Allen Mezquida

Last updated

Allen Mezquida is an illustrator, animator, jazz saxophonist and the founder of The Jazz Dive [1] , an independent art studio at the intersection of jazz and mid-century modern design. The Jazz Dive sells original Jazz Art including fine art prints and canvas prints.

Contents

Biography

Mezquida is a jazz alto saxophonist. [2] He was a regular figure in the '80s and '90s New York City jazz scene, playing alongside notable musicians such as Brad Mehldau, Bill Charlap, Roy Hargrove, as well as jazz legends Gerry Mulligan and Dizzy Gillespie. [3] Mezquida recorded one album as leader – A Good Thing , which was released by Koch in 1996. [4] His quartet for the album was Bill Mays or Brad Mehldau on piano, bassist Sean Smith, and drummer Leon Parker. [4] In the late 1990s, Mezquida decided to try something else: he later commented that "I was feeling under appreciated", [5] and "I was more frustrated with jazz's tiny place in the current cultural landscape than with my jazz career". [2]

He then drew cartoons and took up animation. [2] After moving to Los Angeles, he got work for major film studios. [2] He later started a YouTube channel for his animated creation, Smigly, "a short cartoon about a really bitter saxophonist.” [5]

Mezquida played saxophone on Molly Ringwald's Except Sometimes . [6]

During the 2020 quarantine, unable to perform live, Mezquida channeled his creativity into visual art, producing a series of portraits of his favorite jazz musicians. “I’ve always been involved in making art while playing jazz, but during quarantine, I went at it like a madman. I’m still going strong even now,” he said. [1]

Discography

As leader

A Good Thing (Koch)

As sideman

With Cow Bop (Bruce Forman)

With Mark Murphy

With Molly Ringwald

With Sean Smith

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Shipp</span> American pianist, composer, and bandleader

Matthew Shipp is an American avant-garde jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Blade</span> American jazz drummer

Brian Blade is an American jazz drummer, composer, and session musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Redman</span> American jazz saxophonist and composer (born 1969)

Joshua Redman is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is the son of jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman (1931–2006).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Grenadier</span> American jazz double bassist

Larry Grenadier is an American jazz double bassist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Mehldau</span> American jazz musician (born 1970)

Bradford Alexander Mehldau is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Watson</span> American saxophonist, composer, and educator

Robert Michael Watson Jr., known professionally as Bobby Watson, is an American saxophonist, composer, and educator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straight-ahead jazz</span> Genre of jazz

Straight-ahead jazz is a genre of jazz that developed in the 1960s, with roots in the prior two decades. It omits the rock music and free jazz influences that began to appear in jazz during this period, instead preferring acoustic instruments, conventional piano comping, walking bass patterns, and swing- and bop-based drum rhythms.

<i>Metheny/Mehldau</i> 2006 studio album by Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau

Metheny Mehldau is a jazz album released in 2006 by Nonesuch Records. Most of the album is a duet between guitarist Pat Metheny and pianist Brad Mehldau. On two songs, they are accompanied by drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Larry Grenadier.

<i>MoodSwing</i> (Joshua Redman album) 1994 studio album by Joshua Redman Quartet

MoodSwing is a 1994 studio album by American jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman. All compositions on this album are originals written by Redman. The album was re-released on vinyl in 2009. Redman's bandmates here are Brad Mehldau on piano, Christian McBride on acoustic bass, and Brian Blade on drums. The next album by this quartet, RoundAgain, was released 26 years later in July 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jorge Rossy</span> Spanish jazz musician

Jorge "Jordi" Rossy is a spanish jazz drummer, pianist and vibraphonist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Zimmerli</span> American musician and composer (born 1968)

Patrick Zimmerli is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, and record producer.

Brad Mehldau is an American jazz pianist. He first recorded in 1991, for saxophonist Christopher Hollyday's The Natural Moment. He has recorded more than forty albums as leader or co-leader, many more as a sideman, and for several soundtracks.

<i>Except Sometimes</i> 2013 studio album by Molly Ringwald

Except Sometimes is the debut studio album of American singer-songwriter Molly Ringwald released on April 9, 2013, through Concord Records. It is a jazz record that follows a tradition of the Ringwald family set by her father. "I grew up in a home filled with music and had an early appreciation of jazz since my dad was a jazz musician. Beginning at around age three I started singing with his band and jazz music has continued to be one of my three passions along with acting and writing. I like to say jazz music is my musical equivalent of comfort food. It's always where I go back to when I want to feel grounded," Ringwald said in a statement. The album received generally mixed to positive reviews, with many critics praising Ringwald's vocals. The closing track of the album is a cover version of Simple Minds' "Don't You " which was part of the soundtrack of the movie The Breakfast Club that starred Ringwald. Ringwald dedicated this track "to the memory of J.H." This refers to John Hughes, Ringwald's director in The Breakfast Club and many of her other films.

<i>Nearness</i> (album) 2016 live album by Joshua Redman and Brad Mehldau

Nearness is an album by jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman and pianist Brad Mehldau. It contains six duets recorded in concerts in Europe during 2011. The record was released on September 9, 2016 by Nonesuch. It was Grammy-nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Album at the end of 2016. The record also produced two singles.

<i>A Good Thing</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Allen Mezquida

A Good Thing is an album by jazz alto saxophonist Allen Mezquida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darek Oleszkiewicz</span> Polish jazz musician and composer

Darek Oleszkiewicz, also known as Darek Oles, is a jazz bassist, composer, arranger, and educator.

<i>Like a Dream</i> (album) 2004 studio album by Darek Oleszkiewicz

Like a Dream is an album by Darek Oleszkiewicz.

<i>Some Time Ago</i> 2000 studio album by Mark Murphy

Some Time Ago is the 37th album by American jazz vocalist Mark Murphy. It was recorded in 1999 when Murphy was 68 years old and released by the HighNote Records label in the United States in 2000. The album is a collection of jazz bebop tunes and standards with Murphy backed by a jazz quintet.

<i>Links</i> (Mark Murphy album) 2000 studio album by Mark Murphy

Links is a studio album by Mark Murphy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Smith (bassist)</span> American modern jazz double bass player and composer

Sean Smith is an American jazz double bass player and composer.

References

  1. 1 2 Jazz, All About (2024-06-13). "Jazz news: Saxophonist Allen Mezquida Launches New Jazz Art Site: The Jazz Dive". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Springer, Mike (September 24, 2011) "Jazz Toons: Allen Mezquida's Journey from Bebop to Smigly". Open Culture.
  3. ↑ Jazz, All About (2024-06-13). "Jazz news: Saxophonist Allen Mezquida Launches New Jazz Art Site: The Jazz Dive". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  4. 1 2 Yanow, Scott "Allen Mezquida – A Good Thing". AllMusic. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Gavin, James (September 3, 2010) "YouTube's Rising Cartoon Star". The Daily Beast.
  6. ↑ Louden, Christopher (April 22, 2013) "Molly Ringwald: A Star, Reborn". JazzTimes.
  7. ↑ Hadley, Frank John (October 2011) "Cow Bop – Too Hick for the Room". Down Beat. p. 59.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.