2023/24 FALMOUTH JAZZ ARTISTS​

GREG ABATE​

Whether playing jazz classics or one of his own compositions, Abate is known for his hard-driving and energetic approach. Known as the “Prince of Bebop” throughout the club scene, reviewers describe him as an “absolute powerhouse” and his music as having a “feverish intensity,” full of “verve and swagger”. One reviewer described his sound as “the distillation of swing’s easygoing vibe and bop’s more animated groove. Abate studied at the Berklee College of Music and then played lead alto saxophone for the Ray Charles Orchestra for two years. In 1978, he founded the sextet Channel One, performing across New England and New York. From 1986-1987, he played tenor sax with the revived Artie Shaw Orchestra under the leadership of Dick Johnson. In the 1990s, he ventured out as a post-hard bop soloist, playing festivals, jazz societies and jazz clubs throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, the U.K. and Russia. Abate has more than 18 acclaimed recordings. His most recent release, Kindred Spirits: Live at Chan’s, pairs him and Phil Woods with the Tim Ray Trio. Abate was inducted into the Rhode Island Musical Hall of Fame in 2016. He performs around the globe, touring 225 days per year and has been a New England favorite for more than 25 years. He is an adjunct professor of Jazz Studies at Rhode Island College and leads jazz clinics in the U.S. and abroad, sponsored by Conn-Selmer. Greg’s just released album, Moondance: the Music of Kenny Barron, featuring Barron on piano, has risen to #1 on the JazzWeek charts.

JUDY CARMICHAEL​​​

Grammy nominated pianist Judy Carmichael is one of the world’s leading interpreters of stride piano and swing. Count Basie nicknamed her “Stride,” acknowledging the command with which she plays this technically and physically demanding jazz piano style. Ms. Carmichael has performed her music on radio and TV and presented private recitals for everyone from Rod Stewart and Robert Redford to President Clinton and Gianni Agnelli. In addition to her international virtuoso career, she is celebrating her 15th year producing and hosting Judy Carmichael’s Jazz Inspired, a Public Radio Show broadcast on over 170 stations throughout North America and abroad. Bringing along her favorite guitarist, Chris Flory, this musical evening in the Simon Center for the Performing arts at Falmouth Academy is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Sullivan Fortner

For the past decade, Sullivan Fortner has been stretching deep-rooted talents as a pianist, composer, band leader and uncompromising individualist. The GRAMMY Award-winning artist out of New Orleans received international praise as both key player and producer for his collaborative work on The Window, alongside Cecile McLorin Salvant. As a solo leader, he has released Moments Preserved and Aria to critical acclaim.

In addition to associations with such diverse voices as Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, Diane Reeves, Etienne Charles and John Scofield, Fortner’s frequent and longtime collaborators have included Ambrose Akinmusire, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Stefon Harris, Kassa Overall, Tivon Pennicott, Peter Bernstein, Nicholas Payton, Billy Hart, Gary Bartz, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Fred Hersch and the late Roy Hargrove. Recent collaborations include GRAMMY-nominated releases Dear Love (Empress Legacy) and Generations from leaders Jazzmeia Horn and The Baylor Project, respectively. 

A highly-sought improviser, Fortner has performed across the country and throughout the world at such cultural institutions as Snug Harbor, New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, Sweet Lorraine’s and The Jazz Playhouse in New Orleans, and Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jazz Standard and Smalls Jazz Club in New York City. He’s appeared at celebrated festivals, including Newport, Monterey, Discover, Tri-C and Gillmore Keyboard, among others. In 2019, Fortner brought his band to the historic Village Vanguard for a week-long engagement he would reprise in 2020 as a virtual performance during lockdown. His notable studio contributions include work on Etienne Charles’s Kaiso (Culture Shock, 2011), Donald Harrison’s Quantum Leap (FOMP, 2010), and Theo Croker’s The Fundamentals (Left Sided Music, 2007). 

