A first-call trumpeter, Freddie Hendrix’s two-decade resume as a soloist, lead trumpeter or section musician reads like a who’s-who of jazz and pop giants – Count Basie Orchestra, Christian McBride Big Band, Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Mary K. Blige. In recent years, Freddie has also stepped out as a leader. All About Jazz called his album Jersey Cat “a vital testament that he has the composing, arranging, and leadership skills combined with incredible technical chops, to succeed as a major artist.”

Saxophonist Neal Andrew Spitzer is a full time musician, composer, educator and sound engineer. Music has always been a big part of Neal Spitzer’s life thanks to his mother, the accomplished concert pianist Rosalie Spitzer. Neal Spitzer’s credits as a musician continue to grow and we are so excited to see Neal Spitzer come back to the Jazz Forum for a big show with plenty of original music and a few not so standard tunes to reel you in.

Tenor Saxophonist Javon Jackson came into international prominence touring and recording with the legendary drummer Art Blakey as a member of his band, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Symbolizing a new generation of musicians that blended tradition with neo-jazz, Jackson went on to release 14 recordings as a band leader and tour and record over 135 CDs.

See Javon Jackson featuring George Cables, David Williams & Louis Hayes!

Jeremy Pelt has become one of the pre-eminent young trumpeters within the world of jazz. Forging a bond with the Mingus Big Band very early on, as his career progressed, Pelt built upon these relationships and many others which eventually lead to collaborations with some of the genre’s greatest masters. Pelt’s recordings and performances have earned him critical acclaim, both nationally and internationally. He’s been voted Rising Star on the trumpet five years in a row by Downbeat Magazine and the Jazz Journalists Association.

Pianist Pete Malinverni begun Classical Piano studies at the age of six, and has been a fixture on the New York City jazz scene since moving there in the early 1980s. Throughout his time in NYC, Pete established performing, recording and inspirational contact with a host of masters. His experiences convinced him that music must be treated as a sacred gift, to be passed on freely to fellow musicians and listeners, with passion.