Results for "Fort Myers"

Al Ferrante

Born: January 26, 1947

Al Ferrante, is known as "Father Al", Leader of Father Al and The Jazz Congregation, a South West Florida Jazz Quartet. At age 10 Father Al Studied Drums and Percussion at the Gene Krupa, Cozy Cole Drum School, Manhattan, New York. His instructors were Cozy Cole and Billy Higgins. At age 12, He attended the University of Rhode Island Summer Music Camp studying, Theory, Composition, Ear Training, Jazz Theory, Jazz Band, and Concert Orchestra. The New York Years: At age 17, American Federation of Musicians, Local 802, New York City Caberet License. Performed with, backed up, or opened for such notables as Jay and the Americans, Little Eva, the Shirelles, the Ronettes, Dion and the Belmonts, and was the house drummer for the Alan Freed Rock and Roll Shows at the Brooklyn Paramount and Albemarle Theatres

Kevin G. Mauldin

Kevin G. Mauldin is the principal bassist with the Naples FL Philharmonic Orchestra but also performs with jazz artists in Southwest Florida. He earned his B.M. degree from Memphis State University in 1982 and his M.M. degree from Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music (CCM) in 1985. A native of Memphis, he studied bass with Herman Burkhart, John Chiego and in Cincinnati with Frank Proto. His teaching responsibilities include a private studio with doublebass and electric bass students and the Hot Springs Music Festival as mentor and faculty member since 2007. Mauldin taught at the Brevard Music Center and also at the University of Miami from 2000 to 2010. Mauldin is a member of the Naples Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra, with which he has appeared with major jazz figures such as Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Joe Cohn, Peter Bernstein, Randy Brecker, Joe Locke, Tom Harrell, Warren Vaché Jr

Glenn Basham

Glenn Basham has a Bachelor of Music degree from the North Carolina School of the Arts and a Master of Music degree from Indiana University. He has been a member of the artist faculty at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami since 1992. He also serves as the first violinist in the Bergonzi String Quartet, which is the quartet-in-residence at the Frost School of Music. Glenn, a native of Washington, D.C., previously played with the Detroit Symphony under Antal Doráti and was a member of the Chester String Quartet. He has served as concertmaster at music festivals nationwide, including the Grand Teton Music Festival in Wyoming, the Colorado Music Festival, the Hot Springs Music Festival and the Pine Mountain Music Festival

Jerry Stawski

Jerry Stawski currently is a co-leader of the Artis Naples Jazz Orchestra which seasonally features nationally-known stars of jazz such as Michael Feinstein, Dick Hyman, Dennis Rowland, Mike Mainieri, Gene Bertoncini, Jeff Tyzik, Byron Stripling, Charles McPherson, Bobby Shew, Randy Brecker, Russell Malone, Steve Turre, Dan Miller, Warren Chiasson, Ira Sullivan, Rich Mattison, Mercedes Ellington, Don Goldie, Lew Del Gatto, Buster Cooper, Buddy Morrow, Jim Pugh and Greg Abate, among many others.

He has played in concert with the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra and the Symphony of Southwest Florida. He also has played concerts for the Naples Jazz Society, the Southwest Florida Jazz Society, the Charlotte County Jazz Society, and The Italian Cultural Society.

Ron Hefner

Ron Hefner came up in Columbus Ohio, where he got his start working with several jazz organists, including the legendary Don Patterson. He moved to Orlando, Florida in 1971 and made it his hometown when he was off the road. In 1974, Ron studied at the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, New York with Karl Berger, Bob Moses, Stu Martin, and other jazz greats. He performed in 40 states and Canada during the 1970's. In 1980, Ron left the road and settled in Orlando, working in hotels, theaters, jazz clubs, and at Disney World. He moved to southwest Florida in 1991 and has remained there as a top call drummer

Joe Delaney

Joe Delaney was born in Brockton, Mass. and grew up in Whitman, just south of Boston. Joe’s father Ed Delaney was also a pianist. Joe started playing at age 3, learning by ear from records, family parties and his father’s band rehearsals. Joe says, “I picked it up and still play about 90% by ear.” Joe started formal instruction and began performing in pubic at the age of 5. Joe says, “Once we started little kid tunes, I’d hear the teacher play it and put about 15 minutes into my lesson and just mimic it back.” He was soon spending hours a day learning popular tunes and George Shearing hits he heard during the band rehearsals. Later, Joe studied briefly with Kurt Wenzel, Charlie Banocos, Kenny Barron and Berklee piano professor Paul Schmeling

Don Mopsick

Born: November 7, 1950

Don Mopsick began his musical career as a teenager in his hometown of Linden, NJ, performing on trumpet and bass guitar for local ethnic dances. He attended Rutgers University and The Manhattan School of Music. His first professional gigs were with Rosemary Clooney and Ralph Sharon around Boston.

Mopsick’s interests in jazz have always been eclectic. While in New York, he performed on tuba and bass with The Smith Street Society, Lee Castle (with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra), Jim Chapin, John Carisi, Benny Ventura, the Paul Jefferey Octet and others.

After a move to Ft. Myers FL in 1977, Mopsick began private study on double bass with Lucas Drew at the University of Miami. He moved to Orlando in 1983 and began work at Walt Disney World, Circus World, Rosie O’Grady’s, and as a free-lance bassist state-wide. Until 1986 he was a full-time staff musician at Walt Disney World. During his time in Orlando, Don played concert dates for, among others, The Jazz Club of Sarasota, The Treasure Coast Jazz Society (Vero Beach), the Gainesville Friends of Jazz, the Central Florida Jazz Society, and was a jazz clinician at Valdosta (Georgia) State University.

Lew Del Gatto

The versatile Lew Del Gatto has been a dynamic figure in the New York music scene for over thirty years. His versatility and knowledgeable comprehension of musical art-form was the basis for a stellar career. He has been involved with jingles, films, jazz and television. He has been a saxophonist with the Saturday Night Live Band from the show’s beginning in 1975 to 1979. He continued back on the show from 1985 until 2005. Besides his contributions on bari sax and woodwinds, Lew was also involved as an arranger and contractor on this illustrious show.

Frank Portolese

I come from Mishawaka, Indiana. When I was 10 years old I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan TV show. The next day we were all on the playground during recess deciding what instruments we were going to play in the band we were going to form. I was going to play harpsichord but that didn't work out. Now my buddy Chuck had a $20 acoustic guitar with a big note painted on the top. He showed me some chords, and after his parents bought him a nice Gibson SG Chuck let me borrow the big note guitar and his chord book. I remember that the "D" chord was really hard for me. In those days I would take the AM radio from the kitchen into my bedroom and listen to the music on WLS and WCFL every night

Kat Epple

Emmy, Peabody, and Edward R Murrow award-winning composer Kat Epple, has released 36 music albums internationally, composes music for film scores, and performs in concerts around the world. - Film scores include National Geographic, PBS Nova, CNN, ABC, Valentino Fashions, History Channel, NASA, "Killing Eve", and Apple Computers. - Music Performances include Guggenheim Museums, New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, The United Nations, London’s Union Chapel, National Gallery, concerts in Russia, Africa, Europe, and Asia.  - For twenty years, legendary visual artist, Robert Rauschenberg commissioned her to perform at his art openings internationally