Jazz Vespers: Kate Baker, Sean Fitzpatrick, Dean Johnson

About Kate Baker:
Kate Baker is a critically acclaimed jazz singer. Her album Returned to Shore is a luminous guitar and voice duet with her late husband Vic Juris. The album won plaudits, including 4.5 stars in DownBeat. The golden-voiced Baker’s legacy runs deep—in jazz, Brazilian music, and Americana—and she performs regularly to sold-out performances around the world.

“One of the most impressive performers to come along in years,” (Los Angeles Times), much in demand vocalist Kate Baker is a heartfelt interpreter of lyrics with an “unmistakably original voice that is smooth and hypnotic” (Boston Globe), resonating with her love of diverse musical inspirations.

A musician’s singer with a high level of musicianship, she regularly performs in a variety of settings from duo (most notably in a 20-year partnership with her late husband, legendary guitarist Vic Juris—the duo was described by the Los Angeles Times as “exciting, organic and completely captivating.”) Over the years, other giants of jazz included Donny McCaslin, Steve Wilson, Dave Stryker, Claudio Roditi, Norman Simmons, Richie Cole and the Alto Madness Orchestra, Gary Versace, Jay Anderson, Houston Person, and Rachael Z.

For the past two decades, she has been exciting audiences worldwide with a voice that bassist Harv calls “beautiful and authentic,” and pianist Rachel Z Hakim calls “irresistibly engaging and intimate… reflecting a lifetime of experiences of love, loss, and hope, and deftly showing her courageous spirit.” Z Hakim counts herself among Ms. Baker’s many fans. “Kate’s beautiful tone and stunning voice, informed by her philosophy of living as a high integrity human being, enhances her ability to connect musically with the audience and other musicians. Her pure musical heart connection inspires each of us to aim higher, love harder, and pursue art fearlessly,” says Rachel Z Hakim.

Kate has performed at venues and festivals all over the world, including the Monterey Jazz Festival, The Euro Meet, Montrose, Carini, and Pergine Jazz Festivals in Europe, as well as over the tri-state area, including Berkshire, JVC, OSPAC Jazz Festival, the Blue Note, Birdland, Mezzrow, Jazz Forum, Jazz Standard, and the Greenwich Village mainstay, the 55 Bar.

Her credits include appearances on Blue Horizon (SteepleChase), Vic Plays Victor Young(SteepleChase), and A Second Look (Mel Bay Records), all with Vic Juris. She is also on American Classics with Rich Cole and the Alto Madness Orchestra, and her 4.5 DownBeat award record Return to Shore with Vic Juris.

About Dean Johnson:

In the last few years Dean has performed and recorded with numerous groups including the Paul Jost Quartet, various projects with Roseanna Vitro, Bill Mays, Kendra Shank, Hayes Greenfield, and in special concerts with jazz artists Fred Hersch, Jane Ira Bloom and Art Lande.  He also performs regularly with pipa virtuoso Min Xiao-Fen and guitarist Steve Salerno in the Blue Pipa Trio, performing their eclectic combination of jazz, bluegrass and Chinese folk songs.  As bassist for vocalist Roseanna Vitro, Dean has performed as a U.S. Jazz Ambassador in the Balkans, Kazahkstan  and Kyrgystan, as well as a live recording at the Kennedy Center featuring pianist Kenny Werner, and a recording project celebrating the music of Randy Newman featuring Mark Soskin that was nominated for a Grammy.  He has performed, recorded and toured for over six years with vibraphonist Mark Sherman and a quartet including drummer Tim Horner and pianist Allen Farnham. Born in Seattle, Washington, in 1956, Dean studied Bass Violin with a number of bassists, including the renowned Gary Peacock. Dean also studied piano and composition at the Cornish Institute, in Seattle, with James Knapp and from 1974 to 1976, attended the Berklee College of Music, in Boston, studying with bassists Rich Appleman, John Neves, and studying theory, composition, and arranging with John LaPorta and Herb Pomeroy.

Since arriving in New York, in 1980, Dean has been busy freelancing with a wide variety of artists in the Northeast, and has had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the United States, Canada, and numerous tours of Europe, Japan, Brazil, Australia, Mexico, and Israel. Some of the eclectic array of artists Dean has been and continues to be involved with over that time include: Dave Liebman, Lee Konitz, Bob Brookmeyer, Randy Brecker, Joe Lovano, Phil Woods, Grover Washington, Dave Grusin, Lew Tabackin, Wynton Marsalis, Steve Kuhn, Dave Samuels, Ron Afiff, Dave Douglas, Paul McCandless, Nguyen Le, Art Lande, Ray Anderson, Walter Norris, Maurizio Giammarco, Bill Mays, Vic Juris, Billy Harper, Art Farmer, Nick Brignola, Ronny Cuber, Rob McConnell, Dave Kikoski, Bill Frisell, Albert Dailey, Mike Metheny, John McNeil, Hayes Greenfield, and Vocalists Sheila Jordan, Jackie and Roy, Mark Murphy, Carol Sloane and Helen Merrill. Gerry Mulligan however is Dean's most prominent association. Dean spent over 10 years with Mr. Mulligan until his passing in 1996 in a variety of musical situations including the Quartet, Nonet, Big Band, and with symphony orchestras, including the Israel Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.  Dean performed in these Mulligan ensembles in concerts and jazz festivals all over the world as well as numerous recordings along with a number of well-known pianists that were in the group over that time including Harold Danko, Bill Mays, Bill Charlap, and Ted Rosenthal.

Dean has also taught privately for years and has conducted clinics at the Berklee College of Music, New York University, New Mexico State University, University of Northern Colorado, Ithaca College, and at the Rotterdam Conservatory of Music. Prior to coming to New York, Dean lived in Seattle, Washington. On the West coast he worked with a number of different musicians including, Sonny Stitt, Milt Jackson, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Clifford Jordan, Barry Harris, Ted Curson, Richie Cole, Clark Terry, Buddy Tate, Arnett Cobb, Herb Ellis, Barney Kessel, Tete Montelieu, Terry Gibbs, Bill Mays, Art Lande, Julian Priester, and singers Ernestine Anderson and Mark Murphy.

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