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 Karen
HeaChung Lyu loves to sing everything from salsa to jazz and Korean
to Hebrew. As vocalist and bandleader of Global Jazz, she soulfully
savors songs in many styles and languages including English, Korean,
Hebrew, (Brazilian) Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, Iroquis,
Igbo (Nigerian), Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic and sign language. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Karen grew up with her immigrant family surrounded by English, Korean and Spanish in California and Texas, went to high school in Minnesota, and has experienced the languages and cultures of 10 countries around the globe. Karen
has a BSS in Jazz Studies from Cornell College, and also studied voice
with Mira Kehoe (Guthrie Theatre) and Roberta Davis (Berklee School of Music).
In
addition to Global Jazz, she has performed with the Karen Lyu Quartet,
Via Brasil, Bomba, Robert Robinson's MCC Gospel Choir, the
Eddie Piccard Trio, vocal jazz ensemble Jazz Transit, and as a solo vocalist since 1993. Her music has been
featured on NPR "All Things Considered", MPR "Morning
Show", Democracy Now, film, regional television,
radio and cable.
Karen's holistic, personalized and fun voice coaching has helped improve the voices of over 450 students since 1999. She teaches teleclasses, workshops and one-on-one lessons for absolute beginners, as well as life coaches, singers, actors, educators and speakers. She has taught at her independent studio, West Bank School of Music, East Metro Music Academy, in the public schools as a roster artist
with SteppingStone Theatre, at Academia
Cesar Chavez, and Children's Center Montessori. As a Music Director,
Karen has worked with SteppingStone Theater, Theater
Mu, Asian Media Access, and Children's Center Montessori. Karen's professional experience since 1993 includes storytelling, acting, composing, writing, dancing, voiceovers, producing, one-woman shows, and 2 years as Executive Director of West Bank School of Music.
Click here to find out what Karen is up to in Nashville
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 Michael
O'Brien has been performing in the Twin Cities and around the nation for over a decade. Michael studied bass with Anthony Cox, and percussion with Marc Anderson. He has performed at international festivals such as the IAJE (the International Association of Jazz Educators, 2000-New Orleans), and PASIC (the Percussive Arts Societies International Convention, 1995-Phoenix). Michael has also appeared on the stage most notably with Klezmerica at the Coconut Grove Playhouse, Miami, FL in the staging of "The Soul of Gershwin". Michael has appeared on numerous recordings, television commercial jingles, television performances such as the PBS series "Quarter Notes" and live with dance companies, poets, and musicians in a kaleidescope of styles. He is also an active composer. Michael has taught at Music
Tech, the West Bank School
of Music, and Water Music. Michael's background is Irish and Puerto Rican. (Note: Michael is now in New York City.)
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 Craig Hara is a Japanese-American
freelance musician and educator, playing Drums and Percussion, Trumpet,
EVI (Electronic Valve Instrument), and Keyboards and Synthesizers.
Craig currently teaches at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls,
and at Hamline University and he earned Bachelor of Fine Arts and
Master of Fine Arts degrees from the California Institute of the Arts.
His primary drum and percussion teachers were Peter Donald, Peter
Erskine, Jerry Steinholtz, and Tarnoth Rao. Formerly living in
Los Angeles, he made the move to the Twin Cities in 1997 when his
wife, Marni Hougham, won the English Horn chair in the Minnesota Orchestra.
As a drummer, Craig can be heard on the title track from Mary Louise
Knutson's recent CD release,"Call Me When You Get There",
on the upcoming CD release from the quartet Zona, and has performed
with various Twin Cities artists, including the David Singley trio,
Laura Caviani and Pete Whitman. Past work before moving to the Twin
Cities includes: performances on Drums and Percussion with The Social
Climbers, the Val McCallum Band, the Larry Honda Quartet, KhazË, Reawakening,
Loretta Livingston and Dancers, Rhapsody in Taps, Shale, also motion
pictures, jingles, and demos. He also helped Korg USA create a pioneer
digital hand drum called the Wavedrum. Craig's primary instrument
is actually Trumpet and he's performed with the Minnesota Orchestra,
the Minnesota Opera, the River Falls Brass, Vocal Essence, Los Angeles
Philharmonic, New World Symphony, Pasadena Pops, Santa Barbara Chamber
Orchestra, Asia America Symphony, Muzak, also several motion pictures,
TV shows and commercial jingles; performances on EVI and/or programming
with Rhapsody in Taps, The Jeff Rona Group, Loretta Livingston and
Dancers, Port of Call, Hard Copy (theater show), Korg USA (Wavedrum),
Star Trek - the Next Generation, The Rippingtons, Shadowfax, K-Muse
S900 Sample Library. Craig is published in Electronic Musician Magazine
and Music Technology Magazine, and has also done transcriptions for
Hal Leonard Publications.
