Remembering Elvin Jones’ Live at the Lighthouse. In 1972 Elvin Jones group, which included David Liebman, Steve Grossman and Gene Perla, played a date at the Lighthouse Café in San Francisco. It was recorded, and released as Live at the Lighthouse. It instantly became a seminal recording in jazz after Coltrane. We are thrilled to be able to revisit this powerful music with one of the group’s founding members, bassist Gene Perla.
Featuring: Gene Perla (bass), Andy Sugg (tenor and soprano sax), Roger Manins (tenor sax), Brett Williams (piano), and Mark Lockett (drums)
Gene Perla – bass.
At the Berklee School of Music and the Boston Conservatory Perla concentrated on piano before moving to double bass.[1] In 1969 he spent one year as a member of the Woody Herman Orchestra.[1] During the early 1970s, he worked with Elvin Jones, Sonny Rollins, Sarah Vaughan, and The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. In 1975 he started the band Stone Alliance with Don Alias and Steve Grossman.[1] Also in the 1970s he founded PM Records (“PM” for Perla Music), which released albums by Steve Grossman, Elvin Jones, Pat LaBarbera, and Dave Liebman.[1] He has taught at Lehigh University and the New School of Jazz & Contemporary Music.
Andy Sugg – tenor and soprano sax
Andy Sugg is a Melbourne based saxophonist who performs regularly throughout Australia and internationally. He features on numerous recordings and leads an ensemble that specialises in a fusion of jazz and popular styles. He has guest lectured around the world, including at the Manhattan School of Music and the World Saxophone Congress. Sugg’s book, The Influence of John Coltrane on Improvising Saxophonists, was praised by leading US jazz scholar, David Demsey, describing it as “an analytical masterpiece.” Sugg was a consultant for Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary, a feature-length film directed by John Scheinfeld.
Roger Manins – tenor sax
Roger Manins lives in Auckland New Zealand and is regarded by many as one of the leading Jazz saxophonists in the Southern Hemisphere. He has appeared as featured soloist on 40+ Jazz albums and has released several CDs as leader and in collaboration with others, including the critically acclaimed release ‘Two-out’ with pianist Mike Nock.
Brett Williams – piano
Brett Williams began playing the drums at two years old and then the piano at age four. His early musical influences were funk, gospel and jazz, and he was always interested in improvisation. At nine years of age, Brett was already performing regularly around his home town Pittsburgh. By his late teens, Williams was making a name for himself on the Pittsburgh jazz scene. In 2013, at age 21 he began working with the multi-Grammy-award-winning bassist Marcus Miller. Brett has now been touring with Marcus for six years and is featured as a writer and performer on his latest Grammy-nominated recording, Laid Black. Associated acts: Marcus Miller Ms. Lauryn Hill Keyon Harrold Chris Thile Kevin Garrett Kate K-S. https://www.nordkeyboards.com/artist/brett-williams
Mark Lockett – drums