Results for "Frank Russo"

Frank Russo

Peter Bernstein with the Jimmy Masters Trio at The Sandler Center

by Mark Robbins
October 5, 2026

Jazz musicians often  have a musical conversation onstage. One musician introduces an idea, another responds, and the music develops through that back and forth. They listen closely to one another, picking up on rhythms, melodies, and small changes in the moment. The result can feel spontaneous and personal, as if the musicians are speaking to one ...

The Art of Swing: A Conversation with Champian Fulton

by Mark Robbins
July 19, 2026

There are some musicians who seem completely at home in the language of jazz, and Champian Fulton is certainly one of them. As both a pianist and vocalist, she's built a career on bringing the Great American Songbook to life with elegance, swing, and an unmistakable sense of joy. Her performances feel rooted in the tradition, ...

Anaïs Reno with the John Toomey Trio at the Attucks Jazz Club

by Mark Robbins
April 12, 2026

Anais Reno's song interpretation belies her 23 years. Her performance at the Attucks Jazz Club brought to mind an older, more experienced vocalist, not the young singer performing in front of a sold-out venue. Her voice has been described as “timeless," in the stylings of Carmen McRae or Ella Fitzgerald. Where many of today's young vocalists ...

Jaleel Shaw with the John Toomey Trio at the Attucks Jazz Club

by Mark Robbins
October 18, 2025

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 ...

Lena Seikaly and the Jimmy Masters' Trio at The Sandler Center for the Arts

by Mark Robbins
June 11, 2025

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.

Walter Blanding, Jr. with the John Toomey Trio at the Attucks Jazz Club

by Mark Robbins
April 21, 2025

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 ...

Stephanie Nakasian at the Attucks Jazz Club and Congregation Beth El

by Mark Robbins
March 29, 2025

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, ...

The Attucks Jazz Club: Fall 2024

by Mark Robbins
February 23, 2025

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. ...

Beatin' the Odds

By Leigh Pilzer

Label: Self Produced
Released: 2024
Track listing: SKCC; Lin; Waterkress; The Platinum Taxi; Beatin’ the Odds; And Then It Stopped; Last Year, Lost Year; How Much Longer; Where Will We Go?