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Dennis Adu
Dennis Adu was born in 1987, May 8 in Saltpond (Ghana). When he was 2 years old his family moved to Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. He started playing the trumpet when he was 7, and when he turned 8 he was invited to Alexander Gebel Orchestra.
Dennis participated in such international festivals and competitions like “Millau en Jazz” (France), “Fel du Sher” (France), “Jazz A Vienne” (Viena), Alfa Jazz Fest (Ukraine) and many others.
In 2007 Adu won the “Do#Dж Junior” (The Best Trumpet Player), in 2009 on this competition he became the winner in nominations “The Best Musician in Ukraine” and “The Best Arrangement of Jazz Standard”.
Dennis took lessons from Alex Sipiagin and Joe Magnarelli. He played with Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Gregory Porter, Curtis Fuller, Jim Rotondi, Roy and Ofer Assaf, Steve Slagle, Javon Jackson, Larry Willis, Quincy Davis, Dana Hall, Jason Brown, Jimmy Bosch, Mitch Froman, Pete Nater Frankie Vasquez, Wayne Escoffery, Michael Dease, Mambo Legends Orchestra, Seamus Blake, John Hollenbeck, and other.
Since 2012 he leads the Quintet, Sextet, Septet and Big Band.
Awards
In 2007 Adu won the “Do#Dж Junior” (The Best Trumpet Player), in 2009 on this competition he became the winner in nominations “The Best Musician in Ukraine” and “The Best Arrangement of Jazz Standard”.
Tags
Dennis Adu: Tereza
by Ian Patterson
Trumpeter, composer and bandleader Dennis Adu is a key figure on Ukraine's jazz scene, not just as an outstanding musician but also as an educator. Whether leading small ensembles or big bands, Adu has a penchant for arranging intricate, harmonically appealing multiple horn parts. “Tereza," from his album Sunlight Above the Sky (LableWhoAble, 2021 ) is a great illustration of the warmth in both Adu's arranging and (from minute 02.14) his playing. The septet on this track features Boris Mogylevskiy ...
Continue ReadingA Brief Guide To Ukrainian Jazz: Part 1
by Ian Patterson
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 The history of jazz in Ukraine can be traced fairly precisely according to academic, literature teacher and jazz journalist Alexander Yudin. Writing in The History Of European Jazz: The Music, Musicians And Audience in Context (Equinox Publishing, 2018), Yudin credits Yuliy Meitus with leading the country's first jazz band. Meitus' band, which consisted of vibraphone, violin, drums and percussion, reportedly gave the first jazz concert in Ukraine ...
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