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Reptet plays jazz music informed by a post modern sensibility. They are rooted in the spirit and language of traditional jazz styles, but refuse to be relegated to the past. In fact, they are harbingers of a new liberated style of music that has yet to be branded by genre. They are a sextet consisting of six multi-instrumentalists that perform original compositions written by band members. They have established themselves as a group of considerable excitement, talent and vision while simultaneously debunking preconceived notions of what a 'jazz group' ought to be. Their latest CD, 'Do This!' (Monktail Records) was a 2006 Independent Music Awards finalist for Best Jazz Record of the Year and was chosen Best Jazz CD of 2006 by Jazziz magazine's Alex Gelfand. They also won two 2006 Earshot Golden Ear Awards (celebrating the best of northwest jazz), including Best 'Outside' Jazz Group and Best Performance of the year (as part of the Monktail Raymond Scott Project). Their music has been aired on radio stations across the North & South America, Europe and Australia. They have toured both the east and west coasts of the United States and their members have toured internationally. With the release of 'Do This!' Reptet have established themselves as an irrepressible force in modern music.
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Chris Credit -
Saxophones, Clarinet, Flute
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Samantha Boshnack - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Slide Trumpet. Samantha grew up in upstate New York. She received her Bachelor of Arts in music from Bard College where she studied jazz trumpet and composition with Erica Lindsay and Thurman Barker. She has also studied with Jerry Sabatini and Baikida Carroll. She moved to Seattle in 2003 and joined the Monktail Collective. Today her career consists of teaching private lessons and gigging around the Northwest. She is also a member of Picoso. Picture courtesy of D. Zulich |
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Izaak Mills - Saxophones, Flute, Bass Clarinet Izaak Mills grew up in Olympia, WA. In 1998 he made the long trek to Seattle to attend Cornish College where he studied for two years with Hadley Caliman, Jim Knapp, Julian Priester, Denny Goodhew, Jovino Santos Neto, Paul Taub and Dave Peck. He is a regular member of Picoso, the Boogie Brown Band and a founding member of Floss and Bacteria. His favorite food is carrot. |
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Nelson Bell- Trombone and Tuba Nelson Bell graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in music history and music theory. Although the bass trombone is his main axe, he is also proficient on the tenor trombone, euphonium, tuba, piano, and percussion instruments. He takes great pride in being the finest egg shaker-er in the Northwest region. Nelson has performed with the Jazz Police, Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, Banda Vagos, the Jim Knapp Orchestra, Emerald City Jazz, and the North West Prevailing Winds to name a few. He has also done much studio work, with credits ranging from elevator music to movie soundtracks. Check out Nelson on the Grammy nominated album "Convergence Zone" featuring compositions and arrangements by Phil Kelly. ( www.philkellymusic.com) |
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John Ewing -Drums, Percussion John Ewing is a native of Philadelphia, PA. He studied jazz and classical percussion at Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) in New Jersey and has studied with Robert Brosh and John Bishop. His current work includes jazz based improvisation and free sound explorations as well as film scores and studio work. He has had the honor of playing with legendary jazz trombonist Julian Priester as well as saxophonists Bert Wilson and Jessica Lurie. John is also a jazz writer (Earshot Jazz and Signal to Noise among others) and a member of the Jazz Journalist Association. Besides being Reptet's founding member and co-leader, he is an integral member of "Monktail Creative Music Concern" |
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Tim Carey - Bass. Tim grew up playing electric bass in beautiful Seabeck, WA. Tim attended Olympic College where he played for the award winning vocal jazz ensemble "Jazzline" as well as with Olympic College Jazz 1 under the direction of Rick White. While at OC Tim was able to tour the world and play with some of Kitsap County's most notable jazz musicians, including Gary Williams, Ray Ohls, Andy Omdhal, and Nancy King. After OC, Tim attended Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle Washington. While at Cornish Tim quickly became one of the first call electric bassists in the Seattle area as well as an accomplished acoustic bassist and guitarist. Tim Graduated with a BM from Cornish in May 2006. Tim is currently teaching bass, guitar, banjo, ukulele, and piano full time as well as performing in and around the Seattle area on a regular basis. Tim can also be heard with Jovino Santos-Neto Trio, the Jeff Busch Quintet, Pat Wright and the Total Experience Gospel Choir. |
In the Beginning…
Before they were called Reptet they were simply a desire. A small assemblage
of musicians that drummer John Ewing could scrape together from his years of
touring and performing in local Seattle Funk, Rock and Reggae bands. He wanted
to play jazz (if that even can be quantified) but he had never done so and
didn’t know others that did. Luckily he knew trumpeter Christopher Littlefield,
a former band mate who could genre bend enough to have stumbled upon a small
niche of working musicians looking to expand their craft. John and Chris began
holding weekly jam sessions, blowing through standards, and digging up old gems
from the songbooks of unsung heroes like Horace Tapscott, Gil Melle and Misha
Mengelberg. Soon it was time to take the project to the performance stage. A
group name was needed, and Chris suggested Reptet – a truncation of Repertoire
and Quartet. It stuck and the group, now consisting of bass, drums, piano and
trumpet moved forward performing infrequently at local venues, mainly as
background music for elegant restaurants and corporate affairs.
Chris begat Stefan, who begat Ben, who begat Tobi, who begat…
It was now 2000, and as the group evolved in membership and repertoire it
began to acquire its own sound and personality. Original music began to take on
a more central role, as the newer members were not only performers but also
composers. Saxophonist Tobi Stone, bassists Ben Verdier and Evan Flory-Barnes
and pianist Stefan Nelson all contributed their tunes to the band and they soon
found themselves receiving high praise and more lucrative employment. In 2002,
Chris left the group to join Bluenote recording artist Karl Densen’s Tiny
Universe. Tobi took on the brunt of solo duties and the group moved forward
releasing its self-titled debut CD on Monktail Records in the fall of 2003.
The Monktail Shall Inherit the Earth…
In the previous year John had drifted into the often times frenzied sphere
of the Monktail Creative Music Concern - a collective of composers, musicians
and artists dedicated toward the advancement of creative, experimental, and
exploratory music. This opened up a whole new chapter in the life of Reptet by
providing artistic inspiration as well as a large pool of creative musicians
from which to draw. The first Monktail recruit was trumpeter/composer Samantha
Boshnack. Next came the muti-talented saxophonist/composer Izaak Mills. And after the
departure of pianist Stefan Nelson, the group went decidedly for a non-chordal
approach
by adding
trombone to the mix, enlisting Ben O’Shea in late 2005.”
Be Here Now…
Reptet is now a sextet consisting of six multi-instrumentalists. The audible
palate from which they draw is broad and colorful. They have established
themselves as a group of considerable excitement, talent and vision while
simultaneously debunking preconceived notions of what a jazz group ought to be.
Despite their moniker, they now perform original compositions almost
exclusively. Their music has been aired on radio stations across the United
States and Europe. They have toured
the east and west coasts of the US, and have just released their second full
length CD (Do This! - Monktail Records) to worldwide critical acclaim.
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