A Tribute to Bill Evans: Bloomingdale's 59th Birthday Celebration

Bloomingdale School of Music

Join us for an epic night celebrating Bloomingdale's 59th birthday with a heartfelt tribute to the legendary Bill Evans - don't miss it!

Michael Cochrane and his ensemble pay tribute to one of his major influences, American jazz composer and pianist Bill Evans, in a concert featuring selections from Evans' album "We Will Meet Again." Michael will perform this special concert as part of the Bloomingdale Birthday Celebration and will be joined by his quartet as well as two BSM jazz colleagues.P﻿erformersEli Asher, trumpetBrandon Vazquez, trumpetJoe Ford, alto saxMichael Cochrane, pianoCalvin Hill, bassSteve Johns, drumsP﻿rogram1. Peri's Scope 8'3""2. Bill's Hit Tune 8'3""3. Laurie 8'3""4. Orbit 8'3""5. Very Early 8'3""6. Five 8'3""All compositions by Bill Evans

<h2>Seating first come first serve</h2><h2>Masks Optional</h2><h2></h2><h2>C﻿an't join us in person? Register to receive livestreaming link </h2>

MICHAEL COCHRANE, pianist, composer, arranger, and instructor has resided in the Tri-State area since the fall of 1974. He has performed and/or recorded with: Sonny Fortune, Hannibal , Jack Walrath, Eddie Gomez, Tom Harrell, Valery Ponomorev, Paul Nash, John Clark, Clark Terry, Nancy Monroe, Chip White, Michael Brecker, Chico Freeman, Galen Abdur Razzaq, The Spirit Of Life Ensemble, Ted Curson, Oliver Lake, Bradford Hayes and many more. Mr. Cochrane has performed in colleges, clubs, and concert halls throughout the United States. In New York, for example, clubs have included The Village Vanguard, Sweet Basil, Blue Note ... halls have included Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tulley Hall and Merkin Hall. His touring experience spans over 18 European countries, including Germany, France, Spain, Yugoslavia, Lithuania, Russia, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and England. He has also performed in Canada, Japan, Puerto Rico, The Philippines, The Caribbean, and Estonia.In 1985 Mr. Cochrane received a Master Of Arts Degree with honors from New York University. His teachers have included: Jaki Byard, Eleanor Hancock and the late Madame Margaret Chaloff. Mr. Cochrane was a part-time instructor at NYU for over twenty years. Mr. Cochrane currently is a part-time instructor at Princeton University, Rutgers State University (Newark campus), Bloomingdale School of Music and the JCC Thurnauer School of Music. He was also the music director of the Paterson Avenue Methodist Church for over ten years. He has received two fellowship grants in jazz performance from the National Endowment For The Arts as well as from the The Puffin Foundation and the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. Mr. Cochrane has over fifteen recordings as a leader. Some of these include: ELEMENTS (Soul Note SN1151), SONG OF CHANGE (Soul Note 121251-2) and IMPRESSIONS (Landmark 1548), CUTTING EDGE (SteepleChase SCCD314300), GESTURE OF FAITH (SteepleChase SCCD31459), FOOTPRINTS (SteepleChase SCCD31476), MINOR MATRIX (SteepleChase SCCD 31494), QUARTET MUSIC (SteepleChase SCCD 31513), PATHWAYS (SteepleChase SCCD 31542), RIGHT NOW (SteepleChase SCCD 31627), and DISCOVERY (SteepleChase SCCD 31786. Mr. Cochrane is the author/composer of a solo piano book and combo arrangements (including scores and parts) which are published by Second Floor Music (distributed by Hal Leonard) and a book of original compositions published by SteepleChase. He has also written two instructional music books that are published by Charles Colin. Additionally , he has written an instructional jazz piano exercise book which is published by his own publishing company, Inner Search Music.FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MICHAEL COCHRANE VISIT HIS WEBSITEwww.michaelcochrane.com

Equally at home in a variety of styles from the traditional to the avant-garde, for over fifteen years trumpeter Eli Asher has found most constant expression in The Respect Sextet. Respect seamlessly blends music of innumerable idioms and conceptual approaches with unscripted improvisation, experimentation and unbridled hilarity, earning raves from Newsweek, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, who called Respect "ambitious music with a smart-alecky affect, ranging broadly from the antic to the deadpan". He has also performed with the Bjorkestra, Bang on a Can's Asphalt Orchestra, Tilt Brass, Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, The Gregory Brothers, Signal Ensemble, Slavic Soul Party!, and Jose Gonzalez. Currently he can be heard with Patrick Brennan’s Transparency Kestra, the Open Tabs, The Chip White Sextet, The Eli Asher/Aaron Shragge Duo, Jump Off This Bridge, and Max Kutner’s Trio Generale, as well as on over 25 recordings.

Alto and soprano saxophonist Joe Ford also lists composer, arranger and music educator as part of his diverse musical experiences. He has performed with a wide spectrum of genres from small group ensembles to orchestras and big bands. His collaboration with Lines Of Reason has proven to be both rewarding and exciting.

