Nick Hempton Organ Band and Invitational Jam Session

“What makes Nick Hempton’s music and persona so innately compelling that one can’t turn away? Perhaps it’s that he’s a character, in the sincerest of ways.” (NYC Jazz Record) Nick Hempton is an alto and tenor saxophonist, playing swinging jazz music for the people. A veteran of the New York scene, he fills rooms big and small throughout the city, as well as concert halls and festivals around the world. Influenced by the greats of the instrument– Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt, Cannonball Adderley– and informed by a misspent youth playing Rhythm & Blues and Ska in his native Australia, Hempton's jazz is “gritty, entertaining, and thoroughly modern.” (Flophouse Magazine) Growing up on the mean streets of Sydney, Hempton and the Jazz School system didn’t see eye to eye, and he learnt to play jazz the old-fashioned way: jam sessions at local clubs and late night practice sessions on Sydney’s famous Harbour Bridge. A year at sea working on the cruise ships raised the funds for a flight, and in January 2004 he touched down in NYC. From 2005 to 2016 Nick led The Nick Hempton Band, delivering “highly entertaining, hard-driving and solid swinging modern jazz,” (E–Jazz News) to most of the major New York venues, as well as touring regionally and internationally. With this group, Nick released four highly-praised studio albums: “Nick Hempton Band” (self-released, 2008); “The Business” (Posi-Tone, 2011); “Odd Man Out” (Posi-Tone, 2013); and in 2015, the innovative “Catch and Release,” which was recorded and released track-by-track over the course of a year. This was followed by the pared-back “Trio Stonk” (SmallsLive, 2017), recorded live at NYC’s famed Smalls Jazz Club. In 2018, after years of flirting with the organ band format, Nick recorded his sixth album, the organ quartet outing, “Night Owl.” Featuring renowned guitar ace Peter Bernstein, Night Owl harkens back to the classic ‘60s organ band sound, “that greasy, funky soul-jazz popularized by the likes of Lou Donaldson, Grant Green and Stanley Turrentine... complete with a Gene Ammons-grade soul tenor sax.” (Something Else Reviews). “Night Owl” was such a gas, Nick took the same band back to the same studio, and the hotly-anticipated follow-up, “Slick,” was released to much acclaim in November 2021. Nick has built a strong reputation in NYC and abroad as an entertaining and energetic front man, whether in the organ band format, or leading conventional hard bop quartets and quintets. His itinerant lifestyle has taken him to stages throughout the US, Europe, and Australia, as well as regular visits to China and South East Asia. He has made numerous television and radio appearances, and has also developed an excellent reputation as a music educator, holding private lessons, clinics, and masterclasses for school- and mature-aged students. On stage, in the studio, and on the road, Hempton continues to bring his “big fat grooves, a real sense of swing, strong melodies and even stronger rhythms” (AAJ) to audiences everywhere. When in New York, the Nick Hempton Band chooses to stay on the couch at the back of Smalls. Weblinks: www.nickhemptonband.com/ www.facebook.com/NickHemptonBand www.youtube.com/nickhemptonband www.instagram.com/NickHemptonBand This artist does not have a bio yet. This artist does not have a bio yet. Master drum player Fukushi Tainaka is one of the best-known Japanese jazz musician of his generation and one of the most in-demand drum players on the international jazz scene. A longtime member of legendary alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson's group, Fukushi played alongside countless other prominent jazz artists, including trumpet legend Dizzy Girespie, Bill Hardman and Woody Shaw, guitarist George Benson and Randy Johnston, pianist Champian Fulton, Benny Green, Barry Harris and Junior Mance, organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, saxophonist Arnett Cobb, Junior Cook, Kenny Garrett, Jimmy Heath, James Moody, David" Fathead"' Newman and Frank Wess.During the past two decades, Fukushi has performed in most New York jazz venues, including Birdland, Black Duck, The Blue Note, Garage, Fat Cat, Smoke, Smalls, The Village Vanguard (and defunct club such as Sweet Basil, Fat Tuesday's, and The Village Gate), as well as playing at major concert halls, jazz clubs, and festivals all over the world. Fukushi's jazz festival appearances include New York's prestigious JVC Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center Outdoors, Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, the New Orleans Jazz Fest, the Philadelphia Jazz Festival, the Cape May Jazz Festival, the Iowa Jazz Workshop, the Toronto and Montreal Jazz Festivals, as well as major European and Japanese jazz festivals.Fukushi has toured Japan as often as three times a year since the early 1980s with his own groups, as a member of the acclaimed pianist Shizuko Yokoyama's trio, and with Lou Donaldson and other jazz greats. Since the mid-80s, Fukushi has also toured Europe twice every year with Lou Donaldson, appearing at jazz clubs and festivals in European countries. His recording history includes two hit CDs with Lou Donaldson, also appearing in his longtime musical partner Shizuko Yokoyama's album To My Mother, and dozens of other recordings from various Japanese jazz labels.Weblinks:www.fukushitainaka.com