“After Midnight” Announces Jazz at Lincoln Center All-stars
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FOR RELEASE ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1
UPTOWN COMES TO MIDTOWN FOR A BROADWAY DEBUT!
“A F T E R M I D N I G H T”
ANNOUNCES THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ALL-STARS
HAND-PICKED BY NINE-TIME GRAMMY AND PULITZER PRIZE AWARD-WINNER
WYNTON MARSALIS
THE EXTRAORDINARY 17-PIECE ENSEMBLE
WILL TRANSFORM THE WAY JAZZ IS HEARD ON BROADWAY
NEW YORK, NY (Tuesday, October 1, 2013) – Producers Scott Sanders and Wynton Marsalis have announced the roster of musicians who will form the Jazz at Lincoln Center All-Stars and play nightly on Broadway in the new musical After Midnight. Hand-picked by Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s nine-time Grammy and Pulitzer Prize Award-winning Artistic Director, the band in-cludes 17 of the finest soloists and ensemble players in the music world today. Directed and choreo-graphed by Warren Carlyle, After Midnight begins preview performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street) on Friday, October 18, 2013 with an official opening night set for Sunday, November 3, 2013.
Steeped in the tradition of The Duke Ellington Orchestra, The Jazz at Lincoln Center All-Stars include 17 world-class soloists, ensemble players and composers ranging in age from 25 to 57. Indi-vidually, they have performed alongside music’s greatest artists of past and present including Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, BB King, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z and the legendary Ellington, himself. All career jazz artists, many have composed for television, feature films and fine arts and lead award-winning orchestras of their own, performing at prestigious International Jazz Festivals in Japan, London, Germany, Canada, Italy, and beyond.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center All-Stars will include Mark Gross, Godwin Louis, Daniel Block, Andrew Farber and Kurt Bacher on woodwinds; Gregory Gisbert, Bruce Harris, Alfonso Horne and James Zollar on trumpets; Wayne Goodman, Arthur Baron and James Burton III on trombones; Adam Birnbaum on piano; James Chirillo on guitar; Jennifer Vincent on bass and Alvester Garnett on drums.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center All-Stars will celebrate jazz’s large-ensemble tradition in a way never-before-heard on Broadway as they perform a vast repertoire of Duke Ellington’s original arrangements. After Midnight will explode with masterpieces by the greatest jazz composers of the time, including Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields (“I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” and “Digga Digga Doo”), a young Harold Arlen (“Stormy Weather,” “I’ve Got the World on a String,” “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,”), and of course, the legendary Duke Ellington (“Rockin’ in Rhythm,” “Cotton Club Stomp,” “Black and Tan Fantasy,” and “Creole Love Call”).
The evocative After Midnight will take the sexy, smoky glamour of the original Jazz Age and catapult it into a whole new era of heart-pounding, mind-blowing entertainment for modern Broadway audiences. Refracted through a contemporary lens, After Midnight will celebrate Duke Ellington’s years at the Cotton Club using his original arrangements and performed by a world-class big band of 17 musicians hand-picked by living jazz legend, Wynton Marsalis. The timeless tunes set against a narrative of Langston Hughes poetry will provide an authentic backdrop for an array of cutting-edge performances by 25 sensational vocalists and dancers, including special guest stars, whose interpretations will shatter everything you think you know about music, nightlife and Broadway.
The cast of After Midnight includes Grammy Award-winning “Special Guest Star” Fantasia; Dulé Hill, who will lead the audience through the heat and glamour of the Harlem Renaissance as “The Host”; Tony Award-winner Adriane Lenox reprising her critically acclaimed role as the blues singer with a sense of humor; Julius “Iglide” Chisolm from the renowned dance crew RemoteKontrol, reimagining Harlem’s popular 1920’s “snakehips” dance; hip hop star Virgil J. Gadson; Tony Award-nominated modern dancer Karine Plantadit; Michael Jackson’s tap coach Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards and tap-dancing choreographer Jared Grimes in stunning tap routines. The cast will also include a male quartet comprised of Grammy Award-nominee and member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band Everett Bradley, Cedric Neal, T. Oliver Reid and Monroe Kent III; a female trio of Broadway vets including Carmen Ruby Floyd, Rosena M. Hill Jackson and Bryonha Marie Parham; and accomplished dancers Marija Abney, Phillip Attmore, Christopher Broughton, Taeler Elyse Cyrus, C.K. Edwards, Danielle Herbert, Bahiyah Hibah, David Jennings, Erin N. Moore, Justin Prescott, Tony Award nominee Desmond Richardson, Allysa Shorte, Monique Smith and Daniel J. Watts.
