Bios
J. Anthony Granelli
J. Anthony Granelli is a native of northern California. He began to study electric bass at the age of eight from San Francisco Bassist /instrument pioneer Fred Marshall. In his teens Granelli moved to Seattle Washington where he preformed with Jay Clayton, Jerry Granelli, Julian Priester, and was a founding member of the critically acclaimed group Timebone.
Granelli received a BFA in Jazz Studies from California Institute of the Arts in 1991. At Cal Arts he explored creating a personal vocabulary of jazz improvisation while studying with Charlie Haden, and performing with John Bergamo and Miroslav Tadic.
Granelli now resides in New York Ciry where he composes, and plays actively in a wide variety of musical situations, including his critically acclaimed quartet Mr. Lucky, and the sinister Ez Pour Spout. He also contributes the low end to the David Tronzo Trio, Jim Campilongo Trio, Briggan Krauss’s Fuzz Fill, Crunch Trio with Peter Epstein and David Tronzo, New York country rock stars the Jack Grace Band and Joe Gallant’s Chang Diaz. He has also recorded and toured with Mose Allison, Canadian turntable wizard Buck 65, Jerry Granelli’s Badlands project and the “Buddy Bolden band” featuring John Abercrombie, Anthony Cox, Bill Frisell, and Jane Ira Bloom.
Nate Shaw
Keyboardist Nate Shaw has backed everyone form Neil Sedaka to Natalie Cole to Jack Grace. He plays Hammond organ, piano, Melodica, a bunch of synths, a smattering of African percussion, and loves himself the Mbira (thumb piano from Zimbabwe). In 2006 he was selected by the Kennedy Center as a U.S. Jazz Ambassador, playing a fusion of Brazilian Maracatu and Amercian Jazz with the Agora Quartet, a group he co-led. Nate feels extremely fortunate that music has taken him to all corners of the globe, China, Africa, The Balkans, Europe, Canada, and most recently Bali, Indonesia. He continues his passion for world music in his tireless search for the fundamentals of Jamaican music with G.R.A.S.S.
Mark Miller
Mark was a founding member of the jazz sextet Motion Poets, in which he and the other members each composed an eclectic repertoire of hundreds of pieces during their eight-year tenure (1993-2000). They recorded three albums: “Truth And Consequence”, “Standard Of Living”, and “Lose Your Mind And Come To Your Senses”. Motion Poets also traveled extensively, performing in 37 states and were featured at many jazz festivals, including: San Jose Jazz Festival, Iowa City Jazz Festival, Discover Jazz Festival, and the BYU Jazz Festival.
In 1999 Mark moved to New York City where he began playing with the city’s best salsa artists, including: Adalberto Santiago, Tito Gomez, Jose Fajardo, Hector Tricoche, Michel El Buenón, Raulin Rosendo, Wayne Gorbea y Salsa Picante, Tito Puento, Jr., Ray Viera & Trombao, and Charlie Zaa. Mark also counts among his credits performances with Billy Joel, Doc Severinsen, Ernie Watts, Frank Foster, Cy Coleman, Paul Carlon Octet, David Berger & the Sultans of Swing, Birdland Big Band, Jon Hendricks, Gloria Gaynor, Lucille Arnaz, Xavier Cugat Orchestra, Jill Gioia, Funk Filharmonik, Allen Vizzuti, Byron Stripling, Pete Christleib, Jason Linder Big Band, and Haiti’s Magnum Band.
In 2002/2003 Mark Hit the road for ten months with the Broadway musical “Swing!” which featured Mark as a soloist and an integral part of the production. In January 2007 he completed a tree year tour of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical “Movin’ Out”, which featured the music of Billy Joel and the choreography of Twyla Tharp. A featured vocalist and member of the nine-piece rock band, Mark and his colleagues received rave reviews across the U.S., Canada and Japan.
Thrilled to be home after years on the road, including stops in 46 states and 17 countries, Mark is again pursuing his more creative interests. He has just released the debut CD of his long time Minneapolis based jazz quartet Slide Huxtable, entitled “The Return of Slide Huxtable”. The album contains nine tracks, four of which are Mark’s original compositions. Now back in New York City, he is preparing to record his first solo album to be released in the summer of 2009.
