Results for "Improvisation"

Gina Saputo

By the age of 15, Gina Saputo was already commanding the stage in the jazz clubs of her native Springfield, Oregon. A prodigy who began classical training at 8 and landed her first paying gig at 11, Gina's early passion for jazz set her on a path of extraordinary success. She pursued jazz studies at the University of Southern California on a scholarship and further honed her craft at the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute, now known as the Herbie Hancock Institute.

Gina’s career is a testament to her multifaceted talent and dedication. As an internationally celebrated jazz performer, recording artist, and session singer, she is also a sought-after clinician, model, actress, and author. Her impressive resume includes co-directing the Applied Music program at Santa Monica College, where she also served as the department equity coach, driving initiatives to foster inclusive practices. Her role as an award-winning full-time instructor at Musicians Institute in Hollywood for 8 years underscores her commitment to both performance and education.

Milos Bosnic

Miloš Bosnić is a Serbian bassist, composer, and bandleader based in Belgrade. He is the founder of Bosque Sound Community (BSC), a jazz-fusion/world-jazz ensemble recognized for blending modern jazz language with cinematic storytelling, strong rhythmic identity, and genre-crossing arrangements.

He studied double bass at the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade, completed a Higher National Diploma in Jazz Bass Guitar & Music Production at the London Centre of Contemporary Music (LCCM), and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Audio & Video Design at the School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science in Belgrade.

Chris Cody

Born: December 21, 1964

Chris Cody is an internationally renowned pianist, composer and producer. In a career spanning over 40 years, he has headlined at numerous international festivals including Paris Quartiers d’Eté, London, Rome, Brussels Jazz Marathon, Stockholm, Munich, Marciac, Geneva, Ascona, Derry, Dar Es Salaam and Algiers and at a vast array of concert venues throughout the USA, Europe, Africa and Australasia, from the Village Gate NYC to the Munich Staatsoper. 

He has worked with many outstanding international musicians including Roy Hargrove, Carla Bruni, Herb Geller, Tina Arena, Annie Whitehead, Rhoda Scott, Rick Margitza, Michel Jonaz, Sunny Murray, Marcel Azzola, Jason Marsalis, Sandy Evans, James Morrison and many more.

Roberto Cassani

Roberto Cassani is an Italian-born double bass player, composer, singer and improviser based in rural Perthshire, Scotland. Renowned for his adventurous fusion of folk, jazz and world music, Cassani has built a distinctive artistic profile that blends deep musicality with a joyful, inclusive spirit.

Born and raised in Rivolta d’Adda in northern Italy, Cassani grew up immersed in the local Rivoltano dialect and culture, experiences that later informed much of his creative output. Early in his life he pursued music with passion, initially gaining attention at a young age and even securing a record deal before choosing to broaden his horizons abroad.

David Chevan

Born: September 19, 1960

I am the first-born son of a family of second-generation Jewish immigrants from Poland and Russia. I was musically active from an early age and grew up in a Conservative-Egalitarian Jewish synagogue where I led services from the age of 10. Although much of my performing method on the double-bass has been self taught, I credit the master bassist, Lisle Atkinson with showing me the pathway to self-education. As a composer I have primarily focused on works for improvisors. I write works for a wide range of artists and ensembles, including several collaborations with dance and film. I think I have been fortunate in that the critics have compared me to some of my heroes like Charles Mingus and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. In addition to performing regularly in a duo with pianist Warren Byrd and co-leading The Afro-Semitic Experience, I have had the opportunity to perform and record with a wide range of creative musical artists, including Ali Ryerson, Joe Beck, Jaki Byard, Harold Danko, Ellery Eskelin, Giacomo Gates, Frank London, Andrea Parkins, and Cookie Segelstein. I retired from a long career of teaching music for 32 years at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven. I hold a Ph.D in Music History from C.U.N.Y. and have published numerous articles on the history of early jazz, developed and taught courses on Jewish and African-American musical traditions. I continue to study the music of bassist Slam Stewart as well as exploring the music of the turn of the century Jewish cantorial tradition. I am also proud to be a member of the board of trustees of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation.

Francesca Han

Pianist Francesca Han’s music captures both the subtle affectivity of classical music and the uninhibited effusiveness of rock. Having studied both, she has now developed an approach to jazz that leaves a foot planted in tradition while reaching for unique expression.

After achieving rapid success in her native Korea, she was encouraged to move to New York City in 2004. There she received her master’s degree in jazz performance from Queens College under the tutelage of pianists David Berkman and Bruch Barth, trumpeter and arranger Michael Mossman, and saxophonist Antonio Hart.

Stefan Lovin

Born: February 21, 1980

Stefan Lovin is a Romanian pianist and composer whose music lies at the crossroads of free improvisation, classical tradition, and folk roots. Trained in the European classical school, he gradually expanded his artistic language towards jazz improvisation and avant-garde experimentation, often drawing comparisons with Keith Jarrett’s lyrical freedom.

His work explores the dialogue between Romanian folk melodies and the contemplative spirit of modern jazz, creating soundscapes that are both intimate and expansive. Lovin frequently employs techniques such as prepared piano to broaden the instrument’s expressive palette.

Espen Berg

Born: June 30, 1983

Norwegian pianist and composer Espen Berg (b. 1983) is a modern day impressionist, seamlessly blending figurative and non-figurative styles in his spontaneously composed music, with an unsurpassed virtuosity and flow. His solo albums have been praised by audience and critics all over the world, earning top ratings in All About Jazz, UK Vibe, VG and Nettavisen, and an Editor’s Choice remark in Jazzwise, with Stuart Nicholson writing that «if the solo piano concert lost its main storyteller in recent times, then there is a voice in Norway that offers a different, but equally compelling narrative».

Marco Vanoppen

Marco Vanoppen is a Belgian musician/deconstructivist.

His field of work includes avant-garde music, improvisation, industrial music, experimental music, ... . He is/was a (founding) member of multiple bands and/or music projects. 

Marco was born in Hasselt, Limburg and is also known as Spurck.

Juan Manuel Romero Silvera

Born: November 26, 1974

Juan Romero embodies the role of musical cultural bridge: blending Latin and Afro-Uruguayan rhythmic heritage with the Scandinavian and global music scenes through both performance and education.

Collaborations & Projects

Juan Romero is actively involved with a range of ensembles:

• Juan Romeros Manuella Orkester, Fire Orchestra, Syrsan, Cosmic Ear, El Siri B.B y La Perrera and others.

Notable recordings include work with Sara Parkman (Vesper, 2019; Eros Agape Filia, 2023), Fire Orchestra (Echoes, 2023), and Cosmic Ear (Traces, 2025)

Present & Community Involvement