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Greg Burrus & Rutgers IJS Presents Wolf Dorsey Clark: A Letter To Bill Evans
February 28, 2025 @ 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm EST
Let The Music Speak for Itself
Acclaimed bassist Leon Lee Dorsey pays homage to the iconic Bill Evans in his latest release, “A Letter to Bill Evans”. Joined by the prodigious talents of drummer Mike Clark and pianist Michael Wolff, Dorsey delivers a captivating tribute that captures the essence of Evans’ musical genius while infusing it with the trio’s own distinctive flair.
From the enchanting bossa nova rhythms of “Gloria’s Step” to the deeply evocative renditions of “Turn Out the Stars” and “Waltz for Debby”, each track is a testament to the ensemble’s impeccable artistry and inventive approach to modern jazz. More than a nostalgic look back, this album is a vibrant celebration of Evans’ enduring influence, reimagined through the lens of three of contemporary jazz’s most brilliant minds.
Immerse yourself in the lush harmonies, intricate interplay, and soulful expressiveness that define “A Letter to Bill Evans”. This is a listening experience that will resonate with jazz aficionados and music lovers alike – a poignant tribute to a legend, brought to life by the masterful performances of Dorsey, Clark, and Wolff.
Credit: https://leonleedorsey.com/store/p/a-letter-to-bill-evans
A Letter to Bill Evans”
A behind-the-scenes look at the recording of “A Letter to Bill Evans” featuring Michael Wolff, Mike Clark, and Leon Lee Dorsey.
Mike Clark
Mike Clark gained worldwide recognition as one of America’s foremost jazz and funk drummers while playing with Herbie Hancock in the early seventies. His incisive playing on Hancock’s “Actual Proof” garnered him an international cult following and influenced generations of drummers. While Mike digs the funk, he consider jazz his first love, and playing that music is what he says feeds his soul.
Besides Herbie Hancock, Mike has performed and recorded with such well-known jazz greats as Christian McBride, Chet Baker, John Scofield, Nicholas Payton, Tony Bennett, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Donald Harrison, Eddie Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Vince Guaraldi, Woody Shaw, Albert King, Larry Coryell, Mike Wolff, Wallace Roney, Billy Childs, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Chris Potter, Bobby McFerrin, Nat Adderly, Oscar Brown Jr., and Gil Evans and his Orchestra.
Born in Sacramento, CA, Mike traveled around the country with his father, a union man for the railroad, and a former drummer himself. His dad had a great appreciation for jazz and blues music, and Mike credits this exposure as forming the foundation for his ability to synthesize many different regional styles. He absorbed the music of America while riding the rails. From age 4, he was a prodigy, sitting in—and getting “house” —- with bands in Texas and New Orleans. By the time he reached his early twenties, he had become one of the founders of the distinctive East Bay Sound coming out of Oakland, California.
During the late sixties, Mike led his own jazz organ trio,. Then he met Hancock in 1973. With Herbie, Mike set the rhythms for the acclaimed group, The Headhunters. Afterwards, he did a two-year stint with Brand X, the British jazz/rock fusion band founded by Phil Collins. With them he recorded ”Do They Hurt?” and “Product.”
By 2000, Mike had made a foray into the popular jam band scene. His group Prescription Renewal pulled together cross-generational talents, such as Charlie Hunter, Fred Wesley, Skerik, Robert Walter, and DJ Logic, and featured special guests such as Donald Harrison, George Porter Jr. of The Meters, Les Claypool, Larry Goldings and fellow Headhunters alumni Bill Summers. He also toured with The Roots Funk All Stars.
Along with James Brown’s drummer Clyde Stubblefield, Mike’s beats with The Headhunters (most notably “God Make Me Funky”) include some of the most sampled in hip hop. He has been featured in Downbeat, Musician, International Musician & Recording World, Modern Drummer, Jazz Times, Guitar Player, Jazz Is, and numerous jazz history and method books.
Mike is a popular and busy clinician. His latest book, “The Post Bop Drum Book” on Hudson Music is a big hit. A previous book, “Funk Drumming: Innovative Grooves & Advanced Concepts” was published in 2012 by Hal Leonard.
Leon Lee Dorsey
As a legendary bassist, composer, and arranger, Leon Lee Dorsey, born in 1958 in Pittsburgh, has performed with jazz luminaries that include: Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, John Lewis, Kenny Clarke, Jon Hendricks, Gloria Lynn, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Dorothy Donegan, Stanley Turrentine, George Benson, Ellis Marsalis, Neena Freelon and Terumasa Hino.
