Results for "New York City"

Drori Mondlak

Born: April 12, 1958

Drori Mondlak is one of the outstanding jazz drummers on today's international jazz scene. His touch, subtlety, and interactive approach to playing have brought him critical acclaim and performing opportunities with many creative musicians in diverse musical situations. He also co-leads the quartet Karolina Strassmayer & Drori Mondlak- KLARO! which currently tours and records in Europe. In his eclectic work in New York City for over twenty years Drori has worked with Frank Foster, Joe Williams, Don Friedman, Chris Potter, Lew Tabackin, Ernestine Anderson, Cary DeNigris, Danny Mixon, Vic Juris, Attila Zoller, Jimmy Ponder, Dave Stryker, Ron McClure, Steve LaSpina, Lynn Seaton, Boris Koslov, Bill Charlap, Larry Goldings, John Hicks, John Bunch, Norman Simmons, Wycliffe Gordon, Warren Vache, Bucky Pizzarelli, Joe Puma, James Weidman, Phil Markowitz, Rich Perry, Ralph Lalama, David Schnitter, Eric Person, Jon Gordon, Kenny Davern, Randy Sandke, Warren Chiasson, Stanley Banks and many more

David Weiss

Born: October 21, 1964

Moving jazz forward has been David Weiss’s modus operandi ever since he appeared on the scene in the late eighties when he established himself in New York by touring and/or recording with the likes of Freddie Hubbard, Charles Tolliver, Billy Harper, Bobby Hutcherson, Slide Hampton, James Moody, Tom Harrell, Louis Hayes, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Billy Hart, among many others. Weiss was born and raised in Queens, New York and began taking piano lessons when he was ten years old. He added trumpet to his arsenal when he was 13. The music in his neighborhood was rock-n-roll and the favorites were the likes of Led Zepplin and Black Sabbath, which he embraced

Chad Lawson

Born: March 26, 1975

What started as an inspiration by Sha-na-na as a child, to debuting at #1 on iTunes Classical with his 2014 release, The Chopin Variations, Chad Lawson has accomplished much in between. While in school at the Berklee College of Music, Chad began his career as a studio musician. After his studies at Berklee, he decided to go on tour with Babik Reinhardt (son of legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt). Following his stint on the road, Chad formed the Chad Lawson Trio. They released their self-titled debut album in 1997 followed by Dear Dorothy; The Oz Sessions (jazz trio arrangements of The Wizard of Oz) in 2002 and Unforeseen two years later

Ben Allison

Born: November 17, 1966

In a career that spans over 30 years, bassist/composer Ben Allison has developed his own instantly identifiable sound. Known for his inspired arrangements, inventive grooves and hummable melodies, Ben draws from the jazz tradition and a range of influences from rock and folk to 20th century and a broad range of music from around the world, seamlessly blending them into a cinematic, cohesive whole.

With his small groups, Ben has toured extensively throughout the world building new audiences with an adventurous yet accessible sound and a flair for the unexpected.

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Ben has performed and collaborated with an extremely diverse range of artists including oudist Ara Dinkjian, kora player Mamadou Diabate, saxophonists Lee Konitz and Joe Lovano, Cambodian chapei master Kong Nay, legendary performance artist Joey Arias, tap dancers Jimmy Slide and Gregory Hines and US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, to name a few. He has appeared on over 50 albums by various artists and has written music for film, television and radio, including the theme for the National Public Radio (NPR) show On the Media (which boasts a listenership of over 2,000,000 people), the score for Two Days, a play written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donald Margulies and the theme for The Conversation, a webcast talk show hosted by Pharrell Williams.

Andrew Drury

Born: December 4, 1964

I am a drummer, composer, improviser, and educator. My work is animated by a lifelong fascination with rhythm, space, and a drum-based sensibility for melody and energy. I was born and raised in the Seattle area, and studied with Ed Blackwell, Bill Lowe, Bill Barron, Robert O'Meally, and the writer Annie Dillard when I was at Wesleyan University in the 1980s. In those years I played with a diverse assortment of musicians including Brad Mehldau, Steve Davis, Nat Reeves, Thomas Chapin, Joe Fonda, Mario Pavone, Wes Brown, David Bindman, Dicky Wells, Chris Lightcap, Matt Moran, Paul Flaherty, Michael Attias, Anthony Braxton, Jackie McLean, and Wadada Leo Smith. I also work in genres and formats that fall outside what's typically considered jazz

The Book of Neil (Young): How the Godfather of Grunge Became an Influencer of Jazz

by Kelley Suttenfield
February 1, 2020

As a child of the '70s, Neil Young's music was some of the first I heard played on the radio. Heart of Gold must have been piped into every café, truck stop, and grocery store in Central Virginia, where I spent my formative years. And if you were taking a road trip, scanning the stations meant ...

Take Five with Tal Klein

by AAJ Staff
January 31, 2020

Meet Tal Klein Israeli composer, pianist and organist Tal Klein started playing music when he was six years old. He was introduced to jazz at 14. He studied at the music department of the Katsanellson high school in Kfar Saba. During that time Klein was already playing gigs as a professional musician and at 17, placed ...

Bassist, Composer George DeLancey 'Paradise' Featuring Lawrence Leathers And An All-Star Band Release Date: February 1st!

January 30, 2020

Paradise, the sophomore release from critically acclaimed bassist/ composer George DeLancey, features a mix of hard swinging original compositions and jazz standards, and a host prominent young New York City jazz players. Release date is February 1st (George DeLancey Music). The all-star band includes: pianist Tadataka Unno (Jimmy Cobb, Roy Hargrove), saxophonist Caleb Wheeler Curtis (Walking ...

Jonathan Saraga

Born: August 26, 1987

Jonathan Saraga is a New York City-based trumpeter, composer, arranger, producer, educator and Doctor of Musical Arts. He won the International Trumpet Guild Jazz Solo Competition in 2007 and competed as a finalist in the 2009 Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition. He has been selected for four intensive and/or residency programs including the 2011 School for Improvisational Music Summer Intensive Program, the 2015 Banff International Summer Intensive Program in Jazz and Creative Music, the 2019 Banff Early Fall Musicians in Residence program and the 2021 Chashama chaNorth Artist in Residence program. Additional residency related accolades include finalist status in the 2021 Haleakala National Park Artist in Residence program and waitlist status for the 2021 Millay Colony of the Art’s Core Residency program. Jonathan has also competed as a finalist in three jazz-trumpet vacancy auditions—the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra (2020), U.S. Navy Band Commodores (2021) and the Air Force Academy Band (2021). In 2022, he became a selected member of the Recording Academy’s New York Chapter.

The Westerlies at The Zurcher Gallery

by Luciano Rossetti
January 19, 2020