Pat Metheny

www.doctorgradus.co.uk Often described as Jacques Loussier gone bananas, Doctor Gradus re-imagine the music of the French Impressionists in a heady mix of harmonic opulence, cascading lyricism and rhythmic lunacy. Formed in the autumn of 2011 as a healthy tonic to their individual professional work (which has seen them play as side men everywhere from The Big Chill to Carnegie Hall), Doctor Gradus sees the combined talents of Pete Whinnett on piano, Andy Philip- guitar, Rob Levy- bass and Dave Bryant on drums.

Bill Frisell was born in Baltimore, but was raised in Denver, CO. Once a classical clarinetist, he established a firm base in his traditional harmonic knowledge early on in life. Throughout high school and college he also played guitar in various rock and R&B groups in the Denver area. During high school, however, he became profoundly interested in jazz guitar. In 1971 Frisell attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, and also began studying with Jim Hall, one of the prominent jazz guitarists of the 1960s.

In 1977, Robben Ford assembled a group of veteran session musicians to record his album The Inside Story. The trio of musicians, which included keyboardist Russell Ferrante, bassist Jimmy Haslip and drummer Ricky Lawson, soon discovered a certain "chemistry" and musical affinity that led to their formation of Yellowjackets. The Inside Story being mainly instrumental, Robben Ford's record label wanted him to record another album that was more pop and vocal oriented. The group, known as the Robben Ford Group, preferred to pursue the instrumental route, and a "band within a band" was formed.