Jazz Fest Artists
Chuck Obuchowski, Festival Emcee
Chuck began his musical journey at Manchester High School, where he wrote often about music-related topics. His passion for jazz blossomed at Syracuse University; while there, he inaugurated a jazz column called Syncopations. His interest in broadcasting started in Syracuse but did not find fruition until Chuck joined UHart’s WWUH in 1994. He has hosted Out Here & Beyond, his Tuesday jazz program, ever since. He has been the station’s Jazz Director since 2001. In 1992, Chuck co-founded New England Jazz News, a bi-monthly publication; the same year, he became the first president of The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz. He also began a concert series at Cheney Hall, eventually titled Milltown Jazz. In late 1997, Chuck helped bring together several non-profit arts groups to produce a benefit concert at Cheney Hall for Manchester native son Thomas Chapin, a remarkable jazz multi-instrumentalist who was battling acute leukemia. The sold-out event offered Chapin the opportunity to give his final performance and to say goodbye to family, colleagues, and friends. Chuck wrote about jazz regularly for The Hartford Courant until 2013 but has focused on his radio work in recent years. He has interviewed hundreds of jazz artists over the past four decades, from legends like Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, and Abbey Lincoln to many up-and-coming musicians.
Saturday – December 6
Hall High School Jazz Combo
For more than six decades, the Hall High School jazz program has enjoyed the reputation as one of the finest and most respected high school jazz programs in the country. Originated in 1958 by former band director William Stanley, Hall was one of the first high schools in the United States to integrate jazz into its daily curriculum. The students in the Hall Jazz Combo are also members of the award winning Hall Concert Jazz Band, who received Best Big Band at the Charles Mingus Competition for the past two years. The CJB was also one of the 30 bands worldwide that was invited to the prestigious Essentially Ellington competition last year. Alumni of the program include Brad Mehldau, Alexa Tarrantino, Joel Frahm, Richie Barshay, Erica von Kleist, Kris Allex, Alita Moses, and more. The Hall High School band program is directed by Phil Giampietro. More information can be found at hallhighbands.com
Jonathan Barber Vision Ahead
International Recorded artist, composer, educator and bandleader Jonathan Barber was voted the #1 Up-and-Coming Drummer of 2018 in Modern Drummer. Barber has already recorded and toured worldwide with such artists as Pat Metheny, Terence Blanchard, Christain McBride, Erykah Badu, The Brooklyn Philharmonic and many more.
In addition to his first-call status as a sideman, Barber has stepped forth as a composer and leader with his band Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead. Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead is a powerful declaration of intent for a band that’s been making waves on the modern jazz scene. Barber’s blend of classic, swinging jazz with elements of gospel, rock, soul, and fusion is a compelling showcase of Barber’s broad stylistic range as a drummer, performer and composer. Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead was featured and headline the Rainy Days Jazz Festival held in St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia, Hartford Jazz Festival, Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, Pittsburgh Jazz Festival as well jazz venues around the world. Since 2020, Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead have completed three National tours across the United States.
Matt Knoegel
Matt Knoegel is a musician currently based in Brooklyn, NY. He has performed on stage with numerous bands/artists across the musical genres of Jazz, Rock, Pop, Funk, Hip Hop, Reggae, Avant Garde and more. Matt has performed at international venues that include The Microsoft Theatre (formerly The Nokia Theatre), Lincoln Center Summer for the City, Dizzy’s Club Jazz at Lincoln Center, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Le Duc des Lombards, and Smalls Jazz Club. He has contributed to numerous recorded works as a woodwind instrumentalist, writer, and arranger. Matt has performed and recorded with artists that include Ralph Peterson Jr., Jonathan Barber and Vision Ahead, The NYC Ska Orchestra, Davis Whitfield Quartet, Matt Dwonszyk’s Dwonsz-tet, Jon Elbaz Quartet and many more. Matt is also a graduate of Berklee College of Music.
Tony Davis
Hailing from Hartford, CT, Tony Davis is an internationally acclaimed guitarist, vocalist, composer, and producer based in New York City. He has performed at prestigious venues such as The Blue Note, The Village Vanguard, Smalls, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Birdland, and at major festivals including the Newport Jazz Festival and the Greater Hartford Jazz Festival. In 2016, he was recognized as a rising star guitarist at the Wes Montgomery Tribute Festival in Indianapolis, IN.
Tony’s music blends elements of Latin, singer-songwriter, rock, and classical music into his deep roots in jazz, contributing a unique and compelling voice to contemporary music. He has recently led performances in Mexico and Chile, and over the years, he has shared the stage with notable musicians like Anderson .Paak, Christian McBride, Joe Farnsworth, George Coleman, Abraham Burton, and Steve Wilson. He is currently finishing up his next album of original music, set to release in the summer of 2025.
Matt Dwonszyk
Matt Dwonszyk is a Connecticut-born, New York-based, bassist, composer, arranger, and educator.
He can regularly be found with drummer Jonathan Barber’s Vision Ahead, trios by pianist Jon Davis and saxophonist Julieta Eugenio, and saxophonist Sarah Hanahan’s quartet. He also leads his own band, the Dwonztet.
Dwonszyk began playing the electric bass at age eleven. At the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts High School, he switched to upright bass. Dwonszyk then continued his studies at the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the University of Hartford. There, trombonist Steve Davis’s insight led to a career as a top-call bassist in his native Connecticut.
After graduating with a Bachelor’s of Music in Jazz Studies from UHart, Dwonszyk obtained a Master’s of Music at SUNY Purchase College in New York. He soon was performing at legendary jazz venues like Smalls, Smoke, Minton’s, Zinc Bar, Birdland, and the Jazz Standard.
Cameron Campbell
Cameron Campbell is a pianist, composer and producer from Worcester, Massachusetts. His focus is on improvisational music, drawing repertoire from his 50+ original compositions. A former student of pianist Christian Sands, Cameron has most recently toured The United States, Japan and Brazil with three time Grammy-winning vocalist Samara Joy. Cameron has also had the privilege of sharing the stage with Jeff “Tain” Watts, Kendrick Scott, Jaleel Shaw, Ingrid Jensen, Maurice Brown and Marcus Gilmore. He has performed at venues throughout America and the world including; The Hollywood Bowl, Blue Note Place (Tokyo), Ibirapuera Auditorium (São Paulo), Vivo Rio (Rio De Janeiro), SF Jazz Center, The Deer Head Inn, The Jazz Gallery, Mezzrow Jazz Club and Smalls Jazz Club. Cameron is in his final year of undergrad at the Manhattan School of Music where he is mentored by pianist Marc Cary, while continuing establishing himself on the NYC scene and beyond.
