To most of us, the adventures of trailblazing triple threat trumpeter, vocalist and songwriter Bria Skonberg are borderline unbelievable. Born in British Columbia, Canada and now residing in New York City, Bria has been a featured bandleader and guest artist at hundreds of festivals and stages the world over, including New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival and Montreal Jazz Festival.
Described as “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation” (Wall Street Journal), she has created a signature sound of fiery trumpet playing and smoky vocals blending jazz, blues and beyond with storytelling and adventurous concoctions of classic and new. ...
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To most of us, the adventures of trailblazing triple threat trumpeter, vocalist and songwriter Bria Skonberg are borderline unbelievable. Born in British Columbia, Canada and now residing in New York City, Bria has been a featured bandleader and guest artist at hundreds of festivals and stages the world over, including New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival and Montreal Jazz Festival.
Described as “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation” (Wall Street Journal), she has created a signature sound of fiery trumpet playing and smoky vocals blending jazz, blues and beyond with storytelling and adventurous concoctions of classic and new.
Bria has performed with Jon Batiste, U2, Michelle Williams, Pedrito Martinez, The American Pops and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras, The Blacksmiths and once sang the “Star Spangled Banner” at Madison Square Garden for a NY Rangers game.
The “shining hope of hot jazz” (NY Times) is well versed in classic American music as both a performer and educator, programming masterclasses, concerts and workshops for students of all ages. Her debut LP on Sony Masterworks won a Canadian JUNO award and made the Top 5 on Billboard jazz charts. Bria has recorded on over 25 albums and recently released her sixth studio solo album “Nothing Never Happens” consisting of mostly original compositions; her music has garnered over 13 million streams online and over 85000 social media followers.
A 6x Downbeat Rising Star, further accolades include the Jazz at Lincoln Center Swing Award, Best Vocal and Best Trumpet from Hot House Jazz Magazine and Outstanding Jazz Artist at the Bistro Awards.
A third generation musician, Evan Arntzen began learning New-Orleans-style clarinet at the age of seven from his grandfather, who showed him the expressive power of the music of Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet. He has since developed his own expressive voice on clarinet, saxophone and vocals, which Grammy Award winning jazz writer Ricky Riccardi calls “the very definition of timeless.” Evan moved from his hometown of Vancouver, BC to New York City in 2014, where he has played such venues as the Rose Theater (Jazz at Lincoln Center), Dizzy’s Club, Birdland and Cafe Bohemia, as well as toured internationally.
Evan Arntzen
Evan is featured on notable recordings by Bria Skonberg (Sony Masterworks), Kat Edmonson, Loudon Wainwright III, and the Grammy Award winning soundtracks for HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and Bessie with Vince Giordano's Nighthawks. He performs regularly with Grammy Award winner Catherine Russell and has performed with such greats as Houston Person, Scott Robinson, Wycliffe Gordon, Jason Marsalis, and Michael Bublé. Evan has also released three critically-acclaimed albums as a leader, including 2021’s Countermelody on Dot Time Records.
Evan is also a passionate educator and maintains a private studio both in-person and online. He’s a proud member of faculty at the Northampton Community Music Center and teaches jazz history and appreciation courses for DOROT’s University Without Walls and New Horizons International Music Association. He graduated in 2022 from Manhattan School of Music with a Master's degree in jazz clarinet performance.
Arnt Arntzen is one of the most in-demand plectrum banjo and guitar players in the traditional jazz scene in New York City, where he has lived since 2017. In addition to leading his own trio, called Arnie and His Rhythm, he holds the guitar chair in both the Grammy Award-winning Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, as well as The Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, which performs weekly at Birdland Jazz Club.
Arnt has performed in many of the top concert halls and venues in and around NYC, including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Symphony Space and the Ear Inn. With his hard-swinging rhythm and remarkable singing voice, Arnt has helped audiences across North America get out of their seats and dance.
He and his brother Evan co-lead The Brothers Arntzen, and are featured in Three Generations of Jazz with their grandfather Lloyd and parents Georgina and Tom. Arnt began learning music at a young age from his family, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jazz and Contemporary Guitar from Vancouver Community College in 2014.
Jen Hodge is a versatile and in-demand bass player, who sometimes also wears the hats of bandleader, vocalist, arranger, and/or tuba player. She originally hails from coastal British Columbia, and relocated to New York City in the Fall of 2019. Jen's playing is characterized by hard swinging grooves, an expressive and energetic playing style, and an evident, infectious love for making music. Her steadfast bass playing and consummate professionalism have taken her to stages all over Canada, the USA, China, Spain, France, the UK, Sweden, and the Caribbean with such artists as Bria Skonberg, Jon-Erik Kellso, Casey MacGill, the Eyal Vilner Big Band, and Grammy Award-winning children's artist Lucy Kalantari.
Jen Hodge
In NYC, Jen can often be found in the house band for the long-running Mona's Tuesday Night Hot Jazz jam session, and at a vast variety of venues in all five boroughs from neighbourhood dive bars to iconic ballrooms to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
As a bandleader, Jen has released 3 full-length albums to date, of which the most recent 2 - The Girl in the Groove (2020) and All's Fair in Love and Jazz (2018) - charted in the North American College and Community Radio Top Ten Jazz Charts.
Andrew Millar is a freelance drummer based in Brooklyn, NY. Originally from British Columbia, Canada, Andrew relocated to NYC in February 2015 after receiving a BC Arts Council grant to study with the great Kenny Washington. A musician of immense taste and versatility, Andrew has established himself as one of the first call swing, trad and straight-ahead jazz drummers on the scene today. He can be heard as a regular with the Glenn Crytzer Orchestra, the Animule Dance, Tamar Korn, Dida Pelled, Sean Cronin's Very Good and many others.
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