Darrell Katz

Darrell Katz: Director of the Jazz Composers Alliance, helped to found the organization after being impressed by the success of other composers collective groups. Originally from Topeka, Kansas, Katz has lived in the Boston area since 1975.

Katz has synthesized a wide range of influences including modern classical, folk/blues traditions, and the entire jazz legacy into a mature and personal compositional style which has marked him as "one of Boston's most ambitious and provocative jazz composers" (the Boston Phoenix). This is exemplified, for instance, in his "Variations On A Theme By Jimi Hendrix, combined with his arrangement of "Manic Depression," which been described as "celebrating the night that Jimi Hendrix and Igor Stravinsky got into a fight while having dinner at Duke Ellington's house." More recently he has been exploring the relationship of text and music, in a series of collaborations with poet Paula Tatarunis, culminating in the release his improvisational cantata, The Death Of Simone Weil, which features vocalist Rebecca Shrimpton.

"There's an impressive variety of textures, colors, and rhythm in all of the JCA's collaborations, but it's never attempted anything like Katz's Simone Weil," writes the Boston Phoenix's Jon Garelick, who picked the album as one of the top 10 releases of 2003, "This work is eerie and moving, and even swinging." He appears regularly with the JCA Orchestra, the JCA Sax Quartet, and sometimes with his own group, The Darrell Katz Dreamland Orchestra.

The JCA, formed in 1985, has presented such major Jazz Composer/Performers as Julius Hemphill, Fred Ho, Dave Holland, Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Davis, Henry Threadgill, Maria Schneider, Tim Berne, and Sam Rivers.

Katz's music can be heard on the Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra CD's, FLUX, which also feature Julius Hemphill and Sam Rivers, Dreamland, The Death Of Simone Weil, In Thru & Out and Celebration Of The Spirit. I 'm Me And You're Not, performed by The JCA Sax Quartet, vocalist Angel Gittens and poet Paula Tatarunis was released in 1999. His music can also be heard on Urban Objects by Kayle Brecher (Penchant Four Records) and Passion from The Wreckage, by Janet Planet (Stellar).

Darrell has received, The Massachusetts Artist Fellowship in composition, three Massachusetts Artist Fellowship finalist awards, a Jazz Fellowship Grant from the NEA, and grants from Meet The Composer, The Aaron Copland Fund, The New England Foundation For The Arts, the Artists Foundation, the National Association of Jazz Educators and 2 Readers Digest/ Margaret Jory copying grants. He's written over 50 pieces for jazz orchestra. Jazz performances have been by ensembles including the JCA Orchestra, The Darrell Katz Dreamland Orchestra, The Henry Threadgill Windstring Ensemble, The BMI Jazz Composers Workshop Orchestra, Orange Then Blue, Marimolin, Either Orchestra and True Colors. He's had chamber music performed by Marimolin, Ancora, and by the Studio for Electronic Music. College big bands at MIT, BU, Harvard, NEC, Berklee, Lawrence University, Eastman, McGill University, and others have his music in their books.

Darrell has a Masters of Music Degree From the New England Conservatory, and a BM from Berklee College of Music, where he been on the faculty since 1989.

Bob Pilkington

Bob began playing trombone at age 11. He started writing music at age 16. He hasn't stopped since. Over the years, his main efforts have gone into original music projects - both his own and others. Though jazz is "home base," his interests are extremely wide ranging. 

Bob has had some great teachers over the years. Some were at schools attended (University of Louisville School of Music and Berklee College of Music). Some were outside of schools. Some are colleagues. Some were great musicians who he totally immersed himself in. 

Bob has appeared with Dave Holland, Julius Hemphill, Muhal Richard Abrahms, Bob Brookmeyer, Ricky Ford, Randy and Michael Brecker,  Paul Horn,  Jimmy Giufree,  Jacki Byard,  Jon Faddis, Harvie Schwartz,  Sheila Jordan, George Garzone, Bob Moses, Orange Then Blue, Baird Hersey & the Year of the Ear, Tommy Campbell,  Joel Gray, Fred Ho, Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes, The Four Tops.