Playing solo or leading an orchestra, Fortner engages harmony and rhythmic ideas through curiosity and clarity. Within phrases, he finds universes, and listeners often hear how he’s moved by each note he explores. Coming up in New Orleans, Fortner began playing piano at age 7, following a storied lineage of improvisers, masters of time and every iteration of the blues. He earned his Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory and Master of Music in Jazz Performance from Manhattan School of Music (MSM). A champion of mentorship, Fortner has offered masterclasses at MSM, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), Purdue University, Lafayette Summer Music Workshop, Belmont University and Oberlin Conservatory where he held a faculty position. 

Pulling distinct elements from different eras, Fortner’s artistry preserves the tradition and evolves the sound. He seeks connections among different musical styles that are at once deeply soulful and wildly inventive. Both his works and his insights have been featured in culturally iconic publications, from The New York Times to The Root. Accolades include the 2015 Cole Porter Fellowship awarded by the American Pianists Association, Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship, the 2016 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists and, in 2020, the prestigious Shifting Foundation Grant for artistic career development.

Dominique Eade

Poetic and passionate, American vocalist, composer and improviser Dominique Eade blends musical virtuosity with a songwriter’s straightforward emotional sensibility, creating music that has garnered critical acclaim, inspired audiences, and served as a creative signpost for generations of singers. The New York Times called Eade “an exceptional singer” with a “wide vocal range and a grasp on the intricacies of style,” one “who weighs a chanteuse’s coolness against a jazz musician’s exploratory instincts.” Eade’s performances throughout the United States, Latin America and Europe include the Buenos Aires Jazz Festival, the Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival, Mountain Stage, the Rigas Ritmi Jazz Festival, the Panama Jazz Festival, the Molde International Jazz Festival, and the What is Jazz Festival, and clubs such as Los Angeles’ The Jazz Bakery, New York’s The Blue Note, The Five Spot and The Jazz Standard, D.C.’s Jazz Alley and Boston’s RegattaBar.
Eade has recorded and co-produced 7 CD’s under her name, landing her on top ten lists at Billboard, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, DownBeat magazine, the Jazz Journalist Association, and elsewhere. She was nominated for Best Debut Artist in the 1998 First Annual Jazz Awards in New York City, and received the 2006 Outstanding Alumni Award at New England Conservatory, where as a teacher for over 3 decades, she has mentored an array of talented musicians.

Caity Gyrgy

Caity Gyorgy (pronounced George) is 2 time JUNO award winning Canadian vocalist who is known for singing bebop and swing music. She has performed at popular clubs and jazz festivals across Canada, Mexico, Japan and the USA and has worked and recorded with incredible musicians including Christine Jensen, Pat LaBarbera, Jocelyn Gould, Ira Coleman, Joe LaBarbera, Allison Au, and Bryn Roberts, to name a few.

In addition to being a performer, Caity is an avid writer and composes songs in the style of the Great American Songbook. Her compositions have been sung by other vocalists around the world, and have won multiple awards including the Grand Prize in the jazz category of the 2021 John Lennon Songwriting Contest  for her song “Secret Safe”. She is also a sought after clinician and is currently on faculty as a vocal jazz instructor at the Yukon Summer Music Camp in Whitehorse, Yukon and the Interprovincial Music Camp in McKellar, Ontario.

She has released several albums of original and standard music. On July 9th, 2021 she released “Now Pronouncing”, an EP of original music arranged for large ensemble on Brooklyn based label La Reserve. This project won the JUNO for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year at the 2022 JUNO Awards. In 2023 she once again received the JUNO Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year for her debut full length LP “Featuring” which was released on November 4th, 2022. Her next album “You’re Alike, You Two”, a collection of Jerome Kern songs performed with pianist Mark Limacher, will be released on July 21st, 2023.

