New York Voices with Jazzmasters Big Band
Benjamin Franklin Middle School
Ridgewood, NJ
Ridgewood NJ, Returning to Ridgewood, NJ for the first time since 1997, The Grammy Award winning vocal jazz quartet consisting of Darmon Meader, Peter Eldridge, Kim Nazarian, and Lauren Kinhan will be joined by an all star line up of professional music educators to perform for one night only.
Having recently celebrated their 25th anniversary, New York Voices is the Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble renowned for their excellence in jazz and the art of group singing. They are known for their close-knit voicings, inspired arrangements and unparalleled vocal blend. Their chameleon-like musicianship allows them to move seamlessly from setting to setting, be it orchestral/big band to the intimate trio lineup. With deep interests rooted in jazz, Brazilian, R & B, classical, and pop, their music mixes traditional sensibilities with more than a dash of the unexpected.
The Voices will perform 2 sets of music including selections from their popular recorded repertoire plus A Cappella features performed only in a live setting.
The Jazzmasters Big Band was formed in 2013 by Ridgewood High School Band Director Jeffrey Haas to provide a way for his students to hear live big band jazz performed by excellent musicians. Jazzmasters is an ensemble of celebrated performers – Grammy nominees, public school teachers, college professors, private instructors and Broadway musicians – who all share a passion for playing and teaching music in the big band tradition. The group has since branched out from the educational clinic setting to well attended and highly acclaimed public performances.
The Jazzmasters Big Band is:
Saxophones: Julius Tolentino, Paul Larsen, David Demsey, James Garde and Jeff Haas
Trumpets: David Rogers, Ben Hankle, Jeffrey Lesser and John Luckenbill
Trombones: Matt Bilyk, Pete McGuinness, Matt Tracey and Henry Heyzer
Rhythm: Willy Dalton(guitar), Jeffrey Kunkel(piano), Brian Glassman(bass), Steve Johns(drums) and Gary Fink(percussion)
What a night of music that was! Brilliant performances all around. And the guy with the most critical job was on the sound board! Most of the time there were walls of sound coming from multiple directions, heaven knows how he balanced out all those players and singers. Night in Tunisia was magnificent. Even the high school big band got in on the act with a quick performance to start the concert. Well done, Mr. Haas! AZ