09.20.07 | Fall Update!!
Hello Everyone!!
Sorry that it's been so long since I've updated this site but you'll understand why after you read this article! This past summer was crazy busy!! I LOVE IT THIS WAY!! Some highlight performances were:

Concert with The O'JAYS
Charles Heath Quartet at the South Shore Jazz Fest(check out the review at the showcase page)
Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble at Summer Dance
Occidental Brothers at Summer Dance
Greg Ward/Nori Tanaka Duet at the Hide Out
Ian Torres Big Band Debut at the Bad Dog Tavern
Hamid Drake in Montreal at the Suoni Per Il Popolo Festival 2007

There were so many more amazing concerts!!!

I've also been REALLY busy recording! I believe I've done more than 10 recordings this year! Watch out for records from:

Savath and Savalas
Broken Things:Swim To the River
Charles Rumback Project
Funkadesi
Mike Reed's People, Places, and Things
2 projects with Phil Schurgar
Karl Seigfried record for Delmark
Blink(October)
Caleb Willitz

and many more!!

We Tree has been performing some!! We plan to add a vocalist to our project and to start working on a recording!! The Occidental Brothers have had a huge summer! Packing out clubs like Martyr's, Schubas, and the Empty Bottle!! We're also getting some great reviews that I'll post in the Showcase section! We're taking a break now to begin work on the full-length record! Keep your eyes open! If you haven't heard the group BLINK, you're really missing something special! This group features Dave Miller, Jeff Greene, and Quin Kirchner! We have at least one gig a month! Check us out at myspace.com/blinkchicago.

My writing projects are going well!! The ballet music for the Peoria Ballet Commission is done! I'm just tweaking stuff now! I also was invited to write a piece for the ICE FEST 2007!! This piece features Scott Hesse, Katinka Kleijn, and Ernie Adams along with myself! It's called "Infatuation With the Flame" and will be performed at the opening concert of ICE FEST 2007 at the Velvet Lounge in Chicago, IL. Don't miss it! This piece will also be performed at the Art Institute as a part of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chamber Music Series and will be performed in New York as well!

For the future:

Going back to Paris with the Chicago 12 and will tour Spain and maybe Portugal with Pau Domenech! The ballet will be performed in March! Loose Assembly might go on tour in Europe!

As you can see, things have been very busy and I hope to keep things this way!! Keep stopping in to keep up with my schedule and try to come to some of the shows! Hope to see you all soon!

Take care,
Greg

05.26.07 | Summer Adventures!!
Once again, I've been busy with so much work that I haven't had anytime to write, which is a good problem to have if you are a full-time musician!!
My tour in Spain was a huge success!! I performed 7 concerts in and around Barcelona with several different rhythm sections and my good friend, Pau Domenech, on bass clarinet. The jazz scene in Barcelona really blew me away! So many young people digging jazz, packing into jam sessions before the band is even ready to play! There are many great players with unique voices in Barcelona!!
All of the performances were great but one of my best experiences happened on a trip to Valencia. Pau took me to the home of Spanish saxophonist Pericho Sambeat!! We had a jam session with som of the local musicians! Pericho is an amazing player! I recorded the session and will try to put some of the tracks up here on the website or myspace.
After my European travels, I had to hurry and finish my Peoria Ballet commission by April 1st. I'll pulled it off and have started to record each movement for rehearsal purposes! It's really exciting to see this project come together and I can't wait until opening night, March 1st, 2008. The piece is currently called "Wings" and will feature a quintet of musicians including Marcus Evans, Patrick Mulcahy, Darwin Noguerra, and Geof Bradfield.
This has been a crazy year for recording as well!! So many of the groups I'm in are going into the studio or putting out records that we've previously finished! Mike Reed's Loose Assembly put out the record "Last Year's Ghost" on the 482 Music record label!! Be sure to check this out! It's a great record and features musicians like Josh Abrams, Tomeka Reid, and Jason Adasiewicz. Another record that will be coming out is Broken Things, the 2nd project led by Bill MacKay that I've been involved with!! This is also a great record! You can hear a few samples at www.billmackay.com. There are many other projects coming out with records so I'll keep you posted!
A little over a month ago I was introduced to Carmel Raz, an amazing composer and violinist from Israel, while performing with Karl Seigfried! Ever since, we've been collaborating when she's in town and through the internet! Right now, we're working together in the TBD Improv. Orchestra and beginning to put together a world-music group of some sort! Watch out for upcoming projects with Carmel and I! You can check out some of our collaborations at www.myspace.com/gregwardmusic2.
Our band, We Tree, has been performing frequently in places like Martyr's and the Tonic Room! The music is getting better and better!! Check us out at www.wetreemusic.com. If you like groovin' and rockin' out, then be sure to catch the next We Tree show! Also, the Occidental Brothers' Dance Band International is gaining some serious momentum! Every show we play seems to be almost at capacity!! The band is getting tighter and the people are dancing more and more! We've got a lot of shows this summer!! I'd love to see you at a performance! Check the website: www.occidentalbrothers.com.
There's so much happening right now!! Please check back for more updates!

