Results for "Contemporary Jazz"

Jaromir Rusnak

Born: November 24, 1996

Jaromir Rusnak is a Polish double bassist, electric bassist, and composer born on November 24, 1996, in Krakow. Currently based in Milan, he is an artist whose work blends the lyricism of Slavic traditions with the expressive depth of jazz and contemporary music. 

He began his musical journey with piano at the age of eight and soon entered music school for accordion in Krakow. After a brief pause during his teenage years, he returned to music through classical double bass, which eventually led him to explore electric bass as well. This shift opened the door to Krakow’s vibrant rock and jazz scenes.

Darryl Alexander Sr.

Chances are that if you have listened to Saturday Night Live, Good Morning America, The Weather Channel, E Entertainment, Lifetime, Fox Business, Maury Povich, or listened to music while flying, you have heard music by jazz artist/producer Darryl Alexander. His dream growing up was to be a professional baseball player and would lead to scholarship offers from numerous universities, including Boston and Capital University.

At Kent State University, Darryl dropped his pursuit of baseball and became a member of a band which featured “In Living Color” and “Comedy.TV” comedian AJ Jamal on keys.

Connor Young

Born: September 26, 1995

Connor Young is a Vermont-born trumpeter, composer, songwriter, and educator. Music became a central part of his life at a young age, leading him to study Jazz Performance at McGill University in Montréal. Since graduating in 2018, he has been an active performer and collaborator, playing across Vermont in a variety of genres.

Connor has recorded two albums: Flight of the Starlings, a contemporary jazz record, and From Me to You, a self-recorded, folk-inspired album that reflects his growth as a songwriter and producer. Seven Days described From Me to You as "a masterful mélange of late-night musings and early-morning affirmations," blending folk, early blues, and hot club-style jazz. Meanwhile, Flight of the Starlings was praised for its "thoughtful and ambitious arrangements," capturing both modern and classic jazz influences.

Shahar Amdor

Born: April 20, 1999

Shahar Amdor is a jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer, and bandleader known for his emotionally charged improvisation and genre-defying sound. A graduate of Berklee College of Music with a dual degree in Performance and Film Scoring, Amdor has toured extensively across Europe, North America, and Asia. He has performed at major international festivals including the Red Sea Jazz Festival (Israel), One Day Jazz Festival (Slovakia), San Jose Summer Fest (California), and Afro-Latino Festival (Belgium).

As the founder of Amdor’s Group, he leads a dynamic ensemble that blends jazz, groove, and modern textures into powerful live experiences. Amdor’s original works have been featured on albums such as Insomnia and Cassiopeia, and his music has been covered by publications including Musica Terra (Japan), The Hindu (India), The Boston Calendar, and Midnight East. He has also collaborated with Grammy-winning pianist Billy Childs, bassist Mohini Dey, and drummer Roni Kaspi.

David Garfield

David Garfield has been driven by the same mission statement since moving from his hometown of St. Louis to Los Angeles as a teenager in the early '70s: “I make music.” Fully living up to this vision and in more expansive ways over the past few decades, the multi-talented keyboardist, composer, arranger and recording artist has established himself an eclectic force of musical nature. At any given point during his career—and often at the same time—he has been a renowned songwriter, producer, bandleader (of Los Angeles based contemporary world jazz collectives Karizma and Los Lobotomys), arranger, recording artist, record label owner (Creatchy Records), session and touring musician, musical director and composer of various commissioned themes for global organizations.

Jonathan Reisin

Jonathan Reisin is a Brooklyn-based saxophonist, composer, and improviser born in Israel. His artistic vision revolves around crafting original music deeply influenced by Contemporary music, Jazz, and the Avant-Garde. Throughout his career, Jonathan has collaborated with notable artists such as Francisco Mela, Kris Davis, Anat Fort, Val Jeanty, Cooper Moore, and many more, with appearances at the Vermont Jazz Festival, Forward Festival (Brooklyn), M3 Festival (NY), Yearot Menache Festival (ISR), Gangneung International Art Festival (South Korea), and venues around the world. His debut album Option B (2022, Habitable Records) and Earthquake (2023, 577 Records), a collaboration with mentor Francisco Mela, both received strong reviews from critics and listeners

Tom Zygmont

Born: September 24, 1958

Boundless Expression & Timeless Music

Tom Zygmont’s debut album, Lumina Way, is extraordinary, multifaceted, and brilliantly performed. It makes a lasting impact unlike most contemporary jazz albums in recent memory

Zygmont’s rich musical journey naturally led him to collaborate with a wide range of gifted artists. For Lumina Way, he assembled an exceptional ensemble of LA’s top talent, coming together at the iconic Sunset Sound in Hollywood to capture the album live—resulting in an intimate, organic experience that radiates authenticity.

This venture into new age territory is both remarkable and unexpected, showcasing yet again the complete freedom Zygmont embraces throughout. So unique is this piece that he includes an explanation in his liners, writing, “The Epitaph of Seikilos” is widely considered the oldest surviving complete musical composition. The melody was carved onto a headstone in Greece in the first or second century CE. The English translation of the inscription reads: 

Tito Mangialajo Rantzer

Born: June 3, 1967

Tito Mangialajo Rantzer (born in Milano, Italy, on June 3rd, 1967) accomplished his studies with Franco Feruglio, Giorgio Azzolini, Furio Di Castri, Walter Booker, Dave Holland, Barre Phillips.

He collaborated with many italian jazz musicians, including Claudio Fasoli, Antonio Zambrini, Giovanni Falzone, Nexus, Francesca Ajmar, Michele Franzini, Dimitri Grechi Espinoza, Giovanni Venosta, Tino Tracanna, Giancarlo Locatelli, Massimo Minardi, Arrigo Cappelletti, Antonio Faraò, Ferdinando Faraò, Paolo Botti, Corrado Guarino, Giancarlo Tossani, Piero Delle Monache…

Mirna Bogdanovic

Award-winning singer & composer Mirna Bogdanovic is creating a blend of experimental sounds with jazz influenced vocals, effects and beats. With tireless curiosity, she explores the possibilities of harmony, combining the voice with acoustic and electronic soundscapes. The universe of Berlin-based artist Mirna Bogdanovic, invites the listeners into a warped world coated with jazz and avant-pop.

Bogdanović studied classical piano and jazz vocals at various music Colleges around Europe and finished her degree at the Jazz Institut Berlin (2017). At the time of her studies she won the Downbeat Student Award and was part of the National Youth Big Band (BuJazzo).

Uta Habbig

Born: September 28, 1986

New York-based, German-born singer and songwriter Uta Habbig distinguishes herself through a sensitive, colorful sound and compelling storytelling. She explores a vast musical landscape and transforms each song into her very own musical work of art through vocal presence and authentic expression. She asserts herself above all through a skillful synthesis of genres and playfully combines jazz, classical music and chamber pop in her compositions. Since her debut album Windward (2016) and the EP Songs from the Lighthouse (2020), both collections of original compositions, the musician has developed artistically through a variety of collaborations with the likes of Glenn Zaleski , Adi Meyerson, and Ari Kárason. Her new full length album is set to be released in May 2025.