As previously announced, After Midnight will reintroduce the Cotton Club’s exciting tradition of welcoming the stars of today in limited engagements throughout the musical’s run. Following Fantasia, “Special Guest Stars” will include Grammy winners k.d. lang (2/11/14 – 3/9/14) and Toni Braxton and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds (3/18/14 – 3/30/14).
After Midnight is a new production of Cotton Club Parade which played two smash-hit, sold-out engagements at City Center. Conceived by Jack Viertel, After Midnight features direction and choreography by Warren Carlyle, musical direction by Wynton Marsalis and musical supervision by Daryl Waters.
The design team for After Midnight will include prolific design couple Isabel Toledo (costumes) and Ruben Toledo, Tony Award-winners John Lee Beatty (set design), Howell Binkley (lighting design) and Peter Hylenski (sound).
After Midnight is produced by Scott Sanders Productions, and Wynton Marsalis, in association with Marks-Moore-Turnbull Group; Stephen and Ruth Hendel; Tom Kirdahy.
The performance schedule for After Midnight will be as follows: October 18 through November 3, 2013: Mondays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. with matinee performances on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2 p.m. There will not be a performance on Thursday, October 31 and curtain will be at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 3 (opening night). Beginning November 5, 2013: Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and matinee performances on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2 pm and Sundays at 3 pm. Tickets range from $60.00 to $142.00 (premium tickets will be available for $199). Tickets for groups of 12 or more can be purchased by calling 212-239-6262 or 800-432-7780 or by visiting http://groups.telecharge.com.
BIOGRAPHIES
KURT BACHER (Woodwind), saxophonist, multiple woodwinds performer, composer, arranger, educator and bandleader, is a native of Foxboro, Massachusetts. He started studying piano at the age of six and saxophone at age eleven. During his high school years, he received Outstanding Soloist awards for alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, and clarinet at the national “Essentially Ellington” Festival at Lincoln Center while performing with the renowned, award-winning Foxboro High School Jazz Ensemble directed by Stephen C Massey, and was selected for the 2000 Grammy Foundation’s National High School Jazz Ensemble. After high school, Mr. Bacher enrolled at the Manhattan School of Music where he studied composition with Manny Albam and Michael Abene, and reeds with Joe Temperley. While at the Manhattan School of Music, he was the recipient of the Fran Morgenstern Scholarship from ASCAP, as well as the “Manny Albam Prize,” both awards in recognition of his promise as a jazz composition student. He studied privately with Ted Nash, while also receiving encouragement and mentorship in composition from Wynton Marsalis. Some of Mr. Bacher’s other mentors have included Edward Green, Yusef Lateef, and Mark Gross. In 2000, Mr. Bacher composed an original extended piece for jazz orchestra, which had been commissioned by New York City’s Commission Project. His jazz ballet, Four Point Three, premiered in April, 2001, at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, where the work was performed in concert by the New York All-City High School Jazz Ensemble, directed by Justin DiCioccio. The ballet was then performed with original choreography by Elisa King, performed by the LaGuardia High School Senior Dance Class, accompanied by the NY All-City HSJE in June of 2001 at the LaGuardia HS for the performing Arts. Mr. Bacher leads his own eleven-piece jazz orchestra, as well has his quintet, both of which perform many of his original compositions and arrangements. Mr. Bacher was commissioned by Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center to compose an original work performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on a concert series in the spring of 2008, along with original works from legendary saxophonist Frank Foster. The resulting work, Duet was premiered at Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center on March 13, 14, and 15 of 2008 during the “Songs of Romance” concert series. He was also commissioned by the New York Youth Symphony Jazz Band Classic to compose an original piece for the ensemble. His new piece, Intrigue was performed by the NYYSJBC in May of 2010 in the Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Mr. Bacher lives in New York City and has performed and/or recorded with Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the Wynton Marsalis Septet, The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra led by Arturo O’Farrill, Wycliffe Gordon, Steve Kirby, Eric Lewis, Mario Adnet and Ouro Negro, Cyrus Chestnut, Edy Martinez, John Benitez, Luis Bonilla, Wess Warmdaddy Anderson, Antonio Ciacca, Marcus Printup, Milt Grayson, Wallace Roney, Wayne Shorter, Clark Terry, the Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra, the Birdland Big Band led by Tommy Igoe, David Berger, Andy Farber, Aretha Franklin, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, The Boy from Oz starring Hugh Jackman on Broadway, The Dancers Life starring Chita Rivera, Hot Feet, Jersey Boys, In The Heights, Gypsy starring Patti LuPone, Burn The Floor, Memphis, West Side Story, The Proteus 7, and many others. His saxophone and various woodwinds can be heard on television commercials, jingles, and as samples on pop and R&B recordings. An accomplished multiple woodwinds performer, Mr. Bacher is proficient on all the saxophones, flutes, clarinets, and the oboe and English horn. In 2010, Mr. Bacher performed in the orchestra for Louis, a silent movie about Louis Armstrong’s early life. The orchestra performed, live, on stage, music that was written and directed by Wynton Marsalis. This included a multi-state movie tour as well as an album and soundtrack. Mr. Bacher received his B.M. in