Myron Walden Quartet

Myron Walden was born on October 18, 1972 in Miami, Florida. At the age of 12 his family moved to the Bronx, New York. It was shortly after his arrival in New York that he stumbled on the recordings of Charlie Parker. He knew right then and there that he was to become an alto saxophonist. Although "Bird" was the gateway to his musical career, Myron strongly feels that he has been influenced by "everyone and everything that I have ever heard, seen and experienced." Myron attended LaGuardia High School of Music and the Arts and was also involved in programs such as the Jazz Mobile Workshop and Harlem School of the Arts. Under the guidance of Justin DiCioccio, he became an integral part of the LaGuardia Senior Jazz Band and the LaGuardia Jazz Sextet. During this time he was also a part of the All City Jazz Band, the McDonald's Tri-State Jazz Band, and the All State Jazz Ensemble. Myron went on to the Manhattan School of Music where he studied privately with John Purcell while taking group lessons with the great Barry Harris. He also gained his musical knowledge through Yusef Lateef, Charles Davis, J.D. Parran, Peter Yellin, Vincent Herring and Professor Donald Byrd during this period. In 1993, he won the prestigious Charlie Parker Competition and was featured at "Jazz at the Lincoln Center." This inevitable yet prominent feat paved a way for Myron to add to his resume abundant experiences with major talents of jazz music: Nat Adderley, Jon Hendricks, James Spaulding, Jimmy Owens, Jimmy Cobb, Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Chambers, Joe Williams, Roy Hargrove, Jon Ore, Cecil Payne, Harry Connick Jr., and Walter Booker. Myron has been performing with his own groups and with others at many notable and esteemed jazz venues such as The Village Vanguard, The Blue Note, Sweet Basil, Jazz Alley, The Regatta Bar, Blues Alley, Iridium, Birdland, The Jazz Standard, The Jazz Bakery, Catalina's, The Jazz Gallery and Smalls. He has traveled the world playing at many major festivals such as The Kansas City Jazz Fest, Porto Jazz Festival, Pori Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, San Francisco Jazz Fest, Mellon Jazz Festival, Jazz a Vienne, Marciac Jazz Festival and the Kuumbwa Jazz Fest. weblinks: www.myronwalden.com Theo Hill is a pianist, keyboardist, composer and educator who has emerged as an ascendant voice and in-demand artist in the world of jazz. Hailed as “a vital young pianist at play in New York’s straight-ahead tradition,” (Giovanni Russonello, The New York Times) Hill is known for his originality, sensitivity and versatility in a multitude of musical styles and influences, and also as an innovator and collaborator with modernists on the vanguard of the jazz scene. As a pianist steeped in the jazz tradition, Hill’s professional musical upbringing began in Harlem, New York City, where he performed, toured and apprenticed with jazz masters Frank Lacy, Bill Saxton, Curtis Lundy and Bobby Watson. Hill also gained invaluable experience serving as pianist for Victor Bailey, Chico Freeman, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Charles Tolliver, Wallace Roney, Robin Eubanks, T.S. Monk and Mingus Dynasty. Hill has also performed with many big bands and large ensembles including the Grammy Award winning Mingus Big Band, Charles Tolliver Big Band, Captain Black Big Band, Josh Evans Big Band, Rutgers University JE1, The ISO Symphony Orchestra, SUNY Purchase Jazz Orchestra, and New York Youth Symphony’s Jazz Band Classic. Hill has also served as accompanist for critically acclaimed vocalists including Grammy Award winner Gregory Porter, Grammy Award nominee Jazzmeia Horn, Carmen Lundy, Nnenna Freelon, Latin Grammy Award winner Linda Briceño, Buika, Charenee Wade and Benny Bennack. Hill’s debut album Theo Hill Quartet: Live at Smalls (SmallsLive 2015) featured saxophonists Dayna Stephens and Myron Walden, bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Rodney Green. Jay Hunter in Nippertown noted Hill’s “sense of nuance,” and “the tremendous chemistry Hill shares with Sanders and Green throughout the date.” Nate Chinen in The New York Times described Hill as “a painterly young pianist with a chamber-like approach to composition, and a fine recent album on the SmallsLive label.” Hill’s sophomore recording Promethean (Posi-Tone Records), released in 2017 featured bassist Yasushi Nakamura and Mark Whitfield Jr. on drums and received an Editors’ Choice review in Downbeat Magazine. Brian Zimmerman noted “Hill’s astounding range as a stylist” and “it’s Hill's formidable piano chops and probing arrangements that make this album such a winning statement.” Britt Robson in Jazztimes described Hill as “a dynamically percussive pianist,” and noted “the dominant motif of Promethean is that of a young pianist reveling in the imperial command of his instrument.” Hill’s his third recording Interstellar Adventures (Posi-Tone Records) received 4.5 stars from DownBeat Magazine and was listed as one of 2018’s Top Rated Albums. Herb Boyd wrote “several critics have cited pianist Theo Hill as a rising star…but “rising” needs to be updated nowadays, and even more so after this trio date with bassist Rashaan Carter and drummer Rudy Royston.” Boyd added “there currently is much talk about Afrofuturism, mostly generated by the box office smash Black Panther, and Hill’s cosmic flights might be the film’s musical counterpart,” and “it’s clear that the rising star has fully ascended.” The record also received a four-star review from Mike Jurkovic in All About Jazz who noted Hill's “steady, determined ascent into the contemporary ranks of vital and inspired jazz pianists.” Jeff Tamarkin in Jazztimes wrote “where the earlier outings, particularly Promethean, showed Hill to be an imaginative player with one eye focused keenly on tradition and the other eagerly searching beyond it, the new set finds Hill increasingly willing to burn bridges with his influences and carve out his own territory.” Reality Check (Posi-Tone Records 2020), Hill’s fourth album featuring Blue Note artist and vibraphonist Joel Ross, bassist Rashaan Carter, drummer Mark Whitfield Jr. has been received with critical acclaim. Nate Chinen for WBGO observed “pianist-composer Theo Hill continues an upward trajectory with