Jaana Narsipur is a New-York based vocalist who performs her unique arrangements of swing and soul-jazz with influences of R&B and blues. Jaana has performed in NYC at Fine and Rare, The Flatiron Room, North Square, Pangea’s Jazz Series and throughout the Hudson Valley at venues like Jazz on Main, Alvin and Friends, The Bean Runner Cafe, First Name Basis in Hastings, and many others. In 2022, Jaana released her debut album “Better Than Anything” (available on all platforms) which features her original arrangements of Bob Dorough and Horace Silver’s tunes. Jaana received her Bachelors of Music from Northwestern University and her Master of Jazz Performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. Jaana is also an established music educator – teaching chorus, music theory and history, and piano – for the last 10 years in New York public schools and community arts centers.
In a career spanning over 4 decades, jazz/blues/gospel guitarist/composer Stew Cutler has established himself as a bandleader, composer and teacher. With 7 record releases to his credit as a bandleader and countless sessions
as a sideman, Cutler’s prolific career is a walk-through musical history.
Stew Cutler was born and raised in New York City and through his innate musical talents, found the guitar at an early age. The guitar and Cutler were destined to be together and at 19 years old, Cutler landed his first job with blues legend Z.Z. Hill. Over time, Cutler immersed himself in studying music and soon thereafter was working with instrumental avant-garde artists Bobby Previte and Eliot Sharp. Cutler moved to Woodstock, NY and worked with bassist Harvey Brooks along with many well-known artists that were emerging in that musical kaleidoscope.
Cutler has worked as a sideman with many musical greats including Percy Sledge, Eddie Floyd, Wilson Pickett, Fontella Bass (featured on Bass’ Grammy nominated album No Ways Tired), Earl King, Jimmy Castor and many more. Cutler has also worked with jazz greats David Sanborn, Bill Frisell, Lester Bowie, Charlie Hunter, Wayne Horvitz to name a few as well as artists as diverse as Meatloaf, Jeb Loy Nichols, David Fanshawe, Sweet Georgia Brown, and Jimmy Dale Gilmore among others.
Cutler’s first two releases, *“Trio Music”* on Fountainbleu records and *“Insignia” *on the Naim label, showcased the identifiable sound that Cutler developed by combining R&B, jazz, melody and noise. With his 3rd release, “So* “Many Streams”* (Fountainbleu), Cutler gets back to basics by digging into the blues and American roots. Cutler’s 4th release titled *”Trio Live” *features Cutler’s guitar prowess in an incredible live performance. His 5th release titled *”After Hours”*, finds Cutler paying tribute to his jazz and soul roots. His 2017 critically acclaimed release titled* “Every Sunday Night” *is a studio recording that captures Cutler’s working band that has a standing Sunday night residency at Arthur’s Tavern in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Cutler is supported by his working band organization including Bobby Harden vocals, Nick Semrad organ, Jullian Pollack organ, Chulo Gatewood bass, Bill McClellan drums and JT Bowen vocal.
In 2018 Cutler was invited to perform on the last European tour of Queen Esther Marrow and the Harlem Gospel Singers. Cutler has been a band member since 2012. Gospel music fans came out to see this legendary performer who received critical acclaim along with a number of notable mentions of Stew’s soulful guitar stylings.
In 2019 Cutlers’ can be found on the soundtrack of Martin Scorsese’s latest film “The Irishman”. Cutler is performing the standard “How High The Moon”. Cutlers’ recognizable sound evokes a dreamlike mood which fits the scene perfectly and is one of the musical highlights in the film. Also in 2019 Cutler was cast as part of the soundtrack for the streaming Amazon TV series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. An American comedy/drama set in the late 1950’s portraying a New York housewife who finds she has a knack for comedy. You can hear Cutler’s playing on the soundtrack of season 2 and 3 and in the upcoming season 4 episode, Cutler will be on camera as well as the soundtrack, featured in the strip club house band, The Wolford Band.
