too. For
one thing, I remember how sad and strange it was that musical legends
like the Duke (Ellington)—the cats who invented this music—and
his band had to come in the back door and walk through the kitchen
just to get to the stage.” It was, of course, the 60’s
and revolution was in the air. As fate would have it, Gary chose
this time to move to Los Angeles. “I got there just in time
for the riots,” he chuckled.
“Yeah, it was 1965. I was working in this all Black
club called the Night Life in South LA, and I was living
in Watts. I was the only white dude working that whole
area when all hell broke loose. Anyway, early that night
(the night they set fire to Watts), some of the rioters came in
to warn me that something big was going down and I better get my
white ass to the basement. So I did. But hey, those guys
knew me. . .respected what I was doing. . . I think they probably
saved my life.”
By 1970, Gary was forced to leave LA “in a hurry” and
joined an all black quartet called, The Moving Times. He toured
with them for a couple of years eventually ending up back in Minneapolis by
1972. “Things had really changed. It was all electronics
and mostly rock and roll. The clubs that played my music
had closed one by one. But I was lucky.” In need of
steady money, Berg started driving bus for the city but also hooked
up with Country-Club-Socialite, Jerry Mayeron and his big band. Mayeron’s
connections and pizzaz had given him access to the best big band
gigs in town—and more often than not, they were the only
gigs. “I got more work with that band then most of
the other guys playing our kind of music—the old club scene
seemed to just disappear.” During that time Gary also
became part of the stage band which played the Gopher Bandshell
at the Minnesota State Fair every year. “We backed
up those people who entered the talent show. I did that gig for
almost 20 years.”
In 1985, Gary teamed up with drummer Kenny Horst and company. Playing
at the original Artist’s Quarter on 5th and Jackson and the
old Triangle Bar in Minneapolis, the band quickly became the talk
of local jazz officiados.
Throughout the 90’s Gary left his mark playing and recording
with Rio Nido as well as Mary Anne O’Doghtery
and her band Mandala.
Gary Berg continues to entertain Twin City audiences
with his tenor sax (and sometimes jazz chromatic harmonica), notably
with his annual tribute to Stan Getz. His contributions these past
twenty years to local recordings are legendary. They include
recent turns with Carole Martin (Pieces of Dreams), George
Avaloz (The Highest Mountain) and The Buffalo (Nobody
Moves, Nobody Gets Hurt). Currently, Gary is a regular
cohort of organ giant Billy Holloman on Tuesday Organ Nights at
the Artist Quarter in downtown St. Paul. Noted Jonathan
Francis in the MAC Weekly, "Gary Berg's solos are
masterpieces of wit and charm, bop-driven and infused with soul."
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