composition from the Manhattan School of Music, and is currently pursuing his M.M. there. Also a committed music educator, Mr. Bacher has taught saxophone, flute and clarinet privately for many years, and has been on the faculty of the Foxboro Music Program’s Summer Improvisation Workshop for twelve years. He has also taught woodwind instruments in the New York City public schools through the New York Pops Education Program. As a guest artist, Mr. Bacher has performed and given masterclasses/clinics on the topics of jazz improvisation and saxophone playing throughout New England and the greater New York City area. He was the conductor for the 2006 Massachusetts Southeast Jr. District Jazz Ensemble, as well as the 2013 Massachusetts Eastern Jr. District Jazz Ensemble. Mr. Bacher has performed in such diverse venues as the Village Vanguard, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Birdland, Jazz Standard, Lenox Lounge, Fat Cat, Smoke, Jazz Gallery, Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Symphony Hall in Boston, the Kennedy Center, the Verizon Center in Philadelphia and the Staples Center. Mr. Bacher toured the U.S. with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis for its “Out Here To Swing” tour in 2003. He also played with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra for their Art Blakey tribute concert, “The Big Beat – The Music of Art Blakey”, and the JVC Newport Jazz Festival Summer 2004. He can be seen in the PBS documentary commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival, as well as on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” performing with the “Jersey Boys” Band. He maintains a very active performance schedule in the greater New York City area and beyond.
ARTHUR BARON (Trombone) is a trombonist, multi-instrumentalist and composer. His defining work was with Duke Ellington, where he toured and recorded from 1973 – 1974. He has been with a host of luminaries, including Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, BB King, and Cab Calloway. In 2006 he was a member of Bruce Springsteen’s Seeger Sessions Band, touring Europe and the US. There he performed on trombone, sousaphone, penny whistles & mandolin. There have been several commissions, including Jazz at Lincoln Center. Art has been deeply involved with education, doing workshop/clinics and guest appearances with pre-schoolers to colleges and universities. Currently he leads The Duke’s Men, an ensemble of Ellington alumni, and is a mainstay at The Bowery Poetry Club in New York City, with ‘Art Baron & Friends’
ADAM BIRNBAUM (Piano) is emerging as one of the top young voices in jazz piano. Since receiving a graduate Artist’s Diploma in jazz studies from The Julliard School in 2003, he has become a presence on the New York City scene as a leader and sideman, performing in such venues as the Village Vanguard, the Blue Note, Birdland, the Jazz Standard and Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola. He has also performed on many national and world stages, including the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, the Kennedy Center, the Montreal Jazz Festival, The Spoleto Festival, The Indianapolis Jazz Festival, The Rockport Chamber Festival, NPR Jazz Christmas, and the Capetown Jazz Festival. As a leader, Birnbaum has released two albums in Japan under the Pony Canyon label. His first, Ballade Pour Adeline, received a Gold Disk award from Swing Journal as one of the top albums of 2006. His U.S. debut Travels, released in 2009 under the Smalls record label, received enthusiastic reviews in Allmusic.com, All About Jazz and JazzTimes. The Adam Birnbaum Trio has opened for both Brad Mehldau and Herbie Hancock. In July, 2006 Birnbaum’s quintet spent three weeks in residence at the Festival Dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. Birnbaum’s latest recording as a leader, featuring the bassist Doug Weiss and the drummer Al Foster, will be released in early 2013. As a sideman, Birnbaum’s wide-ranging versatility and artistry have made him a first call for a wide variety of ensembles. He has performed or toured with established jazz legends such as Al Foster, Greg Osby, Wallace Roney, Eddie Henderson, Eddie Gomez, and Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis, as well as with young artists such as Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Pedro Giraudo, Marshall Gilkes, Dominick Farinacci, and Sachal Vasandani. Birnbaum has appeared as a sideman more than 15 albums. Birnbaum is also recognized as a composer and arranger. Allmusic.com reviewer Ken Dryden said “Birnbaum’s compositions prove immediately infectious, each with a hook that draws the listener along for the ride. “A review of Travels in JazzTimes praised the album’s “stellar originals.” In 2009 Birnbaum premiered Dream Songs, a trio suite based on the poetry of John Berryman. The work was commissioned by Chamber Music America. In 2012 Birnbaum was a guest artist at the Chelsea Music Festival in New York, arranging Debussy and Japanese folk songs for his trio, strings, koto, woodwinds and operatic singers. Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Birnbaum studied at the New England Conservatory of Music before moving to New York City in 2001, one of two pianists selected to participate in the Julliard School’s inaugural jazz studies program. In 2004 he won the American Jazz Piano Competition and became the American Pianists Association’s Cole Porter fellow in Jazz. That same year, he became the first jazz pianist to present a recital at the prestigious Gilmore Rising Stars Recital Series. In 2006, he received the first-ever “special mention” prize at the Martial Solal Jazz Piano Competition in Paris. He has toured West Africa and Asia sponsored by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. State Department. A Manhattan resident, he currently performs throughout the world with both Al Foster and Greg Osby, as a featured member of their ensembles. Adam has studied with Danilo Perez, Kenny Barron, and Fred Hersch.
