Agustin Grasso
Agustin Grasso
Thursday, March 21, 2024 9:30pm
Bio
Agustin (Augustine in English ) is a musician residing in Brooklyn , NY. He began playing music (drumset) at age 15 and continued his formal education at Escuela de Música Contemporánea (Berklee International Network) in Buenos Aires.
During this time he studied Latin American folk music traditions and instruments as well as jazz and African American styles.
He decided to move to the US in 2013 with the intention of immersing himself into the vibrant NYC music scene . He has performed at David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, the Airtrain Jazz Festival , Harlem Arts Festival , Showman’s, Cleopatra’s Needle and many other music venues throughout the Tristate area .
Rick Germanson
Rick Germanson
Saturday March 2, 2024 3:00pm
Bio
RICK GERMANSON has been a highly in-demand pianist on the New York City Jazz scene for well over a decade. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rick relocated to New York City in 1998. Rick won the GRAND PRIZE at The American Pianists’ Association Jazz Piano Competition in 1996. He was awarded “Best of New Talent” in 2004 by All About Jazz NYC.
Rick has four recordings out as a leader: The first two are on Fresh Sound New Talent: “HEIGHTS” and “YOU TELL ME”. His recording “OFF THE CUFF” on Owl Studios reached #15 on the Jazz Radio Play Charts. The latest is on SmallsLive “RICK GERMANSON: LIVE AT SMALL’S”. Downbeat and JazzTimes magazines have given Rick’s recordings rave reviews. Rick has also been documented on over forty recordings as a sideman with many of the top musicians in jazz today.
Since 2001 to the present, Rick has been touring and recording with The Cannonball Legacy Band featuring Louis Hayes. From 2003-2008 Rick also toured with master guitarist Pat Martino. Currently, Rick is also the pianist for guitarist Russell Malone, bassist Nat Reeves, vibraphonist Steve Nelson, trombonist Papo Vazquez’s Mighty Pirates Troubadours among many others.
Rick has performed throughout the world, at the top festivals, concert halls and clubs with the following jazz artists: Elvin Jones’ Jazz Machine; Louis Hayes; Jimmy Cobb; Grady Tate; Pat Martino; Russell Malone; Dr. Eddie Henderson; Kyle Eastwood; Tom Harrell; Brian Lynch; Jeremy Pelt; Jim Rotondi; Duane Eubanks; Curtis Fuller; Slide Hampton; Papo Vazquez; Frank Lacy; Steve Davis; Delfeayo Marsalis; Cecil Payne; Charles Davis; Frank Morgan; Charles MacPherson; Donald Harrison; Vincent Herring; Sherman Irby; George Coleman; Javon Jackson; Eric Alexander; Craig Handy; Wayne Escoffrey; Steve Nelson; Marlena Shaw; Kevin Mohagany; Carolyn Leonhart; Regina Carter; Gerald Cannon; Jay Leonhart; Mingus Dynasty; Ray Mantilla and Space Station.
Rick is also an experienced educator, having given clinics and master classes at such institutes as New York University; The Julliard School; Jazz at Lincoln Center. He is currently on faculty at The Jackie McLean Institute at The Hartt School of Music at The University of Hartford.
Jacob Chung
Jacob Chung
February 29, Thursday, 2024 9:30PM
Bio
Jazz saxophonist/composer Jacob Chung’s dynamic, blues-rooted commitment to swing has charmed audiences in his hometown Toronto and in New York City, where he is currently based. Having established himself as one of the most exciting players in Toronto, he relocated to NYC in 2022 to study with Vincent Herring at Manhattan School of Music. Herring’s mentorship and advocacy for Jacob’s talent led to the recording of Jacob’s sophomore album in December 2023 for the Cellar Music Group label, featuring both Herring and drummer Joe Farnsworth. In the summer of 2023, Jacob performed twice at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C., and at the Burlington Jazz Festival (VT) as a member of the prestigious Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program. Since moving to NYC, Jacob has also performed with Peter Washington, the Mingus Big Band, and the Erena Terakubo Septet.
The Jacob Chung Quintet’s 2022 debut album Epistle was received with critical acclaim for its embodiment of the spirit of jazz; “A bunch of swingers that know the history without the baggage, they zip the ears open with a delightful sound that uplifts while it makes you smile” (Chris Spector, Midwest Record). Jacob’s aesthetic direction has drawn comparison to that of the 1990s neo-bop renaissance. Will Chernoff (Rhythm Changes) writes that “Jacob and the band are part of a full-on second generation of Young Lions,” a sentiment expanded upon by Jamie Lee Rake (Shepherd Express): “What they are about is connecting the dots between the sophisticated heat of jazz royalty such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie with a post-bop drive.” The Jacob Chung Quintet has played at several major Toronto venues and festivals including The Rex Hotel, The Jazz Bistro, TD Toronto Jazz Festival, TD Markham Jazz Festival, and Toronto International Film Festival.
