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New method book and trio album coming soon!!!

Brian Baggett Trio

                                                 

Bill McKemy         Tom Morgan

 

 

 

 After many years as a jazz sideman and leading the fusion group DOJO, guitarist Brian Baggett has put together a jazz trio featuring Bill McKemy and Tom Morgan.  The group’s sound is heavily influenced by Jim Hall and the Bill Evans Trio but has a modern approach influenced by artists like Keith Jarrett, Bill Frisell and Kurt Rosenwinkel. 

 

Brian Baggett’s trio relies on group interplay and thoughtful improvisation with a close attention to sonic detail.  The result is a warm introspective sound that draws the listener in with a warm welcome. 

 

The trio’s powerful chemistry and intuitive interplay should be no surprise considering Brian first met drummer Tom Morgan in 1995 at Washburn University where they began playing together immediately.  Brian started working with Bill McKemy in the year 2000 and appears on his 2002 album Duende.  The three musicians first recorded in 2003 when Brian recommended Tom Morgan to Bill for his record OM Nidrah which also featured guitarist Jake Blanton. 

 

As for the warm thoughtful sound of the group Baggett explains “I wanted the group to have an identifiable sound to it.  I knew I could achieve that with Bill and Tom but also wanted to keep that concept in mind when choosing songs and writing arrangements.  I also went to great lengths to find the right guitar sound for the trio.  With the right guitar tone it’s very easy to play in a beautiful and simple way.  Over the last couple of years I’ve really started to understand the power of one note.  I believe the power of one note starts with tone and energy.  The guitar is a very expressive instrument and I am finding that a great tone comes from the fingers as much or more than the equipment.”

Brian Baggett

 

Brian Baggett is a professional jazz guitarist, guitar teacher and active jazz educator based in Lawrence, KS. He studied jazz composition and improvisation with Dr. Chuck Tumlinson and guitar masters Reggie Wooten and Danny Embrey.  Brian has appeared in Guitar Player Magazine, was featured in Jazz Ambassadors Guitars Galore cover story and appeared in the 2011 PBS special “Kansas City Jazz & Blues - Past, Present and Future”.  Brian appears regularly on Kansas Public Radio and KCUR’s 12 O’ Clock Jump.

 

For over a decade Brian has been a regular on the Kansas City jazz scene working as a freelance guitarist and as a member of Ken Lovern’s OJT. Brian plays over 100 gigs annually.  Brian also leads the band DOJO which has worked with members of Steve Vai’s band and is given international support thru Abstract Logix.  In 2010, Brian became the jazz guitar professor at Ottawa University.  In addition to teaching applied guitar, Brian hosts workshops and lectures at the university and along with the faculty septet he makes several annual visits to Kansas high schools.  Brian is also on faculty for the KU Jazz Workshop since 2006 performing, teaching guitar and small ensembles.  Brian is the author of the jazz guitar method book “The Keys to Unlocking the Fretboard”.

Bill McKemy

 

Bill McKemy is a Kansas City based bassist, composer and bandleader.  McKemy has had his music featured on NPR’s All Songs Considered and in the touring art installation America: Now and Here.  He has performed and recorded across North America with numerous artists and groups, including John Abercrombie, Alaturka, Matt Chamberlain, Khan Jamal, the Philadelphia Jazz Composers Forum, and Foto Rodriguez y Su Orquesta Unica.

 

McKemy is a frequent collaborator with Mark Southerland, the T.J. Martley Trio, the Rich Wheeler Quartet and many of Kansas City’s top jazz and creative improvisation artists.  He has released three CD’s of original music; Duende - named one of the Kansas City Star’s Top Ten of 2002, Om Nidrah - named Best Local Jazz CD of 2003 by Pitch Weekly, and Perfumed Nightmare-Underpass an eleven piece avant-garde collective.

 

McKemy is instructor of double bass, electric bass and tuba at Ottawa University. He is also rhythm section clinician for Kansas City Youth Jazz.

Tom Morgan

 

Dr. Tom Morgan is an Associate Professor of Music and the Director of Percussion Studies at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. He also has a large private percussion studio that includes elementary and secondary students from the surrounding region.  His Four percussion method books, A Sequential Approach to Fundamental Snare Drum, A Sequential Approach to Rudimental Snare Drum, The Musical Marimbist, and The Jazz Drummer’s Reading Workbook, are published by C. Alan Publications.  He also has published works for jazz ensemble, percussion ensemble, and solo percussion.

 

Dr. Morgan is very active as a performer in the Kansas City Area.  He has performed and/or recorded with The Trilogy Big Band, The Boulevard Big Band, The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, The Kansas City Symphony Orchestra, and in a wide variety of other musical settings.  He regularly presents percussion clinics at high schools and colleges throughout the region. Tom is a regional endorser for Pro Mark drumsticks, Encore mallets, and Sabian cymbals, and performs on Treehouse Drums.

 

For booking and more information on the Brian Baggett Trio please email: brian@brianbagggett.net