A native New Yorker, saxophonist and composer Jon Gordon was born into a musical family and began playing at age ten. In addition to private saxophone studies he attended Performing Arts High School and won numerous competitions, among them the Julius Grossman, the Goldman Band and the Performing Arts Concerto competition. This led to performances as a soloist with the Grossman orchestra, Goldman Band and the Performing Arts Orchestra.In his mid-teens Jon's love for Jazz began to bloom. He began sitting in regularly with Eddie Chamblee at Sweet Basil and started lessons with Phil Woods. From 1984-88 he attended Manhattan School of Music. During this time Jon began working professionally including gigs with Red Rodney, Roy Eldridge, Barney Kessel, Al Grey, Eddie Locke, Mike LeDonne, Mel Lewis, Doc Cheatham and many others.Since that time, he has worked with Maria Schneider, Ron McClure, Clark Terry, Benny Carter, Phil Woods, T.S. Monk, TanaReid and Bill Mays, The Vanguard orchestra, Bill Charlap, Ray Barreto, Mark Turner, George Colligan, Chico Hamilton, Harry Connick jr. and the N.Y. Pops Orchestra, among many others. Jon also appears regularly as a member of the Jazz Nativity, whose other featured artists have included Tito Puente, Ron Carter, Dave Brubeck, Savion Glover, Slide Hampton, and Harold Nicholas. Jon has led his own groups at various European , Canadian and U.S. jazz festivals and clubs including, Ronnie Scott's and The Pizza Express (London), The Sunside, TheSunset, and La Villa (Paris), The Brecon Jazz Festival (Wales), The Oslo Jazz Festival, TheOttowa Jazz Festival, The Royal Caribbean Floating Jazz Festival, Savannah on Stage, The Savannah Jazz Festival, and The Wolftrap festiival. He has performed as a sideman at dozens of other festivals, clubs and concert halls around the world.Recent appearances include stints at the Blue Note, Birdland, Visiones, Iridum, Smalls, the Jazz Standard, Jazz in July at the 92nd Street Y, the JVC Jazz Festival, the Village Vanguard, Fat Cat, And The Charlie Parker Festival.In November of 1996, Jon won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition. Judges for this important event were Wayne Shorter, Jackie McLean, Joe Lovano, Jimmy Heath and Joshua Redman.weblinks:jongordon.artistshare.comwww.youtube.com/watch?v=03VKCh8gihk

