Thom Rotella Trio at the Beatrice Wood Center

The Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts, in conjunction with Ojai Concerts, is pleased to present the Thom Rotella Trio on Sunday, May 28th at 3 pm. The performance will feature Thom Rotella on guitar, Ken Wild on bass, and Kendall Kay on drums.

Thom Rotella has performed and recorded with a wide variety of world-renowned artists across the musical spectrum, including Frank Sinatra, Norah Jones, Donna Summer, Cher, The Beach Boys, Phil Spector, Lionel Richie, Bette Midler, Luciano Pavarotti, Seth MacFarland, David Foster, Stanley Turrentine, and Tom Scott.

Rotella wrote and performed the score for the movie Altos; as well as writing for and performed on such TV shows as Ellen DeGeneres, Sex and the City, and China Beach. In addition, he also played guitar on The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, The Tonight Show, and The Tracey Ullman Show. He has appeared on numerous movie soundtracks, including Ted, Ted 2, Splash, Same Time Next Year, The Gods Must Be Crazy, Rumblefish, and Mississippi Masala. Rotella has also created original music for television commercials for Ford, Cadillac, Goodyear, Chevrolet, and Taco Bell.

Thom Rotella was born in Niagara Falls, New York, surrounded by a musical family. When he was six years old he started playing for the fun of it on his grandfather’s guitar and began serious guitar lessons at the age of ten. As a teenager, Rotella played rock ‘n roll but soon discovered jazz through the recordings of Wes Montgomery. He subsequently attended Ithaca College, as a classical guitar major, and while at Berklee College of Music, studied under Gary Burton. Moving to Los Angeles, he found a mentor in the legendary studio guitarist Tommy Tedesco and quickly established himself as a top-call studio musician. Since that time, he has recorded a number of solo albums, while continuing to record on sessions with leading artists.

Rotella continues to surprise and lead his audiences into the often-uncharted territory – but always with that sense of adventure and passion that has been a cornerstone of his musical life.

Ken Wild was a founding member of Seawind, a band that recorded a number of best-selling albums and opened for artists including Herbie Hancock, Herbie Mann, and George Benson. Ken has been an active studio musician starting in 1976, working in TV, film, and recording. He has recorded with Gloria Estefan, Buddy Greco, Barbara Streisand, David Benoit, Richard Carpenter, and a number of other leading artists. He is featured on film soundtracks including Men in Black, South Park, 24 Days, Lion King, Sideways, Dreamgirls, Ted, and Up in the Air, and television shows including Star Trek Voyager, King of the Hill, Futurama, Annie, Cinderella, Chicago Hope, and Family Guy. For over three decades, he has recorded for The Simpsons – the last regular Hollywood television series to feature music recorded by a live orchestra.

Wild has been a member of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (1992-2006), Natalie Cole’s touring band (2002 – 2004), and performed live with Brandon Fields, Freddie Hubbard, Diane Schurr, Tom Scott, Maureen McGovern, Bonnie Raitt, Patti Austin, Greg Hines, John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Quincy Jones, Neil Young, Johnny Mathis, Andrea Bocelli, David Foster, and many others.

His work in theatre includes Wicked, Book of Mormon, Les Miserables, Mary Poppins, Cinderella, Pippin, Anything Goes, Porgy and Bess, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Kendall Kay is a native of Durban, South Africa. After working with most of the major artists there, Kendall moved to the US in 1983, attending the prestigious music program at North Texas University. After graduating, he arrived in Los Angeles in 1987 and has been playing and recording with a wide range of artists ever since. He has worked with Diane Schuur, Alan Broadbent, Phil Upchurch, Kiki Ebsen, Bobby Shew, Kyle Eastwood, Mary Wilson, Jack Jones, Mark Murphy, Cecilia Coleman, Steve Huffstetter, Bob Sheppard, Jeff Beale, Kenny Burrell, Phil Upchurch, Jon Faddis, Rich Matteson, Kenny Drew Jr., Dan St. Marseille, Dave Ferris, Nick Brignola, Lamont Johnson, Allan Broadbent, Frank Strazzeri, Jeff Colella, Bill Perkins, The Larry Karush Ensemble, and Rickie Lee Jones.