Last weekend at San Jose's Jazz Festival, I saw the amazing bassists, Marcus Miller and the legendary Abraham Laboriel take the stage. This Saturday night, during Berkeley's Downtown Jazz Festival at the Capoiera Arts Cafe, I will see another one of those extraordinary bass players, the phenomenal Kai Eckhardt and his new "Area 61" ensemble. Eckhardt is widely considered to be one of the most influential electric bassists alive today, and is best known for his work with the John Mc Laughlin Trio, Indian percussion sensation Trilok Gurtu, and the band Garaj Mahal. Unbelievably, Eckhardt's musical career spans almost 3 decades.Eckhardt has performed an average of 100 shows a year internationally since he graduated Berklee College of Music in 1987. Highlights include engagements with: Billy Cobham, Stanley Clarke, Wayne Shorter, Patrice Rushen, Dewey Redman and Donald Byrd. Locally Eckhardt was a member of San Franciscos's Alphabet Soup, appeared with singer Rhiannon and recently recorded with the Meter's Zigaboo Modeliste.
Eckhardt was born on June 15, 1961 in Mainz, Germany. Being the son of a German mother and a Liberian father, he was raised in Germany and West Africa. He began to study the bass guitar at age 15 and went on to establish himself as a well known and respected musician. Eckhardt left Germany in 1983 to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. While still in school, he became a member of the Bob Moses Group and Tiger's Baku. At the same time, Boston served as a home base for the launching of various international tours. It was during this period that his special talent first received international recognition. Eckhardt was the bassist for Steve Smith's Vital Information, Alphonse Mouzon, Randy Brecker, and Stanley Clarke.
Eckhardt graduated from Berklee in 1987 with honors and was offered a teaching position at the college. In the same year, Gary Burton recommended him to guitarist John McLaughlin. Eckhardt joined the John McLaughlin Trio, which featured percussionist Trilok Gurtu, in December 1988. The Trio toured extensively throughout the world and recorded two albums. The acclaimed 'Live at the Royal Festival Hall', recorded in London during 1989, documented a new direction in McLaughlin's music. This recording has been described by many as historic for its outstanding musicianship and unique stylistic blend. Between 1990 and 1993, Eckhardt's focus shifted towards composition. After a period of study, he began to write for a variety of different musical settings. Some of his work as a composer and arranger has been performed by the vocal ensemble, SoVoSo, formerly known as Bobby McFerrin's Voicestra. In 1994, the government of the United States granted Kai the status of a US resident, based on his extraordinary abilities as an artist. He then went on to work with Billy Cobham's International Quartet, touring the US and Canada.
Meanwhile, Eckhardt's career as a recording artist and live performer continued to develop in a multicultural direction. The Aziza Mustafa Zadeh recording project brought together the folk music of Eastern Europe and jazz. This 1995 release for Sony Germany features Eckhardt, along with Al Di Meola, Bill Evans, and Omar Hakim. The production was followed by a successful tour and the album reached number one on the German jazz charts.
In the summer of 1995, Eckhardt performed in Europe with the New York based band Steps Ahead and received a jazz award from Sony records. 1996 began with the Vibe Tribe tour of Germany, which included Patrice Rushen, Larry Williams, and Teri Lynne Carrington. In the same year, Eckhardt recorded 'Native Dreamer' with Brazilian percussionist Dudu Tucci. Eckhardt is also featured on Maria Joao's album entitled 'Fabula', with the help of Ralph Towner, Mario Laginha, and Manu Katche. Another 1996 project combined Spanish, Indian, and North American music when the Colorado based band Curandero recorded their second album with Eckhardt and Bela Fleck.
A year later Eckhardt conducted a series of master classes at Berklee College of Music in Boston, the Bass Collective in New York City, and the Anton Bruckner Conservatory in Austria. He also held a master class with Journey drummer Steve Smith at the Musician's Institute of Technology in Los Angeles. Shortly after he joined the band Glimpse, led by percussionist and three-time Downbeat poll winner Trilok Gurtu. Over a period of two years he performed with this ensemble worldwide. This formation produced two albums, one in 1998 and one in 1999. Eckhardt's first solo project, 'Honour Simplicity, Respect the Flow', was released in the U.S. in early 2001 and features Courtney Pine, Zakir Hussain, Aydin Esen, and Sean Rickman.
