the Musicians

Pat Klobas is one of the busiest bassists in the San Francisco Bay Area.  He grew up in Portland Oregon and after high school moved to San Francisco to go to college and join the music scene there.   His talent as an accomplished accompanist in any field of music has opened the doors to many exciting and challenging musical experiences.   The desire to have his own band led him to the formation of the Klobas/Kesecker Ensemble.  The team of Klobas and Tommy Kesecker who write and arrange jazz inspired music has been well received by listeners- #32 on  ‘All About Jazz’s’ national play list;  musicians-Joe Locke, Richard Davis and Mike Marshall all singing praises and reviewers; Jazz Review writer Mark Gallo writing about KKEnsembles’ first cd ‘No Gravity’ as “a wholly riveting and engaging 10-song delight”.

These are some of Pat Klobas’s professional experiences that have accumulated over the years.  Pat has had the great pleasure of performing with singers Michael Feinstein and his Quintet and big band, Rosemary Clooney, Shirley Jones, Jackie Ryan, Kristin Chenoweth, Idena Menzel, Paula West, Christine Ebersole, Madeline Eastman, Bobbe Norris and Elaine Stritch.  In the instrumental jazz and world music arena Pat has enjoyed working with Zakir Hussain, Jessica Williams, Greg Osby, Bruce Forman, Scott Hamilton, Pete Escovedo, Jeremy Cohen and Quartet San Francisco, Turtle Island String Quartet, Scottish fiddlers-Alasdair Fraser and Athena Tergis, guitarists -Peppino D’Agustino and Danny Carnahan.  Pat has enjoyed working with Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead and Further on a current project called First Fusion and  Weir’s band Rat Dog.  Pat was invited to be a featured jazz bassist with the San Francisco Symphony’s opening season gala featuring opera star Jessye Norman performing Duke Ellington’s music and has performed numerous times in the rhythm section of the San Francisco Symphony Pop’s Orchestra.  As a classical bassist Pat has performed with the San Francisco Opera and Ballet, The Three Tenors, Skywalker Symphony, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony and is acting Assistant Double Bass with the Marin Symphony.

Shorenstein/Nederlander  ‘Best of Broadway’ performances include the Tony Award winning production of ‘Porgy and Bess’, ‘The Producers’, with Martin Short and Jason Alexander, ‘Fosse’, ‘Kiss Me Kate’ with drummer Marty Morell,  ‘Any Thing Goes”, ‘42nd Street’ and the world premier of Irving Berlin’s ‘White Christmas’.

Pat is an active teacher of jazz and classical double bass in the bay area.   His studio includes the position of Lecturer of Jazz and Classical Double Bass at California State University East Bay as well as his own private teaching studio.   He is an original faculty member of the Golden Gate Bass Camp and co-leader of the Northern California Bass Club (NCBC) with Ed Williams and Barry Green.  As a NCBC officer Pat has presented bass clinics with jazz legends Christian McBride, John Pattitucci, Rufus Reid, John Clayton, Robert Hurst, Brian Bromberg and Buster Williams.

Pat’s bass work includes many movie and TV soundtracks with the Skywalker Symphony as well as recordings with Linda Ronstadt, Randy Newman, Turtle Island String Quartet, Standard Deviation, San Francisco Chamber Jazz Quartet and the Grammy nominated ‘Star Wars Trilogy’ with John Williams.

Perhaps Pat’s proudest achievement is that of his original music and arrangements with Tommy Kesecker and the Klobas/ Kesecker Ensemble and their two cd’s the critically acclaimed cd ‘No Gravity’ with special guest Zakir Hussain and the just released Klobas/Kesecker Ensemble cd ‘Moment’s Notice’.

Pat Klobas graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelors of Music degree and The San Francisco Conservatory of Music with a Masters of Music degree.  He currently resides in Oakland California.