Vanisha Gould Quartet
Vanisha Gould is a jazz vocalist, composer, and band leader based in New York City. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Vanisha has built an international reputation for her soulful voice, nuanced songwriting, and dynamic stage presence. She has performed around the globe, with appearances in Russia, Sweden, and at the renowned Copenhagen Jazz Festival.
In New York, Vanisha has graced the stages of Smalls Jazz Club, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Minton’s Playhouse, the Django, the Jazz Gallery, and more. Her versatility has also led her to featured roles in acclaimed productions such as The Sound of Black Music and Bessie, Billie, Nina – playing tribute to the legendary women of Jazz and blues.
As a recording artist, she has released three original albums: In Her Words (2021), Life’s a Gig (2024), and She’s Not Shiny, She’s Smooth (2024). Her compositional work is also featured on several projects by colleagues on the New York Jazz Scene.
Vanisha is committed to arts education and currently teaches songwriting and jazz vocals through the Tribeca Jazz Institute and the Yale Undergraduate Jazz Collective. She is also a 2024 recipient of the New Jazz Works Artist Residency at The Jazz Gallery.
Alex Nakhimovsky
Award winning pianist Alex Nakhimovsky enjoys a versatile career as a performer, composer, recording artist, producer and educator. Alex studied at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT with Jackie McLean and Luiz Castro among others. He has been a full-time faculty member at the Greater Hartford Academy for the Arts, and adjunct faculty at the Hartt School of Music, Connecticut College, and Sacred Heart University.
Alex’s musical accomplishments as a Jazz and Classical artist include musical direction and arranging as well as solo and ensemble performances, visiting over 50 countries and 6 continents. He has toured throughout the United States, Russia, Japan and Israel, performing with Jazz legends Benny Golson, Jackie McLean, Jimmy Cobb, Valery Ponomarev, Sheila Jordan, Curtis Fuller, Victor Bailey and Grammy nominated artists Bill Evans, Carla Cook, René Marie and Jazzmeia Horn. Nakhimovsky’s discography includes releases from the United States, Europe and Asia. In 2005, he was featured with Japan’s New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra on An American in Paris a Universal Label release; and later performed in Japan’s major concert halls with the orchestra to promote the recording.
Matt Dwonszyk
Matt Dwonszyk is a Connecticut-born, New York-based, bassist, composer, arranger, and educator.
He can regularly be found with drummer Jonathan Barber’s Vision Ahead, trios by pianist Jon Davis and saxophonist Julieta Eugenio, and saxophonist Sarah Hanahan’s quartet. He also leads his own band, the Dwonztet.
Dwonszyk began playing the electric bass at age eleven. At the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts High School, he switched to upright bass. Dwonszyk then continued his studies at the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the University of Hartford. There, trombonist Steve Davis’s insight led to a career as a top-call bassist in his native Connecticut.
After graduating with a Bachelor’s of Music in Jazz Studies from UHart, Dwonszyk obtained a Master’s of Music at SUNY Purchase College in New York. He soon was performing at legendary jazz venues like Smalls, Smoke, Minton’s, Zinc Bar, Birdland, and the Jazz Standard.
Sam Bolduc
Samuel was born and raised in a musical family (his dad was a guitar player) which led him to the drums at age 7. Until the age of 19, Samuel was very active and in demand with various projects including recording studios all over Montreal. In 2017, he pursued his studies in Boston at the Berklee College of Music where he studied with the great Ralph Peterson Jr.. Sam got to perform in various places with Ralph such as; Bern Jazz Festival, DC Jazz Festival, Dizzies, & Scullers. Sam got involved in many different projects at Wally’s Jazz Café, where he would perform on a daily basis with people like Jason Palmer, Kevin Harris, and tenor Noah Preminger. After graduating from Berklee, he pursued his musical career in New-York City, where he performed with the likes of Curtis Lundy, Stacy Dillard, Victor Gould, Richie Goods, Paul Bollenback, and more. In the summer of 2023, Samuel was selected from thousands of candidates to attend the famous Jazz in Aspen music program, were he got to learn from the legendary bassist Christian McBride. Samuel has played around the world in Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, Russia and the Netherlands.
Liviu Pop Group
A drummer’s drummer and a musician’s musician, this talented versatile artist with magic in his hands and fire in his soul, plays a wide variety of genres, keeping him in high demand. Whether laying a deep pocket groove or breaking out into one of his melodic drum solos, you’ll be mesmerized by his performance.
Originally from Romania, Liviu lives in Hartford, CT, and he has performed and toured with many legendary artists: Hubert Sumlin, Sam Lay, Lucky Peterson, Mighty Sam McClain, Bobby Rush, Ruben Wilson, Kal David, Debbie Davies, Popa Chubby, Matt Schofield, Studebaker John, and literally too many other important national, international and regional artists to list here. Currently, Liviu is the drummer with renowned pianist and organist Bruce Katz. In 2018, Liviu has been inducted into the CT Blues Hall of Fame.
“A charismatic and exciting drummer, Liviu always has the groove in his playing but also stands out with his fiery spontaneity. He is one of the few that can play blues, jazz and all shades of American roots styles with authority and originality.” – Bruce Katz (world famous organist and pianist).
Chris Vitarello
Chris is a gifted guitarist and a Blues Hall of Famer, nominee and performer at the 32nd Blues Music Awards and a Blues Blast winner. In the last 30 years Chris has been a band member, recorded or shared the stage with The Legendary Jimmy McGriff, Bruce Katz, Butch Trucks, John Hammond, Jerry Jemmot, James Montgomery Band, Christine Ohlman, Tad Robinson, Darrel Nulisch, Jay Collins, Vanessa Collier, Diane Blue, Natalie Forteza, The Chris O’Leary Band, Dennis Gruenling, to name a few.
“Vitarello’s guitar solos display a lyricism and inventiveness that’s reminiscent of the late Grant Green” John Kleinman- Elmore Magazine 2018
Ken Clark
Ken is internationally known as one of the world’s greatest jazz organists. He has also been *Winner of New England Blues Society, Keyboardist of the the Year* in multiple years. Ken’s technical ability joined with his natural feel for funk and soul makes him an authentic, special artsist. Ken Clark has toured and recorded with Bernard Purdie, Melvin Sparks and David “Fathead” Newman, among others.