For over three decades, drummer Steve Johns has been a major presence on the jazz scene, collaborating with many of the music’s most renowned practitioners. Artists from all points on the musical spectrum have consistently sought him out because they know his musicianship, versatility, deep commitment to his craft, and enthuaism will enrich any performance. Leaders such as Nat Adderley, Stanley Turrentine, Larry Coryell, Randy Brecker, Ronnie Cuber, Jimmy Owens, Dr. Billy Taylor, Benny Carter, and Sonny Fortune appreciated the fact that, no matter what the gig, from the world’s greatest concert stages to the smallest clubs, Steve brings the same total commitment, utmost professionalism, and pure joy at making music. He is also a total musician, who continues to expand his musical horizons by studying piano and trumpet.Steve Johns was born into a musical family in Boston in 1960, and began playing drums at the age of nine. His mother, Goldie Tyler Johns, was a songwriter, and three of her brothers were saxophonists, including the legendary Jimmy Tyler, who was Steve’s primary influence and inspiration. It was Jimmy who encouraged the youngster to study formally with Alan Dawson, and his three years with the master percussionist and educator enabled him to make rapid progress. While attending Natick High School, Steve played in both the concert and jazz bands and earned chairs in both the district and state jazz ensembles. After graduating in 1979, Steve continued his studies at the New England Conservatory of Music where he received a thorough grounding in classical percussion from Vic Firth and Fred Buda, while playing with such local jazz greats as James Williams, Miroslav Vituous, Jeff Berlin, and Mike Stern. At NEC he met his wife-to-be, Debbie Keefe Johns, a fine saxophonist in her own right. In 1982, Steve made the move to New York, quickly establishing himself as an inspirational player at home in any musical style. Over the ensuing three decades, Steve has worked in every conceivable setting, from big bands such as the Gil Evans and the Count Basie orchestras, to accompanying singers like Jessye Norman, Helen Merrill, Diane Schuur, and Dakota Staton, to more experimental settings such as the Thomas Chapin Trio and groups led by Marty Ehrlich and Mario Pavone. He has toured worldwide as the regular drummer for Sonny Fortune, Benny Carter, Dr. Billy Taylor, and many other luminaries. His five-year tenure as a member of Taylor’s trio brought him wide exposure, including 75 performances for the pianist’s NPR program Jazz at the Kennedy Center with such guests as Wynton Marsalis, Nancy Wilson, Milt Jackson, and Randy Brecker.Steve has appeared on over seventy albums by Leon Thomas, George Russell, Thomas Chapin, Dr. Billy Taylor, Houston Person, John McNeil, Sonny Fortune, Peter Leitch, Gary Smulyan, and Bob DeVos, among many others. In addition to his work as a sideman, Steve is also a member of the collective group Native Soul, and has been co-leader on recording projects by that group (One Mind, 2012, American Showplace, Soul Step, Talking Drum Records), as well as on an album with saxophonist Peter Brainin (No Saints, No Sinners, Playscape).In addition to his extensive credits as a player, Steve has long been active as an educator. While with the Billy Taylor Trio, he took part in over a hundred lecture/demonstrations throughout the U.S., and has regularly served on the faculty for educational programs at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Long Island University, Montclair State University, the Litchfield Jazz Camp, the Vermont Jazz Center, and Jazz House Kids. Steve and Debbie co- direct the JCC Thurnauer TeenTown Jazz Program in Tenafly, NJ, which has featured such guests as Larry Coryell, Bernie Williams, and Jimmy Owens. Steve and Debbie’s musical talents have been passed directly to a new generation. Their son, bassist Daryl Johns, while still a teenager, has already made his mark as one of the most highly touted musicians to burst onto the scene in recent years. A highlight of Steve’s career was the 2015 release of his CD aptly titled Family, on which Steve, Debbie, and Daryl were joined by guitarists Dave Stryker and Bob DeVos.The consummate team player, Steve Johns has always managed to retain his own singular sound and distinctive musical persona while serving the common purpose of any group he is with. "One thing I love about jazz is having the freedom to express your own style," he told once told Star Ledger jazz writer Zan Stewart. "I knew from a young age you have to have your own voice."

Brandon Vazquez, a native New Yorker, is both a classical and jazz musician. Mr. Vazquez, who began playing the trumpet at age twelve, attended LaGuardia High School of Music and Art; he also studied at the Juilliard School, Bloomingdale School of Music, and at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. His primary teachers include Mark Niehaus, Mary Hastings, Michael Phillip Mossman, and Bud Burridge. As a freelance trumpeter, Brandon has performed with a number of jazz and classical ensembles throughout New York City, including Regal Brass, the Hunter Symphony, Ron Carter Jazztet, and Man Bite Dog. Along with his brass quintet Regal Brass, Brandon has performed the National Anthem twice at both Madison Square Garden and at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Brandon holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Hunter College. A former instructor at the Grand Street Campus High Schools in Brooklyn, Brandon is currently on the faculty of the Bloomingdale School of Music.

Calvin Hill, bassist, was born and raised in Bridgeport CT. He started playing music at age ten. He played the trumpet and saxophone in the school band. In high school he switched to the double bass. Encouraged by an older friend, Calvin enrolled at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. There he received a degree in music education and studied bass with William Curtis.Calvin’s first professional experiences were playing on the Boston music scene. Hill was regularly seen in the area’s nightclubs and concert halls. He played with many artists including Billy Eckstine, Mel Torme, Mose Allison, Joanne Brackeen, and John Lee Hooker.In 1969, Calvin was asked to join the quartet of the great McCoy Tyner. He moved to NYC and recorded two albums with Tyner’s quartet. Since moving to New York, Calvin has been a member of the groups of Max Roach, Pharoh Sanders, Betty Carter, George Coleman, Junior Mance, Chet Baker, James Moody, and Sonny Fortune. Hill has toured extensively in Europe and Japan, performing in concert venues, films, and radio and tv.Presently, Calvin Hill is playing with his own quartet and with many musicians in the New York area.

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A Tribute to Bill Evans: Bloomingdale's 59th Birthday Celebration

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