All Kidding Aside

All Kidding Aside Band

Recordings (MP3)

Freedom Jazz Dance (4'28) Eddie Harris
Little Vexations (6'33) Takeshi Asai
Lotus Blossom (6'56) Billy Strayhorn
O'Makase (7'03) Takeshi Asai
Something Fast With No Changes (4'55) improvised by All Kidding Aside

All songs recorded live at JB Studio, Teaneck, NJ on February 10, 2006

Biographies

Dan Willis
tenor sax
website danwillis.com
Dan Willis, one of New York City's most active and versatile woodwind specialists, performs regularly across a wide spectrum of music from Jazz to New Music. He is currently a member of composer, David Chesky's "Area 31 (Grammy nominated)," which Classics Today defines as, "A new modern downtown Manhattan chamber ensemble of all young star virtuosos." And, recently, Dan served as a featured performer on traditional Armenian folk double-reed instruments, the Dukuk and the Zurna, at the New York premiere of "Strophes," a work composed and conducted by Yakov Koslov. Both of these endeavors attest to the rich vocabulary within Dan's musical language.
In addition to his work in the classical genre, he has toured Japan and the U.S. with Michael Brecker's Grammy winning Ensemble 'Quindectet', toured with Don Henley, and performed at Madison Square Garden with Clay Aiken. Dan is also a member of the Grammy nominated John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble and recently recorded on the Duduk as a featured artist for the new Rob Thomas solo CD single "All That I Am" (Grammy nominated). As a much sought after woodwind doubler, Dan has played on ten Broadway Cast Recordings and is currently performing in the hit Broadway Musical, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" (Grammy nominated).
Mr. Willis' work can also be heard on TV jingles for E-Bay, Snapple and Hershey's, as well as "Monday Night Football," "Nick Jr.'s," "The Backyardigans," and ESPN's Roger Maris documentary. On the big screen, Dan has contributed to the film scores for Joe Gould's Secret and the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival's critically acclaimed, The American Ruling Class and has performed as a featured extra in the motion picture, Mona Lisa Smile. Dan is also a frequent collaborator to the Baby Einstein Classical Music Educational Series performing on Flute, Oboe, English Horn and Clarinet.
A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Dan studied the Oboe with Dr. Richard Killmer, Jazz with Bill Dobbins and Ramon Ricker, and arranging with Rayburn Wright.
Mr. Willis has just completed his third solo CD, 'Velvet Gentlemen' (OmniTone) 2006 where Dan recorded seven different instruments including the Suona and the Zurna.
Takeshi Asai
piano
website takeshiasai.com
Japanese native Takeshi Asai graduated from Berklee College of Music with honor in piano performance in 1997. He studied jazz improvisation with Ed Tomassi, harmony with Steve Rochinski, Classical piano technique with Ed Bedner, and jazz piano performance with Laszlo Gardony. He released his debut CD, Kaleidoscope and toured Japan and South Korea in 1995, where most of his performances were televised nation-wide. In 1998 he released his second CD, Somewhere in the Universe from Hao Records and toured six major cities in Japan. Although he was accepted at the Boston Conservatory as a Candidate for Master of Music, Jazz Piano Performance, he decided to pursue his education in jazz clubs in Boston, New York, and Tokyo. In June 2000, he made his debut as a film composer by producing the music for the promotion video of a Boston-based IT company. In summer of 2000, he retuned to Asia for another series of public performances including The Piano Concert in Tokyo, Japan and The Music Ambassador in Manila, Philippines.
Takeshi moved in to New York area to launch his career in the city in February 2001. Since then, he has performed at many jazz clubs including Lenox Lounge, Kavehaz, Garage and Knitting Factory. He also appeared in concerts such as New York Spring Concert at St. John's University (2003), JuneFest at the Jacques-Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art (June 2004), NYC CultureFest at Battery Park (2004), SeptemberFest in Greenwich (2005), Concerto with the Richmond County Orchestra in Staten Island (2005) and WaFoo in Concert at St. Peter's Church (2005). His music was featured by CV 99 FM and air-played in 2002 in France and Belgium, Uklaina in 2003, and RTVA, Andalusian Radio in 2004. As a composer, Takeshi worked with the Project D Company in June 2005 and composed and performed the music of an off-Broadway theatre in Tribeca.
He is also an enthusiastic educator and provides clinics and master classes. In 2005, he visited PS 22 Graniteville School in Staten Island and Greenwich Japanese School. Currently, he is a faculty of jazz piano at Crestwood Music Education Center and also teaches jazz theory and composition in the program of Youth Symphony for United Nations at the Greenwich Arts Council. He is the Artistic and Executive Director of the award-winning performing group WaFoo.

