The Pandea Group - Contemporary Jazz with a Groove

The Pandea Group is Peter Dembski's New York-based band. They perform regularly at the legendary 55 BAR , one of the oldest jazz clubs in Greenwich Village. Peter has been the primary composer and creative force behind The Pandea Group. The players in the group come from a rotating group of about a dozen different musicians that Peter has worked with over the years.

The seeds of the group began over 10 years ago when Peter brought the different members of the group to the Maine coast to perform. There he was able to work the ensemble frequently and in different configurations, using the isolated atmosphere of rural coastal Maine to his creative advantage and to develop an ensemble sound away from the pressures of the New York music scene.

Each performance uses a unique configuration of players. The pool of players includes:

Guitarist Bob Devos (HighNote/Savant recording artist) has worked with many groups from Joey De Francesco, Eric Alexander, Stanley Turrentine, Hank Crawford, Rufus Reid, to Charles Earland, Jimmy McGriff, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Jack McDuff, and Teo Macero),
Bassists Ron McClure (the world-renowned bassist who started his career in the '60s with Wes Montgomery and then joined the classic Charles Lloyd quartet with Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnnette), Mike Richmond (Miles Davis, Joe Henderson),and Greg Maker
Saxophonist Aaron Heick (from Chaka Khan's group and the Richard Bona band)
Drummers Grisha Alexiev (Sam Rivers, David Liebman, Randy Weston, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Anthony Braxton ) and Peter Grant (Gerry Mulligan, Astrud Gilberto).
Peter plays Piano and Fender Rhodes with the group.

"I don't try for a lot of unneeded complexity in my compositions; instead I look to rhythms and grooves to create texture and drama. I write the music and get the best musicians I can to play it. I like to take advantage of each player's strengths and make music through the personality of the players and the variety of the ensemble sound. My hope is that the sound is contemporary and, at the same time, true to the spirit of jazz."
PD

What people are saying about THE PANDEA GROUP

"A BEAUTIFUL MIX OF CLASSIC JAZZ SENSIBILITIES AND BREADTH OF MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE"
Casey Mallinckrodt, Host, Nightjazz, WKZE, Sharon Connecticut

…." A SOULFUL GROOVE…."
The Islander

" HE TELLS A STORY WITH HIS MUSIC"
Simone Fontanelle, Composer/Conductor, Mozarteum, Salzburg

"NOT A PLAYER THAT OVERPLAYS--THIS GENTLEMAN PLAYS WITH TASTEFUL DISCRETION. YOU CAN TELL HE HAS MORE IN HIS ARSENAL BUT CHOSES TO SAY WHAT HE HAS TO SAY VERY SUCCINCTLY. DESERVES A NATIONAL CONTRACT."
David B. Vliet, Reviewer

"A FRESH TAKE ON CLASSIC JAZZ. YOU'LL WANT TO LOOP THIS CD ON YOUR PLAYER BECAUSE ONE LISTEN IS NOT ENOUGH. DOUBLE LIFE ORGANICALLY FLOWS BETWEEN MEMORABLE RHYTHMS AND MOODY SPACES "
Amazon Fan, Burbank, CA

"PERFECT FOR THE PROGRAM"..."A PLEASURE"
JL Bueno, "La Otra Musica Radio", Cadiz, Spain

"BRILLIANT"
Julie, Jazz FM fan, Staffordshire, England