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Tim Ray
In the Tradition and Out Again
www.agitatedcatmusic.com
Program offerings

“...and that Tim Ray at the piano -
he slays me every single night!"
— Bonnie Raitt, on-mike during a tour with Tim

“...The Tim Ray Trio took the town by storm again...Tim Ray is a young man but he plays a mean piano. Mean to the point of amazing.” — Telluride Times

Tim Ray is perhaps best known as Lyle Lovett’s pianist for the past 15 years (including summer-long tours in 2001-4), but he has been an active and in-demand jazz artist since 1978. He also tours and records with the internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Jane Siberry, and often performs with the leading jazz musicians in the New York and New England areas, including Gary Burton, Scott Hamilton, Oliver Lake, Harvie Swartz, John Abercrombie, Bucky Pizzarelli, Duke Robillard, George Garzone, and Tiger Okoshi. Tim regularly performs, records and tours with vocalists Donna Byrne, Mili Bermejo, Lisa Thorson and with Cercie Miller’s quartet from the Boston area as well. His busy performance schedule has included numerous tours throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and has included performances at Carnegie Hall, the White House, and virtually all the major jazz festivals in the U.S., Canada and Central America. Tim is recently a recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and has performed numerous times on The Tonight Show (Johnny Carson, Jay Leno), Late Night with David Letterman, and other national broadcasts. Tim has appeared on over 50 recordings, and released his first CD as a leader in 1997 - Ideas & Opinions - on Gunther Schuller’s GM record label, which featured drummer Lewis Nash and bassist Rufus Reid. His second CD was released in the Spring of 2003 - Tre Corda - and includes Greg Hopkins on trumpet and Eugene Friesen on cello. He received his Master’s degree in Jazz from the New England Conservatory, and taught as an Assistant Professor at the Berklee College of Music until 1997.

Tim Ray - Solo Programs

100 Years of Jazz Piano - from Scott Joplin to Keith Jarrett and beyond
Tribute Concerts - paying homage to the music of Duke Ellington, Theolonious Monk, the Beatles and others
The Great American Songbook - Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin - favorites from classic stage and screen productions
In the Moment - an electrifying program of spontaneously improvised music drawing on jazz, classical and world influences.

Workshops and Residencies

Jazz Improvisation Workshop - One of the cornerstones of jazz music is the ability to improvise melodies over a set harmonic environment. Students in this workshop focus on the function of chords and scales, the practice of telling a story through their instrument, and the concepts of tension and release and call and response. Demonstration, participation and written materials help beginners get started, and help more advanced players to think and perform on a higher level.

Performance Techniques for Small Groups - Whether you're in a classical chamber trio, a jazz quintet, or a pop or rock band, the keys to successful performances are much the same. Getting a quality sound on your instrument, playing convincing rhythms with a good feel for time, and listening, listening, listening - these are the elements that set apart the great ensembles. Student groups in this participatory workshop are given critical feedback on their performance, and are coached and rehearsed to help achieve a cohesiveness and strong group identity.

Free Improvisation Workshop - Free improvisation is the realm in which performance and composition meet. In this class, players are given a relaxed context for taking their first steps into this type of improvisation. The rule here is: there are no wrong notes. Students are taught how to move between playing accompanying and soloistic roles, and are encouraged to imitate, converse musically and interact using three basic attributes: listening, leading and following. Techniques to enhance skills in free improvisation are discussed and demonstrated.

The History and Role of the Piano in Jazz Music - Tim Ray takes students on a fascinating journey in this lecture/demonstration on jazz piano. He discusses and demonstrates the important phases in the evolution of the piano in jazz music, covering the popular styles (ragtime, stride, boogie-woogie, blues, swing, bebop, modern) and the seminal players that pioneered these innovations. Tim also demonstrates how the role of the pianist in various types of ensembles has evolved over the course of jazz, providing live and recorded examples along with interesting anecdotes.