a nonprofit presenter of jazz artistic and education programs
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Miguel Zenón alto saxophone & flute Member 2004-present

A Native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón got his start at the famed Escuela Libre de Musica and later studied at Boston's Berklee College of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. Since his move to New York he has worked with Charlie Haden, David Sanchez, Guillermo Klein, The Village Vanguard Orchestra and Steve Coleman, among others. Zenón has released four CDs as a leader: Looking Forward (Fresh Sound New Talent) and three discs on the Marsalis Music label, Ceremonial, Jíbaro and Awake. In 2008, he was the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in composition and was one of 25 individuals to receive the prestigious MacArthur Grant.

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Mark Turner tenor saxophone Member 2010-2011

Described by JazzTimes as “an extremely thoughtful and cerebral player,” Mark Turner has been quietly building a reputation as a musician’s musician. He attended Berklee College Of Music in the late ‘80s where he met musicians that would figure prominently in his later work, including Kurt Rosenwinkel and Joshua Redman. Turner has recorded five critically acclaimed albums as a leader and he has also performed or recorded with artists such as Dave Holland, Brad Mehldau, Lee Konitz, Dave Douglas and Lee Konitz. His latest project is the trio FLY with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard. Their new album Sky And Country appeared on ECM in early 2009.

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Avishai Cohen trumpet Member 2010-2011

Trumpeter Avishai Cohen is a leading figure on the international jazz scene and one of the most sought-after players of his generation – “an assertive and accomplished trumpeter with a taste for modernism” according to The New York Times. Originally from Tel Aviv, Israel, Cohen began performing at age 10 and toured the world with the Young Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra. Relocating to the U.S. to attend the Berklee College Of Music, he placed third in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Trumpet Competition in 1997. After developing his craft at New York’s Smalls jazz club alongside contemporaries such as pianist Jason Lindner and bassist Omer Avital, Cohen has expanded his sonic palette to include African music (with Lionel Loueke), funk (Me’shell Ndegeocello), folk/pop (Keren Ann) and effects-laden avant-garde explorations.

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Robin Eubanks trombone Member 2008-present

A five-time “Trombonist of the Year” in the DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll, Robin Eubanks is the premier jazz trombonist of his generation. In addition to leading his own groups, EB3 and Mental Images, Eubanks has performed and composed on Grammy®- winning recordings with Dave Holland and Michael Brecker. In addition, he has worked with music legends Art Blakey, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones and the Rolling Stones, to name a few. The native Philadelphian, an acclaimed composer, is the recipient of composition grants from Chamber Music America and ASCAP. Robin is a sought-after educator and is now a tenured professor of trombone at the renowned Oberlin Conservatory.

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Stefon Harris vibraphone and marimba Member 2008, present

Stefon Harris is committed to exploring the rich potential of jazz composition and blazing new trails on the vibraphone. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Harris has received numerous accolades including the Jazz Journalists Association’s “Best Mallet Player” for four years running (2000-2003) and “#1 Rising Star Vibraphonist” in the 2006 DownBeat Critics Poll. His string of Grammy-nominated albums for Blue Note includes Kindred, Black Action Figure, and The Grand Unification Theory. His latest album is 2006’s African Tarantella: Dances With Duke.

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Edward Simon piano Member 2010-2011

Edward Simon was born in the coastal town of Punta Cardón, Venezuela, where he grew up in a family of musicians surrounded by the sounds and rhythms of Latin and Caribbean music. Settling in New York City in 1989, he played with numerous jazz masters, including Herbie Mann, Paquito D'Rivera, Bobby Hutcherson, Bobby Watson, Terence Blanchard and Don Byron. He has produced seven critically acclaimed albums as a leader, including two New York Times top ten jazz records of the year: Edward Simon (Kokopelli, 1994) and Simplicitas (Criss Cross, 2005). Currently, Simon leads his own trio, Ensemble Venezuela, collaborates with saxophonist David Binney in the quartet Afinidad and also appears alongside his brothers in the group Simon, Simon & Simon.

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Matt Penman bass Member 2005 - present

Originally from New Zealand, Matt Penman studied at Boston’s Berklee College of Music before relocating to New York in 1995. In addition to releasing his own critically acclaimed CDs as a leader, Catch of the Day (2007) and The Unquiet (2002), he has recorded as a sideman on some 70 other discs and has performed with the likes of Joshua Redman, Nicholas Payton, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Gary Bartz, Kenny Werner, Nnenna Freelon, Madeleine Peyroux, Brian Blade, John Scofield and Guillermo Klein.

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Eric Harland drums Member 2006 - present

A leading drummer on the national scene, Texas-born Eric Harland has performed with jazz legends like Betty Carter, Joe Henderson and McCoy Tyner, and has played on more than 70 recordings with such artists as Terence Blanchard, Greg Osby, Charles Lloyd and Zakir Hussain. In DownBeat’s 65th Annual Readers Poll, he was included in the short list of top drummers, in the company of masters like Roy Haynes and the late Elvin Jones.