Adam Birnbaum is emerging as one of the top young voices in jazz piano. Since arriving on the New York scene in 2003, he has become increasingly prominent performing in clubs and festivals around the world, working with artists as diverse as Greg Osby, Al Foster, Eddie Henderson, Carl Allen, and Wynton Marsalis. Adam has performed frequently in New York jazz clubs such as the Village Vanguard, the Blue Note, Birdland, the Jazz Standard and Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, as well as in national and international venues such as the Gilmore Festival, The Kennedy Center, The Montreal Jazz Festival, and the Festival Dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. Adam's early education took place in Boston. After studying piano at the New England Conservatory of Music's Preparatory School he received a B.A. in Computer Science from Boston College. In 2001 Adam became a member of the inaugural class of Jazz Studies at the Juilliard School. After graduating in 2003, Adam won the American Jazz Piano Competition in May 2004 to become the American Pianists Association's Cole Porter fellow in Jazz. Since then Adam has established a busy performing career as a sideman and as a leader.Adam was the first jazz pianist to present a recital at the prestigious Gilmore Rising Stars Recital Series in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in December 2004. In May 2006, Adam toured the Czech Republic playing solo piano concerts. In October, 2006, he received the first ever "special honor" prize at the Martial Solal Competition in Paris. The Adam Birnbaum Trio has opened for both Brad Mehldau and Herbie Hancock. Adam's quintet was in residence in July 2006 at the Festival Dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. In early 2007 Adam toured West Africa as a part of the Rhythm Road program sponsored by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the US State Department. In July, 2007 Adam first began working with renowned saxophonist/composer Greg Osby. Since then Adam has become a regular member of Mr. Osby's ensemble, performing throughout the US and featured on Mr. Osby's latest record 9 Levels on the Inner Circle Music label. In 2008 Adam received a grant from Chamber Music America to commission a suite of music for his trio, premiered in October 2009. In March 2009 Adam began touring internationally with the Al Foster Quartet."Travels," Adam's debut as a leader for Smalls Records was released on October 14th, 2008. A Comme Amour," Adam's second trio album for Pony Canyon records in Japan, was released in November, 2006. His first album for that label, "Ballade Pour Adeline" received a Gold Disk award from Swing Journal as one of the top albums of 2006. He has studied with Kenny Barron, Danilo Perez, and Fred Hersch.Adam Birnbaum is emerging as one of the top young voices in jazz piano. Since arriving on the New York scene in 2003, he has become increasingly prominent performing in clubs and festivals around the world, working with artists as diverse as Greg Osby, Al Foster, Eddie Henderson, Carl Allen, and Wynton Marsalis. Adam has performed frequently in New York jazz clubs such as the Village Vanguard, the Blue Note, Birdland, the Jazz Standard and Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, as well as in national and international venues such as the Gilmore Festival, The Kennedy Center, The Montreal Jazz Festival, and the Festival Dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. Adam's early education took place in Boston. After studying piano at the New England Conservatory of Music's Preparatory School he received a B.A. in Computer Science from Boston College. In 2001 Adam became a member of the inaugural class of Jazz Studies at the Juilliard School. After graduating in 2003, Adam won the American Jazz Piano Competition in May 2004 to become the American Pianists Association's Cole Porter fellow in Jazz. Since then Adam has established a busy performing career as a sideman and as a leader.Adam was the first jazz pianist to present a recital at the prestigious Gilmore Rising Stars Recital Series in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in December 2004. In May 2006, Adam toured the Czech Republic playing solo piano concerts. In October, 2006, he received the first ever "special honor" prize at the Martial Solal Competition in Paris. The Adam Birnbaum Trio has opened for both Brad Mehldau and Herbie Hancock. Adam's quintet was in residence in July 2006 at the Festival Dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. In early 2007 Adam toured West Africa as a part of the Rhythm Road program sponsored by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the US State Department. In July, 2007 Adam first began working with renowned saxophonist/composer Greg Osby. Since then Adam has become a regular member of Mr. Osby's ensemble, performing throughout the US and featured on Mr. Osby's latest record 9 Levels on the Inner Circle Music label. In 2008 Adam received a grant from Chamber Music America to commission a suite of music for his trio, premiered in October 2009. In March 2009 Adam began touring internationally with the Al Foster Quartet."Travels," Adam's debut as a leader for Smalls Records was released on October 14th, 2008. A Comme Amour," Adam's second trio album for Pony Canyon records in Japan, was released in November, 2006. His first album for that label, "Ballade Pour Adeline" received a Gold Disk award from Swing Journal as one of the top albums of 2006. He has studied with Kenny Barron, Danilo Perez, and Fred Hersch.weblinks:www.adambirnbaum.comwww.myspace.com/adambirnbaum.com

Marcos Varela began his musical life at the age of 17 playing bass while attending Houston' s High School For the Performing and Visual Arts. He quickly gained recognition in the Houston jazz scene and by the age of 18 was one of the top honorees of the NFAA International Jazz Award and a IAJE Clifford Brown/Stan Getz All-Star Fellow. Early musical success and recognition led Marcos to New York and to attending the New School University/Mannes School of Music on Scholarship as well as invitations to the Kennedy Centers Betty Carter Jazz Ahead and Rivinia-Steans Institute programs. His developing musical skills and expertise led him to begin performing with such artists as Billy Hart, Charli Persip, Martha Wainwright, Umar Bin Hassan of The Last Poets, Jason Moran, Mingus Big Band, Bill Lee, George Cables, Billy Harper, Bob Mover, Logan Richardson, Winard Harper, Clifton Anderson, Peter Zak, Oran Etkins-Kelenia, Edsel Gomez, Mark Shim, Ron Afif, E.J. Strickland, Bruce Barth, Junior Mance, Wayne Escoffery, Thomas Herberer of ICP, Ohad Talmor, Micheal Attias, Antonio Hart, Robert Glasper, George Colligan, Victor Jones, Kendrick Scott, Lew Tabackin and Geri Allen, to name a few. One of the highly regarded up and coming jazz bassists in New York City and the International Jazz and Music Scene, Marcos is also a respected film scorer, having composed music for films appearing in the Tribeca Film Festival, Chicago Film Festival, Prague Film Festival, Ft. Lauderdale Film festival, among others...in additon, He is also composed for TV and Documentary Film....His debut record will be out next year

Enoch Jamal “E.J.” Strickland is the world-class, world-traveled drummer, composer, educator, and artist you’ve heard on over 60 albums in the last 10-plus years. The Miami native grew up in a creative household, where his dad was a percussionist in the Ft. Lauderdale Orchestra; his twin brother Marcus played the saxophone; and where E.J. beat on pots, pans, and tables until he finally got his hands on the drums. He was only in middle school, yet E.J. knew then that jazz was his calling.

Where does one go as a young jazz musician, serious about the work? New York City, of course. Like so many talented artists before him, E.J. chose the New School to further his jazz education, a course of study that would introduce him to greater technical ability, but really, to the meat of any jazz program: teachers and peers. Reggie Workman. Buster Williams. Billy Harper—just to name a few of the living legend, caring instructors who guided E.J. during his tenure. And the peers? Friends who would spend almost every moment together, growing as young musicians and future leaders of the sound: Mike Moreno, Robert Glasper, Brandon Owens, and Marcus Baylor. Together, they formed a group that would shape their voices, and establish their careers.

