Jazz in the Afternoon

Jazz in the Afternoon – Supporting the Emergency Relief Fund through live music performance

Jazz in the Afternoon is a vibrant series of free, informal concerts designed to raise awareness and funds for the Local 802 Emergency Relief Fund, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit  organization offering 802 musicians assistance in times of dire need.

Once a month, dedicated band leaders and musicians volunteer their time, talent, and love of music to support the ERF, performing free concerts that range from big band jazz to duos, with a roster that includes some of the finest jazz, Broadway, television/film, and classical musicians in the greater New York area.

Most performances begin at 5:00pm and last until 6:30pm in the Local 802 Clubroom (322 West 48th Street, New York, NY 10036).  Donations are accepted at the door via cash, check, or credit card, and the concerts are open to the general public. Join us for great music for a great cause!

Fundraising for the ERF

The Musicians’ Emergency Relief Fund is funded by voluntary contributions and donations, and fundraising is especially important in these difficult financial times. As a non-profit 501(c)(3), the ERF relies upon voluntary contributions in order to provide musician members with reliable assistance in times of trouble and dire need. These funds are used to provide musicians who find themselves suffering through catastrophic illness, dramatic career downturns, or demonstrable financial hardship with support and assistance.

Upcoming Performances

Check out and download the full line-up for Winter-Spring-Summer 2020 here. 

March 19, 2020

*CANCELLED* Wally Dunbar and Jazz Eleven

Wally Dunbar is a first-rate arranger born in Montreal, now based in New York. Dunbar performs at Jazz in the Afternoon with the Jazz Eleven. His debut as a leader, Everything In Time (Consolidated Artists Productions) by the Wally Dunbar Jazz Eleven, was recorded in Englewood, N.J. on April 26-27, 1999 and June 9, 2000.

From 5:00pm to 6:30pm at the Local 802 Club Room, 322 West 48th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues, first floor. Donations can be made by cash, check, or credit card. More info about this event can be found here.

*this show has been cancelled as of 3/11/2020

March 26, 2020

*CANCELLED* Bill Warfield and the Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra

The Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra is a group of jazz artists that have come together to facilitate and explore the bond that exists between musicians from many different countries. The Orchestra performs compositions born of the genres of funk, contemporary, and Latin Jazz while embracing the varied backgrounds and experiences of its members. Audiences are treated to high-powered contemporary music that communicates, transcends, and inspires. Originally known as the “International Core-tet,” the group was made of trumpeter Bill Warfield and saxophonist Glenn Cashman from the U.S., saxophonist Jens “Chappe” Jensen from Denmark, and from the Czech Republic, guitarist Libor Smoldas and keyboardist Jakub Zomer. Bill and Jakub met each other in the summer of 2012, when they were working together in Graz, Austria. An invitation by Jakub led Bill to Prague a few weeks later where he met Libor Smoldas. The three worked together for a week and found a real “magic” in the music they played. Between gigs and sets they discussed the idea of forming a core group to continue the transcendent experience they had that week.

From 5:00pm to 6:30pm at the Local 802 Club Room, 322 West 48th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues, first floor. Donations can be made by cash, check, or credit card. More info about this event can be found here.

Previous Performances

February 27, 2020

Lou Caputo’s “Not So Big Band”

photo by Alfonso Iandiorio

Lou Caputo’s “NOT SO BIG BAND” is a very unique and exciting musical group. The “Not So Big Band” is the brainchild of talented multi-instrumentalist Lou Caputo. It is an attempt to join the spontaneity of free-blown small group jazz with the power and gravity of a big band. It consists of twelve musicians as opposed to the sixteen-piece or larger variety. Unlike many bands, this band is a working band, and has been together for more than 10 years. Its varied musical library attempts to cover a wide range of styles that still fall into the category of modern jazz.

