Results for "Contemporary Jazz"

Matt Perronne

Born: November 6, 2001

Matt Perronne is a trumpeter, bandleader, and composer of the New Orleans area. He began his career playing with various brass bands of the city, eventually finding his love for New Orleans composers. This led to his enrollment at Loyola University-New Orleans in 2020, graduating in 2024 with a degree in jazz studies.. While in school, Perronne found consistent work playing on the famous Steamboat Natchez six nights a week, which he continues to do. Matt Perronne is also the leader of the Blue Rose Music Group, and has recently put together a solo project of original music. He has played at New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival multiple times and is an experienced performer in the New Orleans jazz club scene.

Darren Leonidas

Born: February 6, 1969

Born in NYC in 1969, Darren Leonidas first began playing guitar at the age of 11 years old. Growing up in a household with numerous musicians and surrounded by music for most of his life, Darren credited Eric Clapton as the reason he originally began playing guitar. Along with Clapton, Darren was deeply inspired by other 60s and 70s era rock-and-roll bands like Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones.

After moving to New Jersey in his teenage years, Darren discovered Jazz and quickly became engrossed with the genre. Albums from notable artist such as George Benson, David Sanborn, and Pat Metheny caught his interest. After graduating high school, Darren studied jazz at William Paterson University, studying under Jazz Virtuoso Vic Juris. It was here where Darren developed a deep appreciation for Modern Contemporary Jazz and instilled an overall drive to seek out all forms of music.

Charlie Wood - Guitar

Born: August 30, 1951

Global Music Award – 2-Time Bronze Medal Winner 2016

Life Is But A Groove

Guitarist Charlie Wood was named winner of two Bronze Medals from Global Music Awards in 2016 for two of his songs: “East Meets West” (WaterColours CD) & “Rhythms of the Eclipse” (Rhythms of the Eclipse CD). This prestigious award is given for professionalism, creativity, listener impact, technical quality, uniqueness, & styling. It was an honor to be considered by this organization & the contributions it has made to the music industry.

Holli Scott

Brett Hansen

Born: May 21, 1993

Brett Hansen is a Canadian guitarist/composer/producer based in Edmonton. He has recorded on dozens of albums across many genres. Brett has shared the stage with the likes of Robi Botos, Gil Goldstein, PJ Perry, Mallory Chipman, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and many others. He is an active sideman having opened up for bands such as Blue Rodeo, AQUA, and Blue Oyster Cult.

On his debut album Confluence, guitarist Brett Hansen and his band weave their way through twelve original compositions, traversing folk inspired melodies, sprawling ambience, gentle ballads, and rock inspired epics

Nico Moreno

Born: May 23, 1997

Guitarist and composer Nico Moreno is a young guitar player who currently resides in New York City. His playing is characterized by the convergence of different styles such as Latin American music, rock, and pop, deeply rooted in the jazz guitar tradition.

Nico began his guitar journey at the age of nine when his mother gifted him an acoustic guitar. He started playing rock and began performing at local venues when he was thirteen. His musical journey went from rock to heavy metal, progressive rock, fusion, and eventually jazz and Latin American music. He started to study jazz and improvisation at the age of seventeen and since then, he has been deeply inspired by the idea of composing in real-time and writing music inspired by the jazz and Latin American traditions.

Fabio Rojas

Born: December 30, 1988

Fabio Rojas, Drummer, Film Composer & Educator based in New York City, originally from Valencia, Venezuela.

Rojas has performed with artists such as Geri Allen, Grace Vanderwaal, Greg Osby Band, Pepe de Lucia, Bill Pierce, Terri Lyne Carrington, Sean Jones, Kevin Harris, Jon Cowherd, Regina Carter, Pablo Menares, David Bixler, Dan Loomis, Gregg August, Mike Rodriguez and in venues such as Daegu Jazz Festival, MusiKFest, SXSW, Lincoln Center, Smoke Jazz Club, Boston Symphony Hall, BU Agganis Arena, NAMM Show, TEDx, RIFF, among many others.

​On September 19th, 2024 Fabio Rojas is releasing his album debut as a leader called "PERSEVERANCE", featuring jazz legend Greg Osby on Alto Sax, Gustavo D'amico on Soprano/Tenor Sax and Flute, Kevin Harris on Piano/Rhodes, Osmar Okuma on Double/Electric Bass and Fabio Rojas on Drums/Compositions/Production.

Wataru Uchida

Wataru Uchida is a saxophonist and composer. He studied fundamental saxophone technique and jazz composition with Chico Freeman, who was a student of Muhal Richard Abrams, the composer and founder of AACM. In 2001, Wataru worked as a teaching assistant for Rory Stuart's rhythm analysis class at the New School University Jazz & Contemporary Music Program.

Since 2003, Wataru has been leading his jazz projects in New York. He began practicing straight-ahead jazz at his apartment with Terence Conley, former pianist of the Count Basie Orchestra, and performed with the legendary Bill Saxton, former soloist of the Count Basie Orchestra, in 2009.

John Walter

John Walter writes music. Strong melodies. Jazz and worldmusic influences. 2009 saw the launch of his first solo albumof all original material. This has now been followed by a trioproject.

Bio: Born in Bude in North Cornwall in 1954 John went toLondon in the 70's and took advantage of some fantastic Jazzcourses at Goldsmiths College. The likes of Stan Tracey, DonRendell, Brian Priestley, John Taylor and Howard Riley all ranadult education classes on site.

After immersion in the London Jazz scene John moved toBristol in the early eighties and made a name for himself as acomposer and bandleader. Working in anything from duo's tononets he played alongside Andy Sheppard, GerryUnderwood, Paul Dunmall and a host of local musicians. Healso ran regular Jazz and Improvisation workshopscollaborating with the likes of Keith Tippett, Ian Menter andWill Menter.

Sam Norris

Born: August 25, 1998

Hailing from Cambridge, award-winning alto saxophonist and composer Sam Norris's love of jazz was ignited when he heard Coltrane's A Love Supreme aged 12.

Since then he has been fascinated with luminaries of improvised music such as Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk and Lee Konitz, combined with an equal interest in contemporary classical and hip-hop music. This melting pot of influences has led him to develop a distinctive musical language, at once forward-thinking and grounded in tradition. Sam moved to London in 2018 to study with a scholarship on the prestigious jazz course at the Royal Academy of Music under the tutelage of Kit Downes, Stan Sulzmann and Iain Ballamy.