Music
Press
"Father, Son and the Holy Notes"
By Kathy Y. Wilson
City Beat music writer
On Bruce Menefield's latest CD, My Steps (Black Sax Records).....groove is in his heart and horn. Bruce goes for flat-out suppleness and a contemporary sheen that neither hinders nor ghettoizes his profoundly personal message and approach. Bruce Menefield is an obviously spiritual man whose beliefs play out in titles like "My Call", "My Walk of Faith", "Circle of Prayer" and "The Way, The Truth....The Omega".
Speaking of Coltrane, it's the latter cut that catapults Bruce Menefield into the realm of Coltrane sideman Pharaoh Sanders. "I Am" is the album's closer and it's shortest track. On it, Bruce Menefield is unadorned. During 2:46 of John Klemmer-like Menefield showers, Bruce's horn is the vessel through which he speaks to himself, to God and to us. It's a prayer, really. And because he prays it, we are blessed.
- City Beat
Hyatt Regency
Friday Jazz at the Sun Garden
By "Doc" , Dr. Walter G. Broadnax
"John Coltrane meets Gene Ammons". The leader of the Bruce Menefield Quartet, Bruce combines the subtile robust sound of Gene Ammons with the fire and intensity of John Coltrane to create his own unique sound. He is easily one of the most creative and innovative musicians on the roster; each concert he performs reveals new explorations into the heart and soul of the music. A true master and innovator of the continuing art form.
www.jazzincincy.com - "Doc" Broadnax
Discography
My latest CD is called "My Steps"
Two very popular songs on the CD receive radio airplay.... "The In Between" and "My Call" because of their vibrant groove.
Photos
Bio
"...Groove is in his heart and horn” Kathy Y. Wilson, Cincinnati City Beat
Saxophonist Bruce Menefield is an outstandingly creative musician. He has developed a unique style of playing a variety of musical genres: jazz, gospel, blues, R&B and world music. Menefield has performed professionally for 35 years where his sweet sound has been heard in top venues, churches and concert halls. He has performed with and among some of the best in jazz such as Billy Harper, Clark Terry, Bennie Maupin, Ronnie Laws and John Blake. Bruce is best known for his big bluesy sound, but he has morphed into a highly spirited improviser, able to create new music on the spot and in the height of the moment. "From the beginning of my explorations in music, I believe music is an indispensable part of life. I’ve believed this for a long time; music is to be used to celebrate profound events of the day: birth, harvest, marriage, family and the community as a whole. Anything I do includes this sentiment. The emphasis is on how I play a song, not the written composition of it. I can’t put this into words, it is just there… that is part of the connection that I have from the unseen to what you see."
Menefield is also a leader and a producer. His career is marked by his ability to mix talented musicians into exciting ensembles. The groups he has developed are known to keep a "hard groove" and to deliver a strong musical message. Bruce has produced many live concerts including the "It's Commonly Jazz" series. Bruce highlighted this series with the likes of McCoy Tyner and Hank Crawford. He has written, recorded and produced his own music. His latest CD is entitled "My Steps." "I play to encourage people in their pursuit of love, joy and hope. When performing, my goal is to communicate that by our continued determined effort; WE can achieve anything, overcome any obstacle, solve any problem and exceed self imposed limitations.”
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Xavier University and studied music at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He and his wife Ena Nearon Menefield work together as a team to bring his music to the stage. "Just today, a jazz lover and friend of mine said these exact words to me, “You saved my life many times!” He didn’t have words to describe what it was in the music that accomplished this other than to say that “there is just something about it”.
“When I hear “thank you’ coming from a listener’s heart, I truly feel that my music has fulfilled its purpose.”
Links
