Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Harvey Wainapel  was born in Ellenville, New York on March 31, 1951. Growing up in the small town in the Catskills, he started his musical journey on clarinet at the age of eight. By high school he discovered jazz by playing along with tunes on New York City radio stations. Longing to play saxophone he didn’t get his first horn, an alto, until his freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania. Working at the college radio station, he discovered the music of Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane and Joe Henderson.

Initially intending to follow the family tradition of pursuing a career in medicine or science, he ended up taking the plunge into music at Berklee in 1971. It was a heady era, and Wainapel played with fellow students, guitarist John Scofield, pianist Kenny Werner, trumpeter Claudio Roditi, and tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano.

During his Boston years Harvey recorded and performed in Carnegie Hall with vibraphonist Gary Burton. After two years at Berklee he toured Tunisia with drummer Jamey Haddad, and made the trip to North Africa. Settling in Amsterdam, Netherlands he made a living before moving to Frankfurt, Germany with the HR Radio Big Band.

By 1979 he returned stateside, landing in New York City, and became enamored with Brazilian music. He quickly landed a gig playing with Thiago de Melo, alongside drummer Duduka da Fonseca, trumpeter Roditi and pianist Marcos Silva, the latter turning Wainapel on to other Brazilian artists. ​Not cut out for the city, he relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, after a year on the road with Ray Charles. He became one of the most in-de-mand players in the region while keeping his European presence. Back at home, Wainapel can often be found playing Brazilian music, performing with Rio-born vocal improviser Claudia Villela.

Saxophonist and clarinetist Harvey Wainapel, who debuted as a leader with 1994’s At Home/On the Road, leads his own post-bop combos, freelances extensively, and performs with Beth Custer’s Clarinet Thing.

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

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AMARYLIS SUEING

Amarylis Sueing began studying the saxophone at the age of eight. Her passion for music led to her artistry in jazz, popular, and inspirational music. She earned her Bachelor’s in Music from Clark Atlanta University and a Master’s in Music Technology from Georgia Southern University. She is a music technology instructor and an audio-visual director at Hoosier Memorial UMC. She has won awards as a faith and spiritual leader.

Jody Mayfield, a seasoned and respected jazz pianist joins her. He has performed with many jazz legends, including Dizzy Gillespie and Grover Washington, Jr. His talents are limited to smooth jazz: he has worked with some of the biggest names in hip-hop, and his company specializes in music for film and television. He earned a Bachelor of Technology degree from Morris Brown College and a Master of Music Technology from Southern Utah University.

Tickets; General Admission $25.00 +fee | Student $10.00 +fee

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LAKECIA BENJAMIN QUINTET

Lakecia Benjamin is a five-time Grammy-nominated saxophonist, arranger, and composer from New York. She has a warm, resonant tone and her music consists of a unique blend of R&B, jazz, and funk.

Raised in Manhattan’s predominantly Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. She played recorder in grade school and junior high where she also began writing songs and lyrics. She won admission to the Fiorello LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts. It was there she began playing saxophone in earnest. She picked it up quickly and after graduating joined the renowned jazz program at New York’s New School University.

She studied with jazz veterans including Billy Harper, Workman, Buster Williams, and Gary Bartzand has performed with Rashied Ali, the David Murray Big Band, vocalist Vanessa Rubin, and guitarist James Blood Ulmer.

Tickets: First Show ~ CHF 54 ($61.22) | Second Show: CHF 44 ($49.88)

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BILL CHARLAP QUARTET

Hailing from New York City and a musical family, this celebrated jazz pianists and Grammy winner Bill Charlap brings the celebrated soloist, composer, bandleader and outstanding saxophonist Nicole Glover exclusively to Bern for one week for the first time.

He has performed with many of the leading artists of our time including: Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ron Carter, Phil Woods, Gerry Mulligan and Tony Bennett. The album, “Tony Bennett and Bill Charlap: The Silver Lining, The Songs of Jerome Kern” (RPM) won a 2016 Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

Currently, Nicole is a member of Ursa Major, led by bassist Christian McBride, and she performs often with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. In August 2023, she toured Australia with JLCO, performing Marsalis’ symphonic work “All Rise” with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

The Band: Bill Charlap, piano | Nicole Glover, saxophone | David Wong, bass | Carl Allen, drums

Tickets: First Show ~ CHF 54 ($61.22) | Second Show ~ CHF 44 ($49.88)

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KRISTEN STORM QUARTET

Returning to the Bistro with their repertoire of melodic, exhilarating jazz, saxophonist and vocalist Kristen and her long-time band-mates, husband/guitarist Scott Sorkin and drummer Jason Lewis, have a deep connection, and master bassist Kevin Goldberg completes the ensemble.

“With a tone that’s lithe and lustrous, Kristen Strom embodies her musical philosophy in every note she plays.” – San Jose Mercury News

Tickets: $30 per show

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