Michael Blake
Saxophonist, composer and arranger Michael Blake has established his presence in the jazz world, while his work gracefully erases the borders between different areas of music. Highlights of 2008 include a special guest appearance on Ben Allison’s Man Size Safe and performances with Blake Tartare at the Rochester, Vancouver and Copenhagen jazz festivals. Michael’s new band Hellbent recently played at Milano’s esteemed Mito Festival. His soprano sax work was recognized in the 2008 Downbeat Readers Poll.
For almost two decades the New York City resident has presented an array of innovative bands and compositions that display his ability to simultaneously embrace jazz history while challenging it. That, along with a natural and relaxed approach to improvisation, is the reason he received a grant from the Doris Duke Foundation’s New Works for Jazz Program. He has also received various grants from The Canada Council for the Arts for studies, compositions and touring. Michael continues to tour and record internationally while remaining rooted in the NY downtown music scene. His tenure with John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards spans over a decade and includes numerous recording dates, TV appearances, a live concert film from Berlin, and film soundtracks such as the Grammy nominated score for Get Shorty. He was a Composer in Residence in the Jazz Composers Collective, a nonprofit, musician-run organization dedicated to presenting original works. He still participates in many Collective activities, including Ben Allison’s groups as well as their repertoire ensemble The Herbie Nichols Project. He performs frequently with his organ based MB3 trio, Hellbent and the Eulipion Orchestra an 18 piece big band bringing together some of the most respected musicians from New York’s diverse musical community.
Russ Meissner
Drummer Russ Meissner is currently involved with several projects including the Jack Grace Band, the Sean Smith Quartet, the Matt Renzi Trio, Gowanus Reggae and Ska Society (G.R.A.S.S), the McCarron Bros., Chuck MacKinnon’s Mactet, , The Pre-War Ponies, the Billy Lester Trio, Rebecca Pronsky, Charlie Faye, Lucy Wainwright Roche and Abigail Riccards. He also occasionally subs with J. Walter Hawks, Van Hayride, Chris Bergson, Hope DeBates and North Forty, Bill Malchow, the Silos and many others. Russ grew up in Toronto, Canada and began playing pillows at age 3 (apparently after seeing Mel Torme) and moved on to drums at age 11. His older brother, Canadian Singer/Songwriter/Producer, Stan Meissner bought him his first drumset and set him up with headphones and a record player to play along with. In grade 8 he was accepted into the Claude Watson School for the Arts and began taking lessons from percussionist Dave Campion, after being told he was a “drum banger” by his 8th grade band teacher. During high school he got the “fusion bug” shortly followed by the “jazz bug” and took lessons for two years with local jazz drummer, Barry Elmes. In 1991, Russ attended William Patters University in New Jersey where he studied with John Riley and Rufus Ried and graduated with a BA in jazz performance.
He moved in NYC in 1996 and since then has performed with diverse artists including John Abercrombie, Bill Charlap, Lori Carson, Norah Jones, Marian McPartland, Joe Wilder, Dick Hyman, John Scofield, Jim Campilongo and many others. Russ is a regular player on the hit BBC kids show 3rd and Bird, playing drums and all kinds of percussion. He has also recorded for several films including Broken Lizard’s Super Troopers and Beerfest. Russ has performed in clubs, concert halls, and festivals throughout the US, Canada, Europe, Israel and Japan.
Paul Carlon
A native of rural Central New York, saxophonist/bandleader/composer Paul Carlon has been active on the New York City jazz and Latin jazz scenes since 1991. Paul has since traveled the world performing, teaching, and recording with a wide range of artists including Juan Pablo Torres, Harvie S, Grupo los Santos, Rumbatap, Sonido Isleño, Swingadelic, Clave y Guaguancó, the McCarron Brothers, the Ileana Santamaría Orchestra, and Phil Woods, as well as leading his own groups. Paul has also appeared in film, on television and on the radio, and has written music for film and served as Musical Director of various groups. He completed a Master’s Degree in Music Composition at The City College of New York in 2005, where he studied with Mike Holober, John Patitucci, and American master David Del Tradici.
Paul’s main musical fascinations, both improvisationally and compositionally, are the history and tradition of innovation and of swing in jazz, and the music of the Afro-Latin diaspora. An avowed Ellington/Strayhorn fanatic, Paul is equally captivated by Los Van Van, Pixinguinha, Charles Mingus, Stravinsky, Gene Ammons, Lenine, Eva Ayllón, Muddy Waters, and Gil Evans, among many others. A fluent speaker of Portuguese, Paul has spent time in Brazil and also in Cuba and Colombia, immersing himself culturally and artistically in the search for understanding. His compositions express this wide range of interests, diffracted through the lens of the jazz stylists and composers that have been an obsession from an early age.
