Albums
|
The Flow STRAIGHT UP! (TRIO) Featuring Eric C. Ajaye (basses), Michael Azzopardi (piano / keyboards), Chris Thwaite (drums). Samples and online orders at CD Baby. |
|---|
Reviews
The Flow is an album of original music that is so inventive as to make you sit up and take notice, without being confronting. And Eric, Michael and Chris not only are at one with their instruments, they're also at one with each other. This is consummate jazz that is as accessible sitting in your favourite chair at home as it is enthralling on the concert platform.
Demonstrating their joint skills, including undertaking testing explorations of harmony, melody and progression they form a powerful and interactive trio in the modern vein.
An intense, infectious and satisfying concert at the highest level. See this band!Biography
Eric C. Ajaye was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved to Los Angeles, California with his family at an early age. He studied violin for nine years before switching to bass. In college Eric studied bass under Buell Neidlinger at California Institute of the Arts where he was on scholarship. While in Los Angeles, Eric's music career included many aspects of the music industry, such as recording albums with artists from Bill Cosby to Chaka Khan, television and film soundtracks, and numerous television and radio commercials. He was a member of the rhythm section in those situations and also played in the orchestra double bass sections.
Eric has toured Asia, throughout Europe, Russia, Latvia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Central and South America and has been a member of the bands of Freddie Hubbard, Taj Mahal, Bennie Maupin, The Jazz Tap Ensemble, The Doug MacLeod Band, the Pointer Sisters and Barry White. He has also backed artists Nancy Wilson, Gary Bartz, Bob Mintzer, Franklyn Ajaye, George Howard, Sonny Stitt, Joe Williams, Della Reese, Gregory Hines, Savion Glover, Harold Nicholas, Todd Cochran (Bayete), Pee Wee Crayton, Joe Louis Walker and many more.
Eric moved to Australia in 1998 and has work with many of Australia's top jazz artists accompanying them at jazz festivals, in jazz clubs and on recording sessions. Some of those artists are Bob Sedergreen, James Morrison, Paul Grabowsky, Matt McMahon, Jamie Oehlers, Sandy Evans, Bernie McGann, the Coffin Brothers, Simon Barker, Michael Azzopardi, the Mike Price Trio (with guitarist Mike Price and drummer Colin Hoorweg), the Time Within duo (with pianist Mike Nelson), Lucky Oceans, Miroslav Bukovsky, David Jones, Kevin Hunt, Christine Sullivan, Don Burrows, Errol Buddle, Ted Vining, Sam Keevers, John Mackey, Adrian Cunningham, Bob Barnard and Johnny Nicol.
Eric formed the Straight Up! (Trio) which recorded and released their debut album "The Flow" in 2006. Their 2nd album Straight Up! (Trio) "Another Year" was released in 2007. The band featuring Eric C. Ajaye (bass), Michael Azzopardi (piano/synth) and Chris Thwaite (drums), received excellent reviews and responses from critics and audiences who attended their performances at concerts and jazz festivals. The band performed at The Manly Jazz Festival, The Thredbo Jazz Festival, The North Coast Jazz Festival, the Australia Day Concert at the National Botanic Gardens, The Sound Lounge/Seymour Center (Sydney), The Jazz Basement (Wodonga), The Merimbula Jazz Festival, The Moruya River of Art Festival, The Moruya Jazz Festival, Lanyon Winter Concert Series, The Lanyon Under the Elms Concert Series, and The God's Cafe Jazz Series.
Eric has currently formed the quartet Vertical. The bandmembers are: Eric C. Ajaye / basses, Chris Thwaite / drums, Paul Dal Broi / piano-keyboards, and Niels Rosendahl / saxophones and wind instruments. The band performs concerts regularly at jazz festivals and jazz venues in Australia. A CD is planned for release in 2010.
Since February 2000 Eric has been a member of the Jazz Department faculty at The Australian National University School of Music, teaching double bass/electric bass, aural, improvisation, creating and running a "Styles for the Studio" class and directing the Commercial Ensemble, which performs at various jazz festivals during the school year.
MySpace
For more sample tracks, photos and further info, visit http://www.myspace.com/ericcajaye/.