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Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Label: Owl Studios, Owl Studios
Website: www.DerrickGardnerMusic.com
Genre: Jazz
Jazz trumpeter, Derrick Gardner, inspired by the finest hard-blowing funky bop bands of the 1960’s, is working to extend that great tradition as a composer, arranger, performer, leader and educator. With extraordinary, creative natural talent, Derrick quickly made his mark upon arriving on the New York jazz scene in 1991. There he began a top-flight career that has taken him around the world performing internationally with the Count Basie Orchestra, (1991-present), Frank Foster’s Loud Minority Band, Harry Connick Jr.’s Big Band, The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and Swiss tenor player Roman Schwaller’s European Sextet.
Mr. Gardner formed his own sextet, The Jazz Prophets, in 1991; it continues to be the primary vehicle of his distinctive, hard-driving music. The band’s three-man horn line, consisting of himself, tenor sax player Rob Dixon and Derrick’s brother, trombonist Vincent Gardner of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, has been together since the beginning. Derrick’s recording by The Jazz Prophets, A Ride to the Other Side, marked his Owl Studios debut in the spring of 2008. Like Slim Goodie (his highly regarded first recording as a leader on his own Impact Jazz imprint in 2005) it boils with the long-standing collective’s sheer passion for the soulful, funky jazz sound for which Cannonball Adderly and Horace Silver built solid foundations with their 1950’s and 60’s ensembles. The Prophets take that traditional straight ahead sound into new, invigorating territory.
Derrick Gardner & the Jazz Prophets’ second release on Owl Studios, Echoes of Ethnicity, was heralded with rave reviews and received the honor of being awarded ‘Best Jazz Album of the Year’ by the Independent Music Awards. Echoes of Ethnicity is a solid, dynamic collection of excellence that highlights the deep talent and professional sound being produced by this hard-driving group.
"With every tune possessing a unique character and striking a perfect balance between groove and gritty technique, it's nearly everything you can ask for."
Pico - Something Else Reviews
"Whether it is a big band, octet or sextet Derrick is leading, one goal remains constant: connecting with the listener...Echoes of Ethnicity encapsulates the exuberant feel of this new chapter in the changing story of Derrick Gardner & The Jazz Prophets, now +2."
Michael Bloom - All About Jazz . com
"The title A Ride To The Other Side isn't intended to mean anything deep, but nevertheless the music is a thrill ride to the side of that soulful funky acoustic jazz of the sixties. Trumpet player Derrick Gardner is firmly behind the wheel driving that bus."
Pico - Something Else Reviews
"Gardner explores new musical horizons, achieving Shangri-La, and this new release merits a buy recommendation....message is that the entire album is a highlight and not to be missed."
Mario Carrington - Jazz Police
"But ultimately, Derrick Gardner is to be commended for offering something new here that works. My guess is that Gardner's five years in Count Basie's band taught him valuable lessons about cohesion and resolution. While the sound is new, Gardner has placed a jazz cop on every corner, and the result is truly fresh and remarkable."
Marc Myers - Jazz Wax
"Derrick's trumpet playing is richly round and strong, without disintegrating into migraine-inducing bolts of sound. Echoes of Ethnicity is a surprisingly sophisticated album that carefully quilts jazz, funk, fusion and Latin."
Marc Myers - Jazz Wax
""The Echoes of Ethnicity sound is soulful, funky, and the epitome of what hard-bop would have become in the setting of a five horn front line. Sultry, sensuous, and very reminiscent of the late 1950’s and 60’s, hard-bop ensembles blend with a hint of the new and refreshing mix of unexplored territory interjected by Gardner himself."
Jarritt Sheel - Jazz Review
"His recording as leader of the Jazz Prophets on Echoes of Ethnicity proves to be another spectacular high point in a career that has placed him among such awe-inspiring bands as Harry Connick, Jr., the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, Frank Foster, Slide Hampton, Stefon Harris, and last, but definitely not least, the Count Basie Orchestra."
Jarritt Sheel - Jazz Review
"You can never get enough great bop or big band, and Echoes of Ethnicity collides the two for a release that's letter perfect in every possible way."
Mark S. Tucker - Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange
"Gardner’s trumpet has the snap and ferocity that early Hubbard and Morgan had, and can be found later in Woody Shaw."
Jeff Krow - Audaud.com
"Echoes of Ethnicity showcases not only the songwriting strength of Gardner and his band, but also the solid interplay of these musicians."
Woodrow Wilkins - All About Jazz . com
“Impressions of Gillespie, Shaw, and Hubbard come through in this session. Echoes of Ethnicity showcases not only the songwriting strength of Gardner and his band, but also the solid interplay of these musicians. Though Gardner is the leader, this music is about the whole band.”
Woodrow Wilkins - AllAboutJazz.com