TOMMY KESECKER – Vibraphone and Marimba

Tommy Kesecker graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with a Bachelors of Music and was fortunate to join legendary tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain and the Rhythm Experience. In this ensemble, Tommy was exposed to the frequent use of odd meters and compositions that emphasize percussive elements. This group afforded him the opportunity to play with Don Cherry, Airto, and L. Shankar.

Since then, Tommy has performed on vibes, marimba and drum set with a diverse array of highly acclaimed musicians, including pianist Larry Vuckovich’s Blue Balkan Ensemble, guitarist Jim Campilongo, saxophonist George Brooks, singer/actress Illana Parker, singer/entertainer Michael Feinstein, singer/pianist Diana Krall, actor/singer Joel Gray, along with groups Echo and the Bunnymen and Mannheim Steamroller. He has performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, San Jose Jazz Festival, San Francisco Jazz Festival and in Dubai with Zakir Hussain.

Tommy has also played percussion in many Shorenstein/Nederlander productions including the Monty Python musical “Spamalot” with John O’Hurley and “Young Frankenstein” a Mel Brooks production.

Tommy has also been very active as a music educator, teaching percussion in the Pre-Collegiate Program at the San Francisco Conservatory. He has also been on the faculty at the Berkeley Jazz School and maintains a thriving teaching practice.

TERRENCE BREWER – Electric Guitar

The K/K Ensemble is happy to have Terrence Brewer playing with us on our new album ‘Moment’s Notice’.  His many levels of artistry on guitar inspire and delight us as we create our new sound with his beautiful guitar playing.  Combined with being an in-demand record producer for himself and others, Brewer has lead his various groups in nearly 2500 performances in the last 8 years; performing to sold-out crowds at the 52nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival, the world famous Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, Yoshi’s San Francisco, SFJAZZ Jazz Festival, and countless other venues. In addition to headlining his own shows, Brewer has shared the stage with vocalist/pianist Diana Krall, Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers), Gerald Albright, has worked with Mary Wilson (The Supremes), Darlene Love, Taylor Eigsti, Jay Lane, Dr. Anthony Brown, Pete Escovedo, and has studied with the likes of Charlie Hunter, Duck Baker, Tom Patitucci, Mark Levine. When Brewer is not touring regionally and nationally, he finds time to instruct/facilitate master classes, clinics, workshops, and lectures for the likes of Stanford Jazz Workshop, SFJAZZ, The Jazz School, Blue Bear School of Music, Lafayette Summer Music Workshop, CMEA (California Music Educators Association), and presenting at colleges, high schools, and middle schools throughout California including Los Medanos College, Chabot College, Santa Rosa Jr College, San Francisco University High School, Edna Brewer Middle School, the Nueva School, and many others.

DAVID ROKEACH – Drums

David Rokeach, widely known in the San Francisco bay area as a superb session man, is such a fine drummer that we never had anyone else in mind to complete the Klobas/Kesecker Ensembles line up.  Lucky for us he agreed to partake in our creative jazz endeavor.   We rejoice in his groove. A long time Bay Area resident he has been working primarily in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas for more than 20 years. David toured nationally and internationally with Ray Charles from 1990-91. This included concert videos and many television appearances, including an appearance on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and the Doc Severinson Orchestra. In recent years he has performed/recorded with Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Aaron Neville, Mavis Staples, Lou Rawls, Grammy winner Joe Henderson, Down Beat Poll winner Mark Murphy, Bluesman Charlie Musselwhite, The George Brooks-Zakir Hussain Group, Wilson Pickett, Linda Tillery, Steve Miller, Joe Satriani, Joyce Cooling, Maria Muldaur, Calvin Keys, Barry Finnerty, Merl Saunders, David Grisman, Melvin Seals, The Family Stone Experience, Grammy,Tony, Oscar, and Emmy winner Rita Moreno, Holly Near, Louis Bellson, Wayne Wallace, The Nelson Riddle Orchestra, Paula West, Brazilian Master Marcos Silva, Bluegrass Grammy winner Alison Brown, Ernestine Anderson, Oscar Brown Jr., award-winning trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, acclaimed composer and Grammy winner, Maria Schneider, and many more.