Stefan Held
bass
website stefanheld.com
Performed and/or recorded with legendary singers B.J. Crosby, W. Houston, Billy Porter, Kevin Aviance, Grammy nom. Saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman, pianist John Hicks, Grammy-nominated trumpeter Claudio Roditi, master drummer Victor Lewis, Grammy nom. Flutist Dave Valentin, pianist David Hazeltine, legendary saxophonist Sonny Fortune, NBC's "Queer eye for the straight guy" Jai Rodriguez, DreamWorks recording artist Antonique Smith, American Idol star Frenchie Davis, Karmine Alers ("Rent"; "Aida"), Eden Espinosa; "BKLYN-the musical"), Brad Little; "Phantom of the Opera"), and countless more.
Endorsed by La Bella strings, Fodera and Lakland basses, Epifani speakers.
Music director for Grammy nominated vocalist Marty Thomas and Chaplin Entertainment artist Kelly King.
Appeared at festivals in the US; JVC-jazz festival; Boston jazz festival), Japan, Korea; Trad. Korean Jazz and Folk Festival in Seoul; headlined the Monk festival in Pusan) and Austria; Donauinsel Rock festival; Jazz festival Wiesen; headlined the Jazz Sommer Graz festival; www.Jazzsommergraz.at).
Stefan Held is a voting member of the Recording Academy ("The Grammys").
Musicals: "Hairspray," "Mama Mia," "Lennon," "Little shop of Horrors," "Secret Garden," "The great American Trailer Park musical," "Bat Boy-the musical," "The joys of sex," "Mother Devine," "Streakin," "Zanna don't," "Urban Cowboy," "Always, Patsy Cline."
Jon Berger
drums/percussion
Jon Berger is always in demand based on his extreme versatility on both drums and percussion.
He covers orchestral percussion, Afro cuban, Brazilian jazz, heavy metal, big band, reggae', funk and more.
Played with Aretha Franklin, Roy Merriwether trio with bassists Santi Dibriani, Harvie S, Leon dorsey, Greg jones. Cidiniho and Ana lu, The Washington Squares, John Medeski, Carl Anderson, World tours with 10 broadway shows, St. Phillips Orchestra.
Broadway - Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy, Flower drum song, Imaginary friends Suessical, Cats, Saturday night fever, Jersey boys, Chefs Theater Jingles for CBS sports, circuit city, Omni music, PBS Out reach workshops for the NYC public libraries, DW, Remo Vater, Paiste clinician.
B.F.A. percussion performance from S.U.N.Y. at Purchase.