 

December 10, 2019

Roger Rhodes Jazz Ensemble

“In 1960, when I was a bass player on the road, I never aspired to be a big band leader, but here I am, 50+ years later, not standing behind the bass but in front of the band with New York’s best musicians playing the euphoric post-WWII era music I love. We get together once a month and dozens of players have contributed their exceptional talents over the past few years.” -Roger Rhodes (photo by Steve Singer)

 

 

November 19, 2019

Russ Anixter’s Hippie Big Band

For the past twenty-five years, Russ Anixter has enjoyed a busy career as a music copyist, and has been a partner in Anixter Rice Music Service since 2004. Anixter has worked on over fifty Broadway shows, twenty-five major motion pictures, numerous recording dates, and for live concerts around the country. As an arranger, Russ was a contributor to the New York Fusion Ensemble, which performed in New York clubs and featured Russ’s arrangements of music by Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and Weather Report. His arrangements have also been featured on concerts by the Lehigh Valley Jazz Repertory Orchestra and the Lehigh University Wind Ensemble. In a prior life, Russ played trombone and other low brass instruments in big bands and orchestras in the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently Russ enjoys playing his Fender P-bass in loud hippie bands.

 

November 7, 2019

Akua Dixon & Quartette Indigo

Akua Dixon’s Quartette Indigo has been in the forefront of improvising string quartets since 1973. They are a string quartet “unlike any you’ve heard before”. They play “hot and sassy, sweet and spicy, with style and virtuosity”. In addition to European Classical music, they perform Akua’s original compositions and her arrangements of the Great American Songbook, Jazz, Spirituals, Blues, Salsa, Tangoes, Rags and Bebop in a unique setting. They are “an ensemble of great professionalism, skill and spirit”-JALC and can “swing with a gritty passion”.

 

October 29, 2019

Jay Leonhart and Friends

Jay Leonhart has been named the Outstanding Bassist in the Recording Industry three times. Jay has been privileged to play with the likes of Judy Garland, Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, Buddy Rich, Jim Hall, Peggy Lee, Mel Torme, Marian McPartland, Kenny Barron, Sting,m James Taylor, Papa Joe Jones, Roy Eldridge, Jim Hall, Louie Bellson, Dick Hyman, Luciano Pavoratti, and many more. Over the years, Jay Leonhart has been writing and singing his own very individualistic songs about his life as a bass player. He now performs his music worldwide to very receptive audiences. 

 

 

 

October 10, 2019

George Brandon’s Blue Unity Sextet

George Brandon, PhD, is a musician, anthropologist and integrative sound and music practitionerwhose musical roots began with guitar lessons from his father and continued in junior high school with the trombone. By high school he was playing professionally in local swing bands, rhythm and blues, gospel, and classical ensembles in his home town of Newark, NJ. His continuing musical curiosity has led him to extend this early background by studying West African music, Balinese and Javanese gamelan, electronic music, Afrocuban chant and calypso all of which have affected his development as a composer.He was charter member of the Jazzmobile Workshop and received an NEA grant to study with jazz composer and theorist George Russell. His anthropological studies have given him a global historical and social perspective that decisively affects his conception of music and guides his work as composer.

September 25, 2019

Bernard Purdie & Friends

Bernard Purdie moved to New York in 1960 after finishing high school and played with (among others), Lonnie Youngblood before landing his first hit with King Curtis. This led to his engagement with Aretha Franklin in 1970 – the beginning of an unparalleled career. Since then, Purdie has been a regular guest in the studios of the stars of Jazz, Soul, and Rock, working together with Paul Butterfield as well as Larry Coryell, Miles Davis, Hall & Oates, Al Kooper, Herbie Mann, Todd Rundgren and Cat Stevens, as well as regularly producing his own solo albums under his own name.

 

 

 

 

July 18, 2019

The Emile Charlap Ensemble

This show commemorated the memory of Jim White, trumpet player, who passed in July of 2018. Emile Charlap’s contracting and copying office dominated the New York recording scene for decades. During that time, Emile’s avocation was his personal “rehearsal” band (featuring himself on second trumpet), which gradually expanded from its original quintet format into a full twelve-piece ensemble. Rehearsing weekly for over 30 years, the group attracted many of New York’s best musicians, and accumulated a repertoire of jazz arrangements by some of New York’s finest.

