MIKE TUCKER CD RELEASE CELEBRATION @ JUSTIN'S 4/7

Join Boston-based tenor saxophonist/composer Mike Tucker as he celebrates the release of his debut CD Collage (out February 21, MTQ Records) in concert Friday, April 7 from 9:30 p.m. - 12:30 at Justin's, 301 Lark Street, Albany, NY.   The cover charge is $5.  Call 518-436-7008 for information.  Joining Tucker are his bandmates from the CD - Leo Genovese on keyboards, Lee Fish on drums and Hogyu Hwang on string bass.  

On Collage, Tucker shows himself to be one of the truly outstanding young tenor saxophonists in jazz today.  As George Carroll says in an advance review on ejazznews.com, "A 10. Tucker's solo style can be described as highly intellectual and articulate, yet he covers a whole spectrum of style from bebop and swing to the contemporary. His melodic lines give the impression that he carefully sculpts his ideas? Check him out!"

While other talented players of his generation chase vapor trails left by colossi, Tucker makes significant progress in the quest to have his own musical identity, one built on the firm cornerstones of unfeigned passion and sky's-the-limit creativity. In addition, Collage gives ample proof of Tucker's natural gift for composition.

Tucker, 26, is turning heads in a big way. He's earned the approval of some of the finest jazz players alive, including Michael Brecker, Gary Burton, Joe Lovano, and Pat Metheny. Tucker's received standing ovations at the 2005 Nancy Jazz Festival in Lorraine, France, and at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D. C.  Plus, he was recently chosen by the Voice of America broadcast network for a feature interview-and-concert airing in Latin America. He's gained recognition also with performances in Japan, in Germany, in Costa Rica, and, closer to home, at the JVC Jazz Festival in New York City and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival in western Massachusetts, not to mention gigs at leading jazz clubs up and down the East Coast.

Performing professionally since age 15, Tucker went from youth groups like the Massachusetts All State Jazz Band and the All Eastern Jazz Ensemble to jazz studies at New Jersey's William Patterson University then, in 2002, to Boston's Berklee College of Music on a prized full-tuition scholarship. He was chosen to compete in the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition of 2002 in Washington D. C. and, two years later, he was selected to participate in a Gary Burton-supervised recording project with Pat Metheny.  Tucker has performed with Joe Lovano, George Garzone, George Duke, the Motet, and guitarist Melvin Sparks, among others. 

Tucker titled the new recording Collage for good reason. "I've played in a lot of different musical settings and I love so many different types of music," he said. "I love playing funk. I love playing jump swing. I love playing modern jazz. I wanted this album to be an expression of that." All nine Tucker originals and Billy Drews' "Bird Lives" fit the bill as forward-looking jazz, even as they embrace the related styles he also champions. 

For certain, Tucker is committed to individuality, with songwriting as important to him as his marvelously communicative playing. "There are a lot of different ways that I'm trying to find my voice," he said.  "Writing has helped steer me in a more personal direction and has given me the freedom to experiment with different forms and concepts."  He keeps a master in mind: "I was asking Pat Metheny about his progression as an artist and he said that writing was crucial to finding his own voice.  This had an impact on me."

Leo Genovese, born in Argentina and once a student of classical piano at the National University of Rosario, graduated from Berklee in 2003 and has made a name for himself in Boston and elsewhere. When not performing a hybrid of jazz, pop, dub, and rock with his Chromatic Gauchos band and heading gigs under his own name, Genovese performs with the likes of singer-bassist Esperanza Spalding's group, the Jon DeLucia Group, the Jeremy Udden Quintet, Hal Crook's band, and many more worthies. Influenced by Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Ruben Rada, he has one feature recording to his credit: the 2004 Fresh Sounds release entitled Haikus II.

Lee Fish, a native Bostonian, is also  a member of the Jason Palmer quartet, which holds down a regular gig at the storied Wally's Café. He's also worked with trombonist Phil Wilson and performed at the International Association of Jazz Educators Conference, The JVC Jazz Festival NYC,  and has also played Jazz Festivals worldwide.  He has toured Japan and Europe.

Hogyu Hwang is originally from South Korea, where he studied at Seoul Jazz Academy and Dankook University. He occasionally plays in Hal Crook's quartet, Phil Wilson's band, and the Greg Hopkins Orchestra. His jazz travels have taken him to Europe and Japan.

www.tuckerjazz.com