Vernick/Kronkvist/Shout Sestet

ABOUT

Dan Shout is a respected, sought-after saxophonist based in Cape Town, South Africa. He has performed in over 30 countries across five continents with the likes Johnny Clegg, Winston Mankunku, Maria Schneider and Gordon Vernick (USA), Paul Booth, Dave O' Higgins, Steve Waterman, AJ Brown and Dan Whieldon (UK), Frode Nymo (NO), Per Thornberg and Nils Landgren (SWE) to name a few.

Shout’s original compositions reflect his life-trajectory through Southern Africa – his family’s emigration from Zimbabwe, his formative years in the Namib Desert and his spiritual homecoming to the slopes of Table Mountain in Cape Town where he now resides. The music is infused with the sounds and souls of the music and musicians Dan has been exposed to and with whom he has performed.

Some of his career highlights include performing at the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival (Ireland), North Sea Jazz Festival in the Hague (Netherlands), the Montreal Jazz Festival (Canada), the Soccer World Cup (Germany), Rugby World Cup (France), Nelson Mandela’s 46664 Concert at Ellis Park (Johannesburg), for the Prince & Princess at the Monaco Opera House (Monaco), Victoria Jazz Club in Oslo (Norway), Wigan International Jazz Festival (England), the Edinburgh International Jazz & Blues Festival (Scotland), on Bastille Day in Bastille, Paris (France) and for President Zuma’s Inauguration at the Union Buildings in Pretoria (South Africa).

Dr.Gordon Vernick is an Associate Professor of Music and Coordinator of Jazz Studies at Georgia State University. He holds a Bachelor of Music from Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY; a Master of Music in Education from the University of Miami, and a Doctor of Arts from the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley.

As a professional trumpet player, he has performed in all musical mediums from symphony orchestra to jazz quartet and has free¬lanced all over the world. He is currently active in the Southeast United States as a clinician, an adjudicator, and as a freelance trumpet player. 

As a jazz educator he is the past president of the Georgia Asso¬ciation of Jazz Educators, past chair of the International Association of Jazz Educators Curriculum Com¬mittee. He is currently the Director of the Metropolitan Atlanta Youth High School Jazz Band and the musical director of the Rialto Jazz for Kids middle school jazz program. He co-wrote the college textbook, Jazz History Overview, published by Kendall-Hunt. The text is in its 2nd printing and has been adopted by numerous universities around the country. 

He is director he GSU Faculty Jazztet which performs regu¬larly in Atlanta and has appeared at the Atlanta Jazz Festival, the High Museum Jazz Series, the International Association for Jazz Education Conference and many other venues in the southeast. He has performed with such world-renown jazz artists as Kenny Werner, Clare Fischer, John Hart, Kevin Hays, Conrad Herwig, Marc Copland, Randy Brecker, Paul McCandless, and many others. The Jazztet was twice invited to perform in San Jose, Costa Rica by the Centro Cultural Costarricense-Norteamericano. During the summer of 2001 the Jazztet performed in Moscow, Russia at the Tribute to Willis Conover Jazz Festival and in March 2003 performed at Capitol University in Beijing, China. The group was invited to perform in November 2004 at the Curso e Colegio Bardal in Florianopolis, Brazil. As a jazz clinician he has served residencies at the Conservatory of San Juan, P.R., the Taipei American School in Taiwan, the Singapore American School, the Bangkok International School, the Jakarta International School, Columbia College Chicago, Montana State University, and the University of Capetown, South Africa.

His weekly radio show, Jazz Insights, on WMLB Atlanta, is available in podcast form on I-Tunes and was featured on the Apple Home Page this past May. The programs have been featured on a number of websites have been downloaded over 2.7 million times since May 2009 His latest CD, The Strangest Thing, was released on Jbird Records in May 2008.

Podcast iTunes link

Fredrik Kronkvist from Sweden is considered as one of the finest contemporary alto saxophonists on the international jazz scene of today. He's known for his vigorous, virtuoso style with a never-ending flow of ideas.

Fredrik and his band, which consists of some of Scandinavia's most excellent musicians, takes the audience to a unique personal musical landscape that touches both intellect and soul. 

This jazz music has a fine blend of powerful modern complex rhythms and harmonies mixed with earthbound, primitive and soulful elements.

Fredrik has collected some of Sweden, Denmark and Norway's finest young musicians where the deep communication in the group constitutes the foundation of Fredrik's quartet

On the sparkling new album Constant Continuum, Kronkvist displays his versatile skills as a composer and an improviser. 

Fredrik Kronkvist Quartet:

Fredrik Kronkvist alto & soprano saxophone, Martin Sjoestedt piano, Petter Eldh bass, Snorre Kirk drums

The media has often described Fredrik Kronkvist as a combination of Cannonball Adderley and John Coltrane, but with a clear own style rooted in be-bop with contemporary references. Kronkvist is an artist who has a deep connection with the New York-scene and has just finish a recording session in Brooklyn/NYC with Aaron Goldberg, Reuben Rogers and Gregory Hutchinson who are some of the worlds finest musicians known from the bands of Joshua Redman, Charles Lloyd, Roy Hargrove ao.

Fredrik has also recently collaborated with interesting names from the contemporary scene such as Marcus Strickland, Jason Marsalis & Antonio Sanchez. With his group, the Fredrik Kronkvist Quartet, and his extrovert style he has made himself known as one of Europe's heaviest alto saxophonists since winning the European International Jazz in Belgium 2003. Fredrik also received the award Newcomer of the Year selected by the Swedish National Radio 2003 and was selected as one of the top ten saxophonists to participate in the World Saxophone Competition at the London Jazz Festival 2004.

The Fredrik Kronkvist Quartet has done successfull European tours, among others concerts in London, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Berlin and has four albums out so far: Altitude - 2003, Maintain - 2005, Ignition - 2007,and Constant Continuum - 2010.