Reality Check, his third album for Posi-Tone Records, and a persuasive snapshot of the current post-bop mainstream.” Phil Freeman in Stereogum noted that “the music, almost all of which Hill wrote, is expansive and thoughtful, combining forceful swing with complex, almost prog-rock rhythms at times.” And Matt Micucci in JAZZIZ remarked “Theo Hill has certainly emerged as one of the top young voices in jazz piano today.” Hill has performed at over 200 New York jazz venues including Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Blue Note, Birdland, Carnegie Hall, Smalls, Mezzrow, 55 Bar, The Iridium, Jazz Standard, Zinc Bar, Lenox Lounge, Minton’s, Bills Place, Fat Cat, Smoke, St. Nick’s Pub, and Jazz Gallery. Hill has also toured extensively in the United States and internationally at major clubs, festivals and concert halls including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz Festival, Detroit International Jazz Festival, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Rochester International Jazz Festival, the Red Sea Jazz Festival, and the Guimarães Jazz Festival. The Theo Hill Trio was established in 2002 with past and current members that has included bassists Rashaan Carter, Joe Sanders, Yasushi Nakamura and Earl “Burniss” Travis and drummers Mark Whitfield Jr., Marcus Gilmore, Justin Brown, Rodney Green, E.J. Strickland and Obed Calvaire. Hill earned a Bachelors in Music degree at SUNY Purchase in 2004, and was the recipient of the Ralph Bunch Fellowship at Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts from 2018-2020 and anticipates graduating with a Master’s in Music degree. Hill is also a proficient music educator and mentor who has been teaching privately and in higher education institutions for over 15 years. Hill has served as a private lesson instructor at the New School and at the Collective School of Music, and has taught master classes and lecture demonstrations in schools in the United States, Europe and Asia. Hill has mentored several students who are now top performers in the professional arena. With a professional career composing, performing and recording that has spanned over 2 decades, Theo Hill has positioned himself as one of the most in demand pianists on the New York City jazz scene. Originally hailing from Nottingham, England, New York City based bassist Mark Lewandowski musical journey began with him leaving home to study at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music in London. It was during these years at the Guildhall School that Mark began rapidly producing a strong name for himself as a fixture of the London jazz scene; playing regularly at the world famous Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, by only his second year in the capital. After graduating with a first class honours degree from the Guildhall School, Mark had the great honour of being awarded the Yamaha Jazz Award, which was presented to him by the UK Government at the Houses of Parliament. During this period he began a period of intense study with American master-bassist, the great Henry Grimes (Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane). During this period in London, Mark had the opportunity to perform at many of the major concert halls and festivals in the United Kingdom including The Barbican, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, The Queen Elizabeth Hall, Pizza Express Jazz Club with a diverse range of musicians both established and up- and-coming, including mainstays of the British jazz scene such as Sir John Dankworth, Julian Joseph, Alan Skidmore, Bobby Wellins, Peter King, Christine Tobin, Liam Noble, Jean Toussaint, Mark Lockheart, Julian Siegel, John Warren, Mark Sanders, Soweto Kinch and Paul Dunmall. 2017 saw the release of Mark’s debut release ‘Waller’ on Whirlwind Recordings label. This album solidified his reputation as a stellar bandleader and received rave reviews internationally. Featuring two of the most respected musicians on the European jazz circuit, pianist Liam Noble and drummer Paul Clarvis, Waller is an exploration of the music of one of the early innovators of the jazz genre, Thomas ‘Fats’ Waller. The album featured highly in critical polls ranking at Number 3 in Chris Phillips’ Jazz FM Charts. This same year saw a seismic change, as Mark was accepted into the world famous Juilliard School’s highly prized Artist Diploma Ensemble. It was this that facilitated his move to New York City in August of 2017. Having only been in the United States for a little over 2 years, Mark’s career has taken off in the same rapid way that it had back home in the United Kingdom. He has been fortunate to work with such luminaries as Wynton Marsalis, John Surman, Joe Chambers, Johnny O’Neal, Steve Wilson, Javon Jackson, JD Allen, Sheila Jordan, Billy Drummond, Grant Stewart, Vic Juris, Dave Kikoski and many more. Mark Lewandowski’s multiple recording credits occupy all areas of the jazz genre including such major artists as American cult composer and saxophonist John Zorn with whom Mark is featured on his Tzadik release ‘The Book of Beriah’ and closer to home with the Leo Richardson Quartet, who’s record ‘The Chase’ was selected as one of the Sunday Times ‘Best 100 Albums of the Year’ in all genres. Born in Grand Rapids, MI, Jay Sawyer is one of the most in-demand rising star drummers in New York City. He has shared the stage with artists such as Freddy Cole, John McNeil, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Stefon Harris, Donny McCaslin, Benito Gonzalez, and Shai Maestro among others. Jay is also a first call drummer for many up-and-coming musicians in New York including Itamar Borochov, Caroline Davis, Tomoko Omura, John Raymond and many more. He has toured extensively in the USA and Europe, including performances at the Montreal, Detroit and Chicago Jazz Festivals, Festival Eclats d’Email in Limoges, France and more. While attending Western Michigan University and the University of Illinois, respectively, Jay studied with some of the most well-respected jazz drummers including Billy Hart, Tim Froncek, Keith Hall and Dana Hall. Each nurtured his passion and skill for the art of jazz drums. As a result, Jay has become a passionate and gifted educator, both as a private lesson teacher as well as in a group setting.