 

June 18, 2019

The Russ Kassoff Band featuring vocalist Catherine Dupuis

photo by Craig Collins

Russ Kassoff is an accomplished jazz pianist, conductor, composer, orchestrator, and arranger, teacher and mentor, whose varied talents are much valued and on display in the music world. Russ toured as pianist to Frank Sinatra by request from ’80-’91, including The Ultimate Event  world-wide tour (’88-’89) televised nationally on PBS featuring Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, and Liza Minnelli. Russ also served as Liza’s pianist/accompanist from ’82-’01 and as Minnelli’s music director and conductor for the acclaimed Minnelli on Minnelli  national tour (’00). In ’98 Russ was also pianist/conductor on Broadway for Charles Aznavour in concert also taking him to the west coast for the Las Vegas grand opening of The Hotel Paris along with the Michel Legrand Orchestra. In the Jazz world he has enjoyed a 35+ year association with Bucky Pizzarelli being a member of the legendary Cafe Pierre trio. Since 2003 Russ has been the music director / pianist to Rita Moreno, and currently leads a “Rascals” – like band to perform with Eddie Brigati: After The Rascals produced by Steven Van Zandt. 2018 saw the release of Big Band Broadway with Russ’s 17 piece Big Band starring Tony winner Debbie Gravitte with whom he regularly performs. Please visit www.russkassoff.com for additional bio information.

Catherine Dupuis is the featured vocalist on most of Russ’s gigs including his big band. They have partnered together for over 20 jazz festivals – in State College, Bellefonte, PA and Sackets Harbor, NY including such jazz greats as Rob McConnell, Phil Woods, Bucky Pizzarelli, Ken Peplowski, Jerry Dodgion, Ted Nash, Gene Bertoncini, Wycliffe Gordon, Mark Murphy, Sheila Jordan and many others to name a few. Catherine has released 3 critically acclaimed albums that will be featured in today’s program. She brings an expressive warmth to her singing, as well as a skilled ability to communicate the emotional content of a lyric.  While at Indiana University (BS ’ 79), Catherine performed with the Singing Hoosiers under the direction of Robert Stoll and studied the Great American Songbook with Miss Eileen Farrell. She has appeared to critical acclaim at many popular New York City venues including the North Square Jazz Brunch, Kitano, Iridium and Smoke.  From Cole Porter to Sting, Catherine possesses an eclectic taste in musical material  She proudly claims Mark Murphy and Sheila Jordan as her mentors. Locally, her recordings can be heard on WBGO’s Singer’s Unlimited with Michael Bourne. For more info on Catherine, visit www.CatherineDupuis.com

May 21, 2019

Kevin Blancq Big Band

photo by Scott Robinson

Kevin Blancq has been a member of Local 802 since 1987. He leads the Kevin Blancq Big Band and serves as Jazz Band Director at LaGuardia High School of Music and the Performing Arts.

 

 

 

 

May 17, 2019

The Greg Ruvolo Big Band Collective

The Greg Ruvolo Big Band Collective performance features an exciting blend of selections from the Great American Songbook, jazz standards, and compositions in the modern Big Band style. Ruvolo’s band boasts some impressive talent. The group’s live and session resumĂ©s include stints in the Saturday Night Live band, time backing Steely Dan, and various roles in the big bands of titans like Buddy Rich, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, and Count Basie.

April 25, 2019

The Ross Kratter Jazz Orchestra

photo by Jonathan Kratter

The Ross Kratter Jazz Orchestra is composed of members of the Mike Stern Band, Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Victor Wooten Band, Postmodern Jukebox, Streetlight Manifesto, various Broadway show orchestras, and many more, and has played all over New York to sold-out audiences since its founding in 2010.

The band was founded by bass player, composer, and arranger Ross Kratter in 2010. Kratter’s compositions and arrangements, heavily influenced by Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer, Charles Mingus, Sy Johnson, and others, make up the majority of the band’s book, with the rest being comprised of arrangements and compositions from other members of the band. While he is primarily known as a jazz musician, Kratter is equally comfortable in any and all styles of music and has performed with such notable and varied artists as Joshua Redman, the Drifters, Bob Franceschini, Victor Wooten, Bob Reynolds, Mike Longo’s New York State of the Art Jazz Ensemble, Randy Johnston, Badal Roy, Joe Alterman, Domenick Allen, Scott Record, Frank Lacy, the Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet, Allen Vizzutti, and many more.

April 9, 2019

The New York Jazzharmonic

photo by Mihyun Kang

The New York Jazzharmonic is a 17-piece orchestra, co-led by Ron Wasserman and Miho Hazama. The orchestra will be playing excerpts from Wasserman’s 12 movement Magnum Opus, “The Four Seasons of New York Jazz.” We have not performed this since 2015. This will be a warmup for our recording later that week. The four seasons are: Summer in Harlem, Autumn on 52nd St., Winter in Greenwich Village, and Spring all around the town (which is about the Latin and trad-jazz revival movements.)

