In 1998 FourMinusOne was formed. Born in Boston and brewed in the Northeastern U.S., the band brings together three unique individuals with different backgrounds creating music imbued with passion, energy, and groove. Sam Thomas, Ippei Ichimaru, and Eric Platz are its creators. Saxophone, bass, and drums is the starting point - but you never know where the music will take you.

In FourMinusOne you hear elements from spontaneous and original composition, infusing rock, jazz, acid jazz, klezmer, and North and West African music -- you hear the world coming together.




 

A graduate of Berklee College of Music with a degree in Jazz Composition and Saxophone Performance, Sam Thomas now lives in New York City. Winner of the prestigious "Sadao Watanabe" Award for excellence in performance, Sam has played with the Greg Hopkins Orchestra, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Danilo Perez, and Phil Wilson. Sam also participated as a guest musician and instructor at the Stanford Jazz Workshop for three years. Sam also founded JATM.ORG -- a program celebrating music from the Jewish Diaspora and teaching Jewish history and culture.
     
 

Ippei Ichimaru is a graduate of both Berklee College of Music and Box Hill College of Music in Melbourne, Australia. Ippei performs regularly in Boston and New York City and has been a member of such notable groups as the Greg Hopkins Orchestra and the Phil Wilson Band.
     
 

A graduate of Brown University and the New England Conservatory of Music, Eric Platz has performed with pianist Michael Cain and percussionist Bob Moses. Before coming to Boston, he spent four years performing in Brazil and Brussels, Belgium. Eric continues to teach, record and actively perform in Boston and New York City in a wide array of settings.