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JANUARY 4, 2015, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Watch a video of the performance!
Eli Yamin is a jazz and blues pianist, producer, educator and Steinway artist. Raised in the bands of jazz masters Walter Perkins, Illinois Jacquet and Barry Harris, Eli’s exciting and imaginative piano playing has taken him and his groups around the world as cultural ambassadors for the U.S. Department of State and has led him to perform and teach at the famed Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City as well as invited for a command performance at President Obama’s White House. Yamin co-founded The Jazz Drama Program, which uplifts students, teachers and their communities through interactive experiences in the jazz arts—storytelling, music, theatre, dance and visual arts. Yamin’s compositions “A Healing Song,” about the healing power of the blues, and “Rwandan Child” about the wisdom of children, awaken a shared sense of humanity, love and joy in all audiences. Eli’s jazz musicals for children are performed around the world and licensed by Theatrical Rights Worldwide. His CDs are featured on Sirius XM and Jazz 88, WBGO in Newark. |
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JANUARY 11, 2015, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Nick Di Maria is a New Haven, CT based trumpeter, composer, producer, and educator. A graduate of Western Connecticut State University, Nick holds a Bachelor’s in Jazz Performance studying under Eddie Henderson, Dave Scott, Jeremy Pelt, Taylor Ho Bynum and Rich Clymer, a Masters of Science in Music Education. |
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JANUARY 18, 2015, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Since moving to the United States in 1995, Eri Yamamoto has established herself as one of jazz's most original and compelling pianists and composers. Jazz legend Herbie Hancock has said, “My hat’s off to her… already she’s found her own voice.” The Eri Yamamoto Trio has developed a unique sound and repertoire, and has built a loyal following in New York and abroad. They have recently toured the U. S., Canada, Europe, and Japan, with appearances at major festivals in Cathedral Park, Portland, Oregon; Hartford, Connecticut; Jazz en Raffale, Montreal; Cheltenham, England; Terrassa, Spain; Bray/Derry, Ireland; Time Zones in Bari, Italy; and Shiga, Japan.
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JANUARY 25, 2015, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.;
Tarantino/Terefenko presents fresh takes on jazz standards and re-inventions of classical works, along with original music and improvisation. The duo released their first album, “Crossing Paths,” in Fall 2014. Tarantino/Terefenko performed at the 2014 Jazz Education Network Conference in Dallas, Texas, where they presented a clinic on Terefenko’s recent publication Jazz Theory: From Basic to Advanced Study and showcased some of their other work. The duo can be found performing and presenting jazz workshops and clinics in the Rochester area and will be touring internationally in the Spring of 2015.
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FEBRUARY 1, 2015, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Ms. Rocke Brown, a Northeast Region Winner of the Leontyne Price Vocal Arts Competition, was honored in 2012 by the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame for her acclaim as a singer and music educator. She is known for her soul-stirring renditions of hymns, spirituals, gospel and jazz that linger with audiences far beyond the vibrations of the last note. http://www.jolierockebrown.com/biography.html
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FEBRUARY 8, 2015, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Survivors Swing Band generates energy and excitement everywhere they perform. A 7-piece professional jazz band, based in Connecticut, that plays the classic melodies from an era gone by--hot tunes and soothing ballads of the Swing Era-- plus many of the wonderful melodies from the two decades that followed. The "Big Bands" played this music with a high degree of rigid orchestration. The Survivors render it with a greater tilt towards improvisation, thus giving each pass at a tune somewhat of a new flavor while still keeping true to the original melodies. http://www.survivorssb.com/default.html
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FEBRUARY 22, 2015, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Mihoko is a Japanese native jazz piano performer, composer, and educator. She holds B.M. with magna cum laude from Berklee College of Music at where she studied with Joanne Brackeen and met Jazz piano legend, Harvey Diamond (disciple of Lennie Tristano). She studied with him after graduating.
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MARCH 1, 2015, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Laszlo Gardony is a critically acclaimed artist who has brought his soulful improvisations and compositions to audiences in 24 countries. Born in Hungary, Gardony showed an early aptitude on the piano. A full scholarship to Berklee brought him to America in 1983.Winner of the Great American Jazz Piano Competition, Gardony has been called “a pianist worthy of praise within the highest pantheon of performers” by JazzReview.com and “a great pianist” by Dave Brubeck.He has released ten albums, leading groups that included Dave Holland, Miroslav Vitous, Mick Goodrick, Yoron Israel, John Lockwood, Jamey Haddad and Stan Strickland among others.
