Kurt Ribak Trio - Style Blurb
Style: Soulful, accessible, and eclectic original jazz.
Influences: Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington,
Hoagy Carmichael, The Meters
Kurt Ribak founded the Kurt Ribak Trio as a vehicle for playing his original
compositions. Kurt Ribak composes the lion's share of the music his
group plays. Kurt considers himself a jazz musician first and foremost,
but his compositions reflect his eclectic experiences as a working musician.
He has played in everything from Latin groups to R&B and reggae bands,
with stints in blues groups and circus bands breaking things up. A
father with a deep love of tangos and traditional Latin music also left a
big imprint on Kurt's musical influences.
Kurt's earliest influence was classical music, performing as a child in the
San Francisco Boys' Chorus. Chorus experiences included performing
with the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Opera. Kurt also
spent many years playing cello before he moved to focusing on bass.
Kurt cites Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus as his original primary influences
as a songwriter. Over time Duke Ellington as well as music of the Caribbean
and Latin America increasingly influenced Kurt’s writing. Other tunes
of his reflect a love of the music of New Orleans, both its traditional jazz
and its rhythm and blues music.
Kurt’s compositions continue to be the bulk of the repertoire of his Trio
but featured tunes include select standards by Duke Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael,
Harold Arlen, and other contributors to the Great American Songbook.