Jesse Davis Quartet

Jesse Davis – Alto Sax
Paul Kirby – Piano
Martin Zenker – Bass
Minchan Kim – Drums

20€

Jesse Davis
(born 1965) is a former student of Ellis Marsalis at the New-Orleans Center for Creative Arts and one the most respected musicians from New Orleans. In addition to leading his own group, Davis has performed with such stellar jazz musicians
as Jack McDuf, Major Holley, Cecil Payne, Illinois Jacquet, Chico Hamilton, Junior Mance, Kenny Barron, Cedar Walton, Nicholas Payton, and Roy Hargrove. He toured in 1996 along
with Phil Woods, Charles McPherson, and Gary Bartz in the group Sax Machine.

Playing saxophone since the age of 11, when he received his frst instrument from his tuba-playing brother, Davis initially dreamed of becoming a professional football player.
Turning to music after breaking his collarbone, he received a full scholarship to study music at Northeastern Illinois University. He continued his studies briefy at William Patterson College in Wayne, New Jersey, before transferring to the New School in New
York, where he studied with jazz historian Ira Gitler. While still a student, he received awards for his solo performances at Notre Dame, Wichita State, N.Y.U., Southern University, and Loyola. In 1989, he received a Most Outstanding Musician award at the
Down Beat Music Festival in Philadelphia. Davis made his acting debut in the Robert Altman flm Kansas City.

Paul Kirby
(born 1981) is a pianist, composer and arranger, originally from
Edinburgh, UK. He has performed with some of the top names in jazz including Herb
Geller, Steve Grossman, Jim Snidero, Jesse Davis, Billy Hart, Tim Armacost, Peter King,
Vincent Herring, Eric Alexander and Ken Peplowski amongst many others. He has
performed on TV and Radio many times in Europe (BBC, BR, etc) and South Korea (KBS,
EBS, etc).
He has lived in Europe, New York and South Korea where he is currently full-time
professor of piano. His debut album “If Not Now” was released on Nagel Heyer records in
2015 with drummer Mark Taylor and bassist Martin Zenker and he is also part of the
acclaimed “Resonance Trio” with bassist Sean Pentland and drummer Manuel Weyand.
While living in New York, he studied with jazz pianists Stanley Cowell, Jason Moran, Kenny
Werner and George Colligan. As well as playing jazz, Paul has also toured classical music
venues across the UK with leading guitarist Simon Thacker in the group “Camerta
Ritmata”.
Press Quotes:
“Kirby’s touch – whether in vigorous Spanish dance mode, Bach-infuenced intricacy or
Bill Evans-like refection – was hugely impressive.” – Glasgow Herald
“An inspired and enthralling set … tight and well-rehearsed, the ensemble dazzled
throughout a set interspersed with some outstanding compositions from Kirby.” – Castle
FM
“An exquisite and tasteful player … I rarely heard that many fnesses! » – Mathias Ruegg
(Vienna Art Orchestra)

Martin Zenker
(born 1970) is from Munich in Germany and has been a freelance
bassist since 1987. Performance credits include Jimmy Cobb, Billy Hart, James Moody,
Jesse Davis, Jim Snidero, Steve Grossman, Barbara Morrison, Peter King, Don Braden and
many more. Now based in Hamburg, he was Professor of Bass and Jazz History in Seoul,
South Korea from 2008 to 2012. Since 2014 he has been head of the jazz department at
the Goethe Music School in Ulan Bator, Mongolia.

Minchan Kim
(born 1986) is probably the busiest drummer in the Korean jazz
scene today, working with the top local as well as international musicians. He was born in
Seoul, South Korea and has been part of the transformation of the city into one of the
best places to hear jazz in the world.
His frst instrument was piano but when he turned 12 years old, he switched to drums. He
studied jazz drums at the prestigious Kyung-Hee University where he met Martin Zenker,
a renowned German bass player and educator, who would soon become a mentor to him.
Martin took him to Europe for the frst time and since then, Minchan has travelled the
world playing in more than 15 countries in Europe, North and South America and around
Asia.
He was voted the number one Rising Star Drummer in 2012 by Jazz People Magazine in
Korea. Still in his late twenties, he is able to bring his skills and musicianship to any
musical situation and is the frst call drummer to many foreign musicians visiting Korea.
He also played and toured with Jim Snidero, Damon Brown, Jesse Davis, Martin Jacobsen,
Pierrick Pedron, Yutaka Shina, Kenji Omae, Martin Speake, Paul Kirby, and Claus Raible,
amongst many others, and the list is quickly growing.
Minchan has played in the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, Beijing Jazz Festival, London Jazz
Festival, as well as many of the top jazz clubs in Europe including Ronnie Scotts, Pizza
Express, The Jazz Bar (UK), Unterfahrt, Jazz Keller, Birdland (Germany), etc. In Korea, he
has played the Jarasum Jazz Festival, as well as festivals in Chilpo, Gwangju, Ulsan, as
well as all the top clubs, such as Club Evans, Club Palm, All That Jazz, Once In A Blue
Moon, etc.