 

 

 

March 21, 2019

The John Campo Quartet

Guitarist John Campo has been in show business and the music industry since 1965, working in all the styles and popular music. He studied at The New School with Ron Parker and in Jazz Mobile with Bill Taylor. He has been a composer and recording artist for Kapp Records as both a sideman and a leader.

 

 

February 21, 2019

The Ed Palermo Big Band

photo by Hugh Brennan

Returning to his jazz roots, Ed Palermo has written and composed some his finest original arrangements in decades. Come join us for a celebration of his latest release, “A Lousy Day in Harlem.” Ed Palermo is not a “business as usual” musician. After all, when most people think of “big bands” they think of Duke and Dorsey. But go to see Ed Palermo’s Big Band and you might hear Zappa, Hendrix, the blues of Paul Butterfield & Mike Bloomfield, or one of Ed’s own compositions, loaded with lush turns and unexpected twists.

 

 

January 29, 2019

Lou Caputo’s “Not So Big Band”

photo by Alfonso Iandiorio

Lou Caputo’s “NOT SO BIG BAND” is a very unique and exciting musical group. The “Not So Big Band” is the brainchild of talented multi-instrumentalist Lou Caputo. It is an attempt to join the spontaneity of free-blown small group jazz with the power and gravity of a big band. It consists of twelve musicians as opposed to the sixteen-piece or larger variety. Unlike many bands, this band is a working band, and has been together for more than 10 years. Its varied musical library attempts to cover a wide range of styles that still fall into the category of modern jazz.

 

 

December 11, 2018

The Roger Rhodes Jazz Ensemble

“In 1960, when I was a bass player on the road, I never aspired to be a big band leader, but here I am, 50+ years later, not standing behind the bass but in front of the band with New York’s best musicians playing the euphoric post-WWII era music I love. We get together once a month and dozens of players have contributed their exceptional talents over the past few years. Our rehearsals are free and open to the public, but this one is a Benefit Concert for the Musicians’ Emergency Relief Fund. Admission is by voluntary donation on December 11th , 5:00-6:30 in the Club Room of Local 802 at 322 West 48th St. Put it on your calendar now and I look forward to seeing you then.” – Roger Rhodes (photo by Steve Singer)

 

November 15, 2018

Frank Perowsky Jazz Orchestra

New York City-based saxophonist and clarinetist Frank Perowsky is a a freelance musician who throughout his career has toured or performed with such artists as Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Billy Eckstine, Stan Getz and has been member of the big bands of Jimmy Dorsey, Woody Herman, Les and Larry Elgart and Mike Longo. He has recorded with Tito Rodriguez, Johnny Richards, Bill Watrous’ big band in the ’70s, Roland Hanna and Liza Minnelli to name a few.

Since 2007 he has led his own 17-piece big band which has made appearances at such venues as New York City’s the Bowery Poetry Club and the Baha’i Center’s Jazz Tuesdays series.

October 25, 2018

The Greg Ruvolo Big Band Collective

The Greg Ruvolo Big Band Collective performance features an exciting blend of selections from the Great American Songbook, jazz standards, and compositions in the modern Big Band style. Ruvolo’s band boasts some impressive talent. The group’s live and session resumĂ©s include stints in the Saturday Night Live band, time backing Steely Dan, and various roles in the big bands of titans like Buddy Rich, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, and Count Basie.

October 18, 2018

The Ed Palermo Big Band

The Ed Palermo Big Band has been together since 1980 and has been playing and honing the music of Frank Zappa (among other composers) for twenty years, mainly in performance at the Bottom Line and Iridium nightclubs in New York City.

 

 

 

 

September 20, 2018

Bill Warfield and the Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra

The Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra is a group of jazz artists that have come together to facilitate and explore the bond that exists between musicians from many different countries. The Orchestra performs compositions born of the genres of funk, contemporary, and Latin Jazz while embracing the varied backgrounds and experiences of its members. Audiences are treated to high-powered contemporary music that communicates, transcends, and inspires. Originally known as the “International Core-tet,” the group was made of trumpeter Bill Warfield and saxophonist Glenn Cashman from the U.S., saxophonist Jens “Chappe” Jensen from Denmark, and from the Czech Republic, guitarist Libor Smoldas and keyboardist Jakub Zomer. Bill and Jakub met each other in the summer of 2012, when they were working together in Graz, Austria. An invitation by Jakub led Bill to Prague a few weeks later where he met Libor Smoldas. The three worked together for a week and found a real “magic” in the music they played. Between gigs and sets they discussed the idea of forming a core group to continue the transcendent experience they had that week.

