Results for "jazz"

Higino Andrade

Maria João

Born: June 27, 1956

Most singers perform a song. Maria João takes it apart, rebuilds it, and hands it back unrecognizable and unforgettable. 

A voice that improvises like breath, breaks like free jazz, and lands like home. Born in Lisbon in 1956, Maria João has spent four decades bending jazz into folk, avant-garde and electronica — from her 1983 debut Quinteto Maria João to her long-running partnership with pianist Mário Laginha, and to OGRE, her electronic project. Her most recent album, Abundância, travels between Lisbon and Maputo, produced by Luís Fernandes.  

Sam Barrell Jones

Born: March 27, 1996

Nicolas Gachot

Nicolas Gachot is a French-Swiss drummer and composer currently living in Los Angeles. He began taking piano lessons at the age of six and classical percussion lessons at nine at the Zurich Conservatory in Switzerland. During this time, he performed in several symphony and chamber orchestras throughout Switzerland. In 2017, he won first prize in the percussion category at the Eastern Switzerland Solo and Ensemble Competition. Throughout his studies, Nicolas was also a member of various jazz combos and big bands at the Zurich Conservatory.

He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Drums Performance in 2023 from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, where he studied with Gerry Hemingway, Norbert Pfammatter, Marc Halbheer, and Dominik Burkhalter.

Bill Howland

Bill Howland grew up in the Greater Boston area, studying with classical pianist Allen Barker of Wayland, Massachusetts. Bill continued his education in music theory at Northeastern University and later studied with jazz pianist Dick Odgren of Worcester, whose faculty appointments include Berklee College of Music and Clark University.

Bill formerly resided in Brewster, Massachusetts and played at many fine venues on Cape Cod, including Chatham Bars Inn, Christian’s Restaurant, The Roadhouse Café, Oysters Too, Old Sea Pines Inn and many others.

Bill also formerly resided in Charleston, South Carolina where he played regularly at the Swamp Fox Restaurant and Bar at The Francis Marion Hotel.

Apollo Jazztet

Active since: 2016

The Apollo Jazztet is an iconic jazz band, devoted to bringing a fresh take to a classic sound. With a legacy defined by the passion of their live performances, the Jazztet have built an impressive body of work that reflects their unique journey and exceptional talent. The band’s music flows with a fiery originality, echoing the timelessness of the jazz tradition while championing the genre into the next generation of good-timery.

Kevin Cornwall

Penni Layne

Born: May 16

Penni Layne has always lived at the intersection of soul and jazz, drawn less to genre lines than to songs that feel lived-in, intimate, and true. The Boston-based vocalist and songwriter brings together the sophistication and phrasing of jazz with the emotional directness of soul and R&B, creating music that feels both timeless and distinctly her own.

Throughout her musical career, Layne has explored the space between genres, embracing everything from jazz standards and soulful interpretations to original compositions written alongside her longtime musical collaborator and husband, Larry Jackson. Together, the two share a creative partnership built on a mutual love of songwriting, storytelling, and the freedom to let music evolve naturally.

Gavriel Micah

I play trumpet in Denver. Most of what I write is instrumental and built around Jewish diaspora melodies, some traditional and some my own. I treat them the way a jazz group treats standards: the tune stays as it came to me, and the harmony and the solos do the work.

I record, mix and master at home, in a room I call the Shack, in Centennial, Colorado. My first album, Songs I Found, comes out 4 December 2026.

Ginger Bennett

Originally from Lewisham South-East London Ginger has been living and performing as a singer on the Kent Coast since 2003. Most often seen performing with her six-piece funk and soul outfit Project F or guest appearances with the fabulous 9 piece KD Jazz Orchestra. Ginger has performed at the Margate Jazz and Soul Festivals and is a regular performer at the Canterbury Festival. Ginger is known for an intimate style of performance that always involves spirited audience participation and lots of laughs