Brian Thomas
Whether he is co-leading big band funk powerhouse BT ALC Big Band, or with nu-jazz sextet Duochrome, or directing the rotating cast musicians that are the BT Allstars, Brian strives to achieve his goal to deliver positive music for your mind and body that keeps your head bobbing and and your soul full. In addition to leading his own bands, Brian has performed with national touring acts such as G Love, Lettuce, Soulive, John Brown’s Body, The Elovaters, Maceo Parker, Kevin Kinsella and Ryan Montbleau. You can catch him with local New England groups including King’s Highway, DELA & Steady Rock Easy, The A-Beez, B3 Kings, The Attractors, Jesse Dee, and Pressure Cooker.
Jared Sims
Jared performs on all of the saxophones as well as clarinet and flute. He has performed music on five continents. Sims has performed live and recorded with an array of artists that include Rufus Reid, Matt Wilson, Han Bennink, Cecil McBee, Bob Brookmeyer, Soulive, Stefon Harris, G Love, The Temptations, Anat Cohen, Dave Liebman, Antonio Sanchez, Four Tops, Melvin Sparks, Oteil Burbridge, DJ Logic, Matisyahu, the 10,000 Maniacs, and Noel Gallagher. Sims has also performed with large ensembles such as the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the Artie Shaw Orchestra, and the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra.
Sunday – December 7
The Good Vibes Fellowship
Timothy Edwards Middle School, located in South Windsor, Connecticut, has earned national distinction for its exceptional achievements in jazz education. The school’s jazz combo, The Good Vibes Fellowship, was named Best Middle School Jazz Combo in the esteemed 2025 DownBeat Magazine International Student Music Awards—one of the most prestigious honors in scholastic music. Further solidifying their reputation for excellence, the school’s jazz ensemble captured first place in its division at the sixth annual National Jazz Festival out of Philadelphia, PA. The event featured outstanding solo performances by saxophonist Lilah Bolduc and vibraphonist Aarohan “The Wizard” Verma, who was also the recipient of the festival’s coveted “Love Award.” These accolades underscore the ensemble’s unwavering dedication to artistry, discipline, and excellence in jazz performance.
Grass Routes Bluegrass
Grass Routes is a Connecticut five-piece bluegrass band. It is a well established group that has been delighting audiences for many years with a repertoire ranging from traditional bluegrass standards to folk and original and contemporary songs all performed in their own unique bluegrass style. Skillful instrumental work and strong vocals give Grass Routes their own characteristic sound. Showcasing especially tight harmonies, vocals include duets to four part harmonies. What makes Grass Routes unique is that each member sings . With four lead vocalists, Grass Routes presents a different style and material with each vocal arrangement.
Members of the band include Joe Lemeris, banjo and dobro;
Bill Reveley, mandolin and fiddle; Marilyn Toback-Reveley, rhythm guitar; Tim St. Jean, song writer, mandolin, fiddle, concertina, lead guitar; Scott Freemantle, upright bass. Grass Routes has appeared on radio and television and performed at major concerts and bluegrass festivals throughout the Northeast. Grass Routes currently has six recording projects. The most recent CD, ‘Buffalo Nickel Liberty Dime’ features original material written by Tim St Jean and Vicki Baker. Grass Routes musical style appeals to audiences of all ages.
The Hall Monitors
Introducing the Hall Monitors, a group of top-notch New England jazz musicians brought together through the love of playing, composing, arranging, AND teaching. The members are all honored to be jazz coaches at the prestigious Hall High School in West Hartford CT, as well as educators at numerous colleges and universities throughout the region. The group performs a variety of jazz styles from bop, hard bop and contemporary jazz genres. They program inventive originals i along with original treatments of not-so-standard jazz classics. The group features a classic piano-bass-drums rhythm section with two innovative and complementary saxophonists.
Steven Bulmer
Steven Bulmer is a multi-dimensional musician actively performing and recording on upright bass, electric bass and tuba. A native New Englander from Connecticut, Steve enjoys a very active career that spans many musical idioms including jazz, classical, musical theater and pop/rock. Initiated on piano at age 6, his music journey sent him acoustically lower and lower as he was drawn to the inspirational role the bass plays both rhythmically and harmonically in all type of musical idioms.
Steve was formally trained at the Eastman School of Music where he received a bachelor’s degree in both Music Education and Music Performance. He subsequently headed west and he received a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University studying with the famous pedagogue and Chicago Symphony Orchestra tubist Arnold Jacobs.
Matt Parker
Matt Parker is a tenor and soprano saxophone player, born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After seeing trumpeter Maynard Ferguson in concert, he fell in love with jazz and was mentored by the legendary South Florida saxophonist Jimmy Cavallo. Parker played professionally as a teenager in New Orleans before moving to
New York to study with Jane Ira Bloom, Barry Harris, and Junior Mance. Later, Parker would go on to play in Maynard’s band Big Bop Nouveau for two years and is on the album “MF Horn VI: Live At Ronnie’s” (2006).
In addition to his work as a saxophonist, composer, and musical director, Matt Parker is also a passionate educator. He teaches saxophone, composition, and improvisation at several universities and music schools, inspiring young musicians to develop their own unique voices.
Jen Allen
Jen Allen is a pianist, composer, author and educator. She frequently performs in New York, the Northeast US and in venues throughout the world, as the leader of her own groups or as a member of other creative music ensembles. Notable appearances include the Winnipeg Jazz Festival, Cambridge Festival of the Arts, Greater Hartford Monday Night Jazz Series and Wexford Performing Arts Centre (Ireland). Jen has performed with many notable artists, including Don Braden, Jimmy Greene, Kendrick Oliver, Sarah Caswell, Camille Thurman, Freddie Hendrix, Nat Reeves, Kris Allen, Ike Sturm and Antoinette Montague.
Jen has been a senior teaching artist for Litchfield Performing Arts since 2010. Her first jazz piano method book was published through Alfred’s Publishing entitled Sitting In: Jazz Piano (co-authored with Noah Baerman). The book was the recipient of Music Inc. Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award 2015.
Ben Bilello
As one of the most in demand freelance drummers in New England, Ben Bilello can be seen at numerous clubs, concert halls and festivals with a wide variety of artists. Originally from Narragansett, Rhode Island, Ben began playing the snare drum in his elementary school band. As time passed, Ben became interested in learning the drum set, acquiring his first kit at age fourteen. His first significant exposure to jazz occurred around this time and he made the decision to study music at a formal conservatory. After graduating from Narragansett High School in 1995, Ben moved to West Hartford, Connecticut to begin college.
Currently, Ben is a faculty member at Choate Rosemary Hall and Manchester Community College, a sectional coach at Hall High School, and a self-employed private instructor and clinician. Ben can be seen performing with his own trio, bassist Jeff Fuller, guitarist Rich Goldstein, and vocalist Leala Cyr, among many others.
