Sherma Andrews, Barry Harris and Julius Rodriguez @ Jazz Forum!

Sherma Andrews Group
Tribute to the Great Lady Singers
Singer/songwriter Sherma Andrews was born the youngest in a musically gifted family living in the Caribbean Island of Trinidad. Her perfect pitch and her ability to play any song after only one listening led her to serve as the church organist at age 7. Sherma toured and worked with many accomplished recording artists such as Branford Marsalis, Britney Spears, Donna Summer and opened for Michael Mc Donald and Michael Feinstein. She has also performed at many festivals including The Montreux and Cape Cod Jazz Festivals. Sherma developed a production called,” The Legendary Lady Singers,” where she performs the hit songs of some of the greatest female singers in a way that only Sherma Andrews can deliver. 

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Enrico Granafei Quartet
Harmonica virtuoso, classical guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger and composer Enrico Granafei has a long history of musical experience which encompasses both Classical Music and Jazz. After earning a degree in classical guitar from the Conservatory of l’Aquila in Italy, Enrico started to broaden his horizons by discovering Jazz through the harmonica. Following in the tradition of the legendary Toots Thielemans, he began to explore new possibilities for the harmonica. His love for Jazz led him to New York City, where he soon started to perform in local jazz clubs, including The Blue Note, Birdland, Visiones, Angry Squire, and the Bottom Line. Enrico has performed extensively on the Chromatic Harmonica in the United States and continues to be a featured musician in major Festivals and Jazz clubs in Finland, Estonia, France, Italy and Hungary. He has recorded with Eddie Gomez, Marc Johnson, Adam Nussbaum, Patrick Saussois, Amina Figarova, Billy Hart, Wallace Roney, Vic Juris, Dave Stryker, Irio de Paula and many others. See Enrico Granafei with Galuco Lima (piano), Rick Crane (bass) and Samuel Martinelli (drums) at the Jazz Forum!

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Roni Ben-Hur/Harvie S Trio
CD Release Event!
Jazz guitarist Roni Ben-Hur has earned a sterling reputation as a musician and educator, renowned for his golden tone, improvisational brilliance, compositional lyricism and ability to charm peers, students and listeners alike. While living in Israel, he began playing in wedding bands and in Tel Aviv clubs as a teenager enraptured by the recordings of Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Jim Hall and Kenny Burrell. The young musician also came to love the classical Spanish repertoire via Segovia, hearing a Moorish sound that resonated with his family’s North African roots. Later, after moving to New York in 1985, he would fall for Brazilian music, particularly through the work of guitarist-composer Baden Powell. When Roni came onto the New York jazz scene, he was fortunate to be taken under the wing of veteran jazz pianist Barry Harris, a Monk disciple and Grammy Award-winner who led the influential Jazz Cultural Theater during the mid-’80s in Manhattan. The up-and-coming guitarist played in Harris’s band, absorbing musical wisdom and life lessons. Roni regularly performs in the top jazz venues and in major festivals across the country and around the world.

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Barry Harris Trio
Barry Harris is an internationally renowned Jazz Pianist, Composer and Teacher. Barry is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from Northwestern University. He has received the Living Jazz Legacy award from the Mid-Atlantic Arts Association, and an American Jazz Masters Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Barry has devoted his life to the advancement of Jazz and in the 1980’s founded the Jazz Cultural Theatre. For the past several decades Barry has been an exponent of the classic Jazz style and has educated legions of experienced musicians and amateurs. The Barry Harris Trio features Calvin Hill, bass, and Leroy Williams, drums.

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Denise Reis Trio
Born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Denise Reis is a singer, guitarist and composer. Denise began studying guitar at age 10 and four years later she was invited to take part in a European tour. As her musical career progressed, she found widespread acclaim and encouragement in Brazil. Her album “Alfândega”, debuted in 2007 with many of her own compositions. In 2009, Denise was honored with an invitation to compose a song and perform for His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Denise amazes and delights audiences from around the world with her warmth, unique artistic expression and exquisite musicality. 

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Bill O’Connell Quartet
“This is a pianist with immense “player power”…. The range of his artistic spectrum seems limitless, and I suggest my readers will be moved by this colossus of musical dignity and improvisational authority.” — George Carroll

“When pianist Bill O’Connell took his first tentative steps into the world of Latin Jazz in the mid-70’s, he wouldn’t have dared to predict that “Afro-Cuban” would come to define his artistic persona and over time, he would come to be recognized as a true master of the demanding genre.” — Mark Holston, JAZZIZ

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Julius Rodriguez Quintet
An all-star quintet of young lions brings you the fresh sound of jazz’s up and coming talents. The leader, and a Westchester native, Julius Rodriguez, has already been making a name for himself in the New York City jazz scene. Julius’ budding career, boasts shows at well-known venues such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jazz Standard, and Smalls Jazz Club and performances with recognizable names including Javon Jackson, James Morrison, Wynton Marsalis, and Jazzmeia Horn. He has also traveled to perform in Japan, Russia, Spain and Australia.

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Miho Nobuzane Samba Jazz Quartet
A versatile jazz pianist, composer, and vocalist, Miho Nobuzane was born in Osaka, Japan, where she majored in classical piano during college. After she moved to New York, she began to distinguish herself immediately in the Brazilian music scene, subsequently expanding to various music genres where she performed with such well­known great musicians as Bernard Purdie, Filo Machado, Martha Reeves & Vandellas, Ana Popovic, Hendrik Meurkens, Sergio Brandao, Portinho, Lincoln Goines, David Finck, Nilson Matta, Victor Jones, Carla Cook, Bakithi Kumalo and many others. See Miho Nobuzane (piano) with Eddie Allen (trumpet), Flavio Lira (bass) and Graciliano Zambonin (drums) at the Jazz Forum!

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Valery Ponomarev Quartet
The first major Russian jazz musician to make an impression in the United States, Valery Ponomarev has always had an attractive tone, a swinging style, and a strong interest in keeping the hard bop legacy of Clifford Brown alive. After playing in Russia for many years, he joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, a perfect outlet for his style, from 1977-1980; he recorded nine albums with Blakey for such labels as Roulette, Timeless, and Concord. Ponomarev has since freelanced, usually leading his own quintets and recording extensively for Reservoir.

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