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The Blur Division
- Kings Park, NY
- United States
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The Blur Division's Groups
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GLOBAL JAZZ NETWORK AM...
70 members
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BROADCASTERS
78 members
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TGJN CHAT ROOM
41 members
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Jazz Podcasters
38 members
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FESTIVALS
75 members
The Blur Division's Videos
The Blur Division's Page
Profile Information
- What is your profession?
- Musician
- What Instrument Do you Play?
- Bass, piano, drums
- Where Are you located?
- Kings Park, NY
- How did you find out about TGJN?
- Internet search
- About Me:
- Since 1996, The Blur Division has emerged as a strikingly resourceful and multi-faceted group of musicians merely by virtue of their willingness to disregard style or genre in their individual and collective pursuit of creative experimentation. The group has steadily gained prominence in the music community, recording their independently released CD, playing a wide variety of gigs, opening for such internationally prestigious jazz acts as Christian McBride and Larry Coryell, receiving regional radio play and national television exposure, and eliciting unanimous praise from the critics. Based on the strength of their live performances, the band's energetic and positive spirit has particularly allowed them to indulge their naturally exploratory approach to music-making, and likewise communicate effectively with each other and the audience.
James Bennett, the band's bassist has been playing and studying the bass since the age of sixteen. He was initially drawn to jazz because it presented a multitude of ways to further explore his instrument rhythmically, harmonically, and tonally. While formally educated, he has strived to keep in mind the origin and essence of jazz, which has always been more involved with feeling and innovation than any reliance on an overly reverential approach. The Blur Division has proved the perfect outlet to allow James to compose and perform music that has the potential to affect everyone in a meaningful way. This has helped to keep the never ending struggle to balance work, family, and music while keeping it all enjoyable.
Chris Cuvier- pianist, keyboardist, and composer- began his formal training which involved traditional classical repertoire, at the age of eight. Upon his exposure to jazz in his junior year of high school, his dedication to exploiting the full tonal and expressive range of the piano was immediately awakened. Having thoroughly immersed himself in the rich history of jazz piano and American popular song, after being inducted into The Blur Division and recognizing the limitless forum for personal expression and experimentation which it presented, his intense interest in composition was also sparked. To this day he has continued to investigate the boundaries if his own imagination and of the sonic palettes available by combining acoustic and synthesized instruments.
Chris Howard began his study of drumming at the age of seven under the tutelage of several influential mentors. After years of devoting himself to mastering the fundamentals of his instrument, his already enthusiastic commitment to music was further stimulated upon his introduction to jazz and the legion of legendary players, past and present, who have established such a commanding legacy in that genre. His developing interest in musics from around the world has been the inspiration for his fusing the drumset with various percussion instruments and effects, yielding an informed yet unpredictable rhythmic framework. Chris has also received endorsements from The Cooperman Company, Evans Drumheads, GMS Drum Company, Paiste Cymbals, and Vater Drumsticks.
Although the influences evident in the music of The Blur Division are wide reaching and diverse, their surface characteristics remain secondary to the most significant thread which ties it all together: the band members' mind set of inclusiveness which has enabled them to reconcile their own natural impulses with the vast wealth of information and technologies now instantly available to them. The band's ultimate goal has been to make stimulating discoveries concerning their own individual approach to the world of sound, and in the process make their singular contribution toward bridging the already narrowing gaps between the disparate segments of the global community. And of course, to enlighten and uplift their listeners while doing so.
www.theblurdivision.com
www.myspace.com/theblurdivision
- Website:
- http://www.theblurdivision.com
About
Member Quotes About TGJN
I was just saying that you knocked this out of the park with TGJN. We have needed something like this for so long and I am telling my friends about this. I said that it is sort of like a myspace for jazz but it is actually so much more. This is real. The people here truly love jazz and we know people like that are not your average people.
I have felt for a long time that straight-ahead jazz has been slipping away from us. I have hope now that there will be a resurgence (or shall I say an insurgency:-) to bring this baby back full force!
You just knocked it out of the park. Thanks again.
xoxo,
Janie
Events
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Mel Brown Quartet
March 25, 2009 at 8pm to March 27, 2013 at 11pm – Jimmy Mak's
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Saturday JAZZ Nights at Chelsea Wine Bar
November 14, 2009 at 8:30pm to November 15, 2009 at 12:30am – Chelsea Wine Bar
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Orjazz presenta - "La tragica notte del dott. Hives"
November 14, 2009 from 9pm to 11pm – Crevacuore
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Jazz & Art Extravaganza!
November 15, 2009 from 3pm to 8pm – Emmy Lu Gallery
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Lee Summer's "Just Piano Series" presents...
November 19, 2009 from 7pm to 8pm – Triad Theatre
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Workout
December 3, 2009 from 9pm to 11pm – Casale Monferrato
Birthdays
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According to Weird Al, not only were The Trashmen arguably the best surf band ever to come out of Minneapolis, but with their 1964 hit "Surfin' Bird," they distilled rock music to its essence.Are We Eavesdropping On Rihanna And Chris Brown?
Back in February, Rihanna and her boyfriend, fellow pop star Chris Brown, got into an altercation as they were heading to perform at the Grammy Awards. In late August, he was sentenced to five years' probation for felony assault. Today, it might be possible to pick up on how Brown and Rihanna are doing via their music.Roc Raida: A Grandmaster Gone
In the last few months, DJ AM died of an apparent drug overdose, while a heart attack took the life of New York radio pioneer Mr. Magic. But the least publicized in a tragic and eerily timed trilogy of DJ deaths was that of Anthony Williams, better known as Grandmaster Roc Raida.R&B Singer Monica 'Still Standing' After Tragedy, Struggles
R&B songstress Monica made a strong debut as a teenager in 1995 with the album Ms. Thang. But the Atlanta-born singer's life and career took a devastating turn after she witnessed her boyfriend commit suicide with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Monica is staging a comeback with a new life and a new album. The Grammy-award winning singer talks to host Michel Martin about motherhood, faith, music and her new reality TV show "Still Standing."Rocky Mountain Activist Carole King
Carole King's Tapestry has become one of the biggest selling albums of all time. Now, the singer-songwriter is focused on environmental activism, and is working to push Congress to pass a bill to help the Northern Rockies.Bach's Best 'Brandenburg' Concertos
Subtle and brilliant at the same time, J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos are a microcosm of Baroque music. They contain an astonishingly vast sample of that era's emotional universe.Lissie Maurus: Songs For Solitude
Shifting from upbeat tunes to soft-spoken country, hints of '60s soul and subtle pop, Maurus' sweet and rustic voice ties each track together seamlessly. Hear two songs from her upcoming debut EP, Why You Runnin', on World Cafe: Next.Andy Williams: Memoirs Of Moon River
His career is filled with highs — radio and television stardom — and lows — scraping by on dog food and obscure gigs in seedy nightclubs. Upon the release of a new book, the great entertainer speaks on all seven decades of his life in show business.© 2009 Created by THE GLOBAL JAZZ NETWORK on Ning. Create Your Own Social Network
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