Archive for category: Events

The Modern Martinis are an eclectic jazz group based out of New York City featuring Melanie Goerlitz on vocals and Darin Brown on piano and vocals. It’s a vintage jazz sound with a modern twist where you can expect anything from Cole Porter to Amy Winehouse. Before they met, they both performed regularly across the entire globe including with orchestras and major acts. Once they met, there was no denying their chemistry. They both crossover into many styles of music, which keeps their shows interesting and fun. Their worldly vibe will take you from Paris to Rome and Rio in one evening. Melanie is classically trained but crosses all styles. Darin is very much at home with a Sinatra standard or Billy Joel classic. In other words, The Modern Martinis love to shake it up. Follow them on instagram: @modernmartinis.

William Hill III is a pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader from Detroit,
Michigan. Hill is a graduate of the Detroit School of Arts, and is currently studying at
the prestigious Manhattan School of Music undergoing his baccalaureate education. In
Hill’s pre-collage years, he has been a member of the Detroit Symphony’s Civic Youth
Jazz program performing in the Creative Jazz Ensembe and the Civic Jazz Orchestra and
the Michigian State Univeristy Spartan Youth Jazz Program.

Hill has had the opportunity to participate in many summer extensive jazz camps such
as Jazz House Kids, Jr. Jazz Academy at Lincoln Center, Berklee Summer Programs,
Interlochen Center for the Arts, Motown Lyric Project, Keeping an Eye Summer Jazz
Workshop located at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, and many others.

Hill is honored to receive awards from programs such as the National YoungArts
Foundation, a multi-year winner in the instrumental contemporary category for the
NAACP ACT-SO National Competition, and the West Virginia Univeristy
International Jazz Piano Competition. Musicians that Hill has worked alongside and
have been mentored by include Marion Hayden, Ralphe Armstrong, Wendell Harrison,
Joe Farnsworth, Marc Cary, Aaron Parks, Ari Hoenig, Wynton Marsalis, Buster
Williams, Christian McBride and many more.

Hill has had the opportunity to perform at the Detroit International Jazz Festival,
Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, Blue Llama Jazz Club, Montclair Jazz Festival,
Smalls Jazz Club, The Django, and many others to name a few. Hill’s passion in life as a
musician is to spread joy to everyone around the world with the music that he produces.

Ilhan Saferali is a young award winning jazz musician who is getting his name out on the NYC jazz scene as well as turning heads of many Jazz greats. Ilhan, playing trumpet and piano, has accomplished a lot for himself as a young musician. Ilhan has played with Grammy award wining musicians such as Chucho Valdes and Kamasi Washington, and has worked with the David Suzuki Foundation for their ECOmusicology project. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Ilhan is now based out of New York City to make a name for himself as an artist and to study at the prestigious jazz program at The New School under the presidential scholarship. Ilhan’s music style takes from classic jazz players such as Bill Evans and Miles Davis and is heavily influenced by modern jazz players such as Christian Scott. Ilhan has studied with world renowned jazz legends such as Emmet Cohen, Benny Benack, Jean-Michel Pilc, Christine Jensen, Brad Turner and many more. He’s been recognized by some of the greatest names in jazz such as Reggie Workman, Jimmy Owens, Joe Magnarelli and more as a special young talent. Ilhan has played at many notable jazz venues and festivals such as Frankie’s Jazz Club (Vancouver), The Jazz Bistro (Toronto) and The Vancouver International Jazz Festivals among many others. Ilhan now spends his time working on his craft, writing music, sitting in at local New York City jam sessions and working on building a name for himself in the New York Jazz scene. You can find Ilhan playing trumpet in New York City as part of veteran tenor saxophonist Eric Wyatt’s quintet, and playing solo piano Thursday through Saturday at the Walker Hotel in the West Village.