Eckhardt also teaches music in schools and conservatories worldwide. Notable engagements incude: The Anton Bruckner Conservatory in Austria, Victor Wooten's Bass and Nature camp, the Amsterdam Conservatory in Holland, Berklee College of Music in Boston and the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai, India. Currently, Eckhardt tours with Garaj Mahal and the permier Indian Jazz band Summit (featuring George Brooks, Steve Smith and Zakir Hussain) as well as the European based Timucin Sahin Trio. His "Kaizone" was founded in January 2006 and represents a fresh vehicle for Eckhardt's new music.
"Area 61"
Vocalsist Daria Nile began training in the arts at age five studying ballet, tap and ja dance. Her main areas of artistic expression are in vocals, dancing and painting. She is a graduate from the School of the Arts in San Francisco where she specialized in dance. She also trained with the San Francisco Ballet and danced in several productions of that company. As a singer she had training in vocals for two years with ACT in Tucson Arizona. She has performed professionally as a singer for the last six years and has had the opportunity of performing in some of the most popular and prestigious clubs in the Bay Area including Kimbles West, Café Du Nord, Plush Room, Heart and soul and others. She has recorded with the popular Bay Area group "Midnight Voices" as well as two CD's with the Idris Ackamoor Ensemble.
Gail Muldrow on vocals and guitar, is known for her work with Sly and the Family Stone and Graham Central Station. She is currently touring internationally with the band "Family Stone" BORN November 23, 1955 San Francisco, California “ Gail is a multi talented entertainer, singer guitar player. Her vocal versatility is amazing, reminding us of the time when singers all had a distinct difference to one another. Gladys, Aretha, Etta are obvious influences in her vocal style. Gail grew up at a time when rock and roll was forming. Artist such as Ray Charles, Magalia Jackson, Duke Ellington, Nancy Wilson and many more were the background sounds of her youth. Her parents encouraged her to play music at a young age. Participating in church choir, honor choir, band, and theater throughout school. At age 17 Sly took her in and put her on a hit record “I Get High On YOU” “My parents played the music that influences me to this day. ”“A ONE HUNDRED PERCENT PURE SAN FRANCISCO BORN SENSATION”
Tennessee native Darian Gray has already made quite a name for himself in the Bay Area and is currently performing regularly with the world-renowned Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir and several other Bay Area ensembles. Darian Gray is a gifted young drummer with an incredibly natural and funky feel. No matter what kind of tune and no matter how complicated the rhythm, Gray always find a way to make it funky and tight. Darian is also a very talented hip hop artist who leads his own band, fluently integrating the spoken word with his drumming.
Kit Walker is a keyboardist and composer best known for his two Windham Hill Jazz releases, “Dancing on the Edge of the World”, and “Fire in the Lake”, which both received international top ten airplay, and critical acclaim. He has also toured the world and recorded with Kitaro, and has recorded and composed music for Steve Smith’s Vital Information, as well as on Journey guitarist Neal Schon”s album “Electric World”. He is the keyboardist with Jai Uttal and the Pagan Love Orchestra, appearing on their latest two albums, “Shiva Station”, and the Grammy-nominated “Mondo Rama”. Kit was the original keyboardist in the band Garaj Mahal, for years and member of "Three of Worlds" with Kai and Paul Mc Candless.
More recently, Kit has turned to producing, including the two best-selling albums of the devotional singer Deva Premal, “Love is Space” and “Embrace”, as well as his own world/jazz release “Freehouse”. He also currently works with the Brazilian world jazz percussion master Airto Moreira and his wife, vocalist Flora Purim.
I have seen many of the greatest electric bass players up close and personal, spanning the last 30 years; Stanley Clarke, Alphonso Johnson, the late Jaco Pastorius and Victor Wooten. Kai Eckhardt also belongs in that rarified company, and deservedly so. So if you want to see one of the best, both locally or globally, now would be a very good time indeed.
Kai Eckhart's Area 61
Downtown Berkeley Jazz Festival
Capoeira Arts Cafe
2026 Addison Street Berkeley, CA 94704
School phone:(510) 666-1255
Cafe phone: (510) 666-1349
www.capoeiraarts.com