Nathan Edwards
Nathan Edwards is a graduate of Western Connecticut State University with a degree in Music Education. In addition, he recently completed a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies at the Jackie Mclean Institute of Jazz within the Hartt School of Music. Throughout his time performing and studying music he has had the opportunity to perform with jazz icons such as Ron Carter, Jimmy Cobb, Kenny Garrett, Jimmy Heath, Orrin Evans, Lewis Nash, Steve Davis and Jimmy Greene.
Although an active performer, Nathan Edwards has established a career in Music Education where he has discovered a passion for teaching and enriching the minds of his students through music and performing. As a founding member of the CMEA Equity and Advocacy Committee, Mr. Edwards has presented at Sacred Heart University and the University of Hartford. He is currently the Director of Bands at King Philip Middle School in West Hartford.
Dan Pugach Big Band
With Guest Vocalist – Nicole Zuraitis
Dan Pugach is a GRAMMY® Award-winning drummer and composer, with three nominations and multiple awards, including the ASCAP Foundation Jazz Composer Award, the BMI Charlie Parker Composition Prize and the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Residency Program at the Kennedy Center.
His latest album, Bianca Reimagined: Music for Paws and Persistence (2024), featuring Nicole Zuraitis, won the 2025 GRAMMY® Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. Additionally, he was the featured drummer on the 2024 GRAMMY® Award-winning album How Love Begins, co-produced by Nicole Zuraitis and Christian McBride. His debut album, Dan Pugach Nonet – Plus One (2018), reached the top 20 in Jazz radio and earned a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocal for “Jolene” alongside Zuraitis.
Pugach’s nonet and big band regularly perform original music and arrangements at prestigious venues such as Birdland Jazz Club, The Blue Note, and Smalls Jazz Club as well as at international festivals and performing arts centers. The nonet also performed at the Chamber Music America National Conference.
Nicole Zuraitis
Nicole Zuraitis is a 2X GRAMMY winning and 4X GRAMMY-nominated jazz singer-songwriter, pianist and arranger, New York-based bandleader and winner of the prestigious 2021 American Traditions Vocal Competition Gold Medal. With a “heart as big as her remarkable voice,” (Jazz Police), Nicole is a trailblazing artist who is redefining vocal jazz and jazz songwriting, or as she has coined “modern songbook”, earning her a place as one of the top artists and “prolific songwriters” (Broadway World) to watch in jazz and beyond.
Past Performers
Benny Benack III Quartet
By age 33, Emmy-nominated Trumpeter and Vocalist Benny Benack
III has already become a leading voice in Jazz for his generation,
headlining clubs and festivals around the world on the heels of his
latest critically acclaimed album “Third Time’s the Charm” which
ascended to #2 on the JazzWeek International Radio Charts in 2023.
He is the rare talent who is just as formidable as a fiery trumpeter
ranging from Freddie Hubbard to Louis Armstrong and everyone in
between, while as a singer he delivers sly, mature, naturally
expressive post-Sinatra vocal stylings.
Boris Kozlov
Bass
Moscow born, 3 times Grammy Award winning acoustic and electric bassist, composer and arranger, Boris Kozlov has been on New York and international jazz scenes for the past 35 years. In addition to his own projects and co-leading OPUS 5, he has been serving as a Bassist, Arranger and Musical Director for Mingus Big Band, Mingus Dynasty and The Orchestra for 22 years.
Boris has also been a first-call bassist for important jazz acts such as Michael Brecker, John Blake , Ray Barretto’s ‘New World Spirit’, Lew Tabackin, David Kikoski, Alex Sipiagin, Jean -Michel Pilc, Brian Lynch, Jaleel Shaw, John DiMartino, The Manhattan Transfer , Take 6, New Cuban Express and many others. Kozlov’s playing and arranging is on 9 Grammy nominated albums plus the Grammy winning Eddie Palmieri’s ‘Simpatico’ (in addition to the other 200 + albums).
Paul Bollenback
Guitar
Relocating in 1975, from New York to Washington, DC, Bollenback began to study and perform both straight-ahead jazz and fusion. He majored in music at the University of Miami, then studied for eight years with Baltimore-based professor of Theory/Composition Asher Zlotnick. In 1987 he made his recording debut on saxophonist Gary Thomas’s Seventh Quadrant (Enja), and in 1990 established a working relationship with the young organ legend Joey DeFrancesco, an association that lasted to this day, and produced 18 recordings.
In 1991 Bollenback’s compositions “Wookies’ Revenge” and “Romancin’ the Moon” (featured on DeFrancesco’s Columbia Records release Reboppin’) were honored by SESAC with that organization’s award for original composition. In 1993, a grant from the Virginia Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts resulted in the composition “New Music for Three Jazz Guitars.” In 1997, Bollenback was named Musician of the Year at the Washington Area Music Awards. That year he returned to New York City, where he now lives.
Michael Ode
Drums
Michael Shekwoaga Ode is an Nigerian-american drummer, melodist, vocalist, composer, and educator. A student of Music and Drum Icon Billy Hart, Ode has been blessed to tour, record, play, and study with some of the most iconic and innovative artists in the history of music. Michael is now living in NYC playing around the city with his various ensembles, as a sideman, and touring internationally with his own projects and some of the most influential musical voices of our times.
Matt DeChamplain Quintet
Pianist Matt DeChamplain grew up in Wethersfield, Connecticut. During high school Matt attended the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts studying under Jimmy Greene and Dave Santoro. He obtained his bachelors degree from the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the Hartt School in 2010 and graduated with his masters from the University of Toledo in Ohio in 2012.
Matt has performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz, Berks Jazz Festival, New York’s JVC Jazz Festival, the Berklee Jazz Festival, the Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center and renowned jazz clubs such as the Regatta Bar, Smalls and Yoshi’s. In 2008, Matt was selected for the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program where he engaged in a two week intensive composition and performance workshop under the instruction of jazz luminaries Dr. Billy Taylor, Nathan Davis and Curtis Fuller culminating in three performances filmed live from the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. That same year he was part of a group lead by bassist Nat Reeves that toured New Ross, Ireland. In 2010, Matt participated as a semifinalist in the Martial Solal Jazz Piano Competition in Paris, France.
Kris Allen
Alto Saxophone
Kris Allen is an American saxophonist, composer, educator and recording artist. His latest release, June, is his third album for the Truth Revolution Recording Collective. Praised by Carlo Wolff in Downbeat Magazine (4.5 stars) for it “Subtlety, suppleness and sense of urgency,” this “diverse and impassioned album” features Allen’s quartet with special guests Jeremy Pelt, Chris Dingman, Shenel Johns and Michael Mayo. Kris can be found touring widely as a leader or as part of the collaboratively-led “Triangle Offense” trio with Jonathan Barber and Matt Dwonszyk.