Orion Turre
Orion Turre
Thursday February 8, 2023 6:30pm
Bio
International drummer Orion Turre has performed at the most premier jazz clubs and festivals across the USA as well as having toured the Netherlands, Russia and across the Caribbean. Primarily working as a Jazz drummer in the New York area, Orion has shared the stage with incomparable Jazz greats such as Ed Cherry, Buster Williams, James Carter, Russell Malone, Bruce Williams, Gerald Cannon, TK Blue, Christian Scott aTunde Ajuah, Corcoran Holt, Akua Dixon, Steve Turre. In addition to working the city’s top jazz clubs and leading his own band, Orion also performs as a part of Rhapsody, a first-call Jazz band for the most exclusive private events.
An accomplished arranger, Orion has been hired by recording artists and top agencies to put his signature sound on a broad range of material. His most recent arrangements and drumming can be heard on the 2020 releases SHINE by Andromeda Turre, and The Art of Navigation by June and the Pushas.
Orion’s impeccable dynamics and reading ability have also brought him work in the off-Broadway scene. Credits include Sleep No More, Broadway star Syndee Winter’s one woman show Lena: Lessons with a Lady, William Dixon Popp’s Calloway’s Salon, and Grammy award-winner Clint Black’s Looking for Christmas.
Orion’s expertise stems from his extensive education which started with Al Cutro at age 7. Since then, he has studied with Dion Parsons at NJPAC, and later enrolled at the Prince Claus Conservatoire in Holland where he met Ralph Peterson, with whom he continues to study today. Born to legendary musicians, Orion has been surrounded by music his entire life. His mother, Akua Dixon, is a cellist, composer, and arranger who has worked with iconic musicians such as Duke Ellington, Max Roach, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, as well as hip hop visionaries like Lauren Hill and Busta Rhymes. His father, Steve Turre, an award-winning trombonist, has played in the Saturday Night Live band for over 30 years. An innovator in his own right originating the genre of jazz conch shell playing, Steve has worked with the likes of Ray Charles, Woody Shaw, Tito Puente, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and many more.
David Francis
David Francis
Friday December 15, 2023 7:00pm
Bio
David Francis is the premiere Seattle-based singer of traditional pop standards, big band and show tunes, and jazz. He sings songs made famous by singers like Nat King Cole, Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Mel Torme, Joe Williams, Bing Crosby, Tony Bennett, Louis Prima, Louis Armstrong, Johnny Hartman, Perry Como, The Ink Spots, The Mills Brothers, and Louis Jordan.
Born in Philadelphia, David paid his way through music school at Combs College as a bass player, often playing 5-6 nights a week. David’s desire and aptitude for entertaining people lead him to move from a sideman to a frontman role as a singer. Through his study of jazz, he fell in love with the Great American Songbook, the harmonic and melodic beauty of the songs and the stories told by their lyrics. David thrives on bringing them to his audience in a way that makes their qualities shine, and has become a leading contemporary interpreter of songs from the Great American Songbook.
David sings in a variety of settings, with a piano accompanist, with a trio, a combo, or a full big band.
Dennis Lichtman
Dennis Lichtman
Thursday December 7, 2023 9:30pm
Bio
Dennis Lichtman is a multi-instrumentalist (mainly clarinet, fiddle, and mandolin) who is deeply entrenched in early- to mid-1900’s American music, from traditional jazz and swing to bluegrass and western swing. His elegant voice carries through on all his instruments, lending a thread that weaves together the various genres he navigates. Originally from Boston, MA, Lichtman has been living in New York City since 2002.
In August 2018, Lichtman released Just Cross the River, celebrating with two sold-out shows at Dizzy’s Club at Jazz At Lincoln Center hosted by the New York Hot Jazz Festival. The album features nine original compositions inspired by the migration of jazz legends into the borough of Queens, NY beginning in the 1920’s. The project was instigated by a grant from the Queens Council on the Arts.
Since 2007, Dennis has been the clarinetist and bandleader of the famed Tuesday night traditional-jazz jam session at Mona’s in downtown New York, which was profiled in the New York Times, and has been described by the Wall Street Journal as “ground zero for an emerging late-night scene of young swing and traditional jazz players.” December 2012 saw the release of Tuesdays At Mona’s, a 19-minute documentary about the Mona’s session produced by Hi-Tide Films, accompanied by a live CD of Mona’s Hot Four with 19 guest musicians.
Dennis switches deftly between fiddle, clarinet, and mandolin while leading his western swing sextet, The Brain Cloud, through a broad array of American music including original compositions and new arrangements of old songs. The Brain Cloud, featuring vocalist Tamar Korn, has held a Monday night residency at the prestigious-yet-intimate Brooklyn venue Barbés since 2011. The band’s third full-length release, Live At Barbés, was released in April 2017.
Lichtman has performed at Carnegie Hall, major festivals throughout the United States, and on stages in Europe, Brazil, and China. He is on the faculty of the Welbourne Traditional Jazz Camp in Middleburg, VA, and has led college master classes and inner-city school workshops through the Midori Foundation, Lincoln Center’s Meet The Artist Series, and Beijing’s Ping-Pong Productions.He has performed and recorded as a regular member of Ghost Train Orchestra, Pokey LaFarge Band, Nation Beat, Jim Kweskin Band, and many more.
Ben Hoffmann Conversations Trio
Processed with VSCO with a5 preset
Ben Hoffmann Conversations Trio
Wednesday November 1, 2023 7pm
Bio
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.
