Gene Ess & Nicki Parrott "A Thousand Summers" Album Release at the Blue Note

Guitarist Gene Ess gained his award-winning musicianship from a very diverse background. Growing up on a U.S. Air Force base in Okinawa, Japan, he studied the classical piano and was influenced by the indigenous music of the island, along with the pop and jazz music coming from the clubs on base. He has performed and recorded with Rashied Ali, Al Foster, Ravi Coltrane, Reggie Workman, Santana, Dave Liebman, Tigran Hamasyan, Archie Shepp, Harvie S, Donny McCaslin, Yamashita Yosuke, and many more wonderful artists.

Nicki Parrott, an internationally acclaimed musician, arrived in New York in May of 1994, the recipient of a grant from the Australia Council for the Arts allowing her travel to the U.S. and study with her mentor Rufus Reid. Today, she is a world-class double bassist and an emerging singer-songwriter. She brings her signature sound to every note she plays working with artists around the world, including the late guitarist Les Paul.

This afternoon's show is a CD release show for Ess's latest album, A Thousand Summers, which features Parrott on vocals. The album features carefully selected songs from the jazz canon arranged by Ess and Thomson Kneeland.