David Basse's City Light Orchestra has long been known as Kansas City's premier swingin' jazz ensemble. Since its inception in 1982, bandleader/songwriter, David Basse's deep resonant voice has been the signature of the Orchestra's sound.

During one European tour...

A Swedish critic called him "The unbelievable combination of Mel Torme, Jon Hendricks, and Al Jarreau.".
But ..."That Leaves out other familiar elements in Basse's smoky voice -" The winking gris gris of Dr. John, the ecstasy of Ray Charles, Basse adds a unique twist to his phrasing that makes him more than the sum of those influences and forebearers".                                     says Pitch Magazine nominating Basse Best Male Vocalist 2002

In addition to City Confidential expose' on saxophonist Steve Harvey, Basse appeared  on Dr. Billy Taylor's CBS Sunday Morning, Weekend: All things Considered with Scott Simon and  Barbeque America with Rick Brown on PBS.

Legendary drummer, Bill Goodwin

An almost completely self-taught drummer, Bill attributes his early interest in the drums to Shelly Manne's playing on the movie soundtrack of “The Man with the Golden Arm.” Before that he had taken piano lessons and studied the tenor saxophone. His father's extensive record collection gave him the opportunity to hear and learn songs, and he still hears the form of the music first.

From 1959 to the present, Goodwin has been a professional drummer, playing with the likes of Bill Evans, Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, Jim Hall, George Shearing and Bobby Hutcherson, and singers such as June Christy, Joe Williams, Tony Bennett and Manhattan Transfer. The drum chair with Gary Burton brought him to the East Coast in 1969. After a three year stint with Burton's group Bill settled down in an old farmhouse in the Poconos and worked the resorts. It was there that he and bassist Steve Gilmore became a team. Goodwin, like Gilmore, is a charter member of The Phil Woods Quartet (now Quintet), joining at it's inception in February 1974.

Phil Woods says, "Bill is the magic ingredient in our all acoustic group. Bill is one of the masters who plays the song, not just the time. He shades and tints beautifully. He plays the music."

Bill Goodwin has produced all of the The Phil Woods Quartet/Quintet and Little Big Band recordings since 1980 including the Grammy Award winning albums MORE LIVE (Adelphi), AT THE VANGUARD (Antilles) and the 1992 Grammy nominee ALL BIRD'S CHILDREN (Concord Jazz), as well as THE PHIL WOODS QUINTET MEETS DIZZY GILLESPIE on Timeless Records and FLOWERS FOR HODGES by Phil Woods and Jim McNeely duo. He has also produced several Tom Harrell recordings and was Omnisound's main producer of jazz product including: PHIL WOODS/LEW TABACKIN (soon to be rereleased on Evidence) and Dave Frishberg's SONGBOOKS, VOLUME I and VOLUME II. His most recently released production efforts are Keith Jarrett's LIVE AT THE DEER HEAD for ECM Records, and THE PHIL WOODS QUARTET/QUINTET 20TH ANNIVERSARY ALBUM for Mosaic, Phil Woods’ ASTOR & ELIS for Chesky Records and the Quintet’s MILE HIGH JAZZ for Concord Jazz.
 

Mike Melvoin

Over a period of 40 years, Mike Melvoin has firmly established himself as one of the most versatile and accomplished pianists and composers in Los Angeles. As a studio musician alone, he has been frequently heard on major recordings, and has composed and conducted many television and motion picture soundtracks. He has arranged for Lou Rawls, Bill Henderson, Peggy Lee, Joe Williams, Billy Ekstine, Barry Manilow, Pat Boone, The Four Freshmen, Jon Davidson, The Partridge Family, Tom Waits, Wayne Newton and many others. He was last year¹s Music Director for the Grammys and this year filled that role for the Emmy Hall of Fame celebration.

Melvoin's work has been spotlighted on such significant recordings as Natalie Cole's "Unforgettable," which garnered a Grammy "Record of the Year" award; The Beach Boys Grammy Hall of Fame recordings "Good Vibrations" and "Pet Sounds," Frank Sinatra's "That¹s Life," and the first hit by the Jackson Five ("ABC"). Most recently he is heard on Tony Bennett1s Grammy nominated new blues album, "Singin With My Friends," playing Hammond B3, which includes duets with Ray Charles, Kay Starr, and Bonnie Raitt.

The Mike Melvoin Trio's current CD "Oh Baby"  (City Light Entertainment) displays his strong pianistic wares as a jazz performer. The playing is polished and passionate. Working alongside him are the brilliant young bassist Brian Bromberg and the celebrated drummer John Guerin who, with the leader, make up probably the most dazzling jazz piano trio in Los Angeles today. "Oh Baby" once again shows how Melvoin
can handle both up-tempo tunes as well as beautiful ballads with equal skill. His compositional gifts are on display as well with five original tunes: "The Melody Is You," "Sandy" (named for his lovely wife), "North Star," "Fifth Power," and "Oh Baby." The well-known alto and soprano saxophonist Tom Scott is also
featured on two tracks. The reviews have been fantastic!

Melvoin was honored at the end of 2002 with an appearance on Marian McPartland¹s NPR radio show "Piano Jazz" where he was interviewed and played, both solo and in duet. With this performance, Melvoin joins Marian¹s guest list of the greatest pianists in the history of jazz.