Haneef Nelson
Trumpet
Haneef N. Nelson is a New York native who has made Hartford, CT his home for the last 20 years. He is an alumnus of the Long Island High School of the Arts and Uniondale High School where he studied with Dave Burns, an unsung legend of Jazz Trumpet. In addition, during his middle school/high school years he also studied at the famed Jazzmobile in Harlem, NY where we was taught trumpet by Jazz Masters, Dr. Donald Byrd, Cecil Bridgewater, and Eddie Preston along with music theory and ensemble classes by Charles Davis, Roland Guerrero, Max Roach, and several others. With the guidance of both Dr. Donald Byrd and Dave Burns Haneef went to the Hartt School at the University of Hartford to study with Jazz Legend Jackie McLean. He earned his Master’s Degree in Jazz Composition and Arranging at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst where he would study arranging with Jeff Holmes and Dr. Felipe Salles.
Matt Dwonszyk
Bass
Born in Hartford, CT, Dwonszyk started playing the electric bass at age eleven. His journey into the world of jazz began at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts High School where he began playing the upright bass. The Artist Collective, founded by jazz saxophone legend Jackie McLean, propelled Dwonszyk to continue his studies at the The Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at The University of Hartford.
Dwonszyk quickly developed an exceptionally strong rapport with Professor Nat Reeves and Professor Steve Davis. Reeves instilled a strong sense of swing, conviction and vocabulary upon Dwonszyk while Davis would hire Dwonszyk for gigs at local venues around the Hartford area. This schooling inside and outside of the classroom helped Dwonszyk become one of the top call bassist in Connecticut.
Michael Ode
Drums
Michael Shekwoaga Ode is an Nigerian-american drummer, melodist, vocalist, composer, and educator. A student of Music and Drum Icon Billy Hart, Ode has been blessed to tour, record, play, and study with some of the most iconic and innovative artists in the history of music. Michael is now living in NYC playing around the city with his various ensembles, as a sideman, and touring internationally with his own projects and some of the most influential musical voices of our times.
Andrew Wilcox Trio
Andrew Wilcox
Andrew is one of Hartford’s rising young musicians. Originally from Boylston, MA, Andrew has proven himself to be a talented young pianist, with a passion to learn, grow and play. After moving to Hartford at age 18, Andrew quickly sought out his elders and began building relationships with them. These relationships eventually turned into mentors and employers and Andrew has been seen alongside many of these musicians including Haneef Nelson, Nat Reeves, Yoron Israel, Avery Sharpe, Abraham Burton, Jonathan Barber, Alex Tremblay and Matt Dwonszyk.
Yoron Israel
Yoron Israel’s is one of the most sought out musicians of his generation. His latest recording “New Dreams” featuring his group “Trio Plus” continues to receive rave reviews. He has produced other fine works such as “This Moment,” “Visions – The Music of Stevie Wonder,” “Basic Training – Celebrating John Coltrane,” and “A Gift For You,” among others. All feature Yoron’s prolific drumming style, along with his refined compositions, and arrangements. As Jack Dejohnette quotes,“Yoron Israel is a drummer who has excellent taste. He has a sense of direction and a feeling of joy in his drumming, compositions, and arrangements. Yoron Israel is an important voice you should listen to.”
Luques Curtis
Luques Curtis was born 1983 in Hartford, CT. After having formal training on piano and percussion, he found himself wanting to play the bass. Luques studied at the Greater Hartford Academy of Performing Arts, Artist Collective, and Guakia with Dave Santoro, Volcan Orham, Nat Reeves, Paul Brown, and others. While attending high school, he was also very fortunate to study the Afro-Caribbean genre with bass greats Andy Gonzalez and Joe Santiago. With his talent and hard work he earned a full scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College Of Music in Boston. There he studied with John Lockwood and Ron Mahdi. While in Boston he was also able to work with great musicians such as Gary Burton, Ralph Peterson, Donald Harrison, Christian Scott, and Francisco Mela.
UCONN Student Jazz Combo
The UConn Student Jazz Combo is a select group of performers who excel in demonstrating their passion for jazz through their performances of classic and modern jazz works. The students participate in a weekly Jazz Combo class directed by bassist and UConn faculty member, Steven Bulmer.
The 7-piece UConn Student Jazz Combo for the Manchester, CT features Michael Rentz on trumpet, Downbeat Magazine 2023 award winner Michael Farina on tenor sax, Ciara Garcia on baritone sax, Colin Quigley on guitar, Isadore Palacpac on piano, Andrew Cecarelli on bass and Sean Byington on drums.
Hot Tonic Orchestra
High energy musical act HOT TONIC ORCHESTRA mix swing, Latin, jazz and popular music to create a unique live show like no other.
Led by Bandleader Victoria Woods, her sultry vocals and driving acoustic bass bring alive the masterful arrangements of musical director and virtuoso guitarist Josh Hindmarsh. Traditional Spanish and Portuguese songs feature vocalist Luis Ramirez, who along
with drummer and former Jaco Pastorius bandmember Mark Griffith provide the drum and percussion dream team. James “Sonny” Sonnentag brings the funky soul to the keyboards and piano, and the horn section of the masterful trombonist James Wall and Saxophonist Aaron West round out the core of the Hot Tonic sound.
Vincent Herring Quartet
Saxophonist Vincent Herring’s intense, soulful, multi-noted style and ebullient swing have excited audiences worldwide. On stage, Herring and his band often make an incendiary sound over fine and controlled rhythms of modern times.
Vincent’s discography reveals over 20 titles as a leader and over 250 as a sideman. His current and past projects speak to the wide range of his musical interest and versatility: The Vincent Herring-Joris Dudli’s Soul Jazz Alliance, Earth Jazz Agents, Friendly Fire with Vincent Herring and Eric Alexander. Vincent leads a band called Jazz The Story with Jon Faddis, Jeremy Pelt, Steve Turre, James Carter, Eric Alexander, Mike LeDonne, Kenny Davis, Carl Allen and Nicolas Bearde.
Vincent tours frequently with his projects around the in the United States, Europe, Japan, China and around the world. Vincent continues to share his distinct voice and musical knowledge, as a performer and jazz educator. He is currently on staff at William Paterson University and at Manhattan School of Music.
Mike LeDonne
Piano
Pianist Mike LeDonne started playing piano at the age of 5 and was raised in his parent’s music store. By the age of 10 his father, a jazz guitarist, began booking him on gigs. He is now an internationally renowned pianist and organist with the unique experience of having played with a wide spectrum of jazz masters from Benny Goodman to Milt Jackson and Sonny Rollins. He has won praise not only from critics but from master musicians: Oscar Peterson picked him as one of his favorite pianists of today.
