Mulherkar/Clausen Quintet at

A joint venture between trumpeter Riley Mulherkar and trombonist Andy Clausen, The Mulherkar-Clausen Quintet is a hard-charging ensemble of Seattle’s most promising young improvisers. Formed in June 2011, the band serves as the summer laboratory for its leaders’ new compositions. Both pursuing their studies at The Juilliard School in New York City, the Mulherkar-Clausen Quintet represents the alliance of two crosstown rivals from Seattle’s famed high school jazz programs.

Riley, a graduate of Garfield High School was the recipient of the 2010 Ella Fitzgerald Outstanding Soloist award from the Essentially Ellington Competition, the festival’s top honor. The New Yorker calls him a “brilliant teen-aged trumpeter.” In a recent interview with JET magazine Wynton Marsalis named Riley among a high-profile list of the "Next Generation of Jazz Greats." ...

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A joint venture between trumpeter Riley Mulherkar and trombonist Andy Clausen, The Mulherkar-Clausen Quintet is a hard-charging ensemble of Seattle’s most promising young improvisers. Formed in June 2011, the band serves as the summer laboratory for its leaders’ new compositions. Both pursuing their studies at The Juilliard School in New York City, the Mulherkar-Clausen Quintet represents the alliance of two crosstown rivals from Seattle’s famed high school jazz programs.

Riley, a graduate of Garfield High School was the recipient of the 2010 Ella Fitzgerald Outstanding Soloist award from the Essentially Ellington Competition, the festival’s top honor. The New Yorker calls him a “brilliant teen-aged trumpeter.” In a recent interview with JET magazine Wynton Marsalis named Riley among a high-profile list of the "Next Generation of Jazz Greats."

Andy, graduate of Roosevelt High School, was the recipient of the 2009 Gerald Wilson Award for Jazz Composition from the Monterey Jazz Festival. An active composer, arranger and bandleader since the age of 14, Clausen has released two albums of his original music to critical acclaim. The New York Times has described his work as “sleek, dynamic large-group jazz, a whirl of dark-hued harmony and billowing rhythm…The intelligent sheen of Mr. Clausen’s writing was as striking as the composure of his peers…It was impressive, and not just by the yardstick of their age.”

Together, the two form an impressive front line of brass prowess. They are joined by Seattle young lions Gus Carns on Piano, Mark Hunter on Bass and Evan Woodle on Drums.

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