On April 22, 2022 Cutler released his latest recording, “*The Blues From Another Angle*.” A critically acclaimed eclectic mix of originals and covers featuring legendary guitarist Mike Stern and master harmonica player, James Montgomery. This could be Cutlers’ finest recording to date. *The Blues From Another Angle* showcases a room full of top-notch musicians including drummer Bill McClellan, keyboardist Tom Wilson, bassists Booker King and Chulo Gatewood, saxophonist Steve Elson plus vocalists Bobby Harden and Mary Jean Cutler, Stew’s wife. Also showcasing their prowess on the album are guest artists Mike Stern blazing through a guitar solo on “Blews” and James Montgomery making the harmonic sing on “Say What You Mean.” Among the many highlights on *The Blues From Another Angle*, most of which were written or co-written by Cutler, are: the scorching “Night Shift Blues”, which also features Cutler on lead vocals; a fiery cover of Tyrone Davis’ mega-hit “Can I Change My Mind” featuring Bobby Harden on the microphone; the deliciously rhythmic “Get It While You Can” featuring Mary Jean Cutler on lead vocals; a soulful instrumental, “The Passing of RR Moore,” that pays tribute to the late comedian-actor-singer Rudy Ray Moore; and the jazzy album-closer “Shine or Rain.”
Hot Hand Band is a Brooklyn-Based multi-genre brass band formed in 2016. They honed their chops around a few restaurant/bar gigs and residencies around New York City and have been a staple of the NYC brass band scene ever since. Hot Hand Band plays party and dance music from New Orleans jazz to soul, funk, jazz, hiphop, and everything in between. They have performed all over the globe, from Brooklyn beer gardens to private events overseas to big stages in front of thousands of people.
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AMOS ROSE is a guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist based in New York City. He is a founding member of Mama Juke, a roots rock and country blues band. He also performs hot jazz and Brazilian music under his own name and as a sideman with numerous bands around the city.
Amos has performed in various renowned venues, such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Blue Note Jazz Festival, B.B. King’s Blues Club, the Iridium Jazz Club, the 92nd Street YMCA, the New York Public Library, the Smithsonian Museum, Rockwood Music Hall, Webster Hall, the Manderley Bar at the McKittrick Hotel, The Gansevoort Park Ave Rooftop, the St. Regis Hotel., and many more.
Amos Rose has had the pleasure of collaborating with Tatiana Eva-Marie, Cyrille Aimee, Sasha Masakowski, Keita Ogawa, Clarice Assad, Dominic Farinacci, Matt Munisteri, Sam Dillon, Bernard Purdie, Christine Cherry, Spiral Jetty Club, the Ben Kogan Band, Joanna Sternberg, Megg Farrell, and Adrian DiMatteo.
Bassist John Lang offers a distinguished resume in performance, arranging and composition. Lang is most recognized in New York as a straight-ahead bassist. He hosted the Burgundy Wine Jazz Duets Series for 8 years in the early 2000s, featuring such modern-days stars as Saul Rubin, Ehud Asherie, Kris Kaiser, Yotam Silberstein, Jeremy Manasia, Nat Harris, Vito Dieterle, Larry Ham, Tardo Hammer, Michael Moore and Randy Napolean. Lang’s quintet has performed at Smalls, The Jazz Forum, Fat Cat, Little Branch, Times Square Café, The Hawaiian Tropic Room and Toons.
Lang founded La Onda Va Bien, the Latin jazz ensemble that recorded 2003’s “La Vuelta,” featuring 10 of his original songs. His second CD, “Lend Me Your Ears,” premiered at Smalls in 2009 and was called “a rare collection of swing and modernity” by reviewer Scott Yanow. Lang is a member of the Kolotov Mocktails, a modern jazz band comprised of stellar jazz musicians from across the United States. The band’s 2020 debut recording “Ivy Hall,” is enjoying radio play and positive reviews from fans and critics alike. He released “Now Ear This,” his first electric project, to rave reviews in 2021. “NET” features 9 original songs as well as fresh arrangements of “Pusherman” and “Four on Six” and was produced by jazz legend John Patitucci. Modern drumming powerhouse Richie Morales noted the album’s “clear arrangements, great solos and tight ensemble work. Take a listen!” Lang is currently a member of the Kolotov Mocktails, a new American jazz band. Their debut recording, “Ivy Hall” is enjoying radio play and critical acclaim in America and Europe.
