Jim Ridl is in high demand as a New York City jazz pianist, composer, teacher and band leader. His ongoing residency at the internationally known jazz club The 55 Bar is in its fifth year, where he and his quartet perform his original compositions monthly. Jim performs worldwide with a variety of jazz artists, including The Joe Locke Quartet, The Dave Liebman Big Band, The Paul Jost Quartet and the Mingus Big Band. He has toured with the US State Department American Music Abroad program (โ12 and โ15), performing in Russia, South Korea, China, the Philippines, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Slovenia and Malta. As a composer and leader, Jim has released 7 recordings, the latest titled Door in a Field, Volume 2. Jim was a Princeton University Visiting Artist for three separate semesters (โ12, โ14, โ16), coaching jazz ensembles in repertoire and performance. Jim continues as adjunct educator in Jazz Piano Studies at The City College of New York and the New York Jazz Workshop in Manhattan. From 1994 โ 2004, Jim performed with jazz guitar legend Pat Martino, receiving critically acclaimed reviews of performances around the world, and producing four outstanding recordings: Interchange, Night Wings, The Maker and Nexus. Jim was raised on a farm and ranch in North Dakota, and discovered his love for piano and jazz at an early age. He attended the University of Colorado at Denver, where he earned his Bachelor Degree in Scoring and Arranging, and was awarded its Student Achievement Award for composing โOcean Sojourn,โ an orchestral tone poem, performed with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, James Setapen conducting....
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Jim Ridl is in high demand as a New York City jazz pianist, composer, teacher and band leader. His ongoing residency at the internationally known jazz club The 55 Bar is in its fifth year, where he and his quartet perform his original compositions monthly. Jim performs worldwide with a variety of jazz artists, including The Joe Locke Quartet, The Dave Liebman Big Band, The Paul Jost Quartet and the Mingus Big Band. He has toured with the US State Department American Music Abroad program (โ12 and โ15), performing in Russia, South Korea, China, the Philippines, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Slovenia and Malta. As a composer and leader, Jim has released 7 recordings, the latest titled Door in a Field, Volume 2. Jim was a Princeton University Visiting Artist for three separate semesters (โ12, โ14, โ16), coaching jazz ensembles in repertoire and performance. Jim continues as adjunct educator in Jazz Piano Studies at The City College of New York and the New York Jazz Workshop in Manhattan. From 1994 โ 2004, Jim performed with jazz guitar legend Pat Martino, receiving critically acclaimed reviews of performances around the world, and producing four outstanding recordings: Interchange, Night Wings, The Maker and Nexus. Jim was raised on a farm and ranch in North Dakota, and discovered his love for piano and jazz at an early age. He attended the University of Colorado at Denver, where he earned his Bachelor Degree in Scoring and Arranging, and was awarded its Student Achievement Award for composing โOcean Sojourn,โ an orchestral tone poem, performed with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, James Setapen conducting.
Joel Rosenblatt
Joel Rosenblatt is best known as the drummer for Spyro Gyra, one of the most successful pop-jazz groups ever. Joelโs varied early work including Dominican pianist Michel Camilo, bluesman Matt โGuitarโ Murphy, jazz artist Paquito DโRivera, and country-rock band Pure Prairie League, has given him a wide range of experience as well as making him one of the most diverse drummers around.
Having toured the world many times over, Joel brings an international musical awareness to the music. Currently the owner and main engineer at world class CliffSound Productions, Joel is also actively involved in producing and cultivating new artists. Below is a partial list of credits:
Bill Evans, Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, Chieli Minucci and Special EFX, Ken Navarro, Oz Noy, Chuck Loeb, Mike Manieri, Steve Khan, Randy Brecker, Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, Russel Ferrante, Michel Camilo , Bernie Williams, Eliane Elias, Michael Davis, Peter White, Manhattan Transfer and many more.
Chris Tarry
Chris Tarry is an five-time Juno award-winning musician and a Peabody award-winning writer and podcast producer. His book of short stories, How To Carry Bigfoot Home (Red Hen Press, March 2015), won the IndieFab book of the year for short fiction, and has been widely praised as one of the best short story collections of 2015. He is one of New Yorkโs most in-demand bass players, has produced countless award-winning albums, written short films, developed successful podcasts, and excels in sound design and digital editing. Gen-Z Media, the award-winning podcast company he co-founded in 2017, is widely regarded as one of the most innovative podcast production houses working today.
Zach Brock
Critically acclaimed as the "pre-eminent improvising violinist of his generation," Zach Brock is an American jazz violinist and Grammy Award-winning member of Snarky Puppy. He has also toured with artists such as Stanley Clark and Phil Markowitz, released seven solo albums, and was named "Rising Star Violinist" of 2013 by Downbeat Magazine. A passionate educator, Zach has coached hundreds of musicians from workshops to conservatories worldwide. Zach remains a perennial coffee fanatic and skateboard enthusiast, and currently lives with his wife and daughters in the NYC area.
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