FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LOCAL
JAZZ MUSICIANS RETURN TO SIOUX FALLS FOR SPECIAL PERFORMANCES.
TIM
is short for Time In Motion Music. While
many musicians are content with playing covers every time they go on stage, few
musicians write and perform original Jazz material.
It’s hard work requiring countless hours of practice and commitment.
TIM
the Band was founded by once local musicians Chris Olsen, keyboards, and Dan
Pearson, saxophonist. They are
joined by Southern California drummer Steve Saviano.
The
real story behind TIM the Band and their music took time to develop.
Both Chris and Dan are lifelong friends from Sioux Falls.
Both have encountered difficult trials and their true commitment to music
and their friendship wasn’t fully realized until Dan spent two years in the
California penal system. “Spending
time in prison gives you time to sort things out and you ask yourself ‘Will I
live through this experience and after it’s over will I return because I
can’t hack it outside the walls?’ During
that time I had to practice without my sax.
I did it in my head and in my dreams.
And now that Chris and I can play together again, it’s a freedom
neither of us are willing to sacrifice for anyone or anything...including drugs
or alcohol.”
Dan’s
only music teacher was his father, Ray. He
helped Dan realize that his talent didn’t just come from practice but came
from his soul. “A real musician
doesn’t just play notes. I
don’t care if it’s orchestral music, country, rock, punk or Jazz it’s the
feeling. When I go hear another
musician I watch them closely and listen. You
can feel and see their emotion, if I can’t sense it they’re just faking it,
playing the notes with no meaning. It’s
what sets musicians apart.” Dan
started playing from the time he was a toddler and played his first blues gig at
fifteen quickly finding a connection with Jazz and Chris Olsen shortly
thereafter. “We are here to make
truth in music and peace in music within ourselves.”
Chris
Olsen brings another level of depth to TIM the Band. Playing piano since the age of six, prompted by his mother,
Rebecca. From that early age music
and practice has been a part of his life nearly everyday. “People don’t realize that to be good at music it takes
hours of practicing the fundamentals. If
you don’t have command of your fundamentals, you won’t command the music and
it’s that much more difficult to compose original material.”
Chris studied at the Sioux Falls Preparatory School of Music with Sandra
Landry then continued with Carol Flower, “There were pieces I liked and those
I didn’t. I didn’t realize
until recently that those voices I heard in classical music are the foundations
for Jazz. If some of the classical
composers were alive today and encountered Jazz they would probably find
freedom.”
Classical
and Jazz don’t usually mix at the piano, while classical music is very
structured and requires rote memorization and concentration, Jazz requires the
musician to let go of certain structures. “Allowing
your soul to play, isn’t difficult but it’s emotional.
When I left Sioux Falls with Dan and headed to Northern California I did
not realize what I was in for. Facing
the trials of relationships, drugs and a black hole of sorts made me re-evaluate
my life. I could not stay in
Northern California and have a drug free life so Colorado was a good place to
land.” Arriving in Denver,
getting back on his feet, then eventually moving to Boulder to study with noted
jazz pianist Art Lande helped him turn things around and see his music from
another perspective. “Every week
Art made me bring my best to the piano and I kept coming back until I found my
voice. It’s a strange thing
encountering your soul in your music, it’s frightening and comforting at the
same time. Jazz is like a
dragon…powerful, sublime, shifting shape and always dangerous.”
Starting
the “Heal Thy Life” project meant finding a drummer that could improvise
from the start. Chris sought out
drummers and interviewed them at a Boulder, Colorado recording studio.
Building a professional reputation meant changing the way he treated
musicians and how they treated him. After
several auditions Steve Saviano entered the studio.
“The music Chris plays is not normal.
It requires you to bring your “A” game to practice and to gig.
If I am not on my “A” game, he let’s me know it.
The up side is that this is an extremely creative process and the
material is original so I have to show up ready to play on the edge.”
Steve
Saviano was born in Los Angeles, California. He started to play drums seriously
at the age of 14. Coming from a
musical family he had the opportunity to meet, learn and play with great
drummers like Vinnie Colaiuta, Joel Taylor, Glen Sobel and many others. Steve
gained experience playing in several bands in the Los Angeles area and he has
also spent some time playing in recording studios around LA. In 2001 he played
in the main Orchestra on board the cruise ship Carnival Destiny. Later in 2003
he moved to Las Vegas where he joined a few top 40 bands playing in the
prominent hotels on the strip. Today, he teaches drum set from his home and
performs with a few bands in the Denver area.
TIM
the Band plays Jazz unlike any other. It’s
unique and original. They will
delight you if you’re seeking a real “experience” and may bring emotion
that you’ll never find anywhere else.
It’s an opportunity to hear one of the up and coming Jazz combos unique
unto themselves and its roots in Sioux Falls.
--30--
Upcoming
performances Sioux Falls Performances:
-
November
28, 2008; 11:00 a.m.; Empire Mall – JC Penney Wing
-
November
28, 2008; 4:00 p.m.; University of Sioux Falls – Z-Hall – Brothers in
Concert…Chris, Alex and Taylor Olsen.
-
November
28, 2008; 8:30 p.m.; Black Sheep Coffee Company – 12th Street
-
November
29, 2008; 9:00 p.m.; Nutty’s North
Website:
www.timeinmotinomusic.com