Sam Prathers Groove Orchestra (GO!) performs this Saturday at Bohemian Caverns, with a a large cast of local musicians: His musical explorations swung into gear at Woodrow Wilson High School, where he joined the jazz orchestra and school choir. While in high school, he had the opportunity to receive a lesson from the local piano luminary Allyn Johnson. He was struck by Johnson’s keen ability to listen to someone else’s playing and pinpoint exactly what they needed to work on. He decided to attend UDC, where Johnson is the director of jazz studies. While earning his bachelor’s degree, Prather began to immerse himself in the local jazz scene, going to jam sessions and getting his first sideman gigs. Prather says that attending Howard University for graduate school was his most important step toward building a network. There he got a chance to perform with masters like Pharaoh Sanders, Larry Willis and Greg Osby. “I want to play groove-oriented stuff that draws from my influence but doesn’t pull away creativity for the sake of album sales. D.C. has a lot of music to offer, and there won’t be a bright future for music with cats going to New York for $20 gigs.” Excerpts taken from CapitalBops feature on Prather
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 22:15:30 +0000
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