July 12, 2018

The Ross Kratter Jazz Orchestra

The Ross Kratter Jazz Orchestra is composed of members of the Mike Stern Band, Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Victor Wooten Band, Postmodern Jukebox, Streetlight Manifesto, various Broadway show orchestras, and many more, and has played all over New York to sold-out audiences since its founding in 2010.

The band was founded by bass player, composer, and arranger Ross Kratter in 2010. Kratter’s compositions and arrangements, heavily influenced by Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer, Charles Mingus, Sy Johnson, and others, make up the majority of the band’s book, with the rest being comprised of arrangements and compositions from other members of the band. While he is primarily known as a jazz musician, Kratter is equally comfortable in any and all styles of music and has performed with such notable and varied artists as Joshua Redman, the Drifters, Bob Franceschini, Victor Wooten, Bob Reynolds, Mike Longo’s New York State of the Art Jazz Ensemble, Randy Johnston, Badal Roy, Joe Alterman, Domenick Allen, Scott Record, Frank Lacy, the Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet, Allen Vizzutti, and many more.

June 12, 2018

The Emile Charlap Jazz Ensemble

Emile Charlap’s contracting and copying office dominated the New York recording scene for decades. During that time, Emile’s avocation was his personal “rehearsal” band (featuring himself on second trumpet), which gradually expanded from its original quintet format into a full twelve-piece ensemble. Rehearsing weekly for over 30 years, the group attracted many of New York’s best musicians, and accumulated a repertoire of jazz arrangements by some of New York’s finest.

 

May 17, 2018

Art Baron & Friends

Art Baron is a trombonist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. His defining work was with Duke Ellington, with whom he toured and recorded from 1973 to 1974. He’s also worked with a host of luminaries, including Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, B.B. King, and Cab Calloway, and he toured with Bruce Springsteen’s Seeger Sessions Band on trombone, sousaphone, penny whistles, and mandolin. He has received several commissions, including one from Jazz at Lincoln Center. Art has been deeply involved with education and conducts workshop and clinics in preschools, universities, and every place in between. In addition, Art was featured nightly as a soloist in the Broadway hit “After Midnight,” where he brought his Ellington expertise to the production. Currently, he leads The Duke’s Men, an ensemble of Ellington alumni, and is a mainstay at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City, with his group Art Baron & Friends.

The band includes Art Baron (bandleader & trombone), Steve Elson (reeds), David Phelps (guitars), Ben Stapp (tuba) and Alvester Garnett (drums). Art says: “The repertoire comes from all kinds of sources, including songs I’ve written while jogging (pay no attention to the fact that these tunes have gotten slower over the years)! The possibilities include rock, jazz, folky, ethnic, etc.  This group swallows them whole and creates a joyful musical gustatory experience!”

April 19, 2018

The Greg Ruvolo Big Band Collective

Greg Ruvolo has toured with Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, and the big bands of Woody Herman, Gerry Mulligan, and Louis Bellson, and he brought his Big Band Collective back to Local 802’s Clubroom for a “Jazz in the Afternoon” performance!

The Greg Ruvolo Big Band Collective performance features an exciting blend of selections from the Great American Songbook, jazz standards, and compositions in the modern Big Band style. Ruvolo’s band boasts some impressive talent. The group’s live and session resumĂ©s include stints in the Saturday Night Live band, time backing Steely Dan, and various roles in the big bands of titans like Buddy Rich, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, and Count Basie.

March 8, 2018

The Russ Kassoff Big Band

featuring jazz vocalist Catherine Dupuis and special guest Don Shelden, with special arrangements by Marion Evans!

The Russ Kassoff Big Band was formed in 2003 after a successful run of concerts featuring Russ as featured composer, arranger, orchestrator, and piano soloist. The virtuosity of the magnificent musicians in the band contributes to the new fresh sound of these hard-swinging original charts. Russ’s repertoire is eclectic and diverse, including many new and innovative arrangements of his original compositions in addition to such classics as Ellington’s Perdido, Horace Silver’s The Preacher,  Fats Waller‘s The Joint Is Jumpin’, and Tori Amos’ Winter.