Lang has recorded and arranged for many Broadway singers including Natalie Toro and Rita Harvey, as well as for the cast recordings of Fat Camp and the Adventures of Flat Stanley. His big band arrangements were featured in the 2006 production of “Little Jack Frost,” a recreation of a 1940s radio show, and he has toured internationally with the Jack Cassidy and Adrienne Hindmarsh trios.
Lang also doubles on electric bass and in that capacity has performed and recorded with Kinny Landrum and the Gumbo Roux, Cady Huffman, Mary Ann Renza, Rocksteady, Stolen Moments, and Sis Boom Bah.
He has served on the faculty of the Music Conservatory of Westchester since 2014, and maintains a healthy roster of private students. In the fall 2020 he began studies as SUNY Purchase for a master’s in jazz performance under bassist Doug Weiss. Lang resides in the Hudson River Valley, just north of New York City, with his wife Damaris and son Milo.
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With multiple Billboard-charting singles, including a BIllboard #1 smash hit with “Style and Elegance”, and four highly acclaimed albums, New York guitarist JJ Sansaverino has reached millions touring the world with his “Benson meets Santana” musical style. An extraordinary performer, JJ has a “take no prisoners” performance attitude, gracing the stage night after night touring on his own or with reggae legend Maxi Priest and bringing his vibe of Smooth Jazz, R&B, and Reggae. A Berklee School of Music graduate and award winner, he has shared the stage with the likes of Maceo Parker, Victor Bailey, Gerald Albright, Randy Brecker, Shaggy, Ricky Lawson, Sean Paul, Rick Braun, the Marley Family, and even performed for Sir Paul McCartney’s wedding in 2002.
“he can focus the intensity in a tune as well as any pianist in mainstream jazz.”
– New York Times
“Weiss’ shrewd writing and arranging skills are as clearly in view as his sleek piano work”
– The New Yorker
“An energy and irrepressible inventiveness… The nimbleness of Weiss’ technique was
matched by the intellectual heft of his ideas.” – Chicago Tribune
“Weiss’ compositions take on different shapes, great complexity and fresh perspectives”
– Washington Post
“One of the most fluent and flexible pianists of his generation.” – BMI Music World
“Combines the wonder of spontaneity with a workmanlike acknowledgment of his
materials: art and craft in delightful balance.” – Chicago Reader
You can tell a lot about a musician by the company he keeps. The star-studded resume
that pianist and composer Michael Weiss has quietly assembled over the past 40 years
proves that some of the greatest names in jazz have long considered Weiss one of the best
in the business. Since arriving in New York in 1982, the Dallas native has forged a
formidable career working in the bands of jazz legends Johnny Griffin, Art Farmer,
Benny Golson, Slide Hampton, Frank Wess, Jimmy Heath and the Heath Brothers,
George Coleman, Charles McPherson, Jon Hendricks, Lou Donaldson, Junior Cook/Bill
Hardman Quintet, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and Mingus Epitaph Orchestra. Weiss’
fifteen year association with Griffin, yielded four recordings and annual tours in the USA
and around the world. He has also performed with Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw, Clark
Terry, Clifford Jordan, Gary Bartz, Phil Woods, Pepper Adams, Joe Lovano, Ron Carter,
David Newman, Gerry Mulligan, Nancy Wilson, Randy Brecker, Tom Harrell, Gerry
Mulligan, Wynton Marsalis, and numerous other jazz greats.
