Saxophonist Caleb Curtis and bassist Marcos Varela met at the prestigious Kennedy Center’s Betty Carter Jazz Ahead residency, an invitational program that distinguishes composition and improvisation excellence. Since then they have begun to develop their music and friendship incorporating their wide variety of influences. Their music grows from a deep-rooted sense of tradition, contemporary jazz influences and through a joint desire to present original music they feel is fresh, exciting and relevant. As co-leaders of a jazz quintet they appear here with trumpeter Mat Jodrell, pianist Jacob Sacks, and drummer Jeff Davis....
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Saxophonist Caleb Curtis and bassist Marcos Varela met at the prestigious Kennedy Center’s Betty Carter Jazz Ahead residency, an invitational program that distinguishes composition and improvisation excellence. Since then they have begun to develop their music and friendship incorporating their wide variety of influences. Their music grows from a deep-rooted sense of tradition, contemporary jazz influences and through a joint desire to present original music they feel is fresh, exciting and relevant. As co-leaders of a jazz quintet they appear here with trumpeter Mat Jodrell, pianist Jacob Sacks, and drummer Jeff Davis.
Alto Saxophonist Caleb Curtis grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan in a family that values creativity and happiness, encouraging artistic expression. He was given his first saxophone by his grandfather, an amateur saxophonist himself, when he was ten years old. During the following school year Caleb began playing alto saxophone despite the band director insisting he play trumpet instead. He went on to study music at Michigan State University and perform at many popular Michigan clubs.
In the past couple of years Caleb has received a DownBeat Outstanding Soloist Award; an invitation by Jazz Aspen Snowmass to attend workshops and perform in Snowmass, CO; recognition from The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC as an outstanding instrumentalist and composer with an invitation to attend workshops and perform on their Millennium Stage as part of the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead residency; and was a finalist in the Gene Harris Jazz Competition. In 2008 he was fortunate enough to travel with the Michigan State University Jazz Orchestra and Yutaka Shiina to Japan (Osaka, Kobe, Nagoya, Kyoto, Tokyo, Narita) for two weeks of performances and master classes.
Bassist Marcos Varela began playing in his native Houston, TX at the age of Sixteen when he attended the highly acclaimed High School for the Performing & Visual Arts. He quickly gained recognition in the Houston jazz scene and by the age of 18 was one of the top honorees of the NFAA International Jazz award, an IAJE Clifford Brown/Stan Getz All- Star, and later a member of the Prestigious Kennedy Centers Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program.
Marcos attended the New School University on scholarship and quickly became part of the New York and World music scene playing with bands led by great musicians and legends such as Billy Hart, Winard Harper, Brad Leali, George Cables, Bob Mover, Frank Lacy, Mike Moreno, Charli Persip, Greg Bandy, Bruce Barth, Andre Hayward, Tyshawn Sorey, Jacob Sacks, Junior Mance, Wayne Escoffery, Thomas Heberer (ICP), Robert Glasper, George Colligan, Victor Jones, Kendrick Scott and Geri Allen. Just to name a few. Marcos has performed on three continents and ten different countries including Japan, Australia, Switzerland, and Italy.
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