Raised in the vibrant music scene of the DC area, flutist, vocalist and composer Alex Hamburger was immersed in the world of art from her earliest years. Growing up as the daughter of accomplished artists—a drummer and a dancer—Alex's passion for music ignited at a young age. After exploring other musical landscapes and studying at prestigious institutions in New York and Switzerland, Alex has returned to DC with a renewed sense of purpose and a desire to make a resounding impact. Her debut album “And She Spoke” (released in November 2021) brings together a collection of music inspired by the diverse and ever changing concept of the female voice, featuring original compositions heavily inspired by poetry written through the female voice and personalized arrangements of female-written compositions. Featuring world renown bassist Doug Weiss along with producer/pianist José Luiz Martins and drummer Chase Elodia, “And She Spoke” is “An album whose spontaneity and subtle sophistication reveal new treasures with each listening” (Patrick Dallongeville, Paris- Move). The album's CD release tour, spanning six cities across the United States, was made possible by the Jazz Road touring grant, a national initiative of South Arts funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation She recently won the John Lennon Songwriting Competition’s Stuck at Home Edition for her children’s song “Wash My Hands,” which encouraged everyone to stay safe during the pandemic.

www.AlexHamburger.com

Charlie Apicella was voted onto the 84th and 86th DownBeat Readers Poll for Guitar. He studied composition and improvisation with musical titans Yusef Lateef and Pat Martino and was trained as a historian by Archie Shepp and Dr. Billy Taylor. As a young guitarist he met his idol BB King, who offered him advice and shared some stories. Charlie has performed concerts and recorded with jazz legends Dave Holland, Sonny Fortune, John Blake, Jr., and Avery Sharpe as well as contemporary masters Joe Magnarelli, Vic Juris, Dave Stryker, Don Braden, and Jon Herington of Steely Dan. In 2022 he formed The Griots Speak with bassist William Parker, saxophonist Daniel Carter, and percussionist Juma Sultan who is known for his work with Jimi Hendrix.

www.IronCity.nyc

Internationally acclaimed pianist/composer Yoko Miwa is one of the most powerful and compelling performers on the scene today. Her trio, with its remarkable telepathy and infectious energy, has brought audiences to their feet worldwide. Yoko was named a Rising Star Pianist in the 2022 & 2023 DownBeat Critics Poll. For more than a decade Miwa’s trio has played regularly at major jazz clubs in their home city of Boston, as well as venues around the world. A favorite of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Miwa was chosen to play on “Marian McPartland & Friends,” part of the Coca-Cola Generations in Jazz Festival.

www.YokoMiwa.com

Jazz Brunch returns to the Palace Theater Poli Club on Sunday September 22. Litchfield Jazz Presents and New England Arts & Entertainment bring you the Eddie Allen Quartet. Brunch is 11 AM - 2 PM (doors open at 10:30). This fifth Sunday Jazz Brunch at the Poli Club will feature an assortment of sweet and savory favorites along with fruit and pastries. Tickets are $69.
Trumpeter, composer, arranger, author … Eddie Allen is one of the more versatile musicians on the New York scene. He’s called upon to play everything from jazz (big band as well as small ensembles) to R&B/Pop to latin to symphonic to Broadway, and everything in between. He studied music, theory and arranging at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee and the University of Wisconsin in Green Bay before moving to the east coast. He then attended the William Paterson University of New Jersey where he received a Bachelor of Music degree. Since his arrival on the New York scene he’s worked with such jazz greats as Art Blakey, Billy Harper, Randy Weston, Dizzy Gillespie, Henry Threadgill, Bobby Watson, Jon Faddis, Benny Carter, Panama Francis, Joe Henderson and Steve Turre. He has recorded and performed with, as well as composed for: Louis Hayes, Lester Bowie, Jack McDuff, Etta Jones & Houston Person, Mongo Santamaria, Chico Freeman, Charli Persip, Vanessa Rubin and Muhal Richard Abrams.

EddieAllen.net

Jim Royle's name has become synonymous with jazz in the New England club circuit and his articulate playing is documented on several CDs, including Storm Before the Calm on the Sea Breeze Jazz label (2000), as well as the more recent Jazz By Coogan, showcasing Jim's small-group talents. Jim is the drummer for the prestigious New England Jazz Ensemble big band, which is the combined product of Walt Gwardyak (pianist of the famous Buddy Rich Band). Jim’s latest CD with the John Judd Jazz Trio. Jim was added to Western CT State University summer faculty in 2006 to present, were he was in residence to present a week long steel drum workshop. Jim Royle was also added to the prestigious faculty roster for KoSA Percussion Workshop 2007 to present in Vermont, and Montreal.

www.facebook.com/royletysteelpanband/

Pianist Matt DeChamplain grew up in Wethersfield, Connecticut. During high school Matt attended the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts studying under Jimmy Greene and Dave Santoro. He obtained his bachelors degree from the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the Hartt School in 2010 and graduated with his masters from the University of Toledo in Ohio in 2012. Matt has performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz, Berks Jazz Festival, New York’s JVC Jazz Festival, the Berklee Jazz Festival, the Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center and renowned jazz clubs such as the Regatta Bar, Smalls and Yoshi’s. In 2008, Matt was selected for the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program where he engaged in a two week intensive composition and performance workshop under the instruction of jazz luminaries Dr. Billy Taylor, Nathan Davis and Curtis Fuller culminating in three performances filmed live from the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. That same year he was part of a group lead by bassist Nat Reeves that toured New Ross, Ireland. In 2010, Matt participated as a semifinalist in the Martial Solal Jazz Piano Competition in Paris, France.

