Jazz Vespers: Marcos Varela, Adam Birnbaum, Jay Sawyer

619 Lexington Avenue,New York NY 10022

18 September, 2022

Description

NYC's unique jazz prayer service, Sundays at 5 since 1964. People of all faith traditions (or no faith tradition) are welcome. Free to attend! ABOUT MARCOS VARELA Marcos Varela attended Houston's HSPVA, a celebrated magnet school with notable alumni including Jason Moran and Robert Glasper. He was selected for the Texas All State Jazz Orchestra, named an NFAA/YoungArts Fellow and received a scholarship to attend the New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music. After college, he was selected to participate in Betty Carter’s “Jazz Ahead” Program and the Ravinia Festival / Steans Music Institute as well as a recent 2022 Creative Capital Awardee As a professional, Varela is active in the New York music scene and has made a name for himself as one of the most in-demand bassists in NYC and worldwide. Working as a sideman with such artists/bands such as; The Mingus Big Band, Ingrid Jensen, Nasheet Waits, Antoine Roney, Kendrick Scott, Jason Moran, Frank Lacy, Vincent Gardner, Geri Allen, Billy Hart, Charli Persip and Leslie Odom Jr. to name a few. Varela released his debut album San Ygnacio on Origin Records. Legendary bassist ‪Ron Carter contributed to the liner notes, saying Varela’s “Tone, Choice of Notes and Compositions will place his playing and name on the list of bassists to be heard.” Varela led an All-Star band in performing the album at the historic Jazz á Liège Festival in Liege, Belgium, and also led an all-star quartet at Prishtina’s Jazz Week in Kosovo in March 2020. In addition to his playing/performing career, Marcos is an accomplished composer for several film and television projects, including director Domenica Cameron-Scorsese’s film “Roots in Water,” an official selection of the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. Marcos is an NS Design, Aguilar Amplification, Kolstein, Thomastik-Infeld Strings, Fishman, Mono Creators, and Fodera Artist. ABOUT ADAM BIRNBAUM Adam Birnbaum is emerging as one of the top young voices in jazz piano. Since receiving a graduate Artist’s Diploma in jazz studies from The Julliard School in 2003, he has become a presence on the New York City scene as a leader and sideman, performing in such venues as the Village Vanguard, the Blue Note, Birdland, the Jazz Standard and Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola. He has also performed on many national and world stages, including the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, the Kennedy Center, the Montreal Jazz Festival, The Spoleto Festival, The Red Sea Jazz Festival, The Rockport Chamber Festival, NPR Jazz Christmas, and the Capetown Jazz Festival. ABOUT JAY SAWYER He has shared the stage with artists such as Freddy Cole, John McNeil, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Stefon Harris, Donny McCaslin, Benito Gonzalez, and Shai Maestro among others. Jay is also a first call drummer for many up-and-coming musicians in New York including Itamar Borochov, Caroline Davis, Tomoko Omura, John Raymond and many more. He has toured extensively in the USA and Europe, including performances at the Montreal, Detroit and Chicago Jazz Festivals, Festival Eclats d’Email in Limoges, France and more.