Antonio Hart Quartet

When Antonio Hart was in ninth grade, the music and art programs were cut out of the public schools. Antonio was devastated because the one thing that made school interesting was taken away from him. Hart had a friend that attended the then new Baltimore School for the Performing Arts, and somehow got Antonio an audition. Most of the students that attended this school had been playing music all of their lives and had private instruction. This did not stop Antonio because he knew this would be the place for him. The night before the audition, Antonio spent hours on the phone with his friend learning a song from one of his music books. He did the best he could because he really could not read the level of music he was trying to play. The school was a hotel that had been made into one of the best learning institutions in the country. Hart was taken to a room to warm up and then, three teachers came in for the audition. He played his piece 'Hungarian Dance ..5', then he played some scales for them. The teachers said thank you and that was it. Hart prayed everyday, but he did not think he would get in. One week to the day, he received a transfer letter in the mail; he had been accepted! Hart considers this the beginning of his life as a young man and musician.This was such a change for Hart because this was a very serious school. The academics were hard and the music courses were very challenging. Hart found himself in summer school because he did not cut it that first year, but that was the only summer he went to summer school. After that adjustment period, Hart started to grow very fast. He gives much credit to his private teacher Chris Ford. 'Mr. Ford took me from the beginning to a level much higher than the average high school student.' At the school, Hart played a lot a classical music, but started to like Jazz. He felt more of a connection with Jazz because of the people he saw playing it and the chance to improvise. Hart's real study of Jazz began at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. There, he studied with Bill Pierce, Andy McGhee, and Joe Viola. The three teachers gave him the foundation he needed to develop into a professional musician. Hart spent many hours in the library listening to all his favorite musicians, and practicing and playing as much as he could. There were also many late hours in the practice room. Because of the lessons learned at the School for the Arts, Hart really thought it was important to have a balance between music and academia, so in his sophomore year he became a Music Education Major. These courses added other challenges that inspired Hart. He made many friends at Berklee, but the most important was Roy Hargrove. They spent three years touring the world and recording Hargrove's first three records. Hart considers Hargrove to be his brother in life and music. He even used Hargrove on his first recording 'For the First Time.' Hart wanted to continue his education and study from some true masters of Jazz, so during those first few years on the road, he also worked on a Masters Degree at Queens College. There he had the opportunity to learn from the great Jimmy Heath and Donald Byrd. Hart felt blessed and honored when Mr. Heath produced his second recording 'Don't You Know I Care.' His 1997 release, 'Here I Stand' Impulse records, earned Hart a 1997 Grammy nomination for 'Best Jazz Instrumental Solo.' He has also been in much demand as a guest on over 80 recordings. Since then, Hart has recorded seven CDs as a leader. The latest, 'All we Need' Chiaroscuro Records. Hart balances his time as a full-time Professor at The Aaron Copland school of Music, Queens College, as well as, traveling on the road with his band, The Dave Holland Big band, and The Dizzy Gillespie Big band. In his off-time, he likes to practice martial arts. and listen to other styles of music for inspiration. He is constantly trying to get to higher levels on his horn and in his writing.Weblinks:www.antoniohart.com This artist does not have a bio yet. Puerto Rican Bassist Alex "Apolo" Ayala-Berríos embodies the spirit of the multi-lingual musician. His vast knowledge of both Latin Jazz and Jazz languages makes him one of the most in-demand Bassists and Arrangers in the world. A native from San Juan,Puerto Rico, he blends his Afro-Puerto Rican / Afro-Caribbean roots with Jazz idioms, which enables him to be fluid in Swing, Bebop, Blues, Bomba, Plena, Rumba, and other Latin-American expressions (Samba/Bossa, Tango, Afro-Peruvian, Afro- Colombian, Afro-Venezuelan). With a career spanning 25 years, his body of work includes performances, tours, and recordings with Latin music giants and world-renowned Jazz musicians. He has played with the likes of Eddie Palmieri, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Antonio Hart, Billy Harper, Jeremy Pelt, Wayne Escoffery, Amina Figarova, Pete Rodriguez, Roberto