QUINTESSENTIAL JAZZ

Mark Shilansky

“Inventive, modern mainstream jazz pianist” (Jon Garelick, Boston Globe) Mark Shilansky provides melodic improvisation and infectious compositions on his own and to a host of jazz luminaries, as well as to the classroom, as a professor at Berklee College of Music and the University of New Hampshire. Shilansky’s six recordings as a leader include 2007’s “Join the Club,” a mostly Latin Jazz affair featuring David Bowie saxist Donny McCaslin, and 2013’s “Fugue Mill,” the eponymous debut of his Jazz/Bluegrass/Celtic project featuring violin phenom Sara Caswell, and he is featured on over 60 recordings as a keyboardist, vocalist, composer/arranger, or producer, and in performance as band member for such artists as the New York Voices, Luciana Souza, and David Thorne Scott. As an artist he embraces the history of the styles in which he works, while seeking connections between them as a way of expressing a personal musical vision, characterized by lush harmonies, the exploration of the line between composition and improvisation, and an ever-present sense of humor. His works have been recorded by Robin McKelle, Kim Nazarian, and by Jazz All-State and College ensembles around the world. Learn more: www.markshilansky.com.

Austin McMahon

Sought out for his versatility, Austin McMahon actively performs in an array of jazz and world music ensembles ranging from trio to chamber jazz and big band. He recently recorded with the Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra (featuring Sean Jones, George Garzone, and John Fedchock), the Macuco Quintet, the Hofbauer/Rosenthal Quartet, and the groups that he coleads, the Lost Melody and Man on Land. McMahon has recently appeared with the Kate McGarry and Keith Ganz Ensemble, Jerry Bergonzi, Carmen Staaf, Noah Preminger, and Kevin Harris, among many others, and has performed at such iconic venues as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Dizzy’s Club, and Jordan Hall, as well as at numerous festivals, theaters, and clubs throughout the United States, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Germany, and France, to name a few.

Keala Kaumeheiwa

Bassist Keala Kaumeheiwa was born in Oswego, New York, and was raised in Marquette, Michigan. He received a Bachelor’s of Music Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied both jazz and classical music with renowned bassist Richard Davis. From Wisconsin, Keala moved to New York City, where he performed with the New York String Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. After moving to the Boston area, Keala studied jazz bass and improvisation with legendary bassist Ron Carter as part of the inaugural class of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at New England Conservatory. Meanwhile, he continued his classical bass studies with virtuoso bassist Donald Palma. While at the Monk Institute, Keala performed with Jimmy Heath, Jackie McLean, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Harry “Sweets” Edison, and James Moody. Since 2001, Keala has been an Affiliated Artist at MIT, teaching Jazz Combo Ensembles. He has performed throughout Italy, at the Havana Jazz Festival as well as freelancing around Boston, frequently performing at Sculler’s Jazz Club, Ryles, Wally’s Jazz Cafe and the Regattabar.

Taylor Haskins

Taylor Haskins has performed, recorded and toured the world playing a wide variety of music over his 24-year career, including early stints with the Artie Shaw Orchestra and Maynard Ferguson’s ‘Big Bop Nouveau’ and more recently the Richard Bona Group. Taylor performs and records with Guillermo Klein’s ‘Los Guachos’, the Dave Holland Big Band (with whom he won a Grammy award in 2005, with the album ‘Overtime’), the Alan Ferber Big Band (nominated for a Grammy award in 2014 with the album ‘March Sublime’), and Nels Cline’s ‘Lovers’ project.

Taylor has released five albums of original compositions and has been composing music for media for over 15 years, contributing music to major films and dozens of national commercials. Taylor worked full-time for 5 years as a composer for the cutting-edge music production house tomandandy(TM), composing music for major commercial campaigns and films, as well as helping to develop and test proprietary music software that implemented artificial intelligence-based algorithms. The software eventually received a U.S. Patent.

Taylor holds a Masters degree (MM, Manhattan School of Music, 1996) in music composition and a Bachelors degree (BA, UNH, 1993) in music performance.

Originally hailing from the woods of Southern New Hampshire and having thrived as a musician in New York city for over 20 years, Taylor now resides in the Champlain Valley region of New York’s Adirondack mountains. Learn more: www.taylorhaskins.com.