Essiet Okon Essiet
Bass
Considered one of the top bassists in jazz today, Essiet Essiet first received critical acclaim over a decade ago in Bobby Watson’s group Horizon. Born in Nebraska to Nigerian parents, he began studying violin at age10 and switched to bass viol at 14. As a child, he traveled widely with his family and that early exposure to many cultures, folk- ways, languages, and religions fostered his world view of strength through diversity.
Some musicians are purists, says Essiet, but I like to mix styles. Essiet was Art Blakey’s last bassist, playing with him for 2 years and on 3 CDs. He’s also performed with Freddie Hubbard, Cedar Walton, Benny Golson, and the Blue Note All-Stars, to name a few. Essiet also leads IBO, a Nigerian jazz project.
Sylvia Cuenca
Drums
Sylvia is an active drummer on the New York and San Francisco Bay Area jazz scene who is contributing outstanding performances in a variety of situations. She has had the honor of sharing the bandstand with saxophone legend Joe Henderson for 4 years and trumpet legend Clark Terry for 17 years. The Joe Henderson quartet toured frequently in European countries Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, England, Switzerland, France, Italy and Germany and venues across the U.S. In a trio setting she performed with Joe Henderson and Charlie Haden in 1989 and with George Mraz in 1994. She performed with the Clark Terry Quintet and Big Band at Village Vanguard, Birdland, Blue Note, Queen Elizabeth 2, Royal Viking, S.S. Norway jazz cruises and clubs, concerts and festivals in the U.S, Europe, the Caribbean and South America. While working with the Clark Terry quintet she had the opportunity to perform with guest artists Al Grey, Red Holloway, Jimmy Heath, Frank Wess, Marian McPartland, Dianne Reeves, Joe Williams and Lou Donaldson to name a few.
Hendrik Meurkens’ Samba Jazz Quartet
Jazz harmonica virtuoso, vibraphonist and composer Hendrik Meurkens began his career in Germany playing vibes. At 19, he heard Toots Thielemans play harmonica, which totally changed his musical life. His career has taken him from Germany to Brazil, then throughout the European continent and eventually to the US. In 1992, a trip to California led to his signing with the prestigious Concord label and established him as the first major new voice on the harmonica since Toots Thielemans. His 30 CDs have received rave reviews and strong airplay, and established his immediately recognizable style of Brazilian Jazz. In 2014 he won the Brazilian International Press Award and he has been listed repeatedly in the Downbeat and JazzTimes Polls. Meurkens has recorded and performed with Ray Brown, Paquito D’Rivera, Oscar Castro-Neves, Herb Ellis, Herbie Mann, James Moody, Charlie Byrd, Jimmy Cobb, Ivan Lins, Monty Alexander, Manfredo Fest, Dori Caymmi, Toninho Horta, Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison, Buddy Tate, Joyce, Astrud Gilberto and many others.
Misha Tsiganov
Piano
Misha has performed at many international jazz festivals and clubs around the world, such as Carnegie Hall, Blue Note, Dizzy’s, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall, National Geographic Concert Hall (Washington DC), BLack Entertainment Television BET (Washington DC), Birdland, Iridium, Minton’s Playhouse, Smoke, 55 Bar, Smalls, Zing Bar, Java Jakarta Jazz Festival (Indonesia), Kansas City Jazz Festival, Topeka Jazz Festival, Barbados Jazz Festival, Panama Jazz Festival, Port-Au-Prince Jazz Festival (Haiti), Naguanagua Jazz Festival (Venezuela), Toulouse Jazz Festival (France), Jazz-Transfer Festival (Germany), St.Croix Jazz Festival, Festival JazzInKiev (Ukraine), Scullers (Boston), Jazz Bakery (Los Angeles), Bird’s Eye (Switzerland), Duc Lombards (France), Jazzkeller (Germany), Half Note Jazz Club (Greece) and many others.
Drums Portinho
Drums
Coming Soon
Joe Fitzgerald
Bass
Bassist Joe Fitzgerald has been a vital part of the New York music scene for nearly three decades. He has a wide range of performance experience in major venues large and small all over the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Newport Jazz Festival, Moscow Philharmonic Hall, the North Sea Jazz Festival to name a few. Joe also frequently performs with world class artists such as Pat Metheny, Datevik Hovanessian, Jerry Bergonzi, Bob Mintzer, Frank Wess and many others. Joe is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music and is active as an educator serving on faculties as diverse as the Collective School of Music, the Dalton School, the Rudolf Steiner School and Harvard University.
The Brian Charette Trio featuring Sachal Vasandani
Brian Charette
Brian Charette is a Hammond and IK Multimedia endorsed, Steeplechase, Positone, and Cellar Live recording artist, currently #3 on the Downbeat Critic’s Poll. He is also The 2014 Downbeat Rising Star, and 2015 Best Organist in NYC from Hothouse Magazine. Brian leads his own organ groups all over the world as well as playing with many well known artists like Chaka Khan and George Coleman. Brian’s new album, Jackpot was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder’s hallowed studio and is of this writing #9 on the Jazzweek US Radio Chart
Sachal Vasandani
Sachal Vasandani is recognized for his singular voice, with a tone and unique phrasing that mark him as one of the most compelling artists on the scene today. Thoroughly rooted in jazz, Sachal has the swagger to front the most swinging big bands and the vulnerability to present definitive takes of classic ballads. His deeply creative approach to improvisation across lyrics, melodic changes and time signatures is always soulful, and he has come to be regarded as one of the eminent vocal improvisers of his generation.
Jordan Young
Jordan Young is a versatile drummer who has played with Wynton Marsalis, Peter Bernstein, Vic Juris, Jerry Vivino, and Ben Monder. Jordan has recorded three albums as a leader, two for Positone Records. All have met with critical acclaim. Jordan completed the prestigious Artist Diploma program at The Juilliard School in 2016 and traveled around the globe representing the school. Jordan also has an active private teaching studio based in Brooklyn, NY. Jordan also endorses Canopus drums and Amedia cymbals.
Eric Alexander Quartet
Boasting a warm, finely burnished tone and a robust melodic and harmonic imagination, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander has been exploring new musical worlds from the outset. He started out on piano as a six-year-old, took up clarinet at nine, switched to alto sax when he was 12, and converted to tenor when jazz became his obsession during his one year at the University of Indiana, Bloomington (1986-87).
