What's up:
1/23/12
The main focus this week is to get the word out about our upcoming Miami Sax Quartet concert in Gusman hall coming up on Monday January 30th 2012. Find out all about it at www.miamisaxquartet.com (link above). Discount advance purchase tickets available on our website as well. Tell your friends - we have new music for you along with some of our "classics" and will be featuring South Florida's premier rhythm section, Jim Gasior, Chuck Bergeron, and John Yarling as well as trumpet virtuso extraodiaire Brian Lynch.
Those of you who heard our set in Louisville, thank you for coming! And thanks to the JEN people as well as Conn-Selmer and Warburton Woodwind Productsfor makng it happen. Without them there would have been no show.
The second South Florida Jazz Orchestra recording isin the can, this one featuring some of the most amazing jazz trumpeters in the nation, Brian Lynch, Jason Carder, Wayne Bergeron, Augie Hass, Alex Norris, Greg Gisbert, and Cisco Dimas. LOOK OUT! The tracks sound awesome - can't wait for the final mix. This will be a great record. Also just completed the latest Jaco Pastorious Big Band record featuring Richard Bona and Peter Erskine. The main body of the album was recorded live in Japan, but we put on another track, the classic Come On Come Over (one of Jaco's favs), this one featuring Will Lee along with Peter E. They killed it, to say the least.
Want a first hand look at what we do here at Frost? Our Frost YouTube channel says it all! If you have not visited yet, please take a moment to check it out. Amazing music being made here!
More Links (or use the menu bar at the top of the page):
Miami Sax Quartet at the 2010 Rochester Jazz Festival
Two sold out sets at the Montage Club! Look for the MSQ at more festivals this year... Link to photos
Click here to get to Gary Keller's MySpace page for calendar, sound, and video clips.
You can now visit and subscribe to the Miami Sax Quartet YouTube channel
Featured videos:
Sweet Bread
Iberia Suite: Pamplona
Twinkle Variations
Seventh Sign
Both Gary Keller and the Miami Saxophone Quartet are Conn-Selmer endorsed artists. This means added support for clinics/concerts. Contact Gary Keller or visit www.connselmer.com for details.
To subscribe to the e-mail list of Gary Keller or the Miami Saxophone Quartet, click here and enter "subscribe" in the subject heading.
Villa Lobos Fantasia
Those of you who know me as a jazz saxophonist may be surprised to find me performing a "classical" concerto, but I enjoy the challenge from time to time. Recently I performed the original Villa Lobos Fantasia for Soprano Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra with the UM Frost Symphony (April 18th, 2009). This was in all likelihood the first orchestral performance of the piece exactly as written by Villa Lobos, in the original key (one step higher than the published version). Thanks to Dale Underwood for his research into this piece and for loaning me his copy of the original score and parts, and to Thom Sleeper and the Frost Symphony Orchestra for the opportunity to debut the original version with orchestra. For program notes and a review of the performance click here. To view the video click here.
The Miami Saxophone Quartet:
The Miami Sax Quartet's new CD Fourtified topped out at #14 on the jazz week charts, and was in the top 50 for its entire 8 week 2009 radio promotion. More at: www.miamisaxquartet.com
"The saxes are the drawing card here, and
they never fail to please, individually or
collectively... an album as persuasive as it is
stylish and engaging."
Fourtified features new arrangements and original compositions from Ed Calle (Dancing on a Cloud, Spunky) and Gary Lindsay (Dave Brubeck's It's a Raggy Waltz, Blue Rondo a la Turk, and Ron Miller's Seventh Sign). Also the Paquito De Rivera original, Wapango, and Gary Lindsay's Jazz Suite for Double Quartet, a joint work with the Bergonzi String Quartet. Also lending their talents to our latest effort are Chuck Bergeron, Jim Gasior, Richard Bravo, Dan Warner, Lee Levin, and Mike Harvey. Available for sale or download at our favorite retailer cdbaby, or as always, amazon, iTunes, or your favorite on-line music service.
Both Gary Keller and the Miami Saxophone Quartet are Conn-Selmer endorsed artists. This means added support for clinics/concerts. Contact Gary Keller for details.
"Infectiously joyful arrangements,
soulful improvisations, fine musical prowess, and four of the finest
saxophone players in the business--the Miami Saxophone Quartet."
Dave Martin - WUCF FM Orlando, F
The Miami Saxophone Quartet's third CD recording Midnight Rumba features the quartet joined by the inimitable Arturo Sandoval (trumpet/flugelhorn/piano) and singing sensation Jon Secada, who performs Ed Calle's arrangement of Jon's hit song "Angel." The all-star Latin percussion section of Lee Levin, Richard Bravo, and Luis Gonzales helps out on Calle's catchy songo "Rice and Beans." Gary Lindsay's arrangements of "A Night In Tunisia" and "Early Autumn" feature Arturo. and bassist Chuck Bergeron joins in on Dizzy Gillespie's "Con Alma." Also featured is Ed Calle's first original composition for the quartet, " The Iberia Suite," Gary Lindsay's soulful arrangement of James Taylor's "Benjamin," and Peter McGuiness' lush arrangement of "My Ship." Click here to BUY IT NOW. Complete info at www.miamisaxquartet.com.
All Miami Saxophone Quartet CD's are available on iTunes and most other digital distribution outlets. To purchase hard copies, please visit our favorite distributor, CDBaby. Gary Keller's recordings are available from the The Music Resource. Of course everything can also be purchased at Amazon.com.
Gary Keller plays Selmer saxophones, and custom mouthpieces by Francois Louis, Ralph Morgan, and John Thomas.