 

 

February 15, 2018

The Ed Palermo Big Band

with guest vocalist Nina Hennessey

 

Ed Palermo is not a “business as usual” musician. After all, when most people think of “big bands” they think of Duke and Dorsey. But go to see Ed Palermo’s Big Band and you might hear Zappa, Hendrix, the blues of Paul Butterfield & Mike Bloomfield, or one of Ed’s own compositions, loaded with lush turns and unexpected twists.

 

 

January 18, 2018

The Ross Kratter Jazz Orchestra

The Ross Kratter Jazz Orchestra is composed of members of the Mike Stern Band, Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Victor Wooten Band, Postmodern Jukebox, Streetlight Manifesto, various Broadway show orchestras, and many more, and has played all over New York to sold-out audiences since its founding in 2010.

The band was founded by bass player, composer, and arranger Ross Kratter in 2010. Kratter’s compositions and arrangements, heavily influenced by Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer, Charles Mingus, Sy Johnson, and others, make up the majority of the band’s book, with the rest being comprised of arrangements and compositions from other members of the band. While he is primarily known as a jazz musician, Kratter is equally comfortable in any and all styles of music and has performed with such notable and varied artists as Joshua Redman, the Drifters, Bob Franceschini, Victor Wooten, Bob Reynolds, Mike Longo’s New York State of the Art Jazz Ensemble, Randy Johnston, Badal Roy, Joe Alterman, Domenick Allen, Scott Record, Frank Lacy, the Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet, Allen Vizzutti, and many more.

December 14, 2017

Trumpeter and commercial recording artist Greg Ruvolo’s Big Band Collective

Greg Ruvolo has toured with Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, and the big bands of Woody Herman, Gerry Mulligan, and Louis Bellson, and he brought his Big Band Collective back to Local 802’s Clubroom for a special “Jazz in the Afternoon” holiday performance!

The Greg Ruvolo Big Band Collective performance featured an exciting blend of selections from the Great American Songbook, jazz standards, and holiday compositions in the modern Big Band style. Ruvolo’s band boasts some impressive talent. The group’s live and session resumĂ©s include stints in the Saturday Night Live band, time backing Steely Dan, and various roles in the big bands of titans like Buddy Rich, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, and Count Basie.

 

November 16, 2017

Acclaimed NYC Jazz Musician Memo Acevedo and Daughter Jacquelene Acevedo with 10-piece Manhattan Bridges Orchestra

The “Jazz in the Afternoon” sessions series, featuring some of NYC’s best musicians, returned for another memorable event with Memo Acevedo and his daughter Jacquelene Acevedo, as they presented their 10-piece band, Manhattan Bridges Orchestra. Memo and Jacquelene generate a great deal of buzz around the world, and we were honored that they brought their music to Midtown for “Jazz in the Afternoon.”

On drums and percussion, Memo combines the diversity of Latin styles with the classic sound of bebop, a mixture that he calls “global jazz.” Memo has performed with major artists and bands, including his mentor, the late Tito Puente, as well as Stephen Stills, Tom Scott, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Dave Valentin, Joss Stone, Frankie Valli, Moacir Santos, Mark Murphy, Cachao, Irakere and Klimax, and many others.

 

October 12, 2017

Filmharmonic Brass Performs Excerpts from the Original Musical “Movie Music Magic!”

October’s “Jazz in the Afternoon” session was a great introduction for those who hadn’t been previously. Filmharmonic Brass performed excerpts from original musical “Movie Music Magic!” The Filmharmonic Brass is the brainchild of trumpet player Dominic Derasse. This ensemble of seven of New York’s top brass players exclusively records and performs music connected with the moving image. The group’s exciting musical is a live, magical, interactive experience for audiences of all ages to enjoy their favorite film soundtracks including The Magnificent Seven, Star Wars, Gone with the Wind, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Jaws, Fantasia, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and more.

 

September 28, 2017

Trumpeter Greg Ruvolo and Friends Celebrate the Music of Composer and Arranger Dick Lieb

Trumpeter, commercial recording artist, and band leader Greg Ruvolo, who has toured with Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, and the big bands of Woody Herman, Gerry Mulligan, and Louis Bellson, brought his Big Band Collective to the Clubroom to perform the music of Sesame Street and Tonight Show composer and arranger Dick Lieb. The group performed standards such as Yardbird Suite and ‘Round Midnight, as well as original compositions.