Submitted
JOHN FUNKHOUSER TRIO
Saturday, Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m. — BRANDON — John Funkhouser returns to Brandon Music with his trio, playing an energetic, accessible blend of modern jazz, funk, blues, 20th century classical, Indian classical, and European and American folk music. Although the band consists of the standard jazz trio instrumentation of piano, bass and drums, the sound of the band is anything but standard. In fact, the group’s blend creates a funky, groove-oriented, fresh and original sound that stretches the limits of traditional jazz. The Trio performs at Brandon Music on Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
A native of the Boston area, John Funkhouser earned degrees at Cornell University and the New England Conservatory. Besides leading his Trio, he is in demand as a pianist and bassist, having shared the stage with such luminaries as Grammy winners Joe Lovano, Steve Gadd, Abe Laboriel Sr., Mark Walker, and Max Weinberg, Grammy nominees Luciana Souza and Tierney Sutton, renowned pianist Geri Allen, South Indian percussion master Trichy Sankaran, piano savant Matt Savage, and Mark Harvey’s Aardvark Jazz Orchestra. He has appeared on Lifetime Television, ABC’s “20/20,” NBC’s “Today Show,” and NPR, and is currently an Associate Professor teaching piano, bass, ear training, and ensembles at Berklee.
Greg Loughman earned a Bachelor of Music in jazz studies at Capital University, where he studied electric and upright bass with Doug Richeson (bassist for a number of years with Tony Bennett), Jeff Ciampa, and Lou Fisher. Following graduation, he quickly rose to a prominent position as one of the top freelance jazz bassists in the Midwest. He has performed with musicians including Curtis Fuller, JoAnne Brackeen, Mark Murphy, Judi Silvano, Kenwood Dennard, Greg Abate, Ray Santisi, Mark Greel, Al Vega, Grammy-nominated pianist Phillip Aaberg, guitarist Mimi Fox, Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Carlos Malta, Patti Page, actor/singer James Naughton, and the Jimmy Dorsey Big Band, among many others.
Mike Connors studied jazz drumming at Berklee with jazz greats Joe Hunt and Alan Dawson. He has toured internationally with the avant-pop group Combustible Edison, the 1999 Lillith Fair, Lisa Loeb, The Andre Rice Sextet and several national Broadway tours including, Bye Bye Birdie and Anything Goes (the Lincoln Center version). Mike has also performed for/on television shows such as “Dateline NBC,” “Regis and Katie Lee,” “Felicity” and commercials for Cinemax, PBS, Microsoft, NPR and more. He has played on soundtracks for the films “Inspector Gadget,” “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” “Gas Food Lodging,” and “Four Rooms.” He is on the faculty of Clark University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and the Rivers School.
Concert tickets are $20. A pre-concert dinner is also available for $20. Reservations are recommended for the show and required for dinner. Venue is BYOB. Call 802-247-4295 or e-mail info@brandon-music.net for reservations or for more information. Brandon Music is located at 62 Country Club Rd., Brandon.