DAN BLOCK (Woodwind) has a background that straddles both jazz and classical music, both forms contributing to his musical conception. Dan couldn’t make up his mind which way he wanted to go, but once he got to Juilliard where he received a Masters degree in clarinet he knew jazz was the place for him. While at Juilliard Dan participated on Charles Mingus’ final album “Something Like a Bird”. After graduating Dan paid all the normal dues: weddings, bar mitzvahs, salsa bands, Dixieland and Hatian bands many of whom he arranged for and recorded with to the point where he became something of a celebrity in that community. He went right from Hatian music to subbing occasionally with Vince Giordano in 1984. When Vince disbanded the following year, he called Dan to be a member of the newly formed Nighthawks which he played in until 1993 when he took a ten year hiatus. At that point Dan working on Broadway playing in most of the major productions throughout the 1990s. He also did orchestral work under such conductors as Sir Simon Rattle, Michael Tilson Thomas and George Manahan. He was a featured performer with The New York Pops under Skitch Henderson sharing the stage with Clark Terry, and was featured with The Los Angeles Philharmonic sharing the stage with Quincy Jones. He has worked and recorded with a number of vocalists, among them Carmen Mcrae, Rosemary Clooney, Linda Ronstadt, Michael Feinstein and Bobby Short. Dan has been associated with Jazz at Lincoln Center for the last 10 years as a frequent sub and transcriber with the Lincoln Center Band under Wynton Marsalis as well as playing in the Allen Room on many of their series. In 2003 Dan rejoined the Nighthawks participating in soundtrack work for “The Aviator”, “The Good Shepherd” and “Revolutionary Road.” He has been on almost all of the “Boardwalk Empire” recordings. Dan has played many of the jazz parties including Chautauqua, Atlanta, San Diego, Wilmington and Norwich.
JAMES BURTON (Trombone). New York based trombonist James Burton III is quickly earning a reputation as one of the most sought after performers/educators in the jazz community. Mentored by jazz luminaries Jackie McLean and Curtis Fuller, Burton has performed and/or recorded alongside many great jazz artists, the likes of which include Illinois Jacquet, Gerald Wilson, James Moody, Frank Wess, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Slide Hampton, Sir Ron Carter, Joe Chambers, Charles Tolliver and Christian McBride. Burton has also performed with the Ray Charles Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra and the Roy Hargrove Big Band. Burton is currently a professor of jazz theory and applied jazz trombone at the Juilliard School as well as conductor of the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra.