“The people I listened to in college are still the cats that are influencing me today,” says Alexander. “Monk, Dizzy, Sonny Stitt, Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, Joe Henderson–the legacy left by Bird and all the bebop pioneers, that language and that feel, that’s the bread and butter of everything I do.”
Rale Micic
Guitar
Rale Micic is one of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to emerge from Serbia. Audiences throughout the world have been captivated by Micic’s mesmerizing music, exploring interaction between his Serbian musical roots and his extensive knowledge of jazz. With three albums released on CTA Records, Rale created a cult-like following among music fans with his mix of jazz and haunting melodies from the Balkans. On his second release entitled Serbia, Micic establishes himself as one of the most inventive voices on the music scene today.
Jonathan Barber
Drums
New York City-based Jonathan Barber was voted the #1 Up-and-Coming Drummer of 2018 in Modern Drummer. Only 31 years old, he has already recorded and toured worldwide with such artists as Pat Metheny, Nicholas Payton, Buster Williams, Jeremy Pelt, Wallace Roney, Terrace Martin, Jennifer Holiday, Harold Mabern, Steve Davis, Stefon Harris, and many more. Barber has also been called on for such significant performances as Jimmy Greene’s Ana Grace Project (with an all-star band comprised of Greene, Kenny Barron, John Patitucci, and Kurt Elling) and back-to-back sold-out concerts with the Brooklyn Philharmonic and Erykah Badu at the BAM Opera House.
Jason Clotter
Bass
Jason Clotter, a bassist from Puerto Cortes Honduras, currently resides in the mecca of jazz in New York City. Clotter has shared the stage with numerous great musicians such as Eli Yamen,Stacy Dillard, Samara Joy, Vincent Gardner, Marquis Hill, Wallace Roney, Eric Lewis, Steve Davis, Jerry Weldon, Anthony Wonsey, Vincent Herring, Wynton Marsalis and many more Jazz legends. Currently Jason Clotter has been Storming the Jazz Scene as an upcoming Bassist. It is Jason mission to create beautiful music and keeping the music alive and going.
Rob Gottfried & Friends
Rob “The Drummer” Gottfried has a tri-fold career – a Jazz-Rock/ Recording Artist, Children’s Motivational Educator, and Private Percussion Instructor. As a Top Five Best Rock Drummer contender in LA, Rob has recorded on Arista Records with notable Organist Larry Young, played at The Village Gate and Carnegie Hall for the Newport Jazz Festival, and fills the percussion chair with guitarist extraordinaire Jeff Pevar. Rob finished his third CD with “Guitar Queen” Desiree’ Bassett – Ms Bassett was chosen as the lead guitarist for the Michael Jackson Cirque DuSoleil World Tour. His ROB THE DRUMMER Children’s Concerts are performed nationally! In 2104, Rob received the Special Tribute Award from Michigan Governor Rick Snyder for his outstanding service to the youth and communities of Michigan.
Linda Ransom
Vocals
LINDA RANSOM hails from Connecticut where she has enjoyed the privilege of working with world renowned musicians for many years. World Renowned Venues such as The Tavern on the Green in Central Park, Mintons and The Blue Note of New York City have over the years, hosted Linda’s performances with those musicians; Jazz Legend Lionel Hampton, The Artie Lee Orchestra of New York along with Sonny Costanza Orchestra and the infamous Peter Deutchen Orchestra to name a few.
Jeff Bousfield
Keyboards
Jeff Bousfield is a lifelong resident of CT who began classical piano at age 7. After switching to contemporary music as a teenager, he began playing rock & blues in Hartford music venues at the age of 17, using a beat up old Hammond B3 and Fender Rhodes piano. After high school, he attended the Hartford Conservatory of Music as a Jazz and Pop music performance major.
Tony Dioguardi
Guitar
Tony Dioguardi is a Connecticut based Blues/Jazz/R&B/Whatever guitarist who has performed with Jaimo’s Jazz Band, Bernard Purdie, Jeff Pevar, Jim Oblon, Guitar George Baker, Laco Dezci, Rickie Miller, and Brandt Taylor. A dentist by day, Tony has a monthly residency at the legendary CAFÉ NINE in New Haven, CT.
Brandt Taylor
Guitar
Brandt Taylor has been one of New England’s premier guitarist and singer/songwriters for nearly twenty yfears. He’s been a sideman for many of the area’s most notable bands, as well as fronting his own band. Brandyt has opened for several famous acts, Tower of Power, Joe Louis Walker, James Montgomery, and Jeff Pitchell to name a few. He’s also shared the stage with Buddy Cage (New Riders of The Purple Sage), Gary Hoey, Sugar Ray Norcia and several others. He was nominated two times as “Best Blues Act” in New England by the Hartford Advocate, and a district finalist in Guitar Center’s “Battle of The Blues”.
Dave Stoltz
Bass
Sheila Jordan
Raised in poverty in Pennsylvania’s coal-mining country, Jordan began singing as a child and by the time she was in her early teens was working semi-professionally in Detroit clubs. Her first great influence was Charlie Parker and, indeed, most of her influences have been instrumentalists rather than singers. Working chiefly with black musicians, she met with disapproval from the white community but persisted with her career. She was a member of a vocal trio, Skeeter, Mitch And Jean (she was Jean), who sang versions of Parker’s solos in a manner akin to that of the later Lambert, Hendricks And Ross.
Karrin Allyson
Karrin Allyson, 5-‐time Grammy nominated jazz vocalist, pianist, and songwriter is widely recognized as one of the most gifted voices of her generation. With fifteen albums under her belt, she has built a mastery of The Great American Songbook, blues, pop, be-bop, Brazilian, and French chansons, to name a few.
Born in Great Bend, Kansas, Allyson now lives in New York City. Since moving to New York, Allyson’s band has consisted of such players as Bruce Barth, Ed Howard, James Williams, Adam Cruz, Steve Wilson, Miro Sprague, Jerome Jennings, and Jeff Johnson.
Avery Sharpe
Sharpe was born in Valdosta, Georgia and his first instrument was the piano. “I started playing when I was eight years old,” he recalls. “My mother is a piano player in the Church of God in Christ, and she gave lessons to every-body in the family. I’m the sixth of eight children, but it didn’t stick until it got to me.” He moved on to accordion and then switched to electric bass in high school.
Sharpe enrolled at the University of Massachusetts, where he met the jazz bassist Reggie Workman, who encouraged him to learn the acoustic bass. Sharpe adapted quickly to the big instrument, and within a few years he was performing with such notables as Archie Shepp and Art Blakey. In 1980, Sharpe auditioned with McCoy Tyner and won a spot in the pianist’s group. He worked with Tyner almost continuously for 20 years, playing hundreds of live gigs and appearing on more than 20 records.
