Articles by Mark Robbins
Jaleel Shaw with the John Toomey Trio at the Attucks Jazz Club
by Mark Robbins
Born on February 11, 1978, in Philadelphia, Jaleel Shaw emerged from the city's rich musical landscape, studying at Greene Street Friends School and the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. He earned a dual degree in Music Education and Performance from Berklee College of Music in 2000, followed by a Master's in Jazz Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in 2002. Shaw gained early recognition as a finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition ...
Continue ReadingLaufey and the Virginia Symphony at the Chartway Arena
by Mark Robbins
Laufey (pronounced LAY-vay) first appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival on July 31, 2022. She shyly stood at the mic, she wore a simple white summer dress, guitar held in front of her like armor offering protection from the hundreds of people sitting in the audience. Soft spoken, she talked about her Chinese-Islandic heritage then she sang and the audience realized they were in the presence of an emerging vocalist who defied description. A singer-songwriter equally at home with jazz, ...
Continue ReadingBEATrio at the Perry Pavilion
by Mark Robbins
Béla Fleck is a trailblazing banjo player whose genre-defying approach has redefined the possibilities of the instrument. Born in New York City in 1958 and named after the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, he's spent his career weaving bluegrass, jazz, classical, and world music into dazzling sonic tapestries. Whether leading his groundbreaking group Béla Fleck and the Flecktones = 6733}} or collaborating with musicians around the globe, Fleck continues to stretch musical boundaries--and bring the banjo along for the ride.
Continue ReadingLena Seikaly and the Jimmy Masters' Trio at The Sandler Center for the Arts
by Mark Robbins
Washington D.C. vocalist Lena Seikaly made a return visit to the Tidewater area to perform with the Jimmy Masters' Trio (Masters on bass, John Toomey on piano and drummer Frank Russo. Singing to a nearly sold out room it was evident from the audience reaction she would be welcomed back as often as she liked. Seikaly began piano lessons at just 4 years old. By her teen age years she had developed a strong foundation in classical voice ...
Continue ReadingHampton Roads Jazz at the Ferguson Center for the Arts
by Mark Robbins
Hampton Roads Jazz (HR Jazz) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, promoting, and presenting jazz in both performance and educational settings. Based in the Hampton Roads (Norfollk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach), the organization aims to enrich the local cultural landscape by bringing world-class jazz musicians to perform, teach, and inspire aspiring artists. Founded by Jae Sinnett, a jazz drummer, educator, and radio host, Hampton Roads Jazz Inc. offers masterclasses, lectures, clinics, and showcases for student musicians. The organization ...
Continue ReadingNicole Zuraitis: The Up and Down and Up Journey to Newport
by Mark Robbins
Nicole Zuraitis should receive a Grammy Award just for her laugh! It's deep, loud, energetic and a treat to hear. Not taking herself too seriously, her conversation is peppered with laughter while she talks about the high and lows of her travels from a struggling young jazz vocalist/composer to her surprising (to her) Grammy win. Her career started as a young jazz singer with a community college big band and at the Litchfield Jazz Camp. She performed opera for a ...
Continue ReadingWalter Blanding, Jr. with the John Toomey Trio at the Attucks Jazz Club
by Mark Robbins
Educator, composer, musician, Walter Blanding, Jr is a man for all seasons. Born into a musical family in Cleveland, OH, his parents moved the family to New York in the early '80s where his parents became part of the house band at the Village Gate jazz club. Blanding began playing the saxophone at the age of six and performed with his parents as a teenager He studied at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, where he met Wynton Marsalis, ...
Continue ReadingStephanie Nakasian at the Attucks Jazz Club and Congregation Beth El
by Mark Robbins
Stephanie Nakasian did not start out as a vocalist. Majoring in economics at Northwestern University, she received her BA and MBA, then entered the world of financial consulting for major banks in New York City and Chicago. Growing more and more dissatisfied with her career, she decided in 1981 to leap into the world of music, and she hasn't looked back. Her debut record, Comin' Alive, earned a four-star rating from esteemed critic Leonard Feather. Nakasian toured with vocal jazz ...
Continue ReadingThe Attucks Jazz Club: Fall 2024
by Mark Robbins
In 2008, under the auspices of the Virginia Arts Festival and the leadership of professor/pianist John Toomey, the Attucks Jazz Series was born in the historic Attucks Theater. Before becoming a full-time jazz professor at Old Dominion University, Toomey spent time on the road with jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, singers Mark Murphy, Rene Marie, and others. Toomey's eponymous trio consisting of Jimmy Masters on bass (Masters has been an integral part of the local jazz scene for the past 30 ...
Continue ReadingNate Najar and Daniela Soledade with the Jimmy Masters Trio at the Sandler Center
by Mark Robbins
Since the introduction of Brazilian music to the United States in 1962 by Charlie Byrd, artists such as Antônio Carlos Jobim, Jõao Gilberto, Gal Costa, Astrud Gilberto, Gilberto Gil, Claudia Acuña, to name a few, have continued to have a great influence on the American audience. Add to that roster guitarist Nate Naja and vocalist (also guitarist and flutist) Daniela Soledade, a welcome addition to an illustrious list of musicians. Najar started as a classical guitarist but soon ...
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