JAMES CHIRILLO (Guitar) has been privileged to work with many of the swing era’s recognized greats – Benny Carter, Eddie Durham, Eddie Barefield, Earle Warren, Frank Wess, and Joe Wilder to name a few. He studied guitar with Jack Petersen, Remo Palmier and 4-string jazz guitarist “Tiny” Grimes, composition/arranging/orchestration with both John Carisi and Bill Finegan. A member of Benny Goodman’s last band, his performances included the PBS television broadcast Let’s Dance, while with the Buck Clayton Orchestra he played such venues as New York’s Village Vanguard. He has been a participant on countless recordings – with Tony Bennett, Joe Lovano, Houston Person, Marcus Roberts, and Dick Hyman, on the soundtracks of Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown, Everyone Says I Love You and also movies such as Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road and Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator. As a long time member of clarinetist Kenny Davern’s quartet he recorded several discs, including In Concert at the Outpost Performance Space. A charter member of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, he now works regularly with the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra directed by Wynton Marsalis. He was a member of the allstar/ onstage band for the the 2010 Broadway run of Twyla Tharp’s Come Fly Away featuring the music of, and playing the original arrangements written for, Frank Sinatra. The National Endowment for the Arts awarded him a 1995 Jazz Composition Grant for his Homage Concerto for Clarinet and Jazz Orchestra, written for clarinetist Ken Peplowski. To celebrate their bi-centennial, he premiered his Grainger Suite, written for and commissioned by the US Military Academy Jazz Knights at West Point, NY. He wrote for and conducted cornetist Warren Vaché with the Scottish String Ensemble in Glasgow for a recording on the Arbors label, Don’t Look Back. His compositions have also been commissioned and recorded by the 48-piece Gotham Wind Symphony. His recording debut as leader — Sultry Serenade — was selected by the director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University Dan Morgenstern as one of his top five Critics’ Picks for the Year 2000 in Jazz Times magazine, and as one of critic C. Michael Bailey’s Top Ten List of Jazz Releases for 2000 at allaboutjazz.com.
ANDREW FARBER (Woodwinds) is an award winning jazz composer, arranger and saxophonist and has spent years performing with the likes of Jon Hendricks, Wynton Marsalis, Michael Feinstein, Catherine Russell, Marcus Roberts and Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks. Since 1994, Farber has been part of the Jazz @ Lincoln Center stable of writers and performers. Through J@LC, Farber has toured with the J@LC Orchestra, written originals compositions and arrangements and been a guest artistic director. Farber has written arrangements for people like Wynton Marsalis, Jon Hendricks, Shirley Horn, Bobby Short, Ann Hampton Calloway, Frankie Laine, Allan Harris, Cynthia Scott, Billy Stritch, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Joe Piscopo, Tom Jones, George Benson, Robert Downey Jr., Paul Simon, Kevin Spacey, Crosby-Stills & Nash, Wynona Judd, Fantasia, Ernestine Anderson, Vanessa Williams, Roseanna Vitro and Catherine Russell. Farber’s arrangements have been performed by The Boston Pops Orchestra, the Philly Pops Orchestra, the Boca Pops Orchestra and several symphony orchestras throughout Europe. Farber has been a guest conductor of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, and in 2004 made his symphonic conducting debut with the Bronx Arts Ensemble. His work as an arranger, conductor and instrumentalist can be heard on numerous recordings, film and television soundtracks. As of fall of 2010, Farber has been teaching jazz composition and arranging at The Juilliard School. As a leader, Andy and his 17-piece big band (Andy Farber & his Orchestra) enjoyed a 2-year residency at Birdland in NYC. Farber has headlined at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center Doha, and Fredrick P Rose Hall. Outside of the jazz arena, Farber composes music for TV and film and is a staff composer at Duotone Audio Group. Farber has scored feature films, episodic television and numerous TV commercials.
ALVESTER GARNETT (Drums). As a graduate of VCU, Mr. Garnett moved to NY working in both the bands of legendary Jazz vocalists Betty Carter & Abbey Lincoln. He has performed with Harry Belafonte, Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Regina Carter, Dianne Reeves, Stefon Harris, Papo Vázquez, & Cyrus Chestnut.
GREGORY GISBERT (Trumpet). Trumpeter Gregory Gisbert has performed, toured and recorded with some of the biggest names in jazz and popular music. A list that includes Clark Terry, Wynton Marsalis, Maria Schneider, Jimmy Heath, Frank Wess, James Moody, Ron Carter, Buddy Rich, Horace Silver, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Bobby Short, Mel Torme and Harry Connick Jr. His Broadway credits include After Midnight, On a Clear Day, State Fair, Leap of Faith, and The Life. As a studio musician he has played on You’ve Got Mail, Glenn Gary Glenn Ross, Naked Gun 2 ½, and Bullets over Broadway, as well as playing sports theme music for the NFL, NHL and for MLB. He has appeared on the David Letterman Show and on Good Morning America with pop music legend Paul Anka. Greg Gisbert is currently an Adjunct Professor at the Manhattan School Music.