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 James
Allen grew up in Australia, where he obtained a degree in classical
guitar and studied jazz guitar with Ike Isaacs. There he performed
regularly in diverse styles including classical, jazz, pop and folk.
His experience includes recording; live radio, cable and television
broadcasts; and performing with a symphony orchestra. For the past
several years, he has played throughout the Twin Cities area in various
groups, as a solo artist and a jobbing musician. Aside from being
a member of Global Jazz, he also plays with the Johnny Mojo band,
the Nova Big Band, Stir Fry, and with David Roos in a guitar duo.
James teaches guitar and jazz ensemble at Macphail and at the Perpich
Center Arts High School.
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 Devon
Evans was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1944. Evans survived his
orphaned childhood by playing and running in the slums known as "Back-O-Wall",
the under-developed neighborhood of his hometown. Devon's percussion
skills honed by his challenging surroundings and Rastafarian beliefs
would lead him to becoming a member of one of the most influential
and legendary music families of all time...The Wailers. Evan's has
toured the world playing with Bob
Marley, Peter Tosh, and the rest of the family. Devon is a master
percussionist and now teaches a multitude of drum disciplines thru
workshops and master classes with Edu-Poetic
Enterbrainment. We were very blessed to have Devon's unexpected
request to be with us at the Global Jazz Live CD recording concert!
(Note: Due to a stroke, Devon's spirited presence is on vocals instead
of percussion.)
Photo:
John LaForge
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Shai
Hayo has performed for several years with the best Latin bands
in town (Latin Sounds, Salsa del Soul, Sabor Tropical) and also has
recorded with Klezmerica. He's also played at Orchestra Hall for the
Latin Renaissance performance and on Prairie Home Companion with Salsa
del Soul. Shai is an Iraqi who grew up in Israel, lived 2 years in
Puerto Rico, and has spent most of his life in Minnesota. He played
congas on the Global Jazz Live CD, and also occasionally has a chance
to perform with us at other events when we're lucky. No
Photo: Privacy Respected
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 Soli
Hughes is a world-class guitarist with two gold records for his
work on Africa To Americaand The Evolution of Gospel.
He has played with B. B. King, Roy Ayers, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson
5 and was an original member of Flyte
Tyme. He has performed in Spain, Brazil, Germany, Finland, Jamaica,
Japan, Switzerland, London, and Canada. Most recently Soli performed
in London as a featured soloist with the Sounds
of Blackness playing for the Queen of England at the Royal Albert
Hall. Soli also contributed music to the John Henry soundtrack
which was released by Walt Disney in the spring of 2002. He is currently
Vice President and Music Education Chair of the Minnesota
Music Association and President of COMPAS
(Community Programs in the Arts). We're amazingly blessed to have
Soli as the executive producer of the Global Jazz Live CD, and also
guest starring on bass. piano, back-up vocals and guitar! Photo:
Randy Bratvold
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 Tim
O'Keefe is widely renowned as one of the top percussionists
in the Twin Cities. He has been performing locally for over 20 years
and regularly performs with Robayat, Rai Action, Saharan Nights,
Brasamba, Mark Stillman, Salamat, and the Ethnic Dance Theater.
Tim has performed in venues as far away as the Jerash, Bethlehem,
and Bir Zeit music festivals in the Middle East as well as closer
to home at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He has appeared
with some of the top artists in Arabic, Persian, and Kurdish music
including Simon Shaheen and Al-Qantara, Settar Morteza, Sussan,
and Sivan Perwar. His studies have included the Arabic
Music Retreat in Massachusetts for 4 years and the National
Conservatory of Music in Amman, Jordan. Tim has also enjoyed composing
and creating music for the local theater productions Haroun and
the Sea of Storiesand Sohrab and Rustom. Tim played on
the Global Jazz Live CD, and also occasionally has a chance to perform
with us at other events when we're lucky. Photo: Vance Gellert
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