Celebrate Jazz Forum’s First Anniversary with Roberta Gambarini Quartet!

Roberta Gambarini Quartet
A force to be reckoned with, Italian vocal powerhouse Roberta Gambarini got her start singing in clubs when she was only 17. After receiving training at the New England Conservatory, she came in third place in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition in 1998. Since then, she’s been nominated for two Grammys and collaborated with giants like Dave Brubeck, Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, and Wynton Marsalis. Collaborations aside, her five studio albums and countless awards and accolades establish her as an artist in her own right and a joy to watch.

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Brasilian Vibes
Live Recording Session!
Brasilian Vibes Trio members are Nanny Assis (vocals/guitar/perc), Leonardo Lucini (7-string elec bass) and Arthur Lipner (vibes/marimba).  Assis was honored as 2017’s “Brazilian Music Ambassador Of The World ” by the Brazilian Press Awards. This ground-breaking trio integrates varied Brazilian styles and repertoire with mallet instruments to create exciting new sounds which will delight your ears and tap your feet. Leonardo Lucini, hailing from Rio de Janeiro, is an active performer/educator based in the DC area with many albums and publications to his credit.  Arthur Lipner’s concert appearances, recordings, and publications have established him as a leading mallet player and composer of his generation. Lipner has toured in Brazil eighteen times. See Brasilian Vibes with special guest Mark Morganelli (flugelhornist & owner of the Jazz Forum) at the Jazz Forum!

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Roy Hargrove Quintet
Roy Hargrove has been one of America’s most in-demand jazz artists for over two decades. He won his first Grammy in 1998 for the album Habana with his Afro-Cuban band, Crisol. He won a second Grammy in 2002 for Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall with co-leaders Herbie Hancock and Michael Brecker. Hargrove was also the bandleader of the progressive group The RH Factor, which combined funk, jazz, hip-hop, soul, and gospel music. He tours all over the world with the Roy Hargrove Quintet and the Roy Hargrove Big Band. 

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Janet Grice Brazilian Bassoon Quintet
Janet Grice explores the versatile sound of the bassoon in a wide range of musical styles. In Janet’s hands the bassoon expresses her deep connection to the music of Brazil in songs by Jobim, Moacir Santos, Pixinguinha and Hermeto Pascoal, as well as classics by Villa Lobos, Guerra Peixe and Francisco Mignone. Frequent trips to Brazil researching and performing its popular and classical music have led to Janet’s deep appreciation of the culture, and expertise in the musical field.

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Teri Roiger Quintet
Teri Roiger is a jazz vocalist, pianist, songwriter, educator, and producer. She began playing piano at age 5, and played church organ throughout her teens. When she discovered jazz in her early 20s – and soon after made her first demo with the legendary stride pianist, Butch Thompson – her musical path was set. Teri has since performed throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe, and has been a featured artist at the San Miguel Jazz Festival, Panama Jazz Festival, and Bolzano Jazz Festival. The depth of her experiences and love of jazz is apparent when she brings all of her talents to bear in her live performances, the recording studio, and through her moving lyrics and compositions. See the Teri Roiger Quintet featuring James Weidman, piano, John Menegon, bass, Joel Frahm, sax, and Steve Williams, drums at the Jazz Forum!

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Donald Harrison Quartet
Alto saxophonist Donald Harrison is a New Orleans-born traditionalist, a modern jazz trendsetter, a former member of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, a nurturer of young talent, a composer and a bandleader. A kind of Crescent City Renaissance man, Harrison has performed with numerous jazz legends, including Dr. John, Digable Planets, Lena Horne, and Miles Davis.

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Carlos Dias Brazilian Quartet
The Brazilian-born, Manhattan-based singer, actor, and model Carlos Dias has led a remarkably eclectic international career. He has appeared in many of Brazil’s highest-rated novelas (soap operas) and musical productions imported from Broadway; sung pop-jazz at top New York venues; worked as an acrobatic dancer, and recorded several CDs of dance music and American standards. As a producer and singer-songwriter, Carlos has released the CD “This is The Time”, of original dance tracks. He has also been performing and co-writing for “Brazilian Music Soul”, a nu-jazz band based in New York City, along with vocalist, Vanessa Falabella. 

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Roland Vazquez Quintet
Throughout his 20 years performing in NYC, composer and drummer Roland Vazquez has developed a “funky-salsa-bebop” style with unique compositions for quintet, octet and big band. As a member of Clare Fischer’s band “Salsa Picante”, Vasquez played on the group’s Grammy-winning “Salsa Picante 2+2.” As jazz faculty at Manhattan School of Music and the University of Michigan, he taught ensembles, jazz composition, and “Music of the Afro Latin Diaspora”. Roland also received a grant from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music to record “The Visitor” (2009) featuring his all-star NYC jazz orchestra.

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