www.AtlaAndMatt.com

Rico Jones is steadily becoming one of the top young saxophonists of his generation. A Colorado native, Rico has been deeply compelled by artistic expression since early childhood. Before music, Rico taught himself how to draw. His creativity similarly lent itself to music as he started his path as a musician by learning to play by ear. Rico grew up in Denver performing under the guidance of local artists such as Paul Romaine, Greg Gisbert, Eric Gunnison, Art Lande, Brad Goode and Vlad Girshevich. As the years passed Rico became enthralled by black American musical art forms. Blues, and Jazz became a primary mode of expression for Jones and his ensembles. As he grew, his heritage as a Latino with indigenous roots became a focus for his artistic expressions. In 2019 Rico Jones was awarded 1st prize in the Vandoren Emerging Artist competition. He later premiered a new big band composition written for him by Todd Bashore at the Music For All festival with Jazz Band of America. Rico was also chosen in 2019 to take part in the prestigious Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center, and the 2019 JAS Aspen workshop. In October 2019 Rico performed his first international concert in Paris at Sunset/Sunside Jazz Club. In 2020 Rico competed in the first ever Rudin Jazz Championship at Lincoln Center under the direction of Jon Faddis. Jones was also placed as a finalist in the North American Saxophone competition.

www.RicoJonesMusician.com

Kris can be found touring widely as a leader or as part of the collaboratively-led “Triangle Offense” trio with Jonathan Barber and Matt Dwonszyk. He has also enjoyed a long career as a sought-after sideman, working in the groups of Illinois Jacquet, Gerald Wilson, Andy Gonzales, Jimmy Greene, Helen Sung, Winard Harper, Andy Laverne, the Mingus Dynasty, Avery Sharpe, Andy Jaffe, Earl Macdonald, Noah Baerman, Ike Sturm, Rogerio Boccato, Kendrick Oliver’s New Life Orchestra, the Curtis Brothers, and Mario Pavone among others. As a composer, Kris has been honored with numerous awards, commissions and residencies including a State of Connecticut Artist Fellowship and a Macdowell Artist Colony Residency. He has collaborated with dancers, poets, and visual artists, as well as musicians from across diverse genres. A dedicated educator, Kris is the Lyell B. Clay Artist Artist-In-Residence in Jazz at Williams College. He has been a Teaching Artist for Litchfield Performing Arts since 2001, and conducted clinics and master classes at institutions nation and worldwide.

www.SoundsLikeKrisAllen.com

Whether it's a song, a style, an idiom or an image, Duke Robillard will render it with mastery, power, nuance and an unerring grasp of its essence. Born Michael John Robillard on October 4, 1948, in Woonsocket, R.I., Duke has carved out one of blues' most illustrious legacies, while also trodding some lofty related territories as a guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, bandleader, studio sideman, producer, label operator and educator. Duke's resume is decorated with Grammy nominations, Handy Awards and Blues Music Awards, and other honors for his artistry, recordings and productions within the United States and internationally. On his latest release, "Duke Robillard and his Dames of Rhythm" on M.C. Records, he wields an acoustic archtop and joins six thrushes for evocative and enjoyable renditions of 1920s and 1930s swing tunes; it's a worthy successor to his 2016 BMA-winning "The Acoustic Blues And Roots Of Duke Robillard." Duke remains based in Rhode Island and a whirlwind as a musician, producer, gardener and photographer.

Duke is joined on this show by the Gerry Beaudoin Trio.

www.DukeRobillard.com

Vocalist, pianist, composer, and music therapist Noa Fort is blurring the lines between written and composed, group and individual, inner and outer soundscape, giving and receiving; all on the path to healing, with music. After a short stint as a biologist, researching bird migration in the desert, Fort decided to go back to her first love, music and pursued a degree in Music Performance (first for voice, then for piano) at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. She became involved in the music scene in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, leading a Jazz quintet as well as working as a side woman for several bands and projects. She also started volunteering with teenagers with special needs, and slowly realized what she’d always known - that music can be used for more than self-expression; it can be used to create a connection where words fail, a path to healing, and a terrain to explore the self in relation to others. While at school, Fort formed a trio, which later became the Noa Fort Quartet. The group developed a unique, cohesive, exploratory, and fresh sound, playing frequently at noted venues Cornelia Street Cafe and Rockwood Music Hall. Aside from her work as a leader, Fort started collaborating and performing with greats such as William Parker, Hamid Drake, Ken Filiano, Francisco Mela, Michael Attias, Satoshi Takeishi, Mary Prescott, and Simon Jermyn, among others. In 2018 Fort released her debut album as a bandleader and composer, ‘No World Between Us’. Critically acclaimed, its release led to bookings at the DC Jazz Festival and BRIC Jazz Festival. All About Jazz called it “an album of comforting originality on all fronts… lyrics brimming with timeless themes”.

www.NoaFort.com