CURTIS FORBES TRIO

Time: 7:00 PM

Location: Arcadia

Cost: $5

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Curtis Forbes is originally from the West Texas town of El Paso, and grew up listening mostly to the sounds of Texas blues. Having studied piano and saxophone at an early age, he picked up the guitar in high school, studying mostly the blues and transcribing what he could from the radio and his music collection. After two years at the University of Texas at Austin, where he took advantage of Austin's lively music scene, Curtis left to pursue his Jazz Composition degree at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts where he graduated with honors in jazz composition in December of 2000.

Upon graduation, he taught music briefly in his hometown of El Paso before moving to Seattle to become part of its illustrious jazz scene. In addition to performing regularly in Seattle, Curtis taught guitar, bass, and piano privately in addition to directing group ensembles. His performances included work with duets, trios, and quartets in many of Seattle's venues.

Curtis moved to New York City in the fall of 2003, and finished his masters at New York University in December 2004 with honors in Jazz Studies. After moving to New York but before beginning his coursework, Curtis sought out legendary guitarist Richie Hart and began studying weekly in Richie's Connecticut home. While at NYU, Curtis studied with famed, brilliant saxophonist George Garzone and studied double bass with grammy award-winning bassist Mike Richmond.

Curtis has established himself as a promising young guitarist, evoking a personalized sound reminiscent of influences such as Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, George Benson, and Grant Green. He has performed with George Garzone, Richie Hart, and many others in some of New York's most noteworthy jazz clubs. He also performs regularly with numerous ensembles in and around the greater New York metropolitan and tri-state area including his own trio, and duet.

In addition to his numerous performances on guitar, you can catch Curtis Forbes performing weekly on double bass with guitarist Charles Couch at Camaje Bistro & Lounge.

Curtis teaches classes in guitar and jazz history in the continuing education department of Westchester Community College in addition to his private lessons, group classes, and ensembles in Greenwich, CT.