The March 6th Thursday Live! will be a tribute show to Jazz legend, and former Davis resident, John Tchicai. Thursday Live! will honor his music and spirit.
Two groups will perform that evening. Tony Passarell, Keith Cary and Kerry Kashiwagi; whom are well respected former Tchicai sidemen and will be performing as a sax, cello and bass trio. Mark Oi, Jeff Simons, and Andrew Enberg will perform compositions by John and some original compositions of their own.
We hope you will come feel the spirit of Maestro John Tchicai at this event.
John Tchicai live in Davis from 1991 until 2001. Born in 1936 to a Danish mother and Congolese father, John started out playing violin, but eventually switched to alto saxophone at age 16. New York City called in 1963, and John embraced the jazz avant-garde. While in New York, John recorded on 11 records during his 4 year stay. He was recorded on John Coltrane’s Ascension LP and Albert Ayler’s New York Ear and Eye Control LP. Two seminal groups were co-founded by John during this period, The New York Contemporary Five (with Archie Shepp and Don Cherry) and the New York Art Quartet (with Roswell Rudd, Milford Graves , and Reggie Workman). The NY Art Quartet’s record, Mohawk, is considered a classic recording from this period. In 1969, John performed on John Lennon’s Life with Lions LP.
Early in the 1980s, John switched to the tenor saxophone as his main instrument. John was accomplished on all of the saxophones, as well as the bass clarinet, and wooden flutes. During this time, John was very busy performing with Cecil Taylor, Lee Konitz, Misha Mengelberg, Johnny Dyani, and Pierre Dørge’s New Jungle Orchestra.
The Danish Ministry of Culture awarded its first lifetime grant for Jazz Performance to John in 1990. His 1991 move to Davis was meant to be temporary, but John fell in love with Davis and became a part of the Davis musical fabric for the next ten years.
The first band John formed in Davis was the Coyote Ensemble. Shortly after this, he formed John Tchicai and the Archetypes, a band that fused Afro jazz with blues rock. John took his spirited ensemble to the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Knitting Factory in New York City, and two tours in Europe.
In 2001, John and his family left Davis to settle in Claira, France. John continued to perform all over Europe and made yearly visits to perform in New York City and Chicago. He passed on October 8, 2012, from complications of a stroke he had suffered. John was on his way to perform at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival when he had the stroke. The world lost a kind gentle soul who contributed so much. His smile and sound are missed.
You won’t want to miss this stellar show! Open your minds and your hearts and try something new. You might surprise yourself!