He has also performed in big bands with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, Benny Carter, the Duke Ellington Orchestra and Charlie Persip’s Superband. Other career highlights include working with Frank Sinatra at Carnegie Hall, guest appearances at the White House under Presidents Reagan and Clinton and performing with Joe Williams and the operatic diva Marilyn Horne.
He has graced jazz festivals throughout the world and recorded with Lionel Hampton, Art Blakey, Arthur Prysock, Freddie Hubbard, Dakota Staton and numerous other jazz artists.
Completing his Doctor of Music (DMA) in Double Bass Performance at Stony Brook University Graduate School (2014-2016), Dorsey holds Master’s Degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Manhattan School of Music, and a Double Degree in Music from Oberlin College, specializing in Classical Double Bass and Jazz Performance.
His prolific recording career includes albums such as “The Watcher” (1995), “Song of Songs” (1999), “Monk Time” (2019), “Play Sgt. Pepper” (2020), “Thank You Mr. Mabern” (2021), “Freedom Jazz Dance” (2021), “Blues on Top” (2022), and “Cantaloupe Island” (2022). His latest release is “A Letter to Bill Evans” (2024).
One of his notable contributions to the world of music is the album “Blues on Top,” which features a trio formation with drummer Mike Clark and guest artist Mike LeDonne on piano. The album showcases Dorsey’s and Clark’s talents as they fluidly fill the musical gaps and maintain a high rhythmic energy throughout the performance.
Michael Wolff
Michael Wolff is a renowned jazz pianist, composer and bandleader known for his virtuoso performances and innovative style. After leaving music school early to join the Latin-jazz great Cal Tjader’s band in the early ’70s, he spent the next two decades gigging and recording extensively. Wolff can be heard on over 21 recordings with a veritable hall of fame ranging from Tjader to Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Rollins, Nancy Wilson, Sheila E, Christian McBride, Tony Williams, and more. During this time, he even mingled with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Duke Ellington Band and the Count Basie Orchestra.
In addition to appearances at esteemed global venues such as Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Birdland, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Snug Harbor and Mezzrow, Wolff has performed with and conducted over 25 symphony orchestras worldwide including The Dallas Symphony, The Fort Worth Symphony, The Berlin Radio Orchestra, and The Atlanta Symphony. He has also performed as a soloist with The Memphis National Symphony and The Pittsburgh Symphony.
Wolff became a part of pop culture in 1989, when he began a five-year tenure as the musical director of the high energy house band on Arsenio Hall’s groundbreaking late-night talk show. This journey led to him accompanying saxophonist and Presidential candidate Bill Clinton in 1992, as well as backing musical giants including Ray Charles, B.B. King, Patti LaBelle, Whitney Houston, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Al Green, James Brown, Sammy Davis Jr., Jerry Lee Lewis and Warren Zevon. He also served as musical director for Nancy Wilson.
In the summer of 2015, a grueling four-year battle with a rare form of blood cancer had the pianist-composer on the ropes and flat on his back. He fell into a coma in the lobby of a New York hospital, where the prognosis quickly moved from doubtful to death’s door. At one point, the doctor asked his wife, award-winning actress, director and writer Polly Draper, if she’d signed a Do Not Resuscitate order. Through the haze of drugs and debilitating illness, Wolff lifted his head up and growled: “Resuscitate me!”
His sons Nat and Alex, in the midst of their ascent as two of the most talented actors of their generation, returned home to be with their father to comfort him. They played guitars and sang at his bedside, tapping into the sweet, winsome gifts that had made the Wolffs a famous musical family nearly a decade earlier, via the hit Nickelodeon TV series The Naked Brothers Band. “When I got sick, it was tough on the whole family,” Wolff says. “My wife really had to take care of me, and it was hard on everybody. “I guess it just wasn’t my time,” he laughs today, “So now everybody’s flying free, which is great.”
Wolff is a recipient of the BMI Music Award, the winner of the Gold Disc Award in Japan (“Jumpstart” recorded with Tony Williams and Christian McBride), and the recipient of the Hamptons International Film Festival’s award for best film score for The Tic Code. In addition to The Tic Code, he has composed the scores to many other film and television projects, such as Made Up, Dark Angel, Who’s the Man, and The Naked Brothers Band. Most recently Michael wrote the score for the new Polly Draper film, Stella’s Last Weekend.
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