Grady Tate Quintet December 12, 2009

Brooklyn Conservatory of Music proudly present
Grady Tate Quintet
Saturday, Dec 12, 2009, 8pm
“Tate is a master of music, whenever and wherever he chooses to raise his voice”
– All About Jazz

Who: Grady Tate Quintet feat: John DiMartino, piano & musical director, Lance Murphy, woodwinds, Noriko Ueda, bass, Shinnosuke Takahashi, Drums
What: Brooklyn Conservatory of Music “Jazz at the Conservatory” series
When: Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 8:00 PM
Where: Brooklyn Conservatory Concert Hall, 58 7th avenue, Brooklyn
(Q/B train to 7th Ave, 2/3 train to Grand Army Plaza)
Cost: $25/15 – call Zerve ticket services at 212.209.3370 or visit www.bqcm.org

Grady Tate has been lucky enough to have two distinct careers in jazz. He made a name for himself as a session drummer with impeccable rhythm who was the engine that drove everything from Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery’s classic small groups to big bands like the Duke Ellington and Count Basie Orchestras.

In more recent decades, Tate has pursued his other rich talent and has stepped to the front of the stage as a singer. Though he started singing at age 4, a year before he began studying the drums, it was not until well into his drumming career, that he tended part time to his true passion of singing and the jazz world first began to recognize his vocal talents. Tate has since gone on to release over a dozen albums as a vocalist, he has received two Grammy nominations for Best Male Vocalist and has received a plethora of glowing accolades such as “a major singing style just waiting to be widely recognized” - All Music Guide and “exceptional singer” – Downbeat.

About Grady Tate

For the past three decades Grady Tate’s distinctive sound has graced literally hundreds of recordings with world-renowned artists such as Quincy Jones, Jimmy Smith, Lionel Hampton, Stan Getz, Pearl Bailey, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Lena Horne, Peggy Lee, Della Reese, Sarah Vaughan, Michael LeGrand, Lalo Schrifin, and Andre Previn. He graduated from North Carolina Central University with a degree in English literature/drama and a minor in Psychology. He taught English and Speech in Washington, DC, but his desire to pursue an acting career lead him to New York City and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Legendary artist Peggy Lee heard him sing and introduced him as a part of her show, his musical dimension expanded radically. He has been described as "the best singer to emerge from the ranks of instrumentalists since Nat Cole." His most recent CDs as a vocalist are TNT-Grady Tate Sings and Body and Soul (Milestone). The Manhattan Association of Cabaret Singers recognized him as "Outstanding Male Jazz/Blues Vocalist." Mr. Tate performed six years as drummer for Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. He served as assistant conductor and drummer for Broadway shows Lena Horne, The Lady and Her Music, and Black and Blue. Mr. Tate has been on the Howard University faculty since 1989.

Official Website: http://www.bqcm.org