Friday, May 13th, 2022, 7:30 pm
Piano on Park Live presents:
Jeremy Manasia (piano) & Ugonna Okegwo (bass)
For donations directly to the musicians:
Pianist Jeremy Manasia has been a fixture on the New York City jazz scene for over 20 years, as an in-demand sideman, bandleader, composer, recording artist, and educator. His 6 records as a leader spotlight more than 40 compositions, and his bebop rooted, soulful, impressionistic sound on the piano.
He has performed all over the world with many of the greatest living jazz musicians, including Gary Bartz, Al Foster, Jimmy Heath, Eddie Gomez, Louis Hayes, Javon Jackson, Willie Jones III, Peter Bernstein and Jimmy Cobb, and can be seen regularly in NYC venues: the Village Vanguard, Smalls, Mezzrow, Smoke, Dizzy’s and the Iridium. In addition to his 6 releases as a leader, he has appeared on more than 20 records as a sideman, most recently “For You” - Javon Jackson, and “Art” - Ayumi Kokestsu.
He has been a finalist in the Thelonious Monk Competition, the Great American Jazz Piano Competition, and the American Pianists Association Jazz Piano Competition.
Manasia had the honor of working with many master teachers, starting with his introduction to jazz from Justin DiCioccio, while a high school student at the LaGuardia HS for Music & Art and the Performing Arts; continuing with jazz piano studies at the Manhattan School of Music with Harold Danko and Garry Dial; and post graduate studies with Barry Harris, Harry Whitaker, Chris Anderson, Dutch legend Franz Elsan (at the Royal Conservatory of Den Haag), and piano guru Sophia Rosoff.
As an educator, Jeremy has mentored several generations of jazz pianists; coupling a harmonic approach derived from Barry Harris and his studies abroad, and a philosophy inspired by a more than 15 year practice of zen buddhism, to help bring out a student’s uniquely individual voice.
Manasia is on faculty at the Manhattan School of Music, a panelist for the National YoungArts Foundation, has won a Presidential Scholars Teachers Recognition award, numerous Downbeat Student Music awards and three Charles Mingus Competition awards for his teaching.
Ugonna Okegwo is one of the most distinctive and sought-after jazz bassists in the world. Critics across the globe have praised him for his rich tone, supple sense of swing, stylistic range and inventiveness. These qualities have not only earned him a place on the bandstand with jazz legends as diverse as Clark Terry, Benny Golson, Pharoah Sanders and Joseph Jarman – they have established him as one of the leading lights of a younger generation redefining jazz for the new century.
"He is very individualistic, both in his soloing and accompanying. I love the way he plays in the ensemble,” says Tom Harrell, with whom Okegwo has worked for many years. “Ugonna does some really creative things that I haven't heard anyone do with his articulation and timing."
Born March 15, 1962 in London to a German mother and Nigerian father, Okegwo was raised in Germany and grew up listening to African-American music -- James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, and, eventually, the great Charles Mingus.
"What I always heard first in funk and rock 'n roll were the bass lines, the ostinato, and later, in jazz, the walking bass," he recalls. "That's what first got me playing bass.” The fusing of funk and jazz bass conceptions is a foundation of Okegwo’s unique approach, making his sound instantly recognizable.
In 1986, he moved to Berlin to study with the American expatriates, bassist Jay Oliver, and pianist Walter Norris. There Okegwo caught the attention of many prominent jazz musicians, most notably the trombonist and Mingus alum, Lou Blackburn, who invited Okegwo to tour Europe with his Afro-Jazz group “Mombasa”. While working with Blackburn, Okegwo met and played with trumpeter Joe Newman, drummer Oliver Jackson, and the bassist Major Holley, who encouraged him to move to New York.
In 1989, Okegwo made the leap to Manhattan and began playing with musicians like saxophone legends Big Nick Nicholas, Junior Cook, and James Spaulding. In 1992, a call from legendary vocalist Jon Hendricks led to steady work as a sideman - on stage and in recording studios. In 1994 Hendricks even took Okegwo to the White House to perform for the President. During this time, Okegwo’s artistry attracted two other gifted young musicians -- pianist Jacky Terrason and drummer Leon Parker. The trio joined forces and at famous clubs like the Village Gate and Bradley’s, developing one of the most creative and explosive group sounds of the nineties.
Okegwo is also a bandleader in his own right. In 2002 he took his quartet to Europe and documented the group with a recording entitled "UOniverse" [Satchmo Jazz]. The material, which consists of his compositions and brilliantly arranged standards, draws from a wide range of influences, including jazz, African, funk, and classical music.