Rohena, Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Mambo Legends Orchestra, Tito Nieves, Tito Rojas, Orquesta Akokán, Puerto Rican Power, Luis “Perico” Ortíz, Giovanni Hidalgo, Papo Vázquez, Nestor Torres, Conrad Herwig, Mike Eckroth, Flavio Silva, Edsel Gomez, Paoli Mejías, Ralph Irrizary & Timbalaye, Jerry Gonzalez, William Cepeda, Mitch Frohman, and served as the Music Director for Los Pleneros de la 21 for 10 years. His resume includes recordings for Gilberto Santa Rosa, Paoli Mejias, William Cepeda, Los Pleneros de la 21, Humberto Ramirez, Flavio Silva, Michael Eckroth, Paul Carlon, Edsel Gomez, Dave Schumacher, Luis "Perico" Ortiz, Puerto Rican Power, Tito Rojas, Jerry Rivera, Tito Nieves, Tony Vega, José Lugo “Guasábara Big Band”, Our Latin Thing feat. Vicentico (Fabulosos Cadillacs) and Puerto Rican rapper extraordinaire Residente. Based in New York City since 2013, he started in music at age 11, and by the age of 15 y/o he was already playing professionally in the Puerto Rican music scene. He studied and graduated with honors from "Escuela Libre de música de Hato Rey”, which alumni includes renowned Jazz artists such as Miguel Zenon, David Sanchez, Edsel Gomez and Giovanni Hidalgo. Ayala earned his B.A. Degree in Jazz and Caribbean Music from Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music), where he studied with legendary bassist Eddie Gomez, and renowned Saxophonist David Sanchez, and a Master of Music Degree in Jazz studies from Rutgers University, where he was mentored by Conrad Herwig, Ralph Bowen, Orrin Evans, Kenny Davis, Abraham Burton and Anthony Branker. Currently, he leads four ensembles: “The Bámbula Project”, an Afro-Puerto Rican Jazz Quartet,The Afro-Puerto Rican Jazz Big Band, The "2nd Language" Quartet (a mainstream Jazz quartet) and The Ayala-Fournier Duo. He has released three albums as a leader, “ONWARDS” (2011 Self-released) “BÁMBULA” (TRRC 2022) and "Afro Puerto Rican Jazz (2025, PMC Records/Miel Music). As a sideman, Ayala works with the Antonio Hart Quartet, Dave Schumacher's "Cubeye", Paul Carlon Trio, Cesar Orozco's Kamerata Jazz, Jimmy Bosch Salsa Masters, Jeremy Bosch Orchestra, Sebastian Natal orchestra, and frequently collaborates with Orrin Evans, Zaccai Curtis, Conrad Herwig, Edsel Gomez, Jonathan Powell, Pete Rodriguez, Samuel Torres, Silvano Monasterios, Mitch Frohman, Mambo Legends Orchestra, Steven Oquendo Latin Jazz Orchestra, and countless others. Jerome Jennings is a drummer, bandleader, sideman, and Emmy Award winning composer. His debut recording ‘The Beast’ was named one of the top three jazz releases by NPR, received a four star rating in Downbeat Magazine, and was nominated for the prestigious French ‘Grand Prix du Disque’ award for Album of the Year in 2016. Jerome’s sophomore recording, ‘Solidarity’, released November 2019 was recognized by NPR as best music that spoke truth to power of 2019. Jerome performs and tours around the United States and internationally with his groundbreaking musical group, Jerome Jennings & iLL Philosophy. Jerome served as music supervisor and composer for Louis Massiah’s film TCB: The Toni Cade Bambara School of Organizing. The film debuted at the 2025 Black Star Film Festival and received the Best Feature Documentary Jury Award. He has performed, toured and recorded with legendary musicians like Sonny Rollins, Hank Jones, Christian McBride, Ron Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Wynton Marsalis (J@LC), The Count Basie Orchestra, Philip Bailey, Henry Butler, and countless others. Jerome has made recordings and shared the stage with contemporary musicians, Lakecia Benjamin, Camille Thurman, Jazzmeia Horn, Christian Sands, and Thembelihle Dunjana, to name a few. He has been a member of piano master, George Cables’ trio since 2021. Spring of 2007 Jerome earned a MM from the prestigious Juilliard School in Manhattan NY. He was the Resident Director of The Juilliard Jazz Orchestra from fall 2017 to 2021. Jerome is a jazz scholar. Since 2022, he has been a professor of graduate jazz history at Montclair State University. He is a lecturer, professor of jazz drums at Princeton University. Jerome has taught, conducted clinics, designed courses nationally and internationally. Jerome has been an artist-in-residence and has lectured at dozens of Universities and Academic institutions, nationally and internationally, including UNC Greensboro, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Swing University, John Hopkins Peabody Institute, Rutgers University, The Juilliard School, Jazz Music Institute JMI (Brisbane, AU), Sydney Conservatory of Music, Xavier College (Melbourne, AU), The Ohio State University, Aspen Colorado, Brigham Young University, University Of Ghana- Legon School Of Performing Arts, Rockport Jazz Workshop, and the Universidad Sergio Arboleda (Bogota Colombia) and The National Taiwan University of The Arts.