New City Gurus
-
- Songs
|
Join the Mailing List |
About
About the New City Gurus
Kevin Bradley, Mark de LaFleur and Rogvi "Rick" Bordoy played together for the first time on the stage of the Bebop in Pai, Thailand, providing the bass and horn section for Mason Ruffner, a renowned blues guitarist who had previously recorded and toured with Bob Dylan. On the trip back to Chiang Mai, the trio had the wild idea of forming a jazz quartet - hence, in January 2007, the New City Gurus were born.
The trio was joined by hot young drummer Garn Kantawanichkul and performed for the first time on Valentine's Day of 2007 at the U.N. Irish Pub. Soon after, the Gurus made the move to quintet with the addition of LJ Chompoowong's dark and fiery guitar.
The Gurus released their first full-length CD entitled "Life Intervenes", which features the compositions of Kevin and LJ as well as four standards. Four tracks from the album (Freddie Hubbard, St. Thomas, My Funny Valentine and Dear Old Stockholm) can be found on this very site.
Tragedy struck the Gurus on October 19th, 2007, when bassist and founder Rick suddenly and unexpectedly passed away at the age of 30 from complications resulting from an acute infection of the pancreas. His death was a shock to the Chiang Mai music community, and he has been sorely missed by all who knew him and had the pleasure to listen to him play.
Later, the Gurus were joined on the bass by Luis Sethakorn, one of the young and talented jazz lions of Chiang Mai. In January 2008, LJ set sail for the USA to study guitar. His dark, jazzy axe was replaced by the rockin' blues riffs of another young, rising Chiang Mai guitarist, Krit "Tang" Suwanthada.
In April 2007, the Gurus returned to the studio to begin recording their 2nd CD. The first recording session consisted only of charts written by Kevin. Four tracks from that session (Cinderblock, Aung San Suu Kyi, Alone With Aidan and Crossing the Rubicon) can be found above.
The Gurus are currently planning a second studio date to record additional songs by Kevin as well as recent compositions by Mark. The 2nd CD is tentatively scheduled for release in August 2008.
The New City Gurus can be heard in Chiang Mai at the Rasta Art Cafe on Tuesday nights, the U.N. Irish Pub on Wednesdays, and the North Gate Jazz Co-op on Thursdays and Fridays.
Meet the Gurus
Kevin John Bradley - trumpet, flugelhorn - Canada Kevin received his Bachelors of Arts in trumpet performance from Saint Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia and Diploma of Music in jazz studies from Grant MacEwan College, Alberta, Canada where he was lead trumpet with the Grant MacEwan Stage Band. As a sideman, Kevin has had the good fortune to have played in various ensembles that have accompanied other musicians such as Gary Guthman, Greg Bush and Gene Smith.
Mark de LaFleur - tenor/soprano sax, flute, vocals - USA After 10 years of classical saxophone, Mark honed his saxophone skills on the streets and in the bars and music halls of Europe, participating in the Printemps de Bourges for two consecutive years, and playing in a number of bands with styles varying from rock and blues to funk and raggamuffin. After a 2-year stint with the Funkin' Donuts in Chiang Mai, Mark made a move to jazz with the creation of the New City Gurus, and is currently studying jazz with guitarist Ajarn "Teh" Ittinan Intaranan.
Krit "Tang" Suwanthada - guitar - ThailandChiang Mai native Tang began playing the guitar seriously in 2002. A couple of years later, Tang teamed up with Garn, Luis, and renowned saxophonist and North Gate Jazz Co-op owner, Por, playing at the bustling Chiang Mai Sunday Night Market. This experience led to a regular gig at Sudsanan with the band Loang Sawan. Tang moved on to Pai with Luis to rock the Bebop Bar, perhaps the most famous stage in Northern Thailand. In 2007, Tang returned to Chiang Mai to play his rockin' ax at the wildly popular North Gate Jazz Co-op. Here, Tang met up with the New City Gurus and later joined the band, effectively steering the Gurus towards a sizzling jazz/rock fusion style that has had audiences raving ever since.
Luis Sethakorn - bass - ThailandLuis was born in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and attended the Faculty of Engineering at Chiang Mai University. Music, however, was Luis’ passion, so he began studying with renowned jazz guitarist Ajarn “Teh” Ittinan Intaranan, eventually joining his teacher’s band on the bass. After graduating from university with an engineering degree, Luis moved to Pai, Thailand, to play music at The Bebop Bar and learn the blues from Bebop owner and guitarist P'Chart. In Pai, Luis also studied with P'Jiam, known as the greatest slide guitarist in Thailand, and The great Mojo Webb, a blues man from Australia. Luis also played as a sideman for the American Boogie Woogie pianist Mitch Woods. In 2007, Luis moved back to Chiang Mai and joined the New City Gurus.
Garn Kantawanichkul - drums - Thailand Garn was born in Chiang Mai. After graduating from Chiang Mai University with a Bachelor of Science, he decided to move into the world of jazz music. In 2002, he joined the CMU big band as the rhythmic backbone and played with many famous jazz musicians including “Teh” Ittinan Intaranan - the great jazz guitarist. After spending 3 years in jazz, Garn decided to pursue further study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA. Inspired by several world-class musicians, he is majoring in jazz composition. At Berklee, he has studied with many legendary musicians including Terry Lyne Carrington, Mike Mangini, Bill Scism and Kenwood Dennard.
Past Members
Rogvi "Rick" Bordoy - bass guitar - Faroe Islands Rogvi Bordoy started playing music as a small kid, playing the piano and organ until he left those instruments for the bass at the age of 16. After college he studied at the Copenhagen Jazz School and the Havana School of Music with Feliciano Arango, one of the most influential and innovative bassists in Cuba. He worked as a musician on the Copenhagen music scene and in his native Faroe Islands until deciding to join the Chiang Mai jam scene, where he helped found the New City Gurus. On 19 October 2007, Rick passed away suddenly at the age of 30 from complications resulting from an acute infection of the pancreas.
LJ Chompoowong - guitar - Thailand LJ was born in Chiang Mai. He discovered the guitar on a trip with his dad to Tennessee, U.S.A, at the age of 8 years old. After 4 years in the US, he moved to Bangkok, Thailand, where he continued his guitar studies at the renowned Supakran School of Music. After high school, LJ enrolled in the Music Department of Payap University. Studying under Peter Vandermotele's guidance, LJ formed a jazz acoustic trio which later became a jazz quintet, playing at the Gallery Jazz Club in Chiang Mai. LJ is now studying guitar in the USA.