Contact

Jon Berger
email: danijonberger@earthlink.net
phone: 917.553.2112

Dan Willis tenor sax website danwillis.com Dan Willis, one of New York City's most active and versatile woodwind specialists, performs regularly across a wide spectrum of music from Jazz to New Music. He is currently a member of composer, David Chesky's "Area 31 (Grammy nominated)," which Classics Today defines as, "A new modern downtown Manhattan chamber ensemble of all young star virtuosos." And, recently, Dan served as a featured performer on traditional Armenian folk double-reed instruments, the Dukuk and the Zurna, at the New York premiere of "Strophes," a work composed and conducted by Yakov Koslov. Both of these endeavors attest to the rich vocabulary within Dan's musical language. In addition to his work in the classical genre, he has toured Japan and the U.S. with Michael Brecker's Grammy winning Ensemble 'Quindectet', toured with Don Henley, and performed at Madison Square Garden with Clay Aiken. Dan is also a member of the Grammy nominated John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble and recently recorded on the Duduk as a featured artist for the new Rob Thomas solo CD single "All That I Am" (Grammy nominated). As a much sought after woodwind doubler, Dan has played on ten Broadway Cast Recordings and is currently performing in the hit Broadway Musical, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" (Grammy nominated). Mr. Willis' work can also be heard on TV jingles for E-Bay, Snapple and Hershey's, as well as "Monday Night Football," "Nick Jr.'s," "The Backyardigans," and ESPN's Roger Maris documentary. On the big screen, Dan has contributed to the film scores for Joe Gould's Secret and the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival's critically acclaimed, The American Ruling Class and has performed as a featured extra in the motion picture, Mona Lisa Smile. Dan is also a frequent collaborator to the Baby Einstein Classical Music Educational Series performing on Flute, Oboe, English Horn and Clarinet. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Dan studied the Oboe with Dr. Richard Killmer, Jazz with Bill Dobbins and Ramon Ricker, and arranging with Rayburn Wright. Mr. Willis has just completed his third solo CD, 'Velvet Gentlemen' (OmniTone) 2006 where Dan recorded seven different instruments including the Suona and the Zurna.	Takeshi Asai piano website takeshiasai.com Japanese native Takeshi Asai graduated from Berklee College of Music with honor in piano performance in 1997. He studied jazz improvisation with Ed Tomassi, harmony with Steve Rochinski, Classical piano technique with Ed Bedner, and jazz piano performance with Laszlo Gardony. He released his debut CD, Kaleidoscope and toured Japan and South Korea in 1995, where most of his performances were televised nation-wide. In 1998 he released his second CD, Somewhere in the Universe from Hao Records and toured six major cities in Japan. Although he was accepted at the Boston Conservatory as a Candidate for Master of Music, Jazz Piano Performance, he decided to pursue his education in jazz clubs in Boston, New York, and Tokyo. In June 2000, he made his debut as a film composer by producing the music for the promotion video of a Boston-based IT company. In summer of 2000, he retuned to Asia for another series of public performances including The Piano Concert in Tokyo, Japan and The Music Ambassador in Manila, Philippines. Takeshi moved in to New York area to launch his career in the city in February 2001. Since then, he has performed at many jazz clubs including Lenox Lounge, Kavehaz, Garage and Knitting Factory. He also appeared in concerts such as New York Spring Concert at St. John's University (2003), JuneFest at the Jacques-Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art (June 2004), NYC CultureFest at Battery Park (2004), SeptemberFest in Greenwich (2005), Concerto with the Richmond County Orchestra in Staten Island (2005) and WaFoo in Concert at St. Peter's Church (2005). His music was featured by CV 99 FM and air-played in 2002 in France and Belgium, Uklaina in 2003, and RTVA, Andalusian Radio in 2004. As a composer, Takeshi worked with the Project D Company in June 2005 and composed and performed the music of an off-Broadway theatre in Tribeca. He is also an enthusiastic educator and provides clinics and master classes. In 2005, he visited PS 22 Graniteville School in Staten Island and Greenwich Japanese School. Currently, he is a faculty of jazz piano at Crestwood Music Education Center and also teaches jazz theory and composition in the program of Youth Symphony for United Nations at the Greenwich Arts Council. He is the Artistic and Executive Director of the award-winning performing group WaFoo.

Stefan Held bass website stefanheld.com Performed and/or recorded with legendary singers B.J. Crosby, W. Houston, Billy Porter, Kevin Aviance, Grammy nom. Saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman, pianist John Hicks, Grammy-nominated trumpeter Claudio Roditi, master drummer Victor Lewis, Grammy nom. Flutist Dave Valentin, pianist David Hazeltine, legendary saxophonist Sonny Fortune, NBC's "Queer eye for the straight guy" Jai Rodriguez, DreamWorks recording artist Antonique Smith, American Idol star Frenchie Davis, Karmine Alers ("Rent"; "Aida"), Eden Espinosa; "BKLYN-the musical"), Brad Little; "Phantom of the Opera"), and countless more. Endorsed by La Bella strings, Fodera and Lakland basses, Epifani speakers. Music director for Grammy nominated vocalist Marty Thomas and Chaplin Entertainment artist Kelly King. Appeared at festivals in the US; JVC-jazz festival; Boston jazz festival), Japan, Korea; Trad. Korean Jazz and Folk Festival in Seoul; headlined the Monk festival in Pusan) and Austria; Donauinsel Rock festival; Jazz festival Wiesen; headlined the Jazz Sommer Graz festival; www.Jazzsommergraz.at). Stefan Held is a voting member of the Recording Academy ("The Grammys"). Musicals: "Hairspray," "Mama Mia," "Lennon," "Little shop of Horrors," "Secret Garden," "The great American Trailer Park musical," "Bat Boy-the musical," "The joys of sex," "Mother Devine," "Streakin," "Zanna don't," "Urban Cowboy," "Always, Patsy Cline."	Jon Berger drums/percussion Jon Berger is always in demand based on his extreme versatility on both drums and percussion. He covers orchestral percussion, Afro cuban, Brazilian jazz, heavy metal, big band, reggae', funk and more. Played with Aretha Franklin, Roy Merriwether trio with bassists Santi Dibriani, Harvie S, Leon dorsey, Greg jones. Cidiniho and Ana lu, The Washington Squares, John Medeski, Carl Anderson, World tours with 10 broadway shows, St. Phillips Orchestra. Broadway - Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy, Flower drum song, Imaginary friends Suessical, Cats, Saturday night fever, Jersey boys, Chefs Theater Jingles for CBS sports, circuit city, Omni music, PBS Out reach workshops for the NYC public libraries, DW, Remo Vater, Paiste clinician. B.F.A. percussion performance from S.U.N.Y. at Purchase.