The Inside Men – Giving A New Sound To The Classic Jazz Quartet
From the classic post–bop style to avant garde sensibility, the Inside Men bring their own thing to this art form called Jazz. We are always finding new inspiration and originality in this powerful and profound music. The Inside Men play inside, we play outside – and always with intensity and commitment.
Carter Scholz – Piano
Although he grew up in New York City at the peak of the hard bop and free jazz eras, Carter studied classical piano and didn't discover jazz till his teens, the year that Coltrane died. In jazz he is largely self-taught, a rich and rewarding process that continues to this day. He has also played Javanese gamelan, free improv, and experimental computer music (a CD of computer works is available from www.frogpeak.org).
Mike Pierce – Tenor Sax, Soprano Sax
Growing up on the near north side of Chicago, Mike heard blues and jazz played all around him. After years of playing the blues on various instruments he took up the saxophone when he moved to the west coast and focused on expanding his musical vision through jazz. Mike Pierce has been playing in various bands in the bay area for over 20 years; his culmination is with The Inside Men.
Curtis Aikens – Bass
Bassist and Composer Curtis Aikens Is a versatile musician who has worked in a variety of settings including Theater pits, Orchestras, and Folk, Rock and Hip Hop bands, but Jazz is his passion. He began his Jazz studies with Bay Area legend Mel Martin at the age of 12, and continued his education at The Idyllwild arts Academy where, in addition to Jazz, he studied Classical Bass and Composition, with continued composition studies at The San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Phil Hodges – Drums
Despite having grown up in the desert of West Texas, Phil somehow acquired a taste for jazz. Starting at age 12, Phil played classical percussion in the school marching band and orchestra, but was also exposed to Texas blues, country & Western, AM radio soul & funk, and classic rock. Since college, Phil has played drums in a lot of rock bands, taught drum lessons, and learned to record. And somehow, he still discovered jazz....
"Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art."
-Charlie Parker
"Jazz is a very democratic musical form. It comes out of a communal experience. We take our respective instruments and collectively create a thing of beauty." -Max Roach
Places We’ve Played:
The Inside Men Record Live!
Jazz is such an expressive art form that the isolated environment of the recording studio often fails to capture the ambience of a live jazz performance. These tracks are all live, direct-to-stereo recordings of The Inside Men performing before an audience. They represent our music in its purest form, next to being at the show.
Playlist
"Let my children have music! Let them hear live music." - Charles Mingus
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"Jazz is a very democratic musical form. It comes out of a communal experience. We take our respective instruments and collectively create a thing of beauty."
-Max Roach
