JON BAUER QUARTET
Jonathan Bauer is a multi-talented trumpeter, singer and composer, most notably of the Grammy award-winning New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. In 2019, he burst onto the scene with his highly acclaimed debut album, “Walk Don’t Run.” Jonathan returns with his sophomore release, “Sings and Plays”, introducing him self to the world as part of the rich lineage of trumpeters who front their bands as singers.
An internationally recognized and touring artist, Jonathan is widely celebrated for his dark and buttery sound. While earning his Master’s at the University of New Orleans, Jonathan quickly became arising talent in one of the world’s most important musical communities. He has had the opportunity to study and perform with living legends Nicholas Payton, Robert Glasper, Ellis Marsalis and Wendell Brunious among others. A versatile musician, Jonathan enthusiastically crosses genres performing with R&B titans, such as Sheila E., Ledisi, and Eric Benét.
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MIKE VAX QUINTET FEATURING DENNIS ROWLAND
Mike Vax played with Art Pepper, Freddie Hubbard, Clark Terry, and the Glen Miller and Jimmy Dorsey Orchestras. But he is acclaimed as the first trumpet and co-leader of the historic “ahead of its time” Stan Kenton Orchestra and the ongoing Stan Kenton Alumni Band.
Dennis Rowland was the vocalist with the original Count Basie Orchestra for the from 1977 to until the Count’s passing in 1983, after which Dennis has had an illustrious solo career that included tours in Russia and several albums as a Concord Jazz Recording Artist.
Mike Vax-trumpet, Tony Vacca-sax/flute, Joel Robin-piano, Howard Alden-guitar, Selwyn Reams-bass, Van Katz-drums, with Dennis Rowland-vocals
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PAUL MUTZABAUGH
Paul Mutzabaugh is a multi-instrumentalist and composer from Chicago. Over the past 20 years, he has worked consistently in a wide range of musical styles with a variety of notable artists and ensembles, including: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Heather Headley, Jason Robert Brown, Rufus Wainwright, Mannheim Steamroller, Robbie Fulks, Miguel Zenón, Spektral Quartet, John Elmquist’s HardArt Groop, and the Charles Heath Quartet.
Paul also leads his own ensemble, The Unknown New – equal parts instrumental folk and chamber jazz – for which he composes all of the material. Additionally, he has earned Grammy and Emmy nominations as an audio engineer and producer.
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THE ABNEY EFFECT
Chicago born and raised jazz trumpeter Mario Abney now of New Orleans fuses traditional and extended trumpet techniques in a most inventive way; his strikingly personal instrumental vision endows the music with an infinite array of tonal color. Recognized for his ability to create pure musical dialog, and hear music in a universally spiritual way, he is definitely one of New Orleans most pioneering young jazz musicians.
Marioʼs first experience hearing jazz was the music of trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. After jazz trumpet peaked his interest in music Mario began to absorb the music of Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and all the great trumpeters who pioneered the music.
With a band scholarship in hand, Mario attended Central State University, Ohio, majoring in Music Education with a minor in jazz studies. “During my college years I became involved in the jazz scene in Dayton playing trumpet in several professional ensembles such as the Afro-Cuban Jazz ensemble, Babalu, the Chicago based House of Twang, The Afro-Rican Ensemble, SYM, and several other ensembles. I
n 2001, after several years of playing as a side man Abney was inspired to lead his own Quintet. During a performance at the Dayton RiverWalk festival in 2007 Mario became interested in going to New Orleans after hearing the Hot 8 Brass Band perform. By spring of 2008 Abney and two members from his quintet moved to New Orleans to absorb its rich musical culture and become part of the music scene.
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GARY BARTZ
NEA Jazz Master Gary Bartz has been one of the best purveyors of what he calls “informal composition” (as opposed to improvisation) on alto saxophone since the 1960s, working with such luminaries as Max Roach, Charles Mingus, Art Blakey, and Miles Davis. He has released more than 45 solo albums and appears on more than 200 as a guest artist, as well as working with some of the up-and-coming artists in jazz today, such as Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge for their Jazz Is Dead series and the jazz-funk band Maisha.
Bartz was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to nightclub-owning parents and was exposed to many great jazz artists who played at their club. He was 6 when he was inspired by the sound of Charlie Parker, and received his first alto saxophone at the age of 11. He attended the Juilliard School in New York City in 1958. He joined the Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop from 1962 to 1964, meeting jazz giants Eric Dolphy and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. He also began working with the Max Roach/Abbey Lincoln group in 1964. In 1965, Bartz was recruited into Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers while they played at his parents’ club, taking John Gilmore’s position in the band. He made his recording debut with Blakey on Soulfingerthat same year.
In 1970, Miles Davis asked Bartz to join his band and perform at the historic Isle of Wight Festival and his subsequent tour. Bartz is featured on Davis’ Live/Evil recording. Bartz also formed his own group, NTU Troop, named for the Bantu word for “essence.” The group blended soul, funk, African folk music, hard bop, and avant-garde jazz and recorded one of Bartz’s first classics, I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies, based on the poetry of Langston Hughes. His NTU Troop recordings are often sampled by hip-hop artists.
In 1997, he was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Performance for his work on Roy Hargrove’s Habana album, and, in 2005, he received a Grammy Award for his work as a sideman on McCoy Tyner’s recording Illuminations. In 2015, Bartz received the BNY Mellon Jazz Living Legacy Award that honors jazz musicians from the mid-Atlantic region who have achieved distinction in performance and education.
Since 2001, Bartz has been a professor of saxophone and jazz performance at Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio. Bartz focuses his teaching on finding new ways for his students to “open their ears” and presses his Oberlin students to truly hear the music they think they know so well.
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