Coming next month will be Melvoin's new CD "It's Always You" with the legendary Phil Woods as special guest. In April Melvoin's production of Kansas City jazz singer David Basse¹s new CD will follow.  Also Melvoin will be featured prominently as a soloist on the new Terry Gibbs CD tribute to Lionel Hampton . He will debut this new output at special Grammy-fest appearances at the New York City club The Cutting Room on February 15th and 16th, and a CD release party at Lunaria in L.A. in March.

Mike Melvoin was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on May 10, 1937 but grew up in Milwaukee. He began playing piano at the age of 3 and made his professional debut at 13 with local dance bands. At Dartmouth College in New Hampshire he led The Barbary Coast, a jazz/dance band as well as a jazz quintet called The Sultans which the English publication The Melody Maker
cited as the best college jazz band in the U.S. In 1959 he graduated from Dartmouth with a BA in English Literature.

The next three years proved to be extremely formative in his career as he gigged with numerous jazz, dance, and Latin bands all over the New York area as well as on the road. He further honed his piano-playing abilities in Harlem jam sessions. Sensing greater opportunities for himself, in 1962 he moved to Los Angeles where he formed a trio and worked with such important jazz artists as Leroy Vinnegar, Gerald Wilson, Bud Shank, Red Mitchell, Paul Horn, Joe Pass, Frank Rosolino, Oliver Nelson, Milt Jackson, Shelly Manne, Plas Johnson, Herb Ellis, Sweets Edison and Terry Gibbs. His talent as an accompanist became apparent during stints accompanying the late Joe Williams, Gene McDaniels, Bill Henderson , Nancy Wilson, and Diane Schuur. He also arranged and conducted a series of albums for the late great Peggy Lee while serving as her musical director.

Among the hundreds of album projects he has participated in are those of Barbra Streisand, Quincy Jones, Barry Manilow (for whom he also arranged several tracks on his "Tribute to the Big Bands" CD), Bette Midler, Tom Waits, Wayne Newton, Michael Jackson, Glen Campbell, Bing Crosby, Billy Eckstine, John Lennon, John Williams, Andy Williams, Burt Bacharach, Dean
Martin, Herb Alpert, Mel Torme, Paul Anka, Sammy Davis, Jr., Ann Margaret, Carol Burnett, Frankie Laine, Patti Page, Liza Minelli, Diana Ross, The Monkees, Ray Charles, The Fifth Dimension, The Partridge Family (Melvoin arranged all the Partridge family records), Manhattan Transfer, Laura Nyro, Stan Getz, Roy Rogers, Betty Carter, Steve Allen, Burl Ives, Les Brown, and the current jazz sensations Kurt Elling and Jane Monheit.

He continues to have a successful career as a composer for film and TV that includes features, movies for TV and series. His next film scoring assignment is the feature ³Looking For Chet Baker² which is scheduled to score in June 2003.

Notable soundtrack recordings at the keyboard include the films "Rocky," "The French Connection," and "Play Misty For Me." In television, he played on Lalo Schifrin's theme for the television show "Mission:Impossible" which also won a Grammy for "Record of the Year." He also composed and conducted the scores to Streisand's "The Main Event," Michael Caine's "Ashanti," and Matt Dillon's "The Big Town" and soundtracks for the television series ³Early Edition,² "Lou Grant," "Beretta," "MacGyver," and "Fame."

During his long career, Melvoin has won three NARAS "Most Valuable Player" awards and the prestigious Emeritus Award. Recent projects include arranging and playing the title song of Pat Boone¹s "controversial" heavy metal album "No More Mr. Nice Guy," two piano albums for Bruton, a duo CD with Charlie Haden, and recording, conducting and performing with singers Nina Simone, Vikki Carr, Bill Henderson, David Basse, and Nancy Marano. Just released is his production of David Cassidy's new CD. Newly recorded projects include a large orchestra piece with Lou Rawls and and his trio's backing of singer Richard Crystal, Billy's brother, on his debut recording.

He is also the first active musician to have served as the National President of The Recording Academy (which presents the Grammy Awards) in  1984 and 1985. Melvoin continues to serve the Academy on the Board of Directors of MusiCares, the Academy's charitable foundation. He has also been involved in the production of the Grammy show itself, in some cases composing, arranging, and playing as well as assisting in the production of segments such as the salute to Louis Armstrong and the All-Star Jazz tribute during the mid 1980s. He also produced the salute to Duke Ellington for the 1999 Grammys. He composed and conducted original music serving as music director of the 1993 "Grammy¹s Greatest Moments," a two-hour special that aired on CBS. Further, as a featured member of , and writer for Jack Elliott's Orchestra, he contributed to the underscores for the Grammy Awards shows from 1994 through 2000.

Melvoin's career is one of substance and durability. Beyond his celebrated work as a composer, he is now at a point in his life where he is reaching out from the often-confining life in the Los Angeles studios  to emerge as the important jazz pianist he has always been. Summing up his many years as a musician, he remarked candidly, "I'm a lucky man to be able to continue to do the work I love."