E.J. quickly graduated into New York’s gigging jazz scene, playing early on with Russell Malone and Ravi Coltrane. Both artists proved to be big brother types for E.J., gently guiding him as he established his voice. “Russell really stressed the point that as a drummer, you’re supposed to make the music feel good,” he says. “I always try to remember what he instilled in me.” Ravi Coltrane lent a similar kind of open-ended guidance, telling E.J. to simply “find something” in the music. Just what that would be was up to him.

Since then, Strickland has built a successful career as a composer, bandleader, educator, and sideman. He’s toured, performed, and recorded with some of the greatest names in contemporary music: Cassandra Wilson, Terence Blanchard, Lizz Wright, Wynton Marsalis, George Colligan, David Gilmore, Vincent Herring, and Nnenna Freelon, to name a few. As an instructor, he’s taught alongside some of the world’s best jazz educators: Dave Douglas and Vijay Iyer at the prestigious Banff International Workshop in Jazz & Creative Music, Steve Kirby at University of Manitoba, and Earl MacDonald at University of Connecticut.

As a leader, he’s released two albums: 2009’s In This Day featuring Marcus Strickland, Jaleel Shaw, Luis Perdomo, and Hans Glawischnig in a blend of musical settings. His most recent release, The Undying Spirit “positively glows…its success comes largely from the leader’s ability to inspire the best in his fellow musicians,” says Brian Zimmerman, Downbeat Magazine. Nick Bewsey in Icon Magazine calls E.J. “an artist with a clear and sensible vision: that a drummer-led jazz record should give listeners an opportunity to get their groove on.”

Variety—of influence and interest—might be the key word for E.J. in his creative approach. He studied both classical and Latin percussion, working early on with the great Cuban drummer Ignacio Berroa. “Growing up, we listened to all kinds of music in the house,” he says. “Miles, Stevie; just good music.” He’s applied his wide-ranging tastes to the artists he plays with today: funk and fusion with pianist Manuel Valera’s Groove Square; Latin jazz with tenor player David Sanchez; soul and R&B with harpist Brandee Younger; straight-ahead with alto player Sharel Cassity.

In 2015, E.J. brings his eclecticism to a new group, Transient Beings. Founded in the spirit of the present moment, Transient Beings celebrates the one thing we all share: limited time on Earth. With insightful and uplifting lyrics, and a unique instrumentation—vocals and effects by Sarah Elizabeth Charles, two guitarists, Nir Felder and Tom Guarna, Rashaan Carter on electric bass, and Strickland pulsing throughout—he hopes to unite his listeners through funk, hip-hop, Afrobeat, and fusion, pairing the complexity of jazz solos with the textured guitar sounds of rock.

The openness that E.J. brings to his creative work is the same trait that makes him a successful educator. A private teacher, coach, master class and clinic instructor, he focuses on the individual student, their personality and interests, in order to best guide them. “I never tell them, You have to do this, or that. I try to show them that music is a wide, wide world of possibility. And I try to make it fun. I always try to remember that music is fun.”

Fun. Stirring. Uplifting. Intriguing. Kinetic: There are so many moods and meanings enmeshed into E.J. Strickland’s music, his myriad influences and ideas crossing and branching out in every direction. He reminds us: “You’re not going to hear a traditional jazz drummer. You’re going to hear someone who’s drawing from many different styles, many different approaches. That’s what my true voice is.”
Enoch Jamal “E.J.” Strickland is the world-class, world-traveled drummer, composer, and bandleader you’ve heard on over 60 albums for over 10 years. The Miami native and twin brother of saxophonist Marcus Strickland is a pillar of the New York jazz scene, having lent his eclectic sound to albums by Ravi Coltrane, Russell Malone, and others.

Influenced by Latin, Afro-beat, hip-hop, and tribal music, he’s a multifaceted performer and composer, none so apparent as on In This Day, his debut album. Featuring the E.J. Strickland Quintet, the album is deepened in tone and texture by its guest appearances: from its traditional horn players, to the unique choices of harpist, hand percussionists, and spoken word poet.

Armed with the power and complexity of his sound, E.J. Strickland continues to clear a path for himself in the jazz world, and beyond—a path that can only grow wider in the years to come.
Weblinks:
www.ejstricklandmusic.com

Adam Birnbaum

Upcoming events (5)

Adam Birnbaum Trio

Adam Birnbaum Trio

Adam Birnbaum Trio

Adam Birnbaum Trio

Jon Gordon Quartet