As a band leader, Weiss has headlined at the Village Vanguard, Detroit Jazz Festival,
Detroit Symphony Hall, Smithsonian Institution, and major New York venues such as the
Blue Note, Jazz Standard, Birdland, Bradley’s, Iridium, Sweet Basil, Smoke and Merkin
Concert Hall. Reviewing his Vanguard debut, the New York Times wrote that Weiss
“demonstrated a strong sense of leadership and organization” exhibiting “sensitivity and
logic, along with crisp control.” Television appearances include CBS-TV’s Nightwatch
and PBS’ Live From Lincoln Center: The City of Jazz. NPR radio appearances include
PianoJazz with Marion McPartland, Making the Music with Wynton Marsalis, Jazzset, and
the Jazz Piano Christmas Special. Weiss was the 1989 second prizewinner in the
Thelonious Monk Institute’s International Piano Competition.
Weiss has also been recognized for his writing. He was the grand prize winner of the
2000 BMI/Thelonious Monk Institute’s Composition Competition presented to him by
Wayne Shorter, and is a two-time Chamber Music America New Works grant recipient.
Weiss’ compositions reveal eclectic influences from the worlds of jazz, 20th Century
classical and popular music. Weiss focuses on extended forms, thematic development and
attention to detail.
In 2022 Weiss celebrates the release of his fifth recording as a leader, Persistence (Cellar
Live). His previous recordings on the CrissCross, SteepleChase, DIW and Sintra labels
have been hailed by the critics:
“Weiss has a rich palette of composing devices at his command” – Downbeat
“Weiss’ original compositions conjured a distinct world of sound, a testament to the
nature of Weiss’ imagination.” – Chicago Tribune
“Warmth, integrity and above all, originality. Weiss’ originals are formful and dynamic
enough to sound as if they were standards of the genre.” – JazzTimes
“the songs simply smoke” – Detroit Free Press
“Weiss is a vital talent with something important to say” – All About Jazz
“About as close to perfection as a recording can get….If there is truly justice in our
world, this should be a Grammy nominee.” – Jazz Improv
“A prodigious bop-and-beyond pianist and composer…. consummate musicianship and
alluring improvisations” – The Star Ledger
“This music lives and breathes freshness and exhilarating originality. The individual
selections are strong and attractive enough, to still be played as jazz vehicles in 10, 20,
or even 50 year’s time.” – Jazz Journal
“a masterwork. Soul Journey is terrific. The work is majestic, brash and dynamic
throughout.” – Jazzwax.com
As a sideman Weiss appears on recordings of Johnny Griffin, Frank Wess, Charles
McPherson, Steve Grossman, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Ronnie Cuber, Louis Smith,
Dick Oatts, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and others.
Weiss is deeply committed to jazz education. He has held faculty positions at Indiana
University, Hartt College of Music, Queens College. In master classes and residencies
throughout the world Weiss aims to relay his bandstand experience through a host of
topics that directly address the standards and performance practices required of a
professional jazz musician.
Visit www.michaelweiss.info
“I am music” was one of April’s first proclamations as a very young child and it holds true to this day. Since singing her first notes as a four-year-old, inspired by none other than the Disney Princess movies, her journey toward growing as a musician began. In fact, April has spent the majority of her life performing and competing in the arts.
NYC-based jazz vocalist with the curly red hair from Toledo, Ohio, April Varner is a name you won’t soon forget. She began taking voice lessons at the University of Toledo as a classical vocalist at age 8 and began studying piano from her grandmother at age 6. No stranger to the stage, April began displaying vocal, musical theatre, drama, and piano talents at the local, regional, national, and international levels at a young age. This includes being a guest vocalist at the Toledo Symphony Orchestra Pops Concert, a 2-time All-National Honors Ensemble member in Nashville, TN, and a National Finalist at the Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook Academy in Carmel, IN. By age 16, April had made her Carnegie Hall debut in Weill Hall following a first-place award by the American Protégé International Vocal Competition, and had traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland as part of a drama group to share the stage with world actors at the renowned Edinburgh Arts Fringe Festival.
April began her musical transition into jazz after discovering a deep passion for it following her freshman year at Indiana University. April soon after became the director of the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, ResoluSHion, within the Grammy-nominated show choir, The Singing Hoosiers. During her final semester at IU, April was the vocalist in the Du Vido Septet, a Brazilian Jazz Ensemble led by Brazilian composer, arranger and pianist, Guilherme Ribeiro. The group was chosen as one of three finalists within the famed Detroit Jazz Festival’s Collegiate Combo Competition. In the spring of 2020, April graduated with her undergraduate degree in Jazz Studies (Voice).