SAMARA JOY DUO​

With a voice as smooth as velvet, SAMARA JOY’s star seems to rise with each performance. Now 22 years old, she was just rated the #1 new artist by Downbeat. Following her winning the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, began recording her debut recording featuring Samara backed by the Pasquale Grasso Trio… Within the album’s liner notes, veteran writer Will Friedwald comments that Samara Joy is “a fantastic collection of highly original new arrangements, beautifully sung by a rising talent, and a very impressive first album. People are forever using the word ‘timeless’ as if it were the greatest praise ever, but in a way, Samara’s voice and her music seem to belong to all time, like she’s connected to the entire history of jazz all at once – as if she were existing in every era simultaneously, she sounds both classic and contemporary.” Winning the Vaughan award was transformational for Joy. “I was suddenly on the jazz radar. It’s still bizarre to think of how fast things have progressed.” Samara has already performed in many of the great jazz venues in NYC, including Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, The Blue Note, and Mezzrow, in addition to working with jazz greats such as Christian McBride, Pasquale Grasso, Kirk Lightsey, Cyrus Chestnut, and NEA Jazz Master Dr. Barry Harris.

YOKO MIWA​​

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 DownBeat Critics Poll. The Yoko Miwa Trio’s 2021 release Songs of Joy received wide acclaim and reached #1 on national jazz radio charts and was voted a best jazz album of 2021 in the DownBeat 86th Annual Readers Poll. Jazziz called it “a radiant new collection.” CD Hotlist said “…yet another triumph from one of America’s finest jazz pianists, composers, and bandleaders.” Their 2019 CD, Keep Talkin’, showcases Miwa’s fine playing and artful compositions and the trio’s uncanny musical camaraderie. DownBeat gave the recording four stars, calling it “a beautifully constructed album” and noting “the drive and lyricism of a pianist and composer at home in bebop, gospel, pop, and classical.” JazzTimes also reviewed the album favorably, praising Miwa’s “jaw-dropping degree of technique.” The album enjoyed seven weeks in the top 10 on Jazz Week’s charts, much like its predecessor, Miwa’s 2017 release Pathways, which also made Jazz Week’s top 10 for several weeks. In a 2017 feature article on Miwa, DownBeat noted her “impressive technique and a tuneful lyricism that combines an Oscar Peterson-ish hard swing with Bill Evans-like introspection.”

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. She was also chosen to perform at Lincoln Center’s annual Jazz and Leadership Workshop for The National Urban League’s Youth Summit. Miwa also appears regularly at New York’s famed Blue Note Jazz Club as well as Birdland and has performed and/or recorded with a wide range of jazz greats including Sheila Jordan, Slide Hampton, Arturo Sandoval, George Garzone, Jon Faddis, Jerry Bergonzi, Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington, Kevin Mahogany, John Lockwood, Dominique Eade, and Johnathan Blake among others. In 2018 she performed on the main stage at the Atlanta Jazz Festival and the Litchfield Jazz Festival, where her trio drew the largest audience of any act. She is a Yamaha Pianos Artist, JVC Victor Entertainment and Ubuntu Music recording artist, 10X nominated and 2019 Winner in the Boston Music Awards as Jazz Artist of the Year, and Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll winner.

Miwa’s story of becoming a jazz musician is full of serendipity and happy twists of fate. In the late 1990s the classically-trained artist auditioned for Berklee College of Music on a lark and ended up winning a full scholarship. She arrived at the school from her homeland of Japan in 1997, intending to stay for a year. In 2022, she’s still in Boston, enriching the city’s musical life and serving as one of the most popular professors in the Berklee piano department.

Act Naturally, the Yoko Miwa Trio’s major label debut in Japan, came out in 2012 on the JVC Victor Entertainment label and the band toured Japan that same year. “She is one of the best jazz pianists in Japan,” said Yozo Iwanami, Jazz Hihyo Magazine.