Eric Alexander
Boasting a warm, finely burnished tone and a robust melodic and harmonic imagination, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander has been exploring new musical worlds from the outset. He started out on piano as a six-year-old, took up clarinet at nine, switched to alto sax when he was 12, and converted to tenor when jazz became his obsession during his one year at the University of Indiana, Bloomington (1986-87).
At William Paterson College in New Jersey he advanced his studies under the tutelage of Harold Mabern, Joe Lovano, Rufus Reid, and others. “The people I listened to in college are still the cats that are influencing me today,” says Alexander. “Monk, Dizzy, Sonny Stitt, Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, Joe Henderson–the legacy left by Bird and all the bebop pioneers, that language and that feel, that’s the bread and butter of everything I do.”
Willie Jones III
With an unparalleled style of rhythmic expression, drummer Willie Jones III is one of the world’s leading jazz drummers. In addition to honoring his monumental influences – the late greats Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakey and Billy Higgins – Jones’ bold articulation and constantly innovative sense of swing are results of his life-long musical experience.
Born in Los Angeles, California on June 8, 1968, Jones’ earliest exposure to music was through his father, Willie Jones II, an accomplished and notable jazz pianist. Dedicated to the further development of his skills, the younger Jones spent years working diligently with acclaimed drummers and music instructors and began performing with distinguished musicians by the time he was in his teens. Before he was a semifinalist in the 1992 Thelonious Monk Jazz Drum Competition, Jones co-founded jazz band Black Note. Influenced by the rich soulful energy of the West Coast bop movement, Black Note’s hard-swing sound propelled them to first place in the prestigious John Coltrane Young Artist Competition in 1991.
John Patitucci
John Patitucci was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1959 and began playing the electric bass at age ten. He began performing and composing at age 12, at age 15 began to play the acoustic bass, and then started the piano at age 16. He quickly moved from playing soul and rock to blues, jazz and classical music. His eclectic tastes caused him to explore all types of music as a player and a composer.
As a performer, John has played throughout the world with his own band and with jazz luminaries Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Stan Getz, Pat Metheny, Wynton Marsalis, Joshua Redman, Michael Brecker, McCoy Tyner, Nancy Wilson, Randy Brecker, Freddie Hubbard, Tony Williams, Hubert Laws, Hank Jones, Mulgrew Miller, James Williams, Kenny Werner and scores of others.
Valery Ponomarev
Valery Ponomarev worked with Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers for 4 years. With the Messengers, he performed at major concert halls, clubs, and festivals all over the world and recorded eleven record albums. He also made numerous television appearances with the Messengers in Europe, Japan, and Brazil. In the United States he has made television appearances on “To Tell The Truth,” on the PBS network, National Geographic Today, and CNN. He performed at the Clifford Brown Memorial Concert in Wilmington, Delaware, 1991, which featured the music of the legendary Max Roach/Clifford Brown Quintet with Max Roach (leader) on drums, Harold Land, tenor sax, George Morrow, bass, Sam Dockery, piano, and Valery Ponomarev, trumpet.
As a solo artist, Mr. Ponomarev has completed two tours of Australia, China and numerous European tours, including a special tour with Harold Land featuring the music of Clifford Brown. He was also featured as a European superstar at the Charlie Parker in Paris Festival.
Abraham Burton
It was once written in the New York Times by jazz columnist Peter Watrous, “If Abraham Burton were to be drawn in a caricature, there would be flames coming out of his horn…” Approaching three decades as a prominent figure on the jazz scene, world-renowned saxophonist and educator Abraham Burton’s passionate sound can still ignite a room filled with patrons.
In recent years, Abraham’s interest has broadened to teaching and sharing his musical knowledge and experience with future generations. In 2013 Abraham was awarded the prestigious Ralph Bunche Fellowship at Rutgers University where he received his Masters Degree in Music. Abraham also has joined the faculty at both the Jackie McLean institute of Jazz (University of Hartford) and Rutgers University where his classes are in high demand.
Brubeck Brothers
Chris and Dan Brubeck have been making music together practically all their lives. Drummer Dan and bassist, trombonist, and composer Chris cut their first record together in 1966—nearly a half century ago. They’ve subsequently played a variety of styles in a number of different groups, as well as with their father, jazz giant Dave Brubeck, and with their own Brubeck Brothers Quartet. With Dan and Chris as the foundation, guitarist Mike DeMicco and pianist Chuck Lamb, complete this dynamic quartet.
They perform at concert series, colleges, and jazz festivals across North America and Europe including the Newport, Detroit, Montreal, Playboy/Hollywood Bowl, and Monterey Jazz Festivals. The Quartet’s last cd, LifeTimes was a hit on the Jazz Week radio chart where it made the Top Ten list as one of the most played jazz recordings of the year.
Jonathan Blake
Johnathan Blake, one of the most accomplished drummers of his generation, has also proven himself a complete and endlessly versatile musician. Blake’s gift for composition and band leading reflects years of live and studio experience across the aesthetic spectrum. Heralded by NPR Music as “the ultimate modernist,” he has collaborated with Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Tom Harrell, Hans Glawischnig, Avishai Cohen, Donny McCaslin, Linda May Han Oh, Jaleel Shaw, Chris Potter, Maria Schneider, Alex Sipiagin, Kris Davis and countless other distinctive voices.
DownBeat once wrote, “It’s a testament to Blake’s abilities that he makes his presence felt in any context.” A frequent presence on Blue Note records over the past several years, Blake has contributed his strong, limber pulse and airy precision to multiple leader releases from Blue Note artists including Dr. Lonnie Smith’s Breathe (2021), All in My Mind (2018) and Evolution (2016) and Kenny Barron’s Concentric Circles (2018), the latter whose trio Blake has been a vital member for nearly 15 years.
Yotam Silberstein
As a young musician in Tel Aviv, Yotam Silberstein was quickly recognized as a prodigy and was invited to perform with many of the nation’s top musicians. At 21, he performed at Italy’s renowned Umbria Jazz Festival, released a critically acclaimed debut album and set out on an extensive tour of Europe.
Upon receiving a scholarship to the prestigious New School, Yotam Silberstein moved to New York in 2005. He was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Guitar Competition in 2005 with one critic noting: “Yotam’s tones are exquisitely old school but his playing fresh, fiery and bursting with joyful exuberance, and musically he is one heavy cat.” Jazz Times noted that Yotam has “made an impact on the scene with his precision bebop lines and fleet fingered improvisation”. All About Jazz saw a resemblance between his 2009 release, “Next Page” and “the heyday of Blue Note Records”, adding that Yotam is “forging his own path with skills and style.”