Kasey Knudsen: Bio/Projects
Kasey Knudsen
Kasey Knudsen is a San Francisco based saxophonist, composer & educator. She earned her BA in Jazz Composition from Berklee College of Music in 2001. While at Berklee, Knudsen was a featured composer for the Greg Hopkins Jazz Orchestra & the Joanne Langione Dance Company. Since relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area, Knudsen has been commissioned by the Jazzschool's 2005 Emerging Artist Series to write and perform new work; In 2007, she was commissioned by Intersection For The Arts in collaboration with the De Young Museum to write & perform a piece inspired by the work of visual artist Deborah Oropallo. She has played with the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra, Realistic Orchestra, The Slip, Joe Bagale & the Dirty Workshop, Adam Shulman Group, The Industrial Jazz Group, Disappear Incompletely, her own trio & sextet, Terrence Brewer, The Monday Night Contemporary Jazz Orchestra at Pearl's, The Montclair Women's Big Band & many others. She has performed at Yoshi's, Pearl's, The Great American Music Hall, Cafe Du Nord, Anna's Jazz Island, The Independent, The Fillmore, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Intersection for the Arts, Kuumbwa, The Jazzschool, SFJazz Fest, San Jose Jazz Fest, North Beach Jazz Fest & more. Knudsen currently teaches for the Young Musicians Program at UC Berkeley and the Jazzschool in Berkeley, CA.
Projects
-The Kasey Knudsen Sextet/Septet
We play my original music arranged for sextet and septet. This is something I am very excited about, it gives me a chance to work on my composing as well as hear some of my favorite bay area musicians play and interpret my music. The group includes Rob Ewing on trombone, a wonderfully unique and musical soloist; Evan Francis on flute and alto saxophone, a tremendous and inspiring improviser; our newest member, Jarrett Cherner on piano and keyboards, a wonderful improviser that brings a great spirit and freshness to the music; George Ban-Weiss on acoustic and electric bass, a great bass player with the ability to make everything sound effortless & Tim Bulkley on drums, a wonderful and creative drummer with fresh ideas and a warm and musical approach.
-Royal We 3 Trio
Over the past few years, I have had the good fortune to work with drummer Jon Arkin, a rare talent and bay area gem. Our latest endeavor is a sax, bass & drums trio that focuses on original music, the music of Ornette Coleman & whatever else strikes our fancy. This gives both of us a chance to explore composing for a trio setting (quite challenging, i find) and develop our sound & ability to musically communicate in unique ways. Our bassists have included Lisa Mezzacappa, Sam Adams, Eric Vogler & George Ban-Weiss. So far this group has been a blast! Please check my calender for when you can catch us next!
-The Benedict/Knudsen Duo
This is a project that vocalist Lorin Benedict and I have been working on for a while now. We choose our material from the standard repertoire or from different composers that we both admire. With the absence of drums or any chordal accompaniment, the challenge becomes fulfilling these roles on our respective instruments. I must say it's made me a better musician! I am honored and grateful to have the opportunity to work with Lorin, he is one of the most innovative & inspiring musicians I have ever had the privilege of playing with. If you don't already know about him, check him out!
-The Ganbare Spirits Ensemble
A 12-piece band featuring original compositions by Adam Jenkins. Adam has been a long time friend, bandleader and wonderful composer who's been a huge influence on me as a musician and a person. Beautiful orchestration, great melodies and inspiring ideas. Check out his website...
www.arjenkins.com.
Teaching
-Saxophone Instructor, UC Berkeley Young Musicians Program. www.ymp.berkeley.edu.
-Improvisation Instructor, Jazzschool; Berkeley, CA. www.jazzschool.com.
-Private instruction available: Emphasis in aquiring fundamental Jazz Vocabulary through listening, transcription & analysis
Other Bands & people I often play with...
Realistic Orchestra, Dynamic, Spaceheater, Terrence Brewer, Joe Bagale & His Dirty Workshop, Various Jazz Mafia Configurations, Disappear Incompletely (the music of Radiohead), Nathan Clevinger Group, Aaron Novik's Floating World & many more...