The Jazzcat

The finest

musicians to spring from the world of jazz have clearly had an

advantage when it comes to branching into other genres of music. Their

mastery of composition, arranging and sight reading coupled with their

flair for improvisation and spontaneous creation make them possibly the

most seasoned and adaptable musicians in the art. Grammy Award winner

Christian McBride, chameleonic virtuoso of the acoustic and electric

bass, stands tall at the top of this clique. Beginning in 1989 – the

beginning of an amazing career in which he still has wider-reaching

goals to attain – the Philadelphian has thus far been

first-call-requested to accompany literally hundreds of fine artists,

ranging in an impressive array from McCoy Tyner and Sting to Kathleen Battle and Diana Krall.

However, it is his own recordings – albums that encompass a diverse

canon of original compositions and imaginatively arranged covers – that

reveal the totality of his musicianship. He currently leads one of the

hottest bands in music – the propulsive Christian McBride Band (saxophonist Ron Blake,
keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer and drummer Terreon Gully). Click here for complete Bio.

Gregory Hutchinson – The Great – Drums
Jazz

Magazine describes him as “the drummer of his generation” and indeed,

Gregory Hutchinson is one of the most highly respected musicians of our

time. His mastery of timing and expression of rhythms is at the core of

his personal style. He is a musician's drummer, soundly rooted in the

jazz tradition he is able to approach all styles of music with supreme

accuracy and imagination, decorating compositions with his natural feel

and mind blowing innovation. His professional career began right out of

high school, when he was introduced to Red Rodney after playing in a

Big Band for a year. He quickly became known as a young phenom in the

jazz community sharing the stage with the likes of not only Rodney, but

Betty Carter, and Ray Brown while still in his early twenties. He is

one of the few musicians today who had the opportunity to collaborate

with some of the great orginators of jazz music. Since then he has

worked with a virtual who's who of the jazz world including: Dianne

Reeves, Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, Charles Lloyd, Diana Krall,

Harry Connick Jr, Joshua Redman, Christian McBride and Maria Schneider.

His time signatures and beat compositions have won him praise from the

hip hop community as well leading him to work with powerhouses Common,

Madlib and Questlove of the Roots.. Click here for complete Bio.

Joshua White – The Original – Piano
Pianist Joshua White is a remarkably gifted young jazz

performer, classical pianist, and composer. He began formal piano

training at the age of seven and became the organist and pianist for

the Encanto Southern Baptist Church by age 10.

After competing in several classical music

competitions, Joshua chose to focus his work on jazz, drawing

inspiration from its many innovators. In the past year he has performed

at many of San Diego's top venues including Anthology, Dizzy's, and the

Athenaeum Music and Arts Library. He was also a featured guest at the

2007 Ensenada Jazz Festival.

He recently founded The Joshua White Modern

Music Project with Nick Venditti – Tenor Sax, Tommy Holladay – Guitar,

Jeff Denson – Bass, and Jens Kuross – Drums, a Southern

California-based group focused on performing original music. Joshua's

enthusiasm and dedication to music is phenomenal and he is sure to

become one of jazz's major talents. He

also recently recorded with internationally recognized bassist

Christian McBride and looks forward to a promising career in music. Click here for more information.

Derek Cannon – Mr. D.C. – Trumpet
According to my mother, as a toddler I would stop whatever I was doing

if music was playing and put my head against the stereo speaker in

total amazement of what I was hearing.

So, music was indeed my first love.
I started playing trumpet in the

fourth grade. I heard it on a record when I was eight or nine, and it

was love at first sound. My parents wanted me to play the saxophone but

I was determined to play the trumpet. My father also plays the trumpet,

so I'm sure without even realizing it I was being influenced by him. My

good friend and brother Walter Beasley and I used to drive around in my

car in high school and listen to George Duke, Ronnie Laws, Earth, Wind,

and Fire, the Stylistics, Motown, Charlie Parker, Grover Washington,

Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, Tower of Power, and anything else we could

get our hands on. By

the time I reached High School the band program had been long

established as the place to be. We had a Concert Band, Jazz Band,

Orchestra, Pep Band, and a Rock Combo. I played in them all. My father is my musical mentor, and quite frankly the greatest man

known to me.

After graduating from Central High, I attended Imperial Valley College

and then transferred to San Diego State University where I earned a

Bachelors Degree in Music Education, and a Masters Degree in Jazz

Studies. I have served as Director of Jazz Studies at Chicago State University,

and I'm currently employed in the same capacity at Grossmont College. Click here for more information.

Tom Catanazaro – Tom Cat – Saxophone
Tom Catanzaro grew up in the high desert town of Hemet, Ca where he

picked up the saxophone at the age of 11. He was drawn to jazz music

very early and began performing at age 13 with several traditional jazz

bands and big bands, and gospel groups. By age 15, he won first place

high school jazz instrumentalist at the 2000 Spotlight Awards

competition in Los Angeles. He immediately began working many casual

and performance gigs for the LA Music Center, which included an opening

set at the 2001 Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. That

summer, he also recieved a scholarship to the Vail Jazz Foundation

Workshop in Colorado, a pivital experience that influenced him to seek

study in New York City. At age 17, Tom graduated from Hemet High School

and began his dream of going to school in New York City, where he

attended Manhattan School of Music on a full scholarship. In New York

City, he attained invaluable playing experience on a nightly basis,

playing with and learning from local musicians such as Roy Hargrove and

Eric Lewis, as well as studying privately with Bob Mintzer. In 2004, at

age 19, Tom came home to California and went on a short east-coast tour

with the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra where they performed with

several noteable artists such as Diana Krall, Joe Lovano, Michael

Brecker, George Benson, Al Jerreau, Christian McBride, Peter Martin,

Diane Reeves, Liza Minelli, and Regina Carter to name a few. Shortly

after returning home, Tom began to branch out into San Diego where he

played regularly with Gilbert Castellanos at the Onyx Room in Downtown

San Diego, followed by a three year stretch with the Kevin Kanner

Quintet at the Mint in Los Angeles. Currently, between gigs, Tom

teaches private lessons in Orange County, Long Beach, and San Diego. Click here for more information.

LeRoy Downs – The Jazz Cat
Master of Ceremonies
LeRoy

Downs has been an icon in the jazz industry for the past ten years. As

former overnight host of radio station 88.1 FM KKJZ, the only straight

ahead jazz radio format in Los Angeles, LeRoy has blessed the airwaves

with his love and talent for creative jazz programming! “Programming

creative jazz music was like a dream! The spirit, the mood, and all of

the great sounds in jazz are the only universal elements needed for

great jazz programming. It cannot be pre-planned. The spontaneity of

selecting the music kept the ideas fresh, hip and sounding absolutely

wonderful!
The salary at the station was challenging monetarily,

but the love for the music kept me richer than the richest king!With a

great baritone voice and a love for the music, LeRoy pursued a career

in radio programming. After volunteering at radio station 88.1 FM KLON

(now KKJZ), there was an opportunity to do a two hour show and LeRoy

jumped at the chance. He was the substitute and overnight host for

three months before he finally landed the Saturday night spot which

eventually lead to the 5 night a week program host spot. He has been

the Master of Ceremonies at the Monterey Jazz Festival for the past 7

years, the Big Sur Jazz Fest in Big Sur and has