WAYNE GOODMAN (Trombone). Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Wayne Goodman began playing the trombone at age 11 and attended the High School of Performing Arts in New York City. A student of Steve Turre and David Taylor, he received his Bachelor of Music degree from William Paterson College and his Masters of Music degree from The Manhattan School of Music. In 1993, while at The Manhattan School, he met and performed with Wynton Marsalis, and soon afterwards, was asked by Mr. Marsalis to perform in the world premiere of his Pulitzer Prizewinning composition, Blood on the Fields. From then until summer of 1999, Mr. Goodman had performed, recorded and toured regularly as a member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, under the leadership of Mr. Marsalis. Mr. Goodman has performed with such jazz luminaries as Jon Hendricks, Quincy Jones, Wayne Shorter, Frank Foster, Lionel Hampton, Rufus Reid, Cassandra Wilson, Benny Carter, Milt Jackson, Clark Terry and Jon Lewis. His television credits include numerous performances in the Live From Lincoln Center series, Late Night with David Letterman, The Late Show with Conan O’Brien, The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Grammy’s, The TONY’S, Live From The Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize, and Live From the White House. His recording credits with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra include: They Came to Swing, Blood on the Fields, Big Train and Sweet Release. As a sideman Mr. Goodman has recorded numerous movie soundtracks, jingles and recordings including The Harlem Nutcracker, Hindustan, and Sing Me a Love Song, with David Berger’s Jazz Orchestra; and on NJR records: A Tribute To Duke. Mr. Goodman is a first call Broadway and studio trombonist who’s credits include: After Midnight, End of the Rainbow, Anything Goes, Chicago, Gypsy, Finian’s Rainbow, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Come Fly Away, Hair, and countless others. His Broadway Cast Recordings include GYPSY with Patti LuPone, Anything Goes with Sutton Foster, Face The Music, and Finian’s Rainbow. Most recently, Mr. Goodman is thrilled to be a regular member of The Pit Stop Players under the baton of Maestro Joshua Rosenblum. He is a regular member of The David Berger Jazz Orchestra and performs regularly in The Harlem Nutcracker/Jazz at the Apollo Theater and has also appeared with Barry Harris in a jazz instructional video, and been a featured clinician in numerous jazz master classes and workshops around the country.
MARK GROSS (Woodwinds) swings and sings with soul and rhythm along today’s jazz vanguard. He constantly pushes the music forward, while staying true to the elements of the classic sound. Mark Gross has recorded on over 80 notable jazz recording, including 2 Grammy Award- winning projects by the Dave Holland Big Band – ‘What Goes Around’ on ECM Records, and ‘Overtime’ on Dare 2 Records. Mark’s recordings ‘Preach Daddy’ on King Records and ‘Riddle of the Sphinx’ on J Curve Record have received rave reviews.
BRUCE HARRIS (Trumpet). After viewing Spike Lee’s Mo’ Better Blues at the age of 12, Bruce Harris’ affinity for Jazz and the Trumpet began. His journey continued at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College studying under the guidance of Trumpet Virtuoso, Jon Faddis. Bruce completed his studies in 2009 earning a Masters in jazz performance. Since then Bruce has performed with jazz giants such as Barry Harris, The Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars, Winard Harper, T.S. Monk, Myron Walden and Jimmy Cobb. He can be seen performing regularly with the Count Basie Orchestra and as a leader in New York’s Premier jazz venues Including Smoke, Smalls and Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola.
ALFONSO HORNE (Trumpet) is an outstanding artist who encompasses a strive for musical excellence uninhibited by categorization. He has distinguished himself as a jazz trumpet soloist early on in his career, winning the Outstanding Soloist Award at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Competition in New York City. Since then, Alphonso has performed with renowned artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Marcus Roberts, Delfeayo Marsalis, Jason Marsalis, Michael Einstein, and Diana Reeves. Born in Jacksonville (1987), Alphonso seems to inherit his diverse musical talents from his South African grandfather who wrote songs for the hymnal book he developed for his church. Alphonso began playing trumpet at the age of 12, performing with his father (pianist) at various venues around the city. With a little less than two years’ playing time under his belt, Horne was solely featured in the Florida Times Union newspaper as a gifted individual who “could become a trumpet player who makes a name for himself and adds to Jacksonville’s rich musical heritage.” Alphonso was a Florida Music Educators Association (FMEA) Allstate participant for 6 consecutive years; auditions accepted by both Classical and Jazz FMEA judges in 2002 & 2003. He won the 2003 Downbeat student award for Outstanding Trumpet Soloist and the Merit Award from Arts Recognition and Talent Search (A.R.T.S.). He attended the 2004 Tanglewood Institute