REMEMBERING TOMMY FLANAGAN

DAVID O’ROURKE & SETH ABRAMSON

TUESDAY MARCH 16

9.00 PM PARIS / 8.00 PM LON / 4.00 PM NY / 1.00 PM LA

TICKET PRICE €10.00 / £10.00 / $13.00

David O’Rourke - guitar, Seth Abramson - guitar

Performing on Tommy Flanagan’s birthday Seth & David will feature some tunes either written by, or played by Tommy whom they both knew well. Tunes featured could include Thad Jones, Tom McIntosh and of course Tommy. With the next day being St Patrick’s Day there may a surprise or two. St Paddy’s Day was also Nat ‘King” Cole’s birthday so…you never know! One guarantee is that Seth’s beautiful ballad “Something Personal” written for and commissioned by Houston Person will be played as we are not allowed perform anywhere without it!

David O’Rourke has played with many jazz legends such as Tommy Flanagan’s Trio, Cedar Walton’s Trio, Jackie McLean, Billy Higgins, Curtis Fuller, James Spaulding, Vernal Fournier, and Brother Jack McDuff. He collaborated with drummer Lewis Nash on a project that brought Irish music and jazz together for a CD (“Aisling”) by a band they called “The Celtic Jazz Collective”. They played several runs at Jazz Standard as well as a performance in Harvard sponsored by the Cambridge Multicultural Center. David recorded a CD with Larry Willis (piano), Bob Cranshaw (bass) and Al Harewood (drums) and later on wrote an extended orchestral medley from Porgy And Bess for Larry Willis to perform with the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra. His close friendship with George Benson and Hammond B3 player Seleno Clarke led to a 12 year stint with Seleno’s Quintet. From their Harlem base the quintet played festivals in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada and at various US festivals.

For over a decade, New York City based jazz guitarist, conductor, and arranger he has guided tomorrow’s jazz musicians as ‘house bandleader’ of the Jazz Standard Youth Orchestra. And for his contributions to Jazz Standard Discovery (a music education program that he has led since 1998), David and co-founder James Polsky were named “New Yorkers Of The Week” by NY1 News. He has played with Les Paul and Bucky Pizzarelli and studied with legends such as Barry Galbraith and Pat Martino. He currently leads and writes for his own 20-piece band (The O’Rourkestra) at the Zinc Bar NYC.

O’Rourke is in demand as a jazz conductor and arranger and is currently creating arrangements for the debut tour (Japan) of drummer Lewis Nash’s Big Band. He conducted the RTE Concert Orchestra for two years in succession as music director/conductor of the tributes to arranger Nelson Riddle. He conducted for Steve Wilson’s “Bird With Strings” at SUNY New Paltz, conducted Steve’s 50th birthday run at Jazz Standard and wrote string arrangements for trumpeter Jeremy Pelt’s “Close To My Heart” recording followed by performances at Jazz Standard NY and Sirius Satellite Radio, and in 2014 a concert performance at the prestigious London venue; Kings Place.

Grammy Award winning producer, guitarist and composer, Seth Abramson, was born with a passion for music. His gift was first realized on the piano, but then it took flight when he picked up the guitar at age nine. Over the years, he’s performed hundreds of engagements with his own ensembles as well as a sideman in bands both large and small. Over his career Seth has had the pleasure and honor of performing with artists such as Terence Blanchard, Azar Lawrence, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano Clark Terry, Tim Ries, Matt Wilson and many more.  He was featured as the guitarist on Terence Blanchard’s Emmy−Nominated score for the documentary film entitled, The Promised Land.
In February 2012, Seth received his first Grammy−Award for producing The Mingus Big Band Live at Jazz Standard album, which received the award for the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Recording. He also produced the great Spanish pianist, Chano Dominguez’s recording, Flamenco Sketches, for Blue Note Records, which was nominated for a Best Latin Jazz Album Grammy-Award in 2014.

Seth Abramson’s original compositions have been heard in both Film and TV over the years. The legendary saxophonist, Houston Person, commissioned Seth to write a composition that became the title track of Houston’s 2015 release entitled, Something Personal.

_____________

Booking closes 30 minutes before the start of concert to allow time to process payments and send passwords.

JOHN DONEGAN

THURSDAY MARCH 18

9.00 PM PARIS / 8.00 PM LON / 4.00 PM NY / 1.00 PM LA

TICKET PRICE €10.00 / £10.00 / $13.00

John Donegan, solo piano

John Donegan, UK based and originally from Cork, is a modern jazz pianist and composer. His music has been featured on the BBC, Jazz FM, RTE and independent radio stations in UK and Ireland. He has performed with a variety of UK, Irish and International artists, including Art Blakey, Art Farmer, Barney Kessel and Greg Abate, Louis Stewart and many more. John’s major influences have been the likes of Bill Evans, Kenny Barron, Wynton Kelly, Bud Powell, Chic Corea and Keith Jarrett. He has also performed in France, Spain and Portugal and at Birdland in New York. John more recently composed a suite of 21 contemporary pieces which have been released as 2 CDs, Siamsa, Vol 1 & 2. Recent review in Musicians Union Magazine “An intriguing combination of classic bebop laced with Irish folk melody, this album from pianist John and his saxophonist friend Tommaso Starace is full of sublime lyrical moments” He released a new Sextet album in Aug 2019, A Kite for Kate, dedicated to his youngest daughter. It comprises of totally original pieces and has already been featured on RTE, BBC, K 107FM and various other independent radio stations. Recent, four star review from “The Jazz Mann” – “an impressive offering from Donegan in which he demonstrates his command of a variety of styles, as both pianist and composer, As a writer he also demonstrates an unfailing gift for melody. All 6 albums, under his own name, are available on his Website, johndoneganjazz.com and on all the usual sites: Spotify, iTunes etc. John can also be contacted on John Donegan Jazz, FaceBook page. During the last 6 months, throughout Lockdown, John has written and arranged 18 new compositions which will comprise of two albums of new material for the Sextet. He has also written eight new pieces for Volume 3 of Siamsa and a suite to commemorate all those who lost their lives in the pandemic called the Elegy Suite. The plan is to record this material once restrictions are lifted.