At the age of 27, April has immersed herself deeply into the jazz tradition and has performed/studied with a multitude of legendary artists and jazz luminaries such as Tierney Sutton, Russell Malone, Sachal Vasandani, Jane Monheit, Kurt Elling, Walter Smith III and others.
April has performed/will be performing at some of the most notable venues in the Northeast, such as Chris’s Jazz Cafe (Philadelphia), Blues Alley (Washington D.C), Con Alma (Pittsburgh), 54 Below (NYC), Birdland Jazz Club (NYC, sold out debut show), and Mezzrow Jazz Club (NYC, sold out debut show). She also recently made her International Debut, headlining the Longjumeau Jazz Festival (Longjumeau, France) in celebration of the great Ella Fitzgerald, along with two full shows at Sunset Sunside in Paris. In October, April will be an invited featured artist in the Jazz For All Ages Festival (Hilton Head, SC), alongside some of the most notable figures in jazz, such as Kurt Elling, Catherine Russell, John Pizzarelli and Emmet Cohen.
She was awarded the 2023 Winner of the International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition and most recently received a 2024 Honorable Mention Award in the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Competition. She excitedly just released her debut full-length album, entitled “April by April Varner”, on Cellar Live Record Label. This genre-busting collection of all April-titled songs was produced by Grammy-Award winning drummer, producer and educator, Ulysses Owens Jr.
Marc Devine is a Jazz pianist/bandleader in NYC. Rooted in the Bebop tradition, Marc Devine is presenting REAL Jazz music and carrying on the message. Developing a taste for Jazz while still in highschool, he attended the University of N ew Hampshire and played with several Jazz ensembles including two big bands and a Jazz choir. While at UNH, Marc was exposed to great Jazz musicians such as Phil Woods, Milt Hinton, Frank Wess, took some lessons with pianist James Williams and was introduced to the music and teaching of legendary trumpeter Clark Terry (famous for his work with Lionel Hampton, Charlie Barnet, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, The Tonight Show Band) and trumpeter Stephen Fulton. Marc went on to study with Stephen Fulton and Morris Nelms at the Clark Terry International Institute of Jazz Studies, where he began to develop a style based on his piano influences Wynton Kelly, Red Garland (both of whom played with Miles Davis), Hampton Hawes, Bud Powell, Count Basie and Errol Garner. Marc also had the opportunity to study and perform with Jazz greats Red Holloway, Butch Miles, Jessie Davis, and, of course, Clark Terry. After leaving the Clark Terry school, Devine moved to the Austin area where he played as a sideman and most often lead his own groups. His bands performed regularly at all of Austin’s Jazz venues and several festivals including The Zilker Park Jazz Festival, The Kemah Jazz Festival, and became a mainstay at the Texas Jazz Festival in Corpus Christi, TX. Coming to NYC in January of 2009 after establishing himself on the forefront of the Jazz scene in Austin, TX. Marc is making a name for himself as hard swingin’ pianist rooted in the traditions of bebop and swing and has already performed at venues such as Small’s Jazz Club, Smoke, The Iridium, Cleopatra’s Needle (running a weekly trio gig/jam session), The Garage, , Flute Bar, Tomi Jaz, The Velvet Lounge and several other venues both as a sideman and as a leader working with some of the best musicians in the city. His working bands include the great jazz drummers Fukushi Tainaka (drummer for Lou Donaldson), Jackie Williams (has played with all of the jazz greats including Teddy Wilson, Earl Hines, Barry Harris, Junior Mance, Doc Cheatham, Buck Clayton), bassists Paul Sikivie and Hide Tanaka (bassist for Junior Mance) and has performed with trombonist Benny Powell, saxophonist Jerry Weldon, drummer Jimmy Wormworth and others. Swingin’!Weblinks:www.marcdevine.com
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