JEA Board

Dr. Gene Aitken, Grammy Award Winner and Fulbright Scholar, is considered one of the most exciting and energetic jazz educators and clinicians globally. He is recognized as a visionary in both jazz education and computer technology.

His activities as a conductor, performer, composer, adventurer, clinician, adjudicator, and producer of educational events have led him to all corners of the globe. As founder of Jazz Education Abroad (JEA), a United States 501c3 non-profit organization formed in 2012, Dr. Gene led JEA to share his love of jazz music with 26 countries in South America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. In addition, JEA assists individuals with disabilities and offers scholarships to refugees in countries where jazz workshops are held. JEA has received funding from many organizations and embassies throughout the world, as well as from the United States Department of State and the European Union.

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences awarded Dr. Gene and the University of Northern Colorado Vocal Jazz Ensemble the prestigious 1985 Grammy Award. It is the only Grammy Award ever presented to a vocal jazz ensemble in an institution of higher education in the United States. To date, Dr. Gene has produced more than 45 CDs from the University of Northern Colorado, the Taipei Jazz Orchestra, and other professional instrumental/vocal jazz ensembles.

The State of Colorado in 1992 awarded Dr. Gene the Colorado Artistic Award of Excellence, the highest honor given to any Colorado artist. It is the only time this honor has been presented to an individual in the field of music.

In June 1997, the National Education Association published a chapter in their book, "Music in the Twenty-first Century" authored by Dr. Gene. The topic of the chapter was the future of music education in the 21st Century.

In June 2007, Dr. Dr. Gene was awarded DownBeat magazine's Jazz Educator of the Year and inducted into the DownBeat magazine's Hall of Fame. In addition, he was the 32nd member inducted into the 1995 International Association of Jazz Educator's Hall of Fame along with Ella Fitzgerald and Doc Severinsen, joining luminaries such as Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Dr. Gene is one of only four individuals in the world who have received induction into the Hall of Fame of both organizations.

Dr. Gene served as the United States Department of State Cultural Envoy to several countries, including Nepal in 2008 and Chile in 2013. Both appointments were made to help improve relationships with the United States and to promote the values of jazz education and performance in American Jazz, the United States of America’s only indigenous musical art form. Since 2016, he has served on the three-member evaluation team for the Fulbright Specialist Scholar Committee, US State Department, in the area of education. He continues to serve on this three-member Peer Review Committee.

On April 15, 2011, the United States Department of State, on behalf of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, announced Dr. Gene was the recipient of a Fulbright Specialist Award to assist in developing a Jazz Studies program and curriculum at Fu-Jen University in Taipei, Taiwan.

Dr. Gene has authored more than 30 articles for national and international journals on jazz education and computer technology, and Kendor Music has published several of Dr. Gene’s vocal jazz arrangements.

Mariano E. Abello, saxophone, flute, clarinet and oboe, has being playing concerts, festivals, and doing master classes and workshops around the world on flamenco, jazz, classical, and Hindustani music. Due to his multicultural background, Mariano is an expert in mixing different cultures as shown in his recording with UrJazz “Thais Por Tangos”.

After graduated summa cum laude in Jazz Studies he did a Masters in Arts in Woodwind Performance and Pedagogy at Florida Atlantic University, where he also taught in the jazz program and revived its jazz festival.

In 2007 he opened the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory, in Nepal (www.katjazz.com). In 2008 he funded the non-profit organization Nepal Music Educators’ Society (www.nmes.org.np) to help Nepali music educators. In 2013 he became a board member of the non-profit organization Jazz Education Abroad (www.jazzeducationabroad.org), based in the USA. In 2017 became the Executive Director of Jazz Education Abroad and in the same year opened the KJC Foundation.

Dan Gailey is the Director of Jazz Studies and Professor of Music at the University of Kansas, where he directs Jazz Ensemble I, teaches courses in jazz composition, arranging and pedagogy, and produces the annual KU Jazz Festival. He has been named to a coveted Chancellor’s Club Teaching Professorship at KU for 2017-23. Dan is the recipient of the 1996 IAJE Gil Evans Fellowship, presented to an emerging jazz composer from an international field of candidates. Under his direction, the KU Jazz Studies Program has been the recipient of 27 DownBeat Student Music Awards, including Jazz Ensemble I’s 2019 award for Best College Jazz Ensemble in the Graduate Division.

As director of KU Jazz Ensemble I, Dan has led performances at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the Jazz a Vienne Festival in France, the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival in California, the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, and the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City. He also directed the band in invited appearances at International Association of Jazz Educators Conferences in New York City, Atlanta and Boston.

The Dan Gailey Jazz Orchestra debut CD What Did You Dream? was released in July 2010 on Origin/OA2 Records and features all original compositions by Dan. The CD spent almost 2 years on the JazzWeek Radio Airplay charts, and received very favorable reviews from JAZZIZ, JazzTimes and Cadence magazines, among others.

Dan has directed all-state high school jazz ensembles in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Washington, along with the 2015 NAfME All-Northwest Jazz Ensemble and the 1996 National Band Association National High School Ensemble. He holds degrees from the University of Northern Colorado (MM) and Pacific Lutheran University (BM).

Dave Glenn is the Professor Emeritus from Whitman College, where he served as Director of Jazz Studies and Professor of Low Brass at Whitman in Walla Walla, Washington from 1989-2011. He received a Bachelor of Music in trombone performance from North Texas State University and a Master of Music in composition from the University of Northern Colorado. Dave Glenn spent 11 years as a professional trombonist in New York City. While there, he played for ten years with the Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band and toured extensively with Bill Watrous’ Manhattan Wildlife Refuge, Diana Ross and Lou Rawls. Dave also subbed on tours with Chuck Mangione; Blood, Sweat and Tears; and the Mel Lewis Orchestra. He was on the Grammy-award winning recording Walk on the Water by the Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band. Dave Glenn has also recorded two jazz CDs of his original compositions and arrangements, “Journeys” and “National Pastime” (released in June 2009).

He has composed five commissioned works for orchestra, the latest being “Romantic Fantasy on Themes by Mozart” by the Walla Walla Symphony in 2015, along with numerous chamber works including “Fireflies”, the title piece of a CD by the Free Range Saxophone Quartet (Origin Classical Records) and “Sculpture Garden for Piano Quintet”, commissioned by the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival. Dave Glenn is an endorsing artist for Conn/Selmer, a member of American Composers Forum, an Origin Records recording artist and a member of the Executive Board of Directors of Jazz Education Abroad.

Christine Helferich Guter is a jazz vocalist and studio singer in the Los Angeles area. She performs frequently in LA and Orange County, and has worked with many legendary musicians including Joe Williams, Bobby McFerrin, Rosemary Clooney, Diane Schuur, Maynard Ferguson, Mercer Ellington, Lionel Hampton, and Mel Torme.

Christine works extensively in studio settings, and has sung on dozens of Hollywood soundtracks including Star Wars Rogue One, Sing!, Ready Player One, Star Trek Beyond, The Jungle Book, Jurassic World, Despicable Me 2, Men in Black 3, and Spiderman 3. She is a member of SAG-AFTRA and AFM, and is the lead singer in the nationally acclaimed vocal jazz ensemble, Vocalogy.

She has worked with many legendary musicians including Joe Williams, Bobby McFerrin, Rosemary Clooney, Diane Schuur, Maynard Ferguson, Mercer Ellington, Lionel Hampton, and Mel Torme.

Also an extraordinary educator, Christine is active internationally as a lecturer, adjudicator, and clinician, and has conducted numerous All-State Jazz and Honor Choirs. Christine is a member of the California Alliance for Jazz (CAJ), the Jazz Education Network (JEN), the California Music Educators Association (CMEA), and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). She is presently on the board of ACDA Western Division as Vocal Jazz R&R Chair, and also serves as the vocal instructor for the Thailand Jazz Workshop through Jazz Education Abroad.
In 2018, Christine received the prestigious “Jazz Education Achievement Award” from DownBeat Magazine, for her work as a jazz educator.

Christine is currently the Director of Vocal Jazz at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University Long Beach. She teaches private jazz voice lessons, a solo singing workshop, has taught class jazz piano and jazz theory, and directs the university’s award-winning vocal jazz ensemble.

Tim Libby is in his 21st year as Director of Bands at Cherry Creek High School. Prior to that he taught at Gateway High School in Aurora for four years. He graduated, with honors, from the University of Northern Colorado with degrees in Music Education and Trumpet Performance. His ensembles have been selected to perform at the CMEA Conference 10 times and the Music For All National Concert Band Festival twice, and his Marching Band is a 14-time CBA State Finalist. In 2013, Mr. Libby was named the Cherry Creek High School Teacher of the Year, and in 2015 he was recognized by School Band and Orchestra Magazine as one of 50 Directors Who Make A Difference. Mr. Libby is an active clinician and adjudicator. He has enjoyed the opportunity to work with all levels of students from Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Washington and Wyoming, as well as in China and the Middle East. He served as Interim Director of the Lamont Wind Ensemble at the University of Denver in the fall of 2011 and was the Principal Conductor at the Lebanese Band Association for the Promotion of Music (LeBAM) International Summer Band Camp held in Beirut, Lebanon from 2012-2017. As a freelance trumpet player, Mr. Libby’s experience includes performances with Arturo Sandoval, Clark Terry, Milt Hinton, Bobby Shew, Bill Watrous, Peter Erskine, Dave Brubeck, The Manhattan Transfer, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Earth Wind & Fire, The Four Tops and many others.

Jamey Aebersold was born July 21, 1939, in New Albany, Indiana. He attended college at Indiana University and graduated in 1962 with a Masters Degree in Saxophone. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music by Indiana University in 1992. He also plays piano, bass and banjo.

In 1989, the International Association of Jazz Educators inducted Jamey into their Hall of Fame at the San Diego convention. With this award, Jamey joins other jazz luminaries such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong and others.

Jamey is a internationally-known saxophonist and authority on jazz education and improvisation, and has developed a series of Play-A-Longs (book and cd sets (now numbering almost 130 volumes) as well as various other supplemental aids for the development of improvisational skills. The Aebersold book and recording sets allow a musician the opportunity to practice and improvise with well-known jazz personalities at home as well as in the classroom. The recordings employ some of the best jazz musicians in the world. This concept has been responsible for changing the practice habits of thousands of musicians around the world.

Jamey was one of the first to encourage small group classes which concentrate on jazz improvisation, and he is the director of the Summer Jazz Workshops which now have 40+ years on record. Jamey feels that improvisation is something all people can do—and his clinics and lectures concentrate on demonstrating how the creative and spontaneous nature of each person can be brought to light.

Jamey’s jazz quartet plays numerous school concerts throughout the year which show young people how exciting playing jazz can be and they also explain the benefits of making healthy choices in their daily lives. The quartet stresses not smoking and drinking.

These week-long Summer Jazz Workshops are having a profound effect on musical communities around the world. The Workshops have traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Germany, England, Scotland, Denmark and Canada. Every summer there are at least two week-long Workshops in the U.S. These camps employ many of the finest player/teachers in jazz and are open to any serious jazz student regardless of ability or age.

In 2007, Jamey was awarded the Indiana Governor’s Arts Award by Mitch Daniels, the Governor of Indiana.
On October 4, 1987, CBS’ “Sunday Morning” with Charles Kuralt and Billie Taylor featured Jamey with the Summer Jazz Workshops in an exciting jazz educational segment.

Jamey has taught at three colleges and universities in the Louisville, Kentucky area and has made guest appearances in dozens of cities around the world. While conducting a jazz clinic in Brazil he produced a 110-minute DVD/video appropriately titled “Anyone Can Improvise” which has become a best-seller.

Jamey‘s hobby is listening to jazz, especially new young players. He also enjoys playing basketball (he has hit 50 free throws in a row!) and is very much interested in Metaphysics and spiritual pursuits as they apply to the growth of the individual. In December 2004, the Jazz Midwest Clinic bestowed upon Jamey the “Medal of Honor” in Jazz Education.
Jamey has been a driving force in America’s native art form, Jazz, and continues to kindle the fires of musical imagination in those with whom he comes in contact.

David Liebman is considered a renaissance man in contemporary music with a career stretching nearly fifty years. He has played with masters including Miles Davis, Elvin Jones, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, McCoy Tyner and others; authored books and instructional DVDs which are acknowledged as classics in the jazz field; recorded as a leader in styles ranging from classical to rock to free jazz. He has performed on over 500 recordings with over 200 as a leader/co-leader featuring several hundred original compositions.

“Liebman is among the most important saxophonists in contemporary music . . a leader and artist of integrity and independent direction.” Downbeat Magazine “While others of his ‘60s generation have fallen off their ambition, Liebman has remained dogged about composition and trying different styles…he’s a fighter.” Ben Ratliff, NY Times
“The confidence that Dave Liebman shows in the chemistry of his musicians is justified and each hearing reveals new facets of these musical gems.” Ken Dryden, NYC Jazz Record.

In 1977, Eric began studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. By the time he left Berklee, Eric had achieved the highest possible proficiency rating given by the school. In 1995, Eric was awarded the Berklee Distinguished Alumnus Award for outstanding achievements in contemporary music. He has since gone on to perform in over 80 different countries, recorded 14 solo CD’s and has played on hundreds of records, films, television shows and commercial jingles.

Eric started his professional career in 1980 with famed New Orleans trumpeter Al Hirt. After returning to Los Angeles Eric became a member of the Chick Corea Elektric Band. He recorded 6 CD’s with Chick Corea’s band and received 2 of his 5 Grammy nominations. He’s won one Grammy award as part of the GRP Super Live CD. Eric went on to perform with artists such as Elton John, Barbara Streisand, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, Burt Bacharach, Aaron Neville, Johnny Mathis, Dave Grusin, Lee Ritenour, George Duke, David Benoit, The Rippingtons, The Jeff Lorber Fusion, The Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band, Brian Culbertson, Patti Austin, Lou Rawls, David Lee Roth, The Yellowjackets, B.B. King, Ramsey Louis, Patti Labelle, Olivia Newton-John, and many others.
Eric has won 2 Grammy Awards and has been nominated 7 times as a member of the Chick Corea Elektric Band and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band.

Among Eric’s 14 solo CD’s, his latest is entitled “Bridges”, on Shanachie Records. Nine of the songs that Eric has recorded have made it to the top 10 of the National Contemporary Jazz Radio Charts and 3 have made it to #1. Eric was voted the year’s “Favorite Alto Sax Players” in the Jazziz Magazine Reader’s Poll along with David Sanborn and Phil Woods.

Eric is the head of the online saxophone school at ArtistWorks.com. He has also written 3instructional books, “Comprehensive Jazz Studies & Exercises”, The Ultimate Jazz Play Along” and “The Music Of Eric Marienthal” as well as 3 instructional videos, “Play Sax From Day One”, “Modern Sax” and “Tricks Of The Trade”, all published by Alfred Publishing/Belwin Jazz.

Every summer for the past 20 years Eric has organized an annual fundraising concert for High Hopes. High Hopes is a non-profit organization in Orange County, California that works with people who have suffered traumatic head injuries. These concerts to date have raised well over $2,000,000 for this charity.

Five-time DownBeat critics poll winner and electric trombone pioneer Robin Eubanks has covered vast terrain in the course of a 30-plus-year career, but until this year he’d never made a big band album. That changes with the release of More Than Meets The Ear (ArtistShare), a groundbreaking collection of Eubanks’ muscular, interleaved compositions, featuring an all-star lineup.

For those less familiar with Eubanks’ body of work, this album offers a perfect primer, almost serving the role of a “best-of” collection: Most of these pieces have been played in various contexts over the years, and were originally written for groups like the Dave Holland Quintet and SF Jazz Collective, where Eubanks has been a longtime member. But More Than Meets The Ear also ups the ante: Benefitting from a 19-piece band and a yearlong sabbatical from his professorship at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Eubanks built the most harmonically and rhythmically layered work of his career.

“The big band allowed me to really flesh things out,” Eubanks said. “When I originally wrote most of the stuff on here, I was actually thinking of a larger group than I was writing for. Even the stuff I first did with Dave Holland, I was hearing more horns.”

Completed his formal studies at the "L. Refice" Conservatory in Frosinone obtaining maximum point scores.
Tenacity - talent, a deep-seated passion for all types of music, and great technical prowess have brought Rosario to the fore of the European and international jazz scene. Critics write of him as a true revelation, in France "une benediction".

The enthusiastic and triumphal tones used by the press to describe Giuliani's playing characteristics derive directly from the special sound he creates. With nonchalance he draws from his instruments a fluid phrasing style, at times dazzling, which naturally links him to great saxophonists of the jazz history. Frequent comparisons are made spontaneously by his listeners. But even though this musician has been inspired by, it is the instinctive originality that strikes us, and it is easily found, not only in his instrumental approach, but also in his originally composed scores.

His collaborations in the jazz field have been frequent and prestigious, having played together with the likes of Charlie HADEN, Gonzalo RUBALCABA, Phil WOODS, Enrico PIERANUNZI, Enrico RAVA, Franco D'ANDREA, Fabrizio BOSSO, Martial SOLAL, Jeff "Tain" WATTS, Mark TURNER, Bob MINTZER, Dave LIEBMAN, Joe LOCKE, Joe LA BARBERA, John PATITUCCI, Kurt ELLING, Cedar WALTON, Kurt ROSENWINKEL, Stefano BOLLANI, Biréli LAGRENE, Philip CATHERINE, André CECCARELLI, Daniel HUMAIR, Sylvain LUC, Marc JOHNSON, Joey BARON, Guy BARKER, Melton MUSTAFA, Jean-Michel PILC, Richard GALLIANO and many others.

After having made many recordings with various Italian and foreign record labels, in September of 2000 Rosario Giuliani signed an important contract with the prestigious French recording company Dreyfus Jazz, with whom he has already recorded six very successful albums: "Luggage" (April 2001), "Mr. Dodo" (October 2002), "More Than Ever" (October 2004) with Jean-Michel Pil and Richard Galliano, "Anything else" (January 2007) with Dado Moroni and Flavio Boltro, "Lennie's pennies" (March 2010) with Joe La Barbera,Darryl Hall and Pierre De Bethmann, “Images” (April 2013) with Joe Locke, John Patitucci and Joe La Barbera.
March 2016 released a new album “The Hidden Side” for Parco della Musica records, “Cinema Italia” tribute to Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota for the italian label Jando Music and January 2017 release another album in duo with Enrico Pieranunzi “Duke’s Dream” for the german label Intuition.

Giuliani, a highly appreciated and soughtafter artist in the international jazz arena, divides his time between his Italian, European, and overseas commitments, performing regularly in the following festivals: Jazz a Liegi (Belgium), Gexto Jazz Festival (Spain), Umbria Jazz (Italy), Blue Note Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center (New York), Jazz al Parque (Bogotà-Colombia), Baranquilla Jazz Festival (Colombia), Pasto Jazz Festival (Colombia), Medellin Jazz Festival (Colombia), Jazz a Vienne (France), Jazz Baltica (Germany), JVC Jazz Festival (France), Town Hall (New York), Basel Jazz Festival (Swiss), Porto Rico Jazz Festival, Kanazawa Jazz Festival (Japan), Yokohama Jazz Festival (Japan), Jazz East Rhythm (Shanghai – Cina), Jazz Provence (Russia), Nancy Jazz Pulsation (France), North Sea Jazz Festival (Holland), London Jazz Festival (UK), Marciac Jazz Festival (France), Oeiras Jazz Festival (Portugal), Ankara Jazz Festival (Turkey), Rotterdam Jazz Festival (Holland) Audi Jazz Festival (Germany), Tomsk Jazz Festival (Siberia),Vilnius Jazz Festival and in other jazz events that take place in California, Japan, Miami, Nuova Caledonia, Israel, Russia & Siberia, Mexico, China, Hong Kong, Hungary, Colombia, Qatar and still other countries.

Impressive is his "trophy cabinet", which counts among the many awards important acknowledgements. In 1996 he won the Massimo Urbani prize, and one year later 1997 he was named "Best Soloist" in addition to his own quartet which won the "Best Group" award at the European Jazz Contest in Belgium. In the year 2000 he took first place honours, by popular vote, in the "Top Jazz" contest in the "New Talent" category and 2010 the best saxophone of the year. The contest is held as an annual referendum by Musica Jazz magazine. Also he won the Jazzit Awards in 2010 and 2013 as the best alto saxophone of the year. This year he got the prize “Ambassador of Italian Jazz in the World”.

From 2013 he’s teacher of Jazz at Saint Louis Music Center in Rome and Conservatorio di Musica S. Cecilia Jazz Department.

Rosario Giuliani's artistic career boasts innumerable and heterogeneous experiences of the highest rank. Performing for internationally famous artists such as Ennio MORRICONE, Luis BACALOV, Armando TROVAIOLI, Gianni FERRIO, Nicola PIOVANI, Ritz ORTOLANI, he has recorded on numerous movie soundtracks.

Jamey Aebersold was born July 21, 1939, in New Albany, Indiana. He attended college at Indiana University and graduated in 1962 with a Masters Degree in Saxophone. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music by Indiana University in 1992. He also plays piano, bass and banjo.

In 1989, the International Association of Jazz Educators inducted Jamey into their Hall of Fame at the San Diego convention. With this award, Jamey joins other jazz luminaries such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong and others.

Jamey is a internationally-known saxophonist and authority on jazz education and improvisation, and has developed a series of Play-A-Longs (book and cd sets (now numbering almost 130 volumes) as well as various other supplemental aids for the development of improvisational skills. The Aebersold book and recording sets allow a musician the opportunity to practice and improvise with well-known jazz personalities at home as well as in the classroom. The recordings employ some of the best jazz musicians in the world. This concept has been responsible for changing the practice habits of thousands of musicians around the world.

Jamey was one of the first to encourage small group classes which concentrate on jazz improvisation, and he is the director of the Summer Jazz Workshops which now have 40+ years on record. Jamey feels that improvisation is something all people can do—and his clinics and lectures concentrate on demonstrating how the creative and spontaneous nature of each person can be brought to light.

Jamey’s jazz quartet plays numerous school concerts throughout the year which show young people how exciting playing jazz can be and they also explain the benefits of making healthy choices in their daily lives. The quartet stresses not smoking and drinking.

These week-long Summer Jazz Workshops are having a profound effect on musical communities around the world. The Workshops have traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Germany, England, Scotland, Denmark and Canada. Every summer there are at least two week-long Workshops in the U.S. These camps employ many of the finest player/teachers in jazz and are open to any serious jazz student regardless of ability or age.

In 2007, Jamey was awarded the Indiana Governor’s Arts Award by Mitch Daniels, the Governor of Indiana.
On October 4, 1987, CBS’ “Sunday Morning” with Charles Kuralt and Billie Taylor featured Jamey with the Summer Jazz Workshops in an exciting jazz educational segment.

Jamey has taught at three colleges and universities in the Louisville, Kentucky area and has made guest appearances in dozens of cities around the world. While conducting a jazz clinic in Brazil he produced a 110-minute DVD/video appropriately titled “Anyone Can Improvise” which has become a best-seller.

Jamey‘s hobby is listening to jazz, especially new young players. He also enjoys playing basketball (he has hit 50 free throws in a row!) and is very much interested in Metaphysics and spiritual pursuits as they apply to the growth of the individual. In December 2004, the Jazz Midwest Clinic bestowed upon Jamey the “Medal of Honor” in Jazz Education.
Jamey has been a driving force in America’s native art form, Jazz, and continues to kindle the fires of musical imagination in those with whom he comes in contact.

Boasting a warm, finely burnished tone and a robust melodic and harmonic imagination, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander has been exploring new musical worlds from the outset. He started out on piano as a six-year-old, took up clarinet at nine, switched to alto sax when he was 12, and converted to tenor when jazz became his obsession during his one year at the University of Indiana, Bloomington (1986-87). At William Paterson College in New Jersey he advanced his studies under the tutelage of Harold Mabern, Joe Lovano, Rufus Reid, and others. "The people I listened to in college are still the cats that are influencing me today," says Alexander. "Monk, Dizzy, Sonny Stitt, Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, Joe Henderson--the legacy left by Bird and all the bebop pioneers, that language and that feel, that's the bread and butter of everything I do. George Coleman remains a big influence because of his very hip harmonic approach, and I'm still listening all the time to Coltrane because I feel that even in the wildest moments of his mid- to late-Sixties solos I can find these little kernels of melodic information and find ways to employ them in my own playing."

During the 1990s, after placing second behind Joshua Redman in the 1991 Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition, Alexander threw himself into the whirlwind life of a professional jazz musician. He played with organ trios on the South Side of Chicago, made his recording debut in 1991 with Charles Earland on Muse Records, and cut his first album as leader in 1992 (Straight Up for Delmark). More recordings followed for numerous labels, including Milestone and others, leading to 1997's Man with a Horn; the 1998 collaborative quartet session with George Mraz, John Hicks, and Idris Muhammad, Solid!; and, that same year, the first recording by One For All, Alexander's ongoing band with Jim Rotondi, Steve Davis, Joe Farnsworth, Peter Washington, and Dave Hazeltine.

Eric has appeared in many capacities on record, including leader, sideman, producer as well as composing a number of the tunes he records. By now, Alexander has lost count of how many albums feature his playing; he guesses 80 or 90. While he has garnered critical acclaim from every corner, what has mattered most has been to establish his own voice within the illustrious bop-based jazz tradition.

In 2004, Eric signed an exclusive contract with the New York-based independent jazz label, HighNote Records where he has amassed a considerable discography of critically-acclaimed recordings. Most recent among them is “Chicago Fire” HCD 7262, “The Real Thing” with Pat Martino HCD 7278 and “Second Impression” HCD 7296. Eric’s most recent HighNote release, “Song of No Regrets,”(HCD 7311) was featured in Downbeat’s “Hot Box”. He is currently working on a new recording project which will see commercial release in mid-2019.

Eric continues to tour the world over to capacity audiences. Using NYC as his home base he can regularly be seen in the city’s most prestigious jazz clubs.

Five-time DownBeat critics poll winner and electric trombone pioneer Robin Eubanks has covered vast terrain in the course of a 30-plus-year career, but until this year he’d never made a big band album. That changes with the release of More Than Meets The Ear (ArtistShare), a groundbreaking collection of Eubanks’ muscular, interleaved compositions, featuring an all-star lineup.

For those less familiar with Eubanks’ body of work, this album offers a perfect primer, almost serving the role of a “best-of” collection: Most of these pieces have been played in various contexts over the years, and were originally written for groups like the Dave Holland Quintet and SF Jazz Collective, where Eubanks has been a longtime member. But More Than Meets The Ear also ups the ante: Benefitting from a 19-piece band and a yearlong sabbatical from his professorship at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Eubanks built the most harmonically and rhythmically layered work of his career.

“The big band allowed me to really flesh things out,” Eubanks said. “When I originally wrote most of the stuff on here, I was actually thinking of a larger group than I was writing for. Even the stuff I first did with Dave Holland, I was hearing more horns.”

Completed his formal studies at the "L. Refice" Conservatory in Frosinone obtaining maximum point scores.
Tenacity - talent, a deep-seated passion for all types of music, and great technical prowess have brought Rosario to the fore of the European and international jazz scene. Critics write of him as a true revelation, in France "une benediction".

The enthusiastic and triumphal tones used by the press to describe Giuliani's playing characteristics derive directly from the special sound he creates. With nonchalance he draws from his instruments a fluid phrasing style, at times dazzling, which naturally links him to great saxophonists of the jazz history. Frequent comparisons are made spontaneously by his listeners. But even though this musician has been inspired by, it is the instinctive originality that strikes us, and it is easily found, not only in his instrumental approach, but also in his originally composed scores.

His collaborations in the jazz field have been frequent and prestigious, having played together with the likes of Charlie HADEN, Gonzalo RUBALCABA, Phil WOODS, Enrico PIERANUNZI, Enrico RAVA, Franco D'ANDREA, Fabrizio BOSSO, Martial SOLAL, Jeff "Tain" WATTS, Mark TURNER, Bob MINTZER, Dave LIEBMAN, Joe LOCKE, Joe LA BARBERA, John PATITUCCI, Kurt ELLING, Cedar WALTON, Kurt ROSENWINKEL, Stefano BOLLANI, Biréli LAGRENE, Philip CATHERINE, André CECCARELLI, Daniel HUMAIR, Sylvain LUC, Marc JOHNSON, Joey BARON, Guy BARKER, Melton MUSTAFA, Jean-Michel PILC, Richard GALLIANO and many others.

After having made many recordings with various Italian and foreign record labels, in September of 2000 Rosario Giuliani signed an important contract with the prestigious French recording company Dreyfus Jazz, with whom he has already recorded six very successful albums: "Luggage" (April 2001), "Mr. Dodo" (October 2002), "More Than Ever" (October 2004) with Jean-Michel Pil and Richard Galliano, "Anything else" (January 2007) with Dado Moroni and Flavio Boltro, "Lennie's pennies" (March 2010) with Joe La Barbera,Darryl Hall and Pierre De Bethmann, “Images” (April 2013) with Joe Locke, John Patitucci and Joe La Barbera.
March 2016 released a new album “The Hidden Side” for Parco della Musica records, “Cinema Italia” tribute to Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota for the italian label Jando Music and January 2017 release another album in duo with Enrico Pieranunzi “Duke’s Dream” for the german label Intuition.

Giuliani, a highly appreciated and soughtafter artist in the international jazz arena, divides his time between his Italian, European, and overseas commitments, performing regularly in the following festivals: Jazz a Liegi (Belgium), Gexto Jazz Festival (Spain), Umbria Jazz (Italy), Blue Note Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center (New York), Jazz al Parque (Bogotà-Colombia), Baranquilla Jazz Festival (Colombia), Pasto Jazz Festival (Colombia), Medellin Jazz Festival (Colombia), Jazz a Vienne (France), Jazz Baltica (Germany), JVC Jazz Festival (France), Town Hall (New York), Basel Jazz Festival (Swiss), Porto Rico Jazz Festival, Kanazawa Jazz Festival (Japan), Yokohama Jazz Festival (Japan), Jazz East Rhythm (Shanghai – Cina), Jazz Provence (Russia), Nancy Jazz Pulsation (France), North Sea Jazz Festival (Holland), London Jazz Festival (UK), Marciac Jazz Festival (France), Oeiras Jazz Festival (Portugal), Ankara Jazz Festival (Turkey), Rotterdam Jazz Festival (Holland) Audi Jazz Festival (Germany), Tomsk Jazz Festival (Siberia),Vilnius Jazz Festival and in other jazz events that take place in California, Japan, Miami, Nuova Caledonia, Israel, Russia & Siberia, Mexico, China, Hong Kong, Hungary, Colombia, Qatar and still other countries.

Impressive is his "trophy cabinet", which counts among the many awards important acknowledgements. In 1996 he won the Massimo Urbani prize, and one year later 1997 he was named "Best Soloist" in addition to his own quartet which won the "Best Group" award at the European Jazz Contest in Belgium. In the year 2000 he took first place honours, by popular vote, in the "Top Jazz" contest in the "New Talent" category and 2010 the best saxophone of the year. The contest is held as an annual referendum by Musica Jazz magazine. Also he won the Jazzit Awards in 2010 and 2013 as the best alto saxophone of the year. This year he got the prize “Ambassador of Italian Jazz in the World”.

From 2013 he’s teacher of Jazz at Saint Louis Music Center in Rome and Conservatorio di Musica S. Cecilia Jazz Department.

Rosario Giuliani's artistic career boasts innumerable and heterogeneous experiences of the highest rank. Performing for internationally famous artists such as Ennio MORRICONE, Luis BACALOV, Armando TROVAIOLI, Gianni FERRIO, Nicola PIOVANI, Ritz ORTOLANI, he has recorded on numerous movie soundtracks.

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 100 recordings.

Since then, Hart has recorded eight CDs as a leader. The latest, ‘Blessings” JLP Jazz Legacy productions.

Hart balances his time as a full-time tenured 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.

David Liebman is considered a renaissance man in contemporary music with a career stretching nearly fifty years. He has played with masters including Miles Davis, Elvin Jones, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, McCoy Tyner and others; authored books and instructional DVDs which are acknowledged as classics in the jazz field; recorded as a leader in styles ranging from classical to rock to free jazz. He has performed on over 500 recordings with over 200 as a leader/co-leader featuring several hundred original compositions.

“Liebman is among the most important saxophonists in contemporary music . . a leader and artist of integrity and independent direction.” Downbeat Magazine “While others of his ‘60s generation have fallen off their ambition, Liebman has remained dogged about composition and trying different styles…he’s a fighter.” Ben Ratliff, NY Times
“The confidence that Dave Liebman shows in the chemistry of his musicians is justified and each hearing reveals new facets of these musical gems.” Ken Dryden, NYC Jazz Record.