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Meilana Gillard
Gear
Balanced Action Tenor Saxophone (SN:28XXX), Regal Queen Reeds #4, Ted Klum Tonamax 7*, Francois Louis Lig
Tags
BAN BAM: Bianca Gannon, Carole Nelson, Meilana Gillard and RBG Trio At Crescent Arts Centre
by Ian Patterson
Bianca Gannon, Carole Nelson and Meilana Gillard / RBG TrioBAN BAMCrescent Arts Centre jny:Belfast, N. Ireland January 21, 2024 What do an Indonesian candy floss seller, a Hawaiian bird and the video game Sega Genesis all have in common? Well, in one way or another, and to different degrees, they all informed the music on a memorable BAN BAM (see below) triple bill in Belfast. The artists in question were, in running ...
read moreRBG Trio: RBG Trio
by Ian Patterson
From small acorns and all that. A Dublin gig in 2019 brought Ohio-raised, Derry-based saxophonist Meilana Gillard into the orbit of bassist Dave Redmond and drummer Kevin Brady. That became the springboard for an ongoing collaboration, pandemic be damned, that celebrates their mutual commitment with this fine debut album. All but two of the twelve straight-ahead originals are freshly minted, though the trio attacks these burners and ballads with the same swagger and intuitive feeling that are the hallmarks of ...
read moreMeilana Gillard: Dream Within A Dream
by Ian Patterson
There are eight years between Ohio-born, Belfast-based tenor saxophonist Meilana Gillard's impressive debut, Day One (Inner circle Music, 2009), and her follow-up, Dream Within A Dream (Lyte Records, 2017) -simply way too long a gap for a musician and composer of her talents. Her debut, backed by Nir Felder, Tyshawn Sorey, Marcos Varela and Sam Barsh, flitted between classic jazz balladry and a more contemporary, upbeat vibe. For this all-acoustic outing, Gillard pins her old-school colors firmly to the mast, ...
read more"Gillard can, you feel, boast complete technical control of her horn, though doesn't need to demonstrate the fact every time she solos. There's plenty of fire in Gillard's playing, to be sure, but it's a passion tempered by lyricism and a firm narrative bent, qualities than make Dream Within a Dream a consistently rewarding experience." - Ian Patterson - All About Jazz
Primary Instrument
Saxophone, tenor
Location
Belfast
Willing to teach
Intermediate to advanced
Credentials/Background
Contact for details.
Clinic/Workshop Information
Contact for details.
Photos
Music
Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson