KAREEM KANDI to your ears…

By Deanne Savage

”If you want a true jazz experience go hear Kareem Kandi. Just sit back and transport yourself to any jazz club in the world where you imagine you want to be and Kareem will take you there because he is a classic jazz musician.”

Northwest Jazz Profile

Kareem Kandi (saxophonist) and his band will be performing at Second Sunday Jazz at the Library on February 8th from 2:00 to 3:30 pm and the performance is free – thanks to the Manieri Jazz Endowment.

Second Sunday host, Vince Fejeran, is really pumped about his selection; as Kareem Kandi comes with high recommendations from John Gilbreath of Earshot Jazz (and, lucky for us, John is the curator of the Anacortes Library / Manieri Jazz CD Collection).

Kareem Kandi’s style is described as masterful and classic in the true jazz tradition. He is getting a great deal of attention as an up and comer to keep your eyes (and ears) on. He is a big fish in the Tacoma music pool of jazz artists; winning awards and accolades down south, and is beginning to venture out into other cities and venues.

Kareem received a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance from Cornish College of the Arts, where he studied privately with Julian Priester, Hadley Caliman, Jovino Santos Neto, Dave Peck, Randy Halberstadt, Chuck Deardorf, and Jim Knapp. Prior to attending Cornish, he studied privately with Tracy Knoop, Jay Thomas, and Don Lanphere.

He is on faculty of the Pierce College Music Program and is currently teaching a Jazz Improvisation class at the Tacoma School of the Arts, where he is an Artist in Residence. He also maintains a private studio of forty private students per week, gives master classes and workshops throughout the Puget Sound on a regular basis, and conducts the award winning Jazz Ensemble (afternoon student group) at Pierce College.

Check out these YouTube Videos and you have a clear understanding of what he brings to the jazz table:

· In 2009, his band was the opener for the Taichung Jazz

Festival: