Pete Malinverni’S Invisible Cities Quintet

Malinverni's life in music began at age seven in his hometown of Niagara Falls, NY, where he studied classical piano with local legend Laura Copia. He continued in NYC with Elena Belli, Anthony Newman and Sophia Rosoff. Pete himself is now a teacher much in demand, serving as the Director of Jazz Studies faculty of New York's Purchase College Conservatory of Music, where teaches Jazz Harmony, Jazz History, Jazz Improvisation, Solfege and coaches student ensembles. Previously, he taught at William Paterson University and at New York University, where he received the prestigious Marc Crawford Award for Excellence in Jazz Education. As an Artist in Residence, Pete leads clinics and master classes worldwide.Since 1993 Pete has served as Minister of Music at the Devoe Street Baptist Church in Brooklyn, NY, exposing him to the music of the African-American church, and his suites for vocal choir and jazz quartet based on the Psalms of David, demonstrate his abilities as a composer on a grander scale. His June 2006 release Joyful!, an ArtistShare CD/DVD, documents this new and exciting form of music. Highlighted and reviewed favorably in Down Beat, JazzTimes, Jazziz and many other jazz publications, Joyful! also crossed over to media of wider reach, including features on several internationally heard NPR shows and national print publications such as the Los Angeles Daily News, Portland (OR) Skanner Montreal Mirror and Pittsburgh Tribune.weblinks:www.petemalinverni.com WAYNE TUCKER is a trumpeter, composer, arranger, violinist, vocalist, actor and model based in New York City. He has released 5 albums under his name and performs regularly with his band, The Bad Mothas in New York City. Wayne has toured and recorded with a diverse array of notables such as jazz musicians Kurt Elling, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Cyrille Aimée; pop acts Taylor Swift, David Crosby, Elvis Costello; r&b singers Ne-Yo and Gabriel Garzon-Montano; hip hop artists Jidenna and Ryan Leslie; and with the rock band Brass Against. This diversity is represented in The Bad Mothas energetic sound where the American Songbook gets a welcome update, including selections by Michael Jackson or Earth Wind & Fire. The group was featured in the New York Times for its steady schedule of street performances during the 2020 shutdown, representatives of New York City's infamous grit. Wayne continues to maintain a dedicated presence in the small clubs of New York City alongside a career which makes occasional forays into venues like Madison Square Garden, The Hollywood Bowl, and The Tonight Show, to name a few. As an actor/model he has been featured in ads and commercials for companies like Dove, Mastercard, Bonobos and GMC, and appeared on television shows like Succession and Blacklist. Tucker wrote the soundtrack and co-stars in the short film Hotel Bleu. Born in Toronto, Canada on June 4, 1971, Grant Stewart was exposed to the music of Charlie Parker, Wardell Gray and Coleman Hawkins by his father, a high-school English teacher and semiprofessional guitarist. Father and son often played together for hours on end. It was through these early experiences and his father's encouragement that Stewart first developed a strong ear for melody, style, and improvisation. He began with the alto saxophone at age 10, and when he was 14 his first teacher, noted Toronto bandleader Pete Schofield, invited him to play professionally in Schofield's Big Band. At 17 he switched to the tenor saxophone and was soon playing with such master saxophonists as Pat Labarbara and Bob Mover. Stewart considers Mover to be one of his greatest teachers and among his strongest influences along with Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Don Byas, and Lester Young. Since moving to New York City at the age of 19, Stewart has studied with such masters as Donald Byrd, Barry Harris, and Joe Lovano, and performed with Curtis Fuller, John Hendricks, Clark Terry, Etta Jones, Bill Charlap, Frank Gant, Dan Barret, Bob Mover, Brad Mehldau, Russell Malone, Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Jimmy Cobb,Harry Connick , Mickey Roker, Arthur Harper, Jimmy Lovelace, Cecil Payne, Dick Hymen, Herb Geller and was a member of the last Al Grey Sextet. Stewart can be found playing at such clubs in NY as, Birdland, Smoke, The Ketano, The Jazz Standard, Fat Cat and can be heard every Tuesday night at Smalls Jazz Club. Stewart has performed all over North America and Europe as well as Japan, Brazil, Taiwan and was one of the first jazz artists to be invited to play at the historical Hermitage Museum in St.Petersberg Russia. Grant was also a featured artist at the Guggenheim Museums' Jazz series with his trio-featuring Jimmy Cobb. Stewart has eight releases as a leader on various labels ,two as a co-leader with fellow tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander on the Criss Cross label as well as many others as a sideman (for a complete list go to grantstewartjazz.com ) His latest releases are The Shadow of Your Smile on Birds Records (Japan) and In the Still of the Night on Sharp Nine Records (USA) which has received worldwide critical acclaim .Keep an eye out for Stewart's upcoming release of Young at Heart in March of 2008 on Sharp Nine Records .Here's what the critics are saying: Powerful in a form that combines tension and relaxation like that of Sonny Rollins and Dexter Gordon, Grant is one of the most powerful stylists and one of the most under estimated on the scene . His sincerity ,demonstrated in his straightforward, honed music, affirms completely his power of expression. He is a burning representative of that New York style which is notably found to express itself at Small's, Mitch Borden's club. Working with a close-knit circle of musicians he frequents the aristocracy of jazz at the limits of the underground.Jazz Hot Magazine his huge sound , creativity and beautiful melodic sense combine to easily place him among the finest saxophonists on the scene today The Villager Stewart's tenor is tight , rich and played full tone , instantly enveloping you in the sheer strength of his soundstaying away from established phrases and creating a researched personal sound , he produces a fresh resounding tenor Swing Journal Stewart is one of the most dynamic modern day interpreters of the bebop languagedelivering his goods with a bold ,deep sound, rich melodic imagination , and flawless technique.Newark Star Ledger a pure jazzman - the real thing an imposing presence, a warmth of sound, an authority of expression , a force in the lines, and an inspiration that carries his phrases to their full extent. He has such an individual sound that he never gives the impression of reciting the lessons of his models Jazzman Magazineweblinks:www.grantstewartjazz.com Ugonna Okegwo is one of the most distinctive and sought-after jazz bassists in the world. Critics across the globe have praised him for his rich tone, supple sense of swing, stylistic range and inventiveness. These qualities have not only earned him a place on the bandstand with jazz legends as diverse as Clark Terry, Benny Golson, Pharoah Sanders and Joseph Jarman they have established him as one of the leading lights of a younger generation redefining jazz for the new century. "He is very individualistic, both in his soloing and accompanying. I love the way he plays in the ensemble, says Tom Harrell, with whom Okegwo has worked for several years. Ugonna does some really creative things that I haven't heard anyone do with his articulation and timing." Born March 15, 1962 in London to a German mother and Nigerian father, Okegwo was raised in Germany and grew up listening to African-American music -- James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, and, eventually, the great Charles Mingus. "What I always heard first in funk and rock 'n roll were the bass lines, the ostinato, and later, in jazz, the walking bass," he recalls. "That's what first got me playing bass. The fusing of funk and jazz bass conceptions is a foundation of Okegwo's unique approach, making his sound instantly recognizable. In 1986, he moved to Berlin to study with the American expatriate bassist Jay Oliver, and with the American pianist Walter Norris. There Okegwo caught the attention of many prominent jazz musicians, most notably the trombonist and Mingus alum, Lou Blackburn, who invited Okegwo to tour Europe with his Afro-Jazz group Mombasa. While working with Blackburn, Okegwo met and played with trumpeter Joe Newman, drummer Oliver Jackson, and the bassist Major Holley, who encouraged him to move to New York. In 1989, Okegwo made the leap to Manhattan and began playing with musicians like saxophone legends Big Nick Nicholas, Junior Cook, and James Spaulding. In 1992, a call from legendary vocalist Jon Hendricks led to steady work as a sideman - on stage and in recording studios. In 1994 Hendricks even took Okegwo to the White House to perform for the President. During this time, Okegwo's artistry attracted two other gifted young musicians -- pianist Jacky Terrason and drummer Leon Parker. The trio joined forces and at famous clubs like the Village Gate and Bradley's, developing one of the most creative and explosive group sounds of the nineties. Recently, Okegwo expanded his horizons and became a bandleader. In 2002 he took his quartet to Europe and documented the group with a recording entitled "UOniverse" [Satchmo Jazz]. The material, which consists of his compositions and brilliantly arranged standards, draws from a wide range of influences, including jazz, African, funk, and classical music. weblinks: www.Ugonnaokegwo.com A native of Bethesda, Maryland, Aaron Seeber is proving himself to be a rising talent in the New York Jazz scene. Now living in Brooklyn, Aaron attended the prestigious SUNY Purchase Jazz program, where he was mentored by Kenny Washington and John Riley. He has played or recorded with Eric Reed, Paul Bollenback, Joe Magnarelli, The New York Voices, Ed Cherry, Neal Miner, Butch Warren, Freddie Redd, Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Jared Gold, Clifton Anderson, Tim Green, David Wong, among others, and has toured internationally with The Warren Wolf Trio. Aaron brings his own band every month to the legendary Smalls Jazz Club. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Blue Note, Marian's Jazz Room, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Fat Cat, The Iridium, Blues Alley, Bohemian Caverns among many more.