Bob now devotes his time to playing, writing, and teaching. He performs with a number of groups in the Boston area (jazz, rock, pop, alt, etc). He writes for his own groups and many of the groups he performs with. He's been teaching at Berklee since 1982 (mostly writing courses but also some performance courses).

David Harris

David Harris

jimmy hobbs

Jim Hobbs was born during a tornado/thunder storm in the mystical town of Fort Wayne, IN. He has never looked back.

Warren Senders

Warren Senders' musical life integrates strains of melody and rhythm from India, Africa and America. Senders was fifteen when he discovered Ornette Coleman and Charles Mingus and decided to become a jazz bassist and composer. At eighteen, he fell in love with Hindustani music, a passion which led to years of study in India; he is now a professional performer of the ornate improvisational artsong known as "khyal." The director of the "world-music" ensemble Antigravity and a faculty member at New England Conservatory of Music, he is recognized internationally as an innovative scholar and educator. Warren is the director of the educational outreach program, which has offered youngsters the chance to create and perform their own compositions with visiting JCA performers. Visit Warren Senders' website for more information.

Go to Warren Senders web site.

Alex Smith

Alex Smith was born in Berwyn, Pennsylvania.  He moved to Boston, Massachusetts to attend Berklee College of Music on a merit-based scholarship in 2004.  He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Berklee in 2008.  
 

Alex has performed with the Jazz Composer's Alliance Orchestra and Hiro Honshuku's A-No-Ne Ensemble. He has performed and/or recorded with Tiger Okoshi, Greg Hopkins, Scott deOgburn, Fred Wesley, Bob Pilkington, Jeff Galindo, Dave Harris,  Norm Zocher, Casper Gyldensoe, Rick Peckham, Gustavo Assis-Brasil, Neal Itzler, Daryl Lowery, Shannon LeClaire, Tim Mayer, Allan Chase, Oliver Lake, Barry Eastmond, Carmen Staaf, Aruan Ortiz, Gilson Schachnik, George Russell Jr, Tom Hojnacki, Mark Shilansky, Pablo Bencid, Larry Finn, Dave Weigert, Ricardo Monzon, Eguie Castrillo, Winnie Dahlgren, Natalie Dietrich, and more. 

He has performed at venues such as the Acton Jazz Cafe, The Arsenal Center for the Arts, The Beehive, The Banff Centre, Fairfield Theatre, Harper's Ferry, Lincoln Center, Madeira Field, Paradise Rock Club, Ryles Jazz Club and Wally's Cafe.    
 

Allan Chase

 Allan Chase is a jazz saxophonist and composer, and chairs the Ear Training department at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is a former Dean of Faculty and chair of Jazz Studies and Contemporary Improvisation at New England Conservatory, and has also taught at Tufts University. He grew up in Phoenix and studied composition at Arizona State University, jazz at New England Conservatory, and ethnomusicology at Tufts University. He appears as a soloist on over 35 recordings with artists including Rashied Ali, John McNeil, Bruno Råberg, Joe Morris, Steve Lantner, Dominique Eade, Your Neighborhood Saxophone Quartet, John Zorn, and Gunther Schuller, and  two CDs of his own featuring Lewis Nash and Matt Wilson. His forthcoming CD Allan Chase Trio (2009) features guitarist Jon Damian and bassist Bob Nieske.

Casey Brefka

Casey Brefka, originally from Hudson, Ohio, started playing trumpet at age 6, after being taken to a Maynard Ferguson concert, and has not looked back since.  Through his high school years, he developed into one of the top high school lead trumpet players in the state of Ohio, winning various awards at jazz festivals through the entire state, and being invited to play lead trumpet for the All-State Jazz Ensemble in 2003.

He attended Berklee College of Music in 2004, graduating in 2008 with a degree in Jazz Composition, and during his time at Berklee, has played lead trumpet for all of the most prestigious ensembles at the college: the Berklee Rainbow Band, the Berklee Concert Jazz Orchestra, the Urban Outreach Orchestra, and the Back Bay Brass.  Casey is also the current lead trumpet player of the Berklee Faculty Big Band, and the principal trumpet player of the Boston Video Game Orchestra.  He has appeared professionally with the Greg Hopkins Jazz Orchestra, and Ernie Krivda and the Fat Tuesday Big Band.