Take care,
Greg Ward

12.13.06 | IT'S BEEN TOO LONG!!!!
Hello There,
It's been so long since I've written anything and I promise not to let this happen again!! A lot has happened since last February!! Here's a brief synopsis: Chicago 12 in Italy, Gallery 37 Downtown Sound Gallery Composer's Series Participant, received commission from I.C.E.(sep. 06), Wings Ballet Commission is back online, set for April 2008, We Tree has been performing regularly, Occidental Brother's recorded and released a CD, also opened 2 nights for Andrew Bird, recorded a record with PREFUSE 73, going to perform with Hamid Drake at Sons D'Hiver in Paris, might tour Spain with Pau Domenech, I'm currently the assistant director of After School Matters' Jazz Harvest Program, and much, much more!! I promise to write a lot more!! Keep coming back for more updates, new sounds, and photos!! Also, check out my myspace page at www.myspace.com/gregwardmusic2.

Take care,
Greg

02.27.06 | A VERY BUSY WINTER!!!
Hello Everyone!!
I know it's been a long time since I've posted anything but it has been a very busy winter!! Many of the groups that I'm in have been performing all over! Most recently I joined Angel Melendez and his 911 Mambo Orchestra in Traverse City, Michigan, for an engagement. The band sounded wonderful and I look forward to working with them much more!! The African band that I perform with, OBDI, gave a concert at the Charleston which almost caused a riot!! People were dancing like crazy and tearing newspapers to make confetti! My sextet has been performing more and gets more and more exciting every show!! Be sure to check us out sometime!!
I'll be travelling again very soon! I leave for Japan in the middle of March where I will be performing a couple of gigs with a good friend of mine and former band member, Ed Gerber! Also, the Chicago 12 is returning to Europe for the 2nd time this year. We will be performing in Rome in May!! I know that will be very exciting!!
Finally, I've just been asked to participate in this concert series in June where they want me to put together a new group to perform some new pieces!! I'm still thinking about the musicians I want to use. So far I've recruited Matt Ulery, Victor Garcia, and Leslie Beukleman! I'll keep you all posted as more develops!! I hope you are all well and that I see you at a performance very soon!

Take care,
Greg

01.18.06 | Chicago 12 Perform at Sons d'Hiver Festival in Paris, France!!!
Hello Again!!
I just got back from Paris on Sunday and have been running around like a mad man to prepare for upcoming performances with many different groups! Like the headline says, the Chicago 12 performed in Paris on the 13th for a packed house!! Ernest Dawkins composed a wonderful piece for the festival which was inspired by the life of Fred Hampton! The concert was a success!!! We even managed to get the people dancing by the end of the night!! Paris is a wonderful place and I hope to spend some more time there so I can see the sights! All of my trips seem to move so fast that there's no time to get out and do the "tourist thang"!
Well, I'm glad to be home and I'm looking forward to the rest of this month's performances!! Every band has a distinct style, each one exciting in a different way! Be sure to check them out! I'll chat with you all later!

Take care,
Greg

01.06.06 | The Greg Ward Sextet performs along with the Fred Anderson Quartet for the Velvet Lounge Relocation Benefit at the Jazz Showcase!!!
We're continuing our fundraising for the relocation of the Velvet Lounge this Monday at the Jazz Showcase!! Fred Anderson's quartet will play a set followed by the Greg Ward Sextet! This is just the first of 4 benefit concerts that will be taking place at the Jazz Showcase! I hope to see you all at these performances! There are few places like the Velvet Lounge anywhere in the world! It's so important that the Velvet remains open!! Admission is $10/$15. Tell as many people as you know and I'll see you there!!

01.01.06 | HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
It's 2006!! Another wonderful year of growth and learning has passed!! Let's all make this next year even better, no matter what it is that you do!! Focus and push harder! I hope everyone had a safe holiday season and got to spend time with their families. My New Year's Eve was spent with the Red Walls at the Navy Pier Rock and Roll Ball! We played a set along with many other bands! We had a great show and a great time!! Have a wonderful year and I hope to see you at some performances!!

12.21.05 | Chicago Creative Arts Online
Check out video of me performing live in various settings. There are many other wonderful performances of great musicians here too. Be sure to check it out!!

12.16.05 | Christmas Glory 2005!!!
Last weekend I had the opportunity to be a part of the Christmas Glory 2005 production, which will be airing on Christmas day at 12:00 PM on FOX 32 Chicago. The event featured performances by Brian McKnight, Darius Brooks, Al Jarreau, the Winans, Santita Jackson, and many more!!! This was an amazing experience! Be sure to check it out!!

12.01.05 | The launching of Greg Ward's official web site, GREGWARD.ORG!!
Welcome to my new web site! Here, you'll be able to stay up-to-date with what's happening with my music, as well as being able to contact me about booking gigs or receiving private saxophone instruction!