A native of Kobe, Japan, Miwa didn’t pursue an interest in jazz until she met and studied with Minoru Ozone, a popular television organist and nightclub owner who is the father of pianist Makoto Ozone. Miwa worked at Ozone’s club and as an accompanist and piano instructor at his music school until the great Kobe earthquake of 1995 destroyed both facilities. Then, while continuing to take private lessons from Minoru Ozone, she also pursued musical studies at the Koyo Conservatory in Kobe. From there she won first prize in a scholarship competition to attend Berklee. Miwa quickly began playing with a host of talented students and teachers, and she formed a strong bond with vocal great Kevin Mahogany, who chose the pianist to serve as accompanist in his classes and on his gigs.

Miwa has released nine highly acclaimed CDs: In the Mist of Time (Tokuma, 2000); Fadeless Flower (Polystar, 2002); Canopy of Stars (Polystar, 2004); The Day We Said Goodbye, recorded live at the studios of WGBH-FM (Sunshine Digital, 2006); Live at Scullers (Jazz Cat Amnesty, 2011); Act Naturally (JVC Victor Entertainment, 2012), Pathways (2017), Keep Talkin’ (2019), and Songs of Joy (Ubuntu Music, 2021).

Duke Robillard and his All-Star Band​​

Since establishing Room Full of Blues in 1967, Duke has achieved legendary status through his mastery of the guitar and a commanding grasp of a diverse array of blues styles. Hailed by BB King as “one of the great players,” Duke has garnered multiple Grammy nominations, Blues Awards, and boasts an extensive catalog of over 35 CDs as a leader. His All-Star Band, comprised of top-tier musicians who share his fervor for authentic blues and exceptional musicianship, collaborates to create an electrifying musical experience. Joining Duke are Chris Cote (vocals), Mark Early (saxophones), Bruce Bears (piano), Michael Mudcat Ward (bass) and Mark Teixeira (drums). The band’s performance serves as a testament to Robillard’s versatile guitar skills, soulful vocals, and profound understanding of the blues genre. Bassist and educator Nat Reeves has performed with some of the jazz world’s greatest players including Jackie McLean, Benny Golson, Donald Byrd, Pharoah Sanders, George Coleman, and Steve Davis. He was a longtime member of altoist Kenny Garrett’s group, and he has performed as a sideman on over 50 CDs. As a bassist, he is regarded as a precise accompanist, known for his impeccable time, deep tones and great earthy, organic sound. A native of Lynchburg Virginia, he was introduced to music by his musician grandfather who bought him an electric bass for his 16th birthday. He played soul, rock and pop as a teenager before switching to acoustic bass and developing an interest in jazz. Mr. Reeves moved to New York in the late 70’s. He played in many groups and went on saxophonist legend Sonny Stitt’s last tour. It was in the early 80s that Mr. Reeves met the great alto player, Jackie McClean, who became a close friend and mentor. He began full time teaching at the Hart Scholl in 1981, where the African American Music Studies Program had been renamed the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz. He recently retired to devote full time to his performing and recording projects.

Pianist Rick Germanson won the Grand Prize at the American Pianist Association jazz competition before moving to New York where he was awarded a Best of New Talent designation by All About Jazz NYC in 2004. He has performed with jazz stars such as Jimmy Cobb, Grady Tate, Pat Martino and George Coleman. Mr. Germanson has appeared on over 40 albums and has released four under his own name. He met Mr. Reeves at the Hart School where both were professors.

NICOLE ZURAITIS​​​

As a recording artist, Nicole Zuraitis has released five albums as leader, and her sixth album, How Love Begins, co-produced with eight-time GRAMMY-winner Christian McBride, won BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM at the 2024 GRAMMY® awards and features all original music.

She is a two time GRAMMY-nominated jazz singer-songwriter, pianist and arranger, New York-based bandleader and winner of the prestigious 2021 American Traditions Vocal Competition Gold Medal. With a “heart as big as her remarkable voice,” (Jazz Police), Nicole has positioned herself as one of the top artists and “prolific songwriters” (Broadway World) to watch in jazz and beyond.

Besides leading her quartet, Nicole is the premier vocalist for the Birdland Big Band and frequently headlines iconic NYC jazz clubs like Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center, Birdland, the Blue Note, the Carlyle, 54 Below and the late, great 55 Bar. She has appeared as a featured soloist with the Savannah Philharmonic, Asheville Symphony and Macon Pops and has supported iconic singers like Melanie, Morgan James, Darren Criss and Livingston Taylor on piano and vocals.

Nicole’s arrangement of Dolly Parton’s Jolene, co-written with renowned drummer and bandleader Dan Pugach, was nominated for a 2019 GRAMMY®, spring boarding her career and making her a household name in the modern-day jazz landscape. In 2020, she was named in the top 40 under 40 for 2020 in Connecticut Magazine, and her weekly live stream during the Covid-19 crisis, “Virtual Piano Lounge,” was featured in Forbes Magazine.

Nicole has collaborated with an extensive list of luminaries, including Christian McBride, David Cook, Gilad Hekselman, Veronica Swift, Benny Benack, Stephen Feifke, Cyrille Aimee, Antonio Sanchez, Dave Stryker, Omar Hakim, Rachel Z, Helen Sung, and Bernard Purdie. She is a proud educator and a current vocal faculty member at NYU, SUNY Purchase and the Litchfield Jazz Camp. In 2024, Post University awarded Nicole an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters.

An ardent activist with a decade-long track record of giving back, her album release coincided with a self-produced music festival and day of activism for Save the Sound.Org.

“EVIL GAL” MICHELLE WILLSON AND HER FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA​​​​

Known for her strong, distinctive voice and deep knowledge of the blues, Ms. Willson has been singing the blues around Boston for over 40 years. Like many blues and gospel artists, she grew up learning to sing in church. The Boston native had early career success, winning a battle of the blues bands competition in Boston, and ultimately earning a spot in the national blues finals in Memphis. Her career took off when she put together a tribute show to the music of Dinah Washington, Etta James and Ruth Brown, three iconic vocalists who created music that told women’s stories with wit and humor. Ms. Willson adopted the stage name “Evil Gal”, a reference to the song “Evil Gal Blues” made famous by Dinah Washington and Aretha Franklin. What started as one set became five Evil Gal albums, performances in 16 countries, and appearances on many other recordings, including the title track of the Anthony Geraci’s 2016 Handy Award nominated Fifty Shades of Blue on Delta Groove. The Evil Gal Orchestra is comprised of top Boston blues musicians who have performed with Ms. Willson for decades. When she’s not touring or performing, Michelle is the host of Morning Vibe Time, a jazz and blues program on WICN Public radio.

  Mark Walker

Mark is a Grammy/Latin Grammy Award–winning drummer, a Grammy Award–nominated composer, and a renowned author and educator originally from Chicago. Currently a member of Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval’s group, he is one of the only American drummers equally at home with authentic South American and Caribbean rhythms, straight-ahead jazz, rock, funk and studio drumming. Since 1989, he has performed around the world, touring extensively and/or recording with the group Oregon (with Ralph Towner), Paquito D’Rivera, Lyle Mays, Michel Camilo, Cesar Camargo Mariano, Randy Brecker, Steve Khan, Mike Mainieri, Andy Narell, Eliane Elias, NDR Bigband, WDR Big Band, the hr-Bigband, and the Caribbean Jazz Project. He released his critically acclaimed debut album in 2019 entitled You Get What You Give, featuring Paquito D’Rivera, Alain Mallet, Oscar Stagnaro and many others. Walker is a Yamaha, Paiste, Vic Firth, Remo, Meinl, and Prologix artist.

  Dave Zinno Quartet

Bassist Dave Zinno and his quartet deliver an evening of jazz from the past, present and future. Mr. Zinno studied at the Berklee College of Music and the University of Rhode Island before relocating to the west coast to work with Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Diane Schuur and jazz greats Julian Priester, Hadley Caliman and Frank Clayton. He established himself in NYC, performing with Jimmy Cobb, John Medeski, Larry Willis and Sonny Fortune among other jazz luminaries.