8bells Records

Joe Manis Trio: Evidence

“Fabulous…  Will thrill fans of Monk, Rollins.” — Eugene Weekly

“Fresh and diverse… Manis led the Trio with a veteran’s touch.” — Oregon Music News

Saxophonist Joe Manis released his debut album, Evidence, featuring bassist Dave Captein and drummer Kevin Congleton on the 8bells label in January 2009.  Evidence features Manis’s own deft compositions, new takes on standards by Gershwin, Monk and others, and even an expressionist version of Pink Floyd’s “Money.”  Manis received a Masters of Music in Jazz Studies-Performance with Academic Honor from New England Conservatory in 2007, working with Jerry Bergonzi and George Garzone, and pursued additional graduate work at the Eastman School of Music.  In Boston and Rochester, he played with the Temptations, the Ken Schaphorst Big Band featuring trombonist Andre Hayward, and the many incarnations of the Joe Manis Trio.  Manis earned a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Oregon in 2005.  As both a leader and a sideman, he has presented performances and jazz masterclasses at Whitman College, Bates College, University of Oregon, Columbia University Teachers College, and high schools throughout Oregon.

Manis has played with Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited and appears on their album Rise Up! on Real World Records.  He currently shouts background vocals and plays alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones with the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, with whom he toured Europe in fall 2008, performing sold-out shows in the major cities of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Slovenia, Switzerland, and the UK.  With the Daddies, Manis released Susquehanna in 2008 and Skaboy JFK: the Skankin’ Hits of… in 2009.

Dave Captein is an accomplished performer on both string bass and bass guitar, having worked as a professional musician for over 35 years in the Pacific Northwest.  A music graduate of Western Washington University and the University of Washington, where he was awarded a composition scholarship, Dave has performed in a broad range of situations, from symphonic performances to studio and club work, as well as many jazz concerts and festivals around the country and in Europe.  Formerly a 10-year faculty member at the University of Oregon, he now teaches at Lewis and Clark College.

He has appeared with (among others): Mose Allison, Frankie Avalon, Jeff Clayton, Randy Brecker, Ron Miles, Kenny Drew Jr., Jessica Williams, Joey De Francesco, Eric Alexander, Pete Christlieb, Gary Smulyan, Bud Shank, Ingrid Jensen, Bobby Shew, Wynton Marsalis, Dick Hyman, Ken Peplowski, Steve Allen and Paul Smith, Bill Mays, and Benny Green.

Originally from Eugene, OR, Kevin Congleton is a freelance drummer living in Brooklyn, New York. He attended the University of North Texas where he recorded and toured with the famed One O’Clock Lab Band and is featured on their album “Lab 2005″. At home in a variety of musical styles, Congleton can be heard in performances and/or recordings with various jazz groups as well as rock bands including Ambulance Ltd. and the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies.