Artist description Ray's Music Exchange is a five piece ensemble from Cincinnati dedicated to the creation of eclectic and innovative music. Ray's focuses on the collaborative process and developing a strong community of musicians through various side projects and guest performers. With influences ranging from jazz and funk, to worldbeat and experimental, the collective result is unique and balanced, often venturing through many musical ideas during the course of an evening. Orchestrated compositions, free and guided improvisations, electronic music, and an adventurous approach to musical communication are all a part of a Ray's performance

Music Style jazz,world,electronic, and urban

Musical Influences all music

Similar Artists Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Frank Zappa,

Artist History Ray's has shared the stage with many artists including John Scofield, Victor Wooten, Stanley Jordan, Bela Fleck and Flecktones, Deep Banana Blackout, Oteil Burbridge, Mickey Hart and Planet Drum, Ekoostik Hookah, Fat Mama, Lake Trout, Ulu, Leftover Salmon, Umphrey's McGee, The Big Wu, Jazz is Dead, and JGB. They have also performed on the High Sierra ('99), Berkshire ('99 & '00), Autumn Equinox ('00) and H.O.R.D.E. Music Festivals ('98). Their debut live album, "Alivexchange" won the Cincinnati Entertainment Award for 1999 Album of the Year and in 2000, Best Jazz Group. Their highly anticipated debut studio album is scheduled for a summer release. The band belongs to the Homegrown Music Network and actively promotes the music scene in the Cincinnati Area. Ray's has received national recognition in the June 2000 issue of Downbeat Magazine, as well as feature articles on recent issues of the online magazines Jambands.com and Jambase.com. Ray's Music Exchange has been successful on a regional level, and now seeks out the waiting ears of an expanding national audience.

Group Members Nick Blasky-6 string and 4 string bass, Eli Hludzik-drum,percusion, and tap, Michael Mavridoglou-trumpet,rhodes, and textures, Joe McLean-electric and acoustic guitar,dobro, and textures, Brad Myers-electric and acoustic guitars,mandolin, and textures

Instruments electric and acoustic

Albums Alivexchange, Turanga on Delvian Records

Press Reviews Ray's Music Exchange is all about unity. A schizophrenic, collage-style celebration, the Cincinnati-based septet of bassist Nick Blasky, guitarist Joe McLean, percussionist Matthew Hawkins, trumpeter Michael Mavridoglou, drummer Jason Smart, guitarist Brad Myers and keyboardist Paul Hogan currently enjoys an up-and-coming status on the Midwest and East Coast live music scenes. Several members of Ray's met through the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and while the band has a few songs with lyrics, their performances are mostly composed of complex arrangements and an intermingling of musical themes. On their debut independent debut live CD, Alivexchange, Ray's demonstrates equal comfort referencing both electric Miles Davis and John Spencer-style dance grooves. And the band's growing reputation as a live act with a penchant for the on-the-edge improv has cultivated a fan base the includes both sophisticated jazz listeners and neo-Deadhead whirling-dervish dancers. "Our concept of music is that it's a very open-minded type of situation, involving many stylistic ideas that ultimately affect an eclectic unity," says Hogan, who , along with Blasky and Myers, is the group's principal composer. "And Ray's is founded on exploration in the search of unity. Every one of us is bringing ideas from different places, and an important part of our music is trying to find who we are as individual musicians and as a group." "Our music is always changing, and we are moving toward more soundscape-type explorations," Smart adds. "On the Jazz end, we are definitely influenced by Miles Davis, John Coltrane and fusion pioneers like Gary Burton, Larry Coryell and Joe Zawinul. And we balance the direction with new-movement groove stuff like Medeski Martin & Wood." While Ray's musical pedigree may be more closely aligned with the Mahavishnu Orchestra then Jerry Garcia, the band has a definite tie to the psychedelic rock community, where experimentation is openly embraced. They have performed with Mickey Hart's Planet Drum, JGB, Vince Welnick's Missing Man Formation, Leftover Salmon and fellow up-and-coming acts Umphrey's McGee and Deep Banana Blackout, among others. These onstage collaborations have helped Ray's reach beyond the jazz community to younger, larger rock aundiences. And the band allows the fans to record and circulate tapes of its live performances, a trademark of the jam band community that has helped spread their music into the areas they have not yet played. "We originated as a funk-rock type of band," Hogan says. "Lately, we've been exploring contemporary classical music. [In concert] we've played excerpts from Stravinsky, Bartók, Frank Zappa and minimalists composers like Steve Reich and Terry Riley. John Cage has been another great influence. His ideas have opened doors for the group, inspiring us to redefine what our music is and what we consider music to be. "The fact that Deadheads and Phisheads are into our music is probably due to the fact that bands like the Greatful Dead and Phish are open minded, exploring music that affects people who are looking for something a little different. And we appeal to all sorts-jazz heads, classical heads, music heads." -Mike Matray DownBeat Magazine

Location Cincinnati, Ohio - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).