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NEW YORK, NY: Jake Ezra, NYC guitarist, will be teaming up with his childhood hero Alex Skolnick (of '80s metal band Testament fame) to present a night of guitar-driven fusion at New York City's renowned Knitting Factory. Ezra's trio Van Davis will play a double bill with The Alex Skolnick Trio on Thursday, March 18 at the Knitting Factory Old Office. The night will start at 8 p.m. and will feature each band's interpretation of instrumental jazz/rock.
Jake Ezra |
As a New Jersey teenager learning to play guitar, Jake Ezra identified with Skolnick's strong, lyrical guitar work, which differentiated the Testament star from other players of the metal genre. "I had a poster of Alex in my middle school locker. I hoped that seeing his picture every morning would help me play more like him--fast and virtuosic," recalls Ezra.
Alex Skolnick eventually left Testament after getting bitten by the "jazz bug." He moved to NYC to pursue a degree in jazz at the New School, where he met the musicians who would become the rhythm section of the Alex Skolnick Trio. Old and new fans alike have made Skolnick's innovative trio a success in the NY music scene. Their CD Goodbye To Romance, which features jazz versions of famous rock songs, has gotten rave reviews from Downbeat and Jazziz magazines.
Like Skolnick, Jake Ezra initially was drawn to rock music, and he spent a few years gigging and touring with a local rock band. By the summer of 2002 Ezra decided he needed a new musical vehicle to showcase his evolving style of playing and composing. Teaming up with drummer Patrick Carmichael (formerly of Woody Allen's Dixieland Jazz Band) and bassist Joe Quigley (of Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories), Jake Ezra created his dream band Van Davis. The Van Davis debut CD "pays homage to the players that set the standards of blues, jazz, and funky fusion music" (MJ Brady of the ProGGnosis website) and has been gaining momentum as a powerful rock/fusion recording.
"The music [of Van Davis] goes from funky and tight to heavy and hard-rocking, always keeping the ears wide open. Ezra flys all over the place with his large catalogue of tones and expressions. I guess you could say that Jake Ezra is the East Coast version of Steve Morse," continues MJ Brady.
On March 18 Ezra will fulfill his dream of performing alongside his childhood idol Alex Skolnick, a man whose brave transition from rock to fusion proves that a good musician can transcend genres.
THE KNITTING FACTORY, Old Office: 74 Leonard St, New York, NY 10013
Thursday, March 18
Van Davis, 8 p.m.
The Alex Skolnick Trio, 10 p.m.
$7 All ages.
JamBase | New York
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