Concert 4
October 5, 2008 • 4:00 P.M.

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Big Rapids High School Auditorium, Big Rapids, MI Map

Guest Artists Appearing with Edward Mallett:

STEVE BAILEY is a professional bassist who is famous for his pioneering work with the six string fretless bass. He was voted runner up for "Bass Player Of The Year" in 1994 and 1996. Steve Bailey began playing the bass guitar at age 12 and began playing fretless bass after he ran over his fretted bass with his car. Bailey not only plays electric bass, but he also plays double bass; he started playing upright after hearing Stanley Clarke playing with Return to Forever. Steve got a full scholarships to both North Texas University and Miami University. He is currently an Artist in Residence at Coastal Carolina University and a teacher at University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He has done work as a studio musician, as well as numerous collaborations including several albums with fellow bassist Victor Wooten. Bailey and Wooten host a bass camp called Bass At The Beach which helps to teach bassists of all ranges. The camp is for people who just bought their basses, to people who are very advanced in their playing. Steve also likes to surf and play tennis.

Steve has played with a huge range of artists, including Victor Wooten in Bass Extremes, Paquito D'Rivera, Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody, Dave Liebman, Claudio Roditti, Michel Camilo, The Rippingtons, David Benoit, Jethro Tull, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Willie Nelson, Ray Price, Billy Joe Shaver, Larry Carlton, Emily Remler, Brandon Fields, Kitaro, Max Highstein, T Lavitz, Tab Benoit, Johnny Witherspoon, Toni Price, Mel Tormé, Ernestine Anderson, Mark Murphy (singer), John Patitucci, Billy Sheehan, and many many more. He has released albums with many of these artists. Steve is the author of a successful series of bass instructional books. Website

BERNIE DRESEL What do Chaka Khan, Maynard Ferguson, David Byrne, Police guitar player Andy Summers and Brian Wilson all have in common? At one time or another the musical pistons that have driven the sound of these performers was supplied a percussive tour de force, Bernie Dresel.

Bernie was driven to a career in music by the same inspiration as Brian Setzer, whom Bernie plays with regularly as part of the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Look no further than Liverpool, England. At the age of two Bernie clearly remembers his Grandmother buying him the Fab Four's American debut, "Meet the Beatles." Unlike Brian's desire to play the guitar, the young Bernie was moved by the beat of Ringo's Ludwig drum kit.

After high school, Bernie headed to Rochester, NY to the Eastman School of Music where he studied classical percussion. Upon graduating in the spring of 1983 he did what a lot of musicians who want to earn a living do, he moved to Los Angeles. Bernie recalls that his first big gig was a 2 week stint in Las Vegas backing up former Dean Martin GoldDiggers, the Alberici Sisters.

Bernie has earned quite a reputation as a reliable and brilliant musician playing for such names as Maynard Ferguson, Talking Head David Byrne, The Rippingtons, Chaka Khan in addition to doing session work on such television shows as Dallas, Knots Landing, Deep Space Nine, Suddenly Susan, and films too numerous to mention.

One of the highlighs of Bernie's career was actually performing with his idol, Ringo Starr when the Beatle appeared on the English television series, Dame Edna. Bernie's dynamic playing can be heard on such iconic recordings as Brian Wilson/Van Dyke Parks CD, Orange Crate Art, Andy Summer's tribute to Thelonius Monk, Green Chimneys as well as contributing to the Grammy award winning sound of Brian Setzer's orchestra.

Bernie is also currently teaching in the jazz studies area at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Website