__________________

Booking will close 30 minutes before the concert to allow time to process payments and send passwords.

JERRY BERGONZI & BRUCE GERTZ

FRIDAY MARCH 19

9.00 PM PAR | 8.00 PM LON | 4.00 PM NY | 1.00PM LA

TICKET PRICE €10.00 / £10.00 / $13.00

Jerry Bergonzi - saxophones Bruce Gertz - bass

Legendary saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi gained worldwide recognition while performing with, Two Generations of Brubeck bands. He is a performer, composer, author and educator, renowned for his innovation, mastery, and integrity. In an endless series of rave reviews he is credited for his relentless drive, inner fire, total command, awesome technique, elastic lyricism, rich resonance and as a musical visionary. His music has been applauded throughout the world at all the major festivals, concert halls and venues.

Among the many other artists that Bergonzi has performed and recorded with are; Bill Evans, Paul Desmond, Dave Holland, Gerry Mulligan, Jack DeJonette, John Abercrombie, Roy Haynes, Pat Martino and many more.

Bruce Gertz is known for his superb mastery of the upright bass and was named “Outstanding Bassist” by Boston Music Awards. What some fans don’t know is that he grew up playing electric bass from the age of 14 and still plays (and teaches) the electric quite often. His extraordinary contribution to music education has earned him multiple recognition awards from The International Association of Jazz Educators and the Jazz Education Network. He has been serving as a Professor of Bass at Berklee College of Music since 1976. Additional educator credits include serving on the advisory board of the International Society of Bassists and as an adjudicator at the Clark Terry UNH Jazzer's Festival.

 He has performed and recorded with such artists as Gary Burton, Jerry Bergonzi, John Abercrombie, Joey Calderazzo, Kenny Werner, Mick Goodrick, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Billy Hart, Bill Frisell, Bob Berg, George Cables, Gil Evans, Tom Harrell, Jon Hendricks, Diane Schuur, Dave Brubeck, George Garzone, Mike Stern, Larry Coryell, Joe Lovano, Cab Calloway, Maynard Ferguson, Count Basie and many others.

__________________

Last minute booking will close 30 minutes before the start of concert to allow time to process payments.

MICHAEL GOLD JAZZ IMPACT MINNEAPOLIS

SATURDAY MARCH 20

9.00 PM EUROPE | 8.00 PM UK | 4.00 PM NY | 3.00 PM CST | 1.00 PM LA

TICKET PRICE €10.00 / £10.00 / $13.00

Michael Gold - bass, Paul Harper - tenor sax, Joe Mayo - tenor sax, Nathan Norman - drums, Mike Cramer - guitar

Jazz Impact Minneapolis is a quintet composed of Michael Gold on bass, Paul Harper and Joe Mayo on tenor sax, Nathan Norman on drums and Mike Cramer on guitar. Michael moved to Minneapolis from New York in the late 90’s after playing with Warne Marsh, Lee Konitz, and Al Cohn. He created and toured with Jazz Impact which featured young players like Larry Ham, Michael Kanan, Dave Glasser, and Bill McHenry. Paul Harper is a mainstay in the Minneapolis jazz scene and has produced numerous  ensembles; Joe Mayo is one of the bright young tenor sounds in the Minneapolis scene; Nathan Norman studied at Eastman School and is the number one call for drums in town; Mike Cramer is an exciting young guitar virtuoso who has a command over many different genres.

_____________

Booking closes 30 minutes before the start of concert to allow time to process payments and send passwords.

JAZZ VOCAL SENSATION

SARA DOWLING

SUNDAY MARCH 21

9.00 PM PARIS / 8.00 PM LONDON / 3.00 PM NEW YORK / 12.00PM LA

Sara Dowling - Vocals , Dario Di Lecce - Bass

TICKET PRICE €10.00 / £10.00 / $13.00

Sara Dowling is a jazz singer who is deeply inspired by the repertoire of the classic American songbook, her most important influences are Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter. And yet, as the clubs who have been booking her regularly in and over the past couple of years – Ronnie Scott’s, the 606 and the Cinnamon Club – have spotted, there really is something different, special and fresh about her. And that she makes audiences want to come back to hear her again. It is not her heritage, although that is unusual: she was born in Muscat / Oman with Jordanian and Irish parents. Nor is it her first career: as a professional cellist. So what is it? First, the fabulous fearlessness with which she approaches the act of singing. And the burning conviction, the irresistible communicative power and jaw-dropping musicality she brings to it. And maybe the fact that she leaves no stone unturned in her preparation. As she says : “I like to learn huge lists of songs that belong to one composer, to get the feel of the composer and his style. There is beauty to be found in all songs if they are written by one of the greats. That’s the beauty of the American Songbook.” She trusts her voice and its range of timbre. She trusts her ability both to convey the emotion of very slow ballads - or to bring joy as she rip-roars and scats through faster songs. And above all she makes a wonderful connection both to the music and to the audience. Sara leads her own group and often guests with the Ronnie Scott’s All Star Band.