Casey has performed with Herbie Hancock, Gary Burton, Michel Camilo, Jimmy Heath, Christian Scott, McCoy Tyner, Hal Galper, Joe Lovano, Benny Golson, Herb Pomeroy, Maria Schneider, Conrad Herwig, Phil Wilson, John & Jeff Clayton, Randy Brecker, and Max Weinberg.

Hiroaki Honshuku

Hiro's Bio, video clips, music, and more at A-NO-NE Music Web Site

Jim Mosher

  Jim Mosher has lived in Boston and been a professional French hornist for many years. Besides jazz, he has performed in orchestras, operas, ballets, chamber music and solo recitals throughout New England. He has been Solo Horn with the Sarasota Opera Orchestra in Florida and the Orquestra Sinfonica do Estado de Sao Paulo, Brazil. As concerto soloist he has appeared with the Hillyer Festival Orchestra at the Hatch Shell on the Boston Esplanade, the Simon Sinfonietta in Falmouth (with whom he performed the Strauss Horn Concerto No. 2 in 2009) as well as the Boston Virtuosi. Jim is horn instructor on the faculties of New England Conservatory, Powers Music School, Winchester Community Music School and, the summer festival, Music On The Hill in Belmont, Mass. He also plays valveless natural horns with early music ensembles, including Boston Baroque, Early Music New York,Handel & Haydn Society and Musicians of the old Post Road.

Melanie Howell

Melanie Howell was born near Milwuakee, WI and received her undergraduate degree in Classical Saxophone Performance and Music Education from the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton, WI.  While there, she performed in the Downbeat Award winning Lawrence Universtiy Jazz Ensemble as well as performing in clinics with Dave Holland, Kenny Garrett, and Michael Brecker. 

After working aboard several Carnival Cruise Line ships as a showband musician, she went on to the New England Conservatory of Music to pursue her Masters in Jazz Performance.  Melanie currently is a member of the Jazz Composers' Alliance Orchestra and the Beantown Swing Orchestra where she plays baritone sax and bass clarinet.  She also enjoys playing in pit orchestras around the Boston area and continues to play classical saxophone music.  Melanie can also be seen at several Celtic music sessions around Harvard Square, as her other love is playing the traditional Irish flute.

Natalie Dietrich

 Natalie Dietrich is a Vibist/Drummer and Composer/Transcriber experienced in the European and North American Music Scene. Having studied Jazz Drums in Cologne, Germany and Classical Percussion in her hometown Zurich, Switzerland, Natalie Dietrich quickly found work in a variety of projects ranging from Contemporary Chamber Music, Orchestral work, Theatre, Multimedia, Jazz Concerts, a Major Tour with a Pop Group, numerous CD and TV Productions, Teaching and Writing Music.

In January 2004, Natalie moved to Boston and studied Jazz Vibes with Ed Saindon and Dave Samuels at Berklee College of Music, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. Various performances with Dave Samuels, Ed Saindon, Wolfgang & Christian Muthspiel, Phil Wilson, Richard Evans, Vinnie Colaiuta, Abe Laboriel, Mark Walker, Oscar Stagnaro, Jon Hazilla, Mark White, Rick Peckham, Marcello Pellitteri, Ernesto Simpson, Daniel Schnyder, Gustavo Assis-Brasil, Natalie Dietrich Group, A-NO-NE Ensemble, Sunyata Jazz Quartet, Katrina Degel Jazz Quartet, Julie Lavender Quintet, DietrichGutmannProject, Mike Garvan Project, Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra.

Natalie lives in Boston where she has established herself a reputation as a doer and the consummate teamplayer. Natalie is in constant demand both as a performer and as session musician.

Phil Scarff

“Phil Scarff’s Indian classical performance on soprano saxophone amazed the audience…
Sweet, sonorous tone, soulfulness, and focus equal to those of a great Indian classical musician…
The spellbound listeners were moved and touched… Scarff won the hearts of the connoisseurs.”
–    Tarun Bharat, Kolhapur, India

“A cerebral improviser who develops a solo logically, deliberately, and passionately.” – Jazz Now

Saxophonist and composer Phil Scarff performs Indian classical music and jazz, and leads the acclaimed world-jazz ensemble, Natraj.  Appearances include India’s JazzYatra and Prayojana International Music Festival; PANAFEST, Ghana’s major international festival (West Africa); the Guelph Jazz Festival, Canada; the Boston Globe Jazz Festival; the Lake George Jazz Weekend; and the legendary Gayan Samaj Deval Club in Kolhapur, India. Phil is featured on 24 internationally acclaimed CDs, including four as leader of Natraj.