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MARCH 8, 2015, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The piano has been Matt’s passion, serving as an outlet for self- expression that he learned and love and rely on. Matt’s music is rooted in a profound love for the early jazz masters. What makes him unique is his application of early jazz piano devices created by Ragtime, Blues, and Stride musicians. His love of classic jazz piano inspires him to pursue a thorough musicianship that uses traditional elements with modern jazz concepts. http://www.Mattdechamplain.com
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MARCH 15, 2015, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
"Fire in velvet. A fitting description of Joshua Breakstone's jazz guitar," wrote Paul Weidman in The Sante Fe New Mexican. "His flowing lines on up-tempo cookers are impeccably clean and fiery, bearing the mark of a first-rate improviser, while his chordal work on heartbreaker ballads is the final word in finesse," has raved Guitar Player magazine. Japan's Jazz Hihyo (aka Jazz Critique) recognizes that "The style in which Joshua develops his fluid single-note solos used to be thought of as the Grant Green school, but now this man leads the school. Down-beat also has written that "There is no shortage of young, knock-out jazz guitarists about us these days. And Joshua Breakstone is among the best of them." http://www.joshuabreakstone.com
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NEW DATE! Sunday, March 22nd, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Steve Clarke was born and raised in Bridgeport CT. Born into a musical family, four brothers played brass instruments, the oldest brother was a jazz saxophonist, and dad played trumpet, music was always a part of his life. Has been playing and performing for over 35 years. Has toured in U.S. Germany, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, & Slovakia. Steve has his own Jazz Trio and has release 7 CD’s under his name on Hop-N-Bop Records. His latest CD, “New Beginnings” features guitarist Mike Stern. The Steve Clarke Trio has been considered a new up & coming “Jazz Fusion Power Trio” but, these guys have been around, involved with music for decades and internationally known for there sold out shows in Europe.
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MARCH 22, 2015, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Jonny King has been described by Downbeat as “one of the strongest piano voices” of his generation and a “bandleader who kicks ass.” JazzTimes likewise wrote that he “represents the best of what jazz has to offer” as both a performer and composer. A native New Yorker, he grew up in the City’s jazz clubs, participating first as a fan and then as a performer. Before he was a teenager, King had already performed onstage with Dizzy Gillespie and appeared on television at the piano alongside his early idol, Earl “Fatha” Hines. Before he was 20, he was already sitting in with Art Blakey and playing his first gigs in New York.
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MARCH 29, 2015, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Alvin Carter is a multi-percussionist who had his musical beginnings on congas and later added drum set and many other types of percussion to his list. He currently focuses on Afrikan-American improvisational music but has been active in many different musical styles for many years. Alvin leads his own groups LEGACY: The Keepers of Tradition and The Alvin Carter Project. He also performs with Rafiki, which is led by Alvin Carter, Sr. |
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APRIL 12, 2015, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Family, heritage, tradition, exploration and innovation – these are the hallmarks of the Curtis Brothers, the men and their music. Zaccai and Luques Curtis are among finest of the latest crop of young musicians making their mark in New York City, the United States and around the world. They are 21st Century artists grounded in the artistic values of the 20th Century, the time when they first began their extensive musical studies and steadfast commitment to the advancement of the art form which they had been surrounded by since their birth into a household rich in the sounds of music, both jazz and Latin. http://www.curtisbrothersmusic.com/
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APRIL 19, 2015, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Brian Marsella is a pianist, composer, band leader, and educator rising in the ranks of New York’s young music stars. His musical stylings can be heard on numerous recordings and on concert stages across the globe. Growing up in Bucks County, PA, Marsella taught himself to play piano by ear, listening to his father play the saxophone and vibes. His discography includes seven albums on Zorn’s Tzadik label, including Zorn’s Mount Analogue. Most recently, Marsella can be heard on Jon Madof’s jewish afrobeat album, Zion80. His film credits include the performance and arrangement of Jessica Lurie’s score for Daniel Zezelji’s film, Fibonacci Bread, and original music for Jackie Pare’s tap dance documentary, Tap or Die. http://www.eomega.org/workshops/teachers/brian-marsella
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APRIL 26, 2015, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
International jazz pianist and composer Hey Rim Jeon will be featured with her band, Hey Rim Jeon & Friends, at the Hartford Public Library, as a part of the Baby Grand Jazz Series 2015. Jeon will be performing jazz standards and original compositions from her latest CD, Introducing Hey Rim Jeon. Joining her on her albums are Dave Liebman, Terri Lyne Carrington, James Genus and Richie Barshay. Described as a “brilliant pianist” by legendary saxophonist Benny Golson, Jeon has been featured on WNBC’s “Weekend Today in New York”, and a documentary special broadcast on KBN, Korea’s National TV network channel. Jeon is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and currently serving as assistant professor of in the Piano Department.
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Phone: (860) 695-6300