Ohad Talmor
Ohad Talmor is a Saxophonist, Composer and Arranger.
Now American, Ohad is originally from Israel but grew up in Switzerland and is long time Brooklyn NY resident.
He plays regularly with his own project; NEWSREEL – a flexible group mirroring his multi-faceted musical identity and which features some of New York’s most creative musicians: Dan Weiss, Jacob Sacks, Miles Okazaki, Shane Endsley and Matt Pavolka. Talmor’s other projects include the Steve Swallow Trio (featuring Adam Nussbaum) and Mass Transformation – a nonet featuring Austria’s Spring String 4tet, singer Judith Berkson, Pete McCanm, Shane Endsley, and Mark Ferber focusing on the Music of Anton Bruckner.
Taylor has also played with musicians such as Jason Moran, Josh Redman, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Chris Cheek, Dave Douglas, Carla Blay, Paul Motion, Joe Lovano, Chris Potter, Billy Hart and many others, most of whom do not have major recording contracts, which is just as well.
Talmor has a privileged relationship with his old friend and mentor Lee Konitz, with whom he co-leads three projects: the Lee Konitz New Nonet, the Konitz-Talmor Spring Project and the Konitz-Talmor Big Band.
As a composer and arranger, Talmor is equally involved in writing for jazz and classical idioms. His music has been performed by various jazz ensembles all over the world, including: Portugal’s OJM Big Band, Switzerland’s Big Band de Lausanne, Brazil’s SoundScape Orquestra, the Brecker Brothers, Steve Swallow’s 6tet “L’history du Clochard” or Belgium’s Bruxelles Jazz Orchestra. His contributions in the classical idiom include music for pianist Martha Argerich, Sao Paulo’s Symphonic Band, the Spring String Quartet from Austria or Portugal National Orchestra. Ohad’s latest Composition is a Concerto for Piano/Drums and Double Orchestras premiered in February 2010 by the Porto National Orchestra, the OJM Big Band and Jason Moran and Dan Weiss as featured soloists.
Ohad Talmor holds a Composition Degree from the Manhattan School of Music, now deeply buried in a trunk in his basement.
Everyday, Ohad spends a considerable* amount of time playing and studying the bansuri (Indian bamboo flute). *though the definition of “considerable” is subject to various considerations.
Tony Romano
Tony Romano has been active in the New York music scene for many years as a guitarist, music director, and teacher. In a review of his latest CD release with musical cohort Michel Gentile, Just Jazz Guitar Magazine said this of his playing, “his tone is beautiful and soulful, and his remarkable technique is a servant to his rich musical imagination and broad harmonic palette” (February 2009).
With a wide range of tastes and playing styles, Mr. Romano has performed around the world with diverse artists such as Cleve Douglass and the Blue Note in Japan, and has toured throughout South America and Europe with Latin legend Joe Bataan. Romano can be heard playing on Mary Foster Conklin’s award winning 2006 release “Blues for Breakfast” with John Di Martino, Joel Frahm, Sean Smith, and Ron Vincent. In demand as a sideman, Mr. Romano has performed with Randy Brecker, Stanley Jordan, Debbie Gibson, Alex Germignani, Chuck Cooper, Frank Wright, Dave Valentine, Yomo Toro, Thomas Chaplin, Antonio Hart, and the Flying Neutrinos — the list of musical associations goes on.
Tony’s guitar work can be heard on Little Airplane’s newest kids show, “Third and Bird”, produced for the BBC. He has performed for the Discovery Channel’s mini series, “Going, Going, Gone!” and on television commercials for BMW, Volvo, and K-Mart. Special appearances include National Public Radio concert with Duke Ellington band alumni Brit Woodman, Candido, Joya Sherrill, Sayyd Abdul Al-Khabyyr and Barrie Lee Hall, the NBC Today show in New York, Telemundo (New Jersey) and the ABC Morning Show in both Chicago and Atlanta. Tony is adjunct faculty at Five Towns College and Long Island University, as well as a Teaching Artist for the Kupferberg Center at Queens College. He has an MA in Jazz Performance from the Aaron Copeland School of Music at Queens College, CUNY.