Orchestra workshop and was selected as a participant of the Vail Jazz Festival workshop. Later that year he was selected to perform the Hummel Concerto on NPR’s “From the Top” show in Los Angeles, hosted by Christopher .O’Riley. In his pursuance for a double degree program in jazz and classical at Florida State University, Alphonso has experienced many awards and achievements including the 2007 International Trumpet Guild Conference Scholarship and the Tallahassee Music Guild Scholarship in 2007 and 2009. This is where he met his mentor, world-renowned pianist, Marcus Roberts and began playing with him at various venues such as Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall and the Allen Room in NYC alongside artists such as Jason Marsalis, Wes Anderson, Marcus Printup, Ron Westray, Stephen Riley, Roland Guerin and Ettiene Charles, Alphonso has been featured on the Florida State University campus website and radio station as a Brautlecht award winner. In 2009, Alphonso won first place in the jazz category at the National Trumpet Competition in Fairfax,VA. In the 2010, he joined the Disneyland All-American College Band under the direction of Ron McCurdy where he worked with artists such as Wayne Bergeron, Sal Lozano, and Bob Mintzer. In the Aug, 2011 issue of JET Magazine, world-renowned trumpeter, Wynton Marsalis included Alphonso in a list of 16 young jazz musicians entitled, “Wynton’s Picks: Who’s Got Next.” In Spring 2013, Alphonso graduated from the Juilliard School receiving a Masters degree in Jazz Studies under the direction of Carl Allen. He studied with jazz legend Eddie Henderson and performs with Mark Gould’s New York Trumpet Ensemble at various venues. While in attendance at the Juilliard School, Alphonso has experienced many successes. In Spring 2012 he wrote an arrangement for Ron Carter’s Benefit Concert,”Ron Carter at 75” featuring Herbie Hancock, Benny Golson and others at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. In Fall 2012, Alphonso subbed for Wynton Marsalis in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for their John Coltrane Festival featuring Joshua Redman and their Blue Note Records Concert featuring Ryan Kisor. He also participated in their 2013 25th Anniversary Tour. Alphonso has recently performed with the vocalist, Michael Feinstein in the Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center featuring Wynton Marsalis and Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks. Alphonso performs regularly at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center among many other venues in New York City.
GODWIN LOUIS (Woodwind), alto saxophonist, was born in Harlem, New York and began playing saxophone at age nine. Godwin grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut and Port au Prince, Haiti. Godwin is a recent graduate from the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute for Jazz Performance class of 2011. Godwin was one of the six fellows selected to be in the Thelonious Monk Institute for Jazz Performance, a full-scholarship graduate-level program at Loyola University New Orleans, where, under the artistic direction of Terence Blanchard, he and his colleagues honed their skills at performing, teaching and composing. They gave concerts, clinics and private lessons in Louisiana, the Mississippi gulf coast as well as around the globe including, at the Basilicata per New Orleans Jazz festival in Matera Italy and in Beijing, China. Through the Institute, Godwin has studied and performed with Herbie Hancock, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Clark Terry, Ron Carter, Jack Dejohnette, Jimmy Heath, Barry Harris, David Baker, Emeline Michel, Danilo Perez, John Scofield, Jeff “Tain” Watts, John Patitucci, Steve Coleman, Dick Oatts, Jason Moran, Nicholas Payton, Don Sickler, Chris Potter, and artistic director Terence Blanchard. While in the Institute, Godwin was fortunate to study composition privately with the legendary composer, pianist and New Orleans native Roger Dickerson. Godwin also had the opportunity to play and record with world-renowned clarinetist Dr. Michael White. His playing is featured on Dr. Michael White’s latest recording Adventures in New Orleans- Part 1 released on Basin Street Records. As an undergraduate Godwin studied music education and received his degree in Professional Music with an emphasis on education at Berklee College of Music. While at Berklee, Godwin had the opportunity to perform and record with Terri Lynn Carrington, Cindy Blackman, Ralph Peterson Jr., Delfeayo Marsalis, Phillip Bailey, Gloria Estefan, and Billy Preston. Godwin studied with Frank Tiberi, Jim Ogdren, George Garzone, Joe Lovano, Ed Tomassi, Dave Santoro, Hal Crook, Bill Pierce, Herb Pomeroy among others. Godwin was the recipient of the Elvin Jones award and was selected by the college to perform at numerous music venues and festivals worldwide including: the JVC Festival (New York), Blue Note (New York), Monterey Jazz Festival (California), Trinidad and Tobago Steelpan Jazz Festival, Nancy Jazz Pulsation (France), ArtSpring Performing Arts Center (Salt Spring Island, British Columbia), Sky Church – Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum (Seattle), LV’s Uptown (Portland, Oregon), San Jose Jazz Festival (California). While living in Boston, Godwin was selected to be in the legendary Boston ensemble, The Either/Orchestra. He has toured and recorded with the band, including with Ethiopian legends, Mulatu Astatke, Mahmoud Ahmed, Getachew Mekurya and Alemayehu Eshete. Venues performed include: Lincoln Center Out of Doors, The Barbican (UK) Glastonbury Festival (UK) What is Classical Festival (Toronto) Festival of World Cultures (Ireland) Jazz and Ribs Festival (Columbus) Iridium (NYC), Regattabar (Boston), Historic Sweets Ballroom (Oakland), Sanders Theatre (Boston) Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston) and Denver University (Colorado). In addition, Godwin has performed as a sideman, guest soloist and has conducted clinics and master classes worldwide. As an educator, humanitarian and ambassador, Godwin has traveled from Haiti, Mexico, Costa Rica, to China to help promote cross-cultural understanding and introduce thousands to America’s indigenous art form, through public concerts, master classes and jam sessions. Godwin has worked as a clinician at several music camps, including the Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Camp, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts Camp, and the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra Summer Music Camp & Festival. Godwin attended Bassick high School in Bridgeport, Connecticut and graduated with honors in 2003. During his junior year of high school, Godwin Louis through the help of his mentors Mr. John Pearson, Dr. Dwight Berry, Rev. Timothy Howard and Walters A.M.E Zion Church, began studying privately with Mr. Herbert Wilson, a professional musician, educator and behavior analyst. Then for the young Godwin it was a life changing moment, as he found in Mr. Wilson the mentor he needed to begin a music career. By the end of his junior year, Godwin was selected as a member of the Connecticut All State Jazz Ensemble, opened for Jimmy Heath, and started performing and recording as a sideman all over the tri-state area (CT-NY-MA). Godwin attended Litchfield Jazz Camp in Connecticut, where he had the opportunity to study with Ray Vega, Don Braden, Dave Santoro, Steve Wilson and John Benitez. During his senior of high school, Godwin had the privilege to study with Latin jazz icons, Arturo O’farrill and Andy Gonzalez. In June 2003, Godwin was the recipient of the Grace Norton Dudley Music Scholarship, a full scholarship to study at any colleges in the country. In May 2011, Godwin and his Thelonious Monk Institute fellows recorded an album, “Side Angles” to be released in the spring of 2012 under the band name “Junto 6”. It features 12 original compositions, two by each members of the band. The cd features, Godwin on alto saxophone, Billy Buss on trumpet, Matt Marantz on tenor saxophone, Victor Gould on piano, Hogyu Hwang on bass and Nicholas Falk on drums.
JENNIFER VINCENT (Bass) bassist and cellist, has played and recorded with legendary jazz vocalists Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln, and Jon Hendricks, and has toured the world with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Her bass lines are featured on NBC’s The Cosby Show Retrospective. Equally adept in Cuban music, she currently co-leads the 9-piece all-female salsa/timba band CocoMama.
JAMES ZOLLAR (Trumpet) began his musical career at age 9 playing bugle in his hometown, Kansas City Missouri. At 12, he graduated to the trumpet where he began to discover his musical voice and focus. After high school he continued to study at San Diego City College and then the University of California at San Diego. At the same time he honed his chops with various funk and jazz bands and lead his own straight-ahead quintet. In, 1984, he moved to New York City and played with the Cecil McBee Quintet for five years and then recorded with Tom Harrell, with Weldon Erving and Sam Rivers. Zollar was featured in Robert Altman’s motion picture “Kansas City”, in Madonna’s music video “My Baby’s Got a Secret”, as well as Malcolm Lee’s film “The Best Man”. He played on the sound truck of “The Perez Family” and is proud to be included in The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz (Oxford University Press 1999.) James was also a featured soloist with Jon Faddis and Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra as well as Wynton Marsalis and The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. He remains New York based where he stands out in a wide range of musical settings. Today, he’s playing with The Duke Ellington Orchestra, The Count Basie Orchestra, Don Byron’s Bands, The Marty Ehrlich Sextet, The great vocalist Tony Bennett and working with the Latin piano master Eddie Palmieri. “James is a really nice guy and very personal-sounding cat with a unique approach. He’s absorbed the history of the music, and he plays it with great care and warmth. And he doesn’t try to sound like someone else” says Ravi Coltrane his periodic jam-session partner. James released the CD “Zollar Systems” in 2010 and also he just released the newest CD “It’s All Good People” in 2013. They both are getting great reviews and a lot of radio play.
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