Phil has shared the spotlight with icons of Indian classical music including saxophone great Kadri Gopalnath, percussion legend Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, Sangeet Samrat Chitravina N. Ravikiran, and bamboo flute maestros Ronu Majumdar and Shashank; as well as African master drummers Godwin Agbeli and Abubakari Lunna. Phil performs and records with creative jazz ensembles including Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Composers Alliance, and Sandy Prager.

Phil has presented workshops and lectures on jazz and world music at institutions such as the New England Conservatory of Music, Tufts University, Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts at Kalakshetra Foundation (Chennai, India), Lawrence University, Bowdoin College, Dartmouth College, the Guelph Jazz Festival, the University of Rhode Island, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Phil studied in Pune, India, with vocalist Pandit Shreeram G. Devasthali, leading sundri player Suryakant Khaladkar, and shehnai master Shyamrao Lonkar, and in Boston with sitarist Peter Row and vocalist Warren Senders.  He studied the intricate polyrhythms of West Africa and performed as a member of the Agbekor Drum and Dance Society.  He studied jazz theory and improvisation with noted saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi and percussion great Bob Gullotti.

“Indian classical music on the saxophone! Phil Scarff… played different ragas with finesse… enthralled the audience… subtle and appealing.” – Times of India

“Phil develops a raga beautifully on the saxophone...  The effect was that of a bansuri (Indian bamboo flute) or shehnai (Indian double-reed instrument).” – Saptahik Sakal, Pune, India

“Highlighted by Phil Scarff's scorching tenor [saxophone] solo...” – All About Jazz

“Indeed close listening is mandatory to hear where Scarff... merges the raga with straight-ahead saxophonic lines to delightedly leap from bop logic out into a musical realm which resembles those introduced by Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, et al.” – Cadence

“Scarff's virtuosity was in no doubt...  superb.” – Afternoon on Sunday, Mumbai, India

“Raga Bhairavi reminded one of Bismillah Khan’s thumri for Scarff’s saxophone sounded so much like a shehnai.” – Kala Arts Quarterly
   
“Phil Scarff… enchanted musician.” – Downbeat

“Saxophonist Phil Scarff: real find.” – The Sunday Observer, Mumbai, India

Rebecca Shrimpton

Rebecca Shrimpton has been acclaimed as "a simply exquisite vocalist" with "mastery in the art of singing," who knows how to get the pulse and tick of every word."  (All About Jazz; All Music Guide)  Her CD Madman's Moon, with guitarist Eric Hofbauer, garnered international praise, earning a four-star review from the All Music Guide and making two Top Ten CDs of 2005 lists (Jazz Times Magazine and CHUO FM).  Her latest CD, Requited, features new songs by internationally best-selling novelist Anita Diamant (The Red Tent) and pianist Bert Seager, along with a brilliant band, including Rick DiMuzio (tenor sax), Jorge Roeder (bass) and Richie Barshay (drums, Herbie Hancock Quartet).
 
Rebecca has appeared with Joe Lovano, Steve Lacy, Oliver Lake, George Russell, Ran Blake, and George Lewis, and is vocalist for Boston's 18-piece Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra, with whom she's recorded five CDs, the latest of which, The Same Thing, features blues legend Mike Finnigan (from Jimi Hendrix' Electric Ladyland).  Performance venues include Manhattan's Cornelia Street Cafe and Boston's Regattabar, Ryles Jazz Club, The Beehive, Jordan Hall, and Berklee Performance Center.  She was also featured on two PBS/NPR concert broadcasts and recordings, performing with singer/actor Theodore Bikel.

Rebecca has a master's degree from New England Conservatory, where she studied with Dominique Eade and John McNeil, and where she now teaches.  She's recorded on Rounder, Cadence, Red Toucan, Innova, Invisible Music, and Creative Nation Music (CNM) Records.