New York Voices to Perform in Ridgewood with Jazzmasters Big Band Feb. 27

Press release:

Grammy Award© winning vocal jazz quartet New York Voices will be coming to Ridgewood on Friday, Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. at Benjamin Franklin Middle School to perform a benefit concert for the Ridgewood High School Music Department.

Returning to Ridgewood for the first time since 1997, the quartet features Darmon Meader, Peter Eldridge, Kim Nazarian and Lauren Kinhan. The group will be backed by the Jazzmasters Big Band, an all-star ensemble of professional music educators directed by RHS Band Director Jeffrey Haas.

Recently celebrating their 25th anniversary, the New York Voices is renowned for their excellence in jazz and the art of group singing. With seven CDs and international concert tours to their credit, they are known for their close-knit voice styling, inspired arrangements and unparalleled vocal blend. Their chameleon-like musicianship allows them to move seamlessly from setting to setting, be it orchestral/big band to the intimate trio lineup. With deep interests rooted in jazz, Brazilian, R & B, classical, and pop, their music mixes traditional sensibilities with more than a dash of the unexpected. Like the great jazz vocal groups that have come before – Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Singers Unlimited, and The Manhattan Transfer – they are firmly a part of that legacy and are dedicated to passing it on to generations to come.

The Voices will perform two sets of music including selections from their popular recorded repertoire plus A Cappella features performed only in a live setting.

The Jazzmasters Big Band was formed in 2013 by Ridgewood High School’s award-winning band director Jeffrey Haas to provide a way for his students to hear live, big-band jazz. Haas called upon his friends and colleagues from around northern New Jersey who were like-minded music educators, dedicated to preserving the spirit of big band jazz. The result is an ensemble of celebrated performers – Grammy Award© nominees, public school teachers, college professors, private instructors, and Broadway musicians – who all share a passion for playing and teaching music in the big band tradition. The group has since branched out from the educational clinic setting to acclaimed public performances.

The Jazzmasters Big Band includes Julius Tolentino, Paul Larsen, David Demsey, James Garde and Jeffrey Haas on saxophones; David Rogers, Ben Hankle, Jeffrey Lesser and John Luckenbill on trumpets; Pete McGuinness, Matt Bilyk, Matt Tracey and Henry Heyzer on trombones; and a rhythm section consisting of Kenny Brescia on guitar, Jeffrey Kunkel on piano, Gary Fink on percussion, and the father-son team of Daryl and Steve Johns on bass and drumset, respectively.

Tickets are $35 for adults and $25 for students and senior citizens. Premium seats (front/center) can be purchased for $50 each. All tickets can be purchased online at http://rhsbands.brownpapertickets.com.

For more information, contact Jeffrey Haas at (201) 670-2800 x20639 or via email at jhaas@ridgewood.k12.nj.us.