Amani Presents ~ Spring is Here!

18 Stirling Road,Watchung NJ 07069

27 March, 2022

Description

All in-house events and performances will require proof of vaccination and masking. Watchung Arts Center celebrates the arrival of Spring on Sunday, March 27 at 2PM with a concert, suitably titled “Spring Is Here!” by Amani. Amani, the Swahili word for ‘peace’, is led by Watchung resident Marty Eigen and was formed to share the concept of peace through music. The members of the group are veteran musicians Marty Eigen on woodwinds, vocalist & MC Stephen Fuller, pianist David Braham, bassist Alex Gressel, percussionist Oloye Karade and Gordon Lane on drums. Performing music for people of all ages, races, and religious affiliations, Amani’s extensive repertoire covers a wide variety of genres including the Blues, Jazz, Bossa Nova, together with popular hits from The Great American Songbook, bringing joy to all who experience it. Marty Eigen is the founder of Amani and the leader of Beacon Hill Musicians. He plays tenor sax, flute, baritone sax, and clarinet on occasion. He has appeared many times at the Watchung Arts Center, Bickford Theatre and at Shanghai Jazz in Madison, and Trumpets in Montclair. Since 2015 Marty has produced annual benefit concerts to raise money for The Seeing Eye. Stephen Fuller’s deep rich voice and soulful renditions have long made him a favorite with sophisticated audiences. Fuller is best known for his smooth virtuosity, which spans the breadth of jazz standards, blues, swing, bossa nova and contemporary classics. As a lead vocalist, he has worked with a number of jazz bands and singing groups, and is a very talented band leader. A graduate of Newark’s Arts High School and Colgate University, Stephen credits his musical influences to Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Hartman, Joe Williams, Jon Lucien and Bill Withers. Bassist Alex Gressel has had the great fortune to play with world-class but somewhat obscure musicians including Edison Machado who is the creator of Bossa Nova and Samba Jazz drumming, mentor Marilyn Mazur, the Danish multi-talented percussionist, alto sax giant Clarence "C" Sharpe, the genius piano player Mark Thompson, Cecil Payne, Gil Coggins, Sadik Hakim, Dennis Charles, Tommy Turrentine, Mozar Terra, Johnny O'Neal, Roni Ben-Hur and many others. Gordon Lane graduated in Jazz Studies from Southern University and A&M College Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 2008, Gordon was invited to perform at the Great Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, Russia with saxophonist George Garanian. The sold-out concert was a resounding success. Gordon has been a recurring member of world-renowned guitar virtuoso Stanley Jordan’s New York trio since 2003. Gordon’s first CD recording, as a co-leader, was completed in March 2013 with the release of “Shades of Blue” by the Mood Indigo Trio. Oloye Karade has been playing congas and percussion for over two decades. His travels and performances in The Caribbean, Brazil, Europe, The US, and Nigeria, West Africa have shaped his playing and compositions giving rise to his unique style and technique. Heralding his ancestral origins from Benin, Nigeria, Oloye draws heavily from the rhythms and tonalities found in the Ifa/Orisha traditions found there and throughout the world. David Braham has performed and/or recorded with Irene Reid, Houston Person, Etta Jones, Mark Murphy, Al Hibbler, Arthur Prysock, Lou Donaldson, David "Fathead" Newman, Warren Vache, Al Grey, Slide Hampton and a host of other great jazz musicians and vocalists. Dave has two recordings as a leader, "Blue Gardenia"(BlueJay Records) and "To be Free"(RandomAct Records).