Results for "New York City"

Andrew Hadro

Born: May 28, 1985

Andrew Hadro [Hey-dro] Andrew Hadro is a professional musician, composer, and bandleader in Brooklyn, New York. Hadro’s primary instrument is baritone saxophone, though he also performs on bass clarinet, Bb clarinet, and flute, and is one of the only working musicians in New York City to play the bass saxophone. Recently, Hadro has been presenting compositions by current living composers through his ongoing project "For Us, The Living," An effort to honor tradition through innovation. Hadro has performed and recorded two albums for this series, with the most recent released in April 2018. After 15 years in NYC, Hadro can be heard through an expanding discography and frequent live performances

Art Lillard

Born: August 15, 1950

Art Lillard is a musician with many gifts. In each of his musical roles - drummer, composer, arranger, bandleader, and educator - he shares with us his unique and refreshing contribution to our musical culture.

The bands described below have performed at nightclubs, church auditoriums, and dance venues, as well as at various public libraries and senior residences in the greater New York City area.

Art Lillard has been leading his own jazz big band, Art Lillard's Heavenly Big Band, since 1987, playing in many New York area nightclubs and concert spaces. In 1995 he produced “First Flight,” a recording of this sixteen-piece band with vocals, featuring ten of his own compositions. The band’s first compact disc recording, “Reasons to be Thankful,” another vibrant compilation of originals, was released on the Summit Records label in 2006. “Certain Relationships,” a collection of standards and originals, was released on Summit in 2015. Sound clips can be found here: Certain Relationships and here: Reasons to be Thankful . Videos are here: Art Lillard's Heavenly Big Band. The band's repertoire features a variety of styles, including bebop, Latin jazz, blues, and numbers which defy category altogether. Whatever the style, the music swings. The Heavenly Band enjoys a special relationship with Brooklyn’s Spoke the Hub Dancing, regularly providing live dance music for its community events.

Mickey Bass

Born: May 2, 1943

Emanating from a musical hotbed in Pittsburgh; his maternal grandmother performed in minstrel shows, and taught piano; she had graduated cum laude; taught English to Italian immigrants, and taught Mickey & his cousins Barbershop Harmony. Her daughter, Mickeys' mother also sang & danced. He was born, into all of this on May 2nd 1943... Lee Oddis Bass III. A Pittsburgh born Bassist, who became, and is, a Major force on The New York Jazz Scene for more than 40 years. In 1966 Downbeat declared him to be “A first rate soloist!” In 1970 Downbeat said “Definitely worth listening to! His melodious ideas are something to behold..." While performing with the great Jimmy McGriff "Essence" Magazine cited him to be "The Heartbeat of The Group" and while playing with Freddie Hubbard, Lee Edwards found Mickeys' Ensemble work to be "Nothing short of brilliant!" Mickey Bass has Played, and Recorded with; Bennie Green, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, Kenny Dorham, Jackie McLean, Billy Eckstine, Johnny Hartman, Joe Henderson, Sonny Stitt, Ramon Morris, Reuben Wilson, Freddie Hubbard, Art Blakey & The ‘Jazz Messengers‘, Ruth Brown, Carmen McRae,Miriam Makeba, Gloria Lynne (for whom he also served as Musical Director for seventeen years) Hank Mobley, and Lee Morgan. Teacher; ‘Bass’ “Jazz-Mobile, Inc.” 1965 to present An Organization founded by Dr

Pablo Aslan

Born: May 5, 1962

Living in the United States since 1980, Argentine-born bassist and composer Pablo Aslan is recognized internationally as one of the leading figures in traditional and contemporary tango. His extensive discography includes Piazzolla in Brooklyn, a jazz-tango tribute to Astor Piazzolla, and Tango Grill. The latter earned him nominations for a Latin Grammy Award (“Best Tango Album”) and a Grammy Award (“Best Latin Jazz Album”). His most recent album of works for bass and string quartet, ConTraBajo (Soundbrush Records) presents him as a soloist and covers an eclectic repertoire ranging from Villa-Lobos and Ellington to original flamenco and tango-inspired compositions

Russ Kassoff

Born: August 28, 1953

Russ Kassoff is an accomplished jazz pianist, conductor, composer, orchestrator, and arranger, whose varied talents are much valued and on display in the music world. Russ Kassoff is one of the most highly regarded musicians in New York and was praised by the New York Times in 2004 as possessing a "precision and enthusiasm that is riveting." In the words of the Chairman of the Board, "You are the best." -Frank Sinatra, '87 Russ toured as pianist to Frank Sinatra from '80-'91, served as pianist/accompanist for Liza Minnelli from '82-'01 and Minnelli's music director and conductor for the acclaimed Minnelli on Minnelli national tour ('00)

Scott Colley

Born: November 24, 1963

Scott Colley’s stature as a leading bassist in the field of improvised music is well known, and easily measured. He’s been called “one of the leading bassists of our postbop era, and a composer-bandleader of quietly serious resolve” by The New York Times, while musical colleagues, like saxophonist Joshua Redman, praise him for being “one of the most musical bassists playing today. To me, he seems to have…this natural, intuitive, empathic sense of how to bring the most out of the other musicians and the music he’s playing.”

Colley, a three time Grammy nominee, has performed on over 200 recordings, eight of those as bandleader and composer. He is a first-call sideman, as renowned for his role in groups led by well-known headliners—John Scofield, Herbie Hancock, Chris Potter, many others—as he is for being part of all-star projects like “Still Dreaming” with Joshua Redman, Ron Miles, and Brian Blade; and “Steel House” with Edward Simon and Brian Blade.

Jon Gordon

A native New Yorker, saxophonist and composer Jon Gordon was born into a musical family and began playing at age ten. In addition to private saxophone studies he attended Performing Arts High School and won numerous competitions, among them the Julius Grossman, the Goldman Band and the Performing Arts Concerto competition. This led to performances as a soloist with the Grossman orchestra, Goldman Band and the Performing Arts Orchestra. In his mid-teens Jon’s love for Jazz began to bloom?"he began sitting in regularly with Eddie Chamblee at Sweet Basil and started lessons with Phil Woods. From 1984-88 he attended Manhattan School of Music

Frank Vignola's Gypsy Grass

One of the premier acoustic jazz guitarists on the scene today, Frank Vignola has launched a new all-star collective featuring some of the acoustic music scene's hottest young players. Melding contemporary gypsy jazz, bluegrass, toe-tapping swing and front porch picking into a uniquely eclectic, upbeat sound of their own, Gypsy Grass is sure to amaze fans of the various styles and genres it employs. At times sublime, controlled and elegant, these innovators can instantly change gears to wildly imaginative improvisation and nasty, hot picking. Think Django Reinhardt meets Jerry Reed with some flashes of Bach and Miles Davis… “Frank Vignola is the perfect guitarist really

Leonisa Ardizzone

Born: December 12, 1968

Raised by Italian opera lovers, Ardizzone began studying music at age 4 – first piano and voice, then violin at age 8 and oboe in high school. In her twenties, she found jazz. While music was her deep love, Ardizzone’s curiosity and zest for life took her on a wild and impulse-driven journey of exploration and learning. Ardizzone has always lived her life in “Yes!” and thus rarely backs down from an opportunity for discovery. She became a biologist and then a science educator, eventually getting a doctorate from Columbia University in International Peace Education. During her studies and subsequent work as a professor and non-profit executive, Leonisa played jazz gigs at New York City clubs including Sweet Rhythm, Iridium, Danny’s, the Duplex, and the Kitano. The Leonisa Ardizzone Quartet formed in 1997 and released two critically acclaimed CDs, Afraid of the Heights in 2007 and the scent of bitter almonds in 2009

Kelley Suttenfield

Born: December 6

Kelley Suttenfield is an acoustic jazz vocalist whose lush resonance and graceful approach have captivated fans and critics alike. In the words of writer Carol Banks Weber (AXS.com), she “breathes her own loving, sensitive and reverent persona into every lyric.” Kelley’s debut CD “Where Is Love?” (Rhombus Records 2009) was released to critical acclaim and established Kelley as what George W. Harris of JazzWeekly.com described as “a singer with a lot of great ideas and the ability to deliver them.” The 12-track recording, an eclectic collection of jazz standards and pop songs, showcases Kelley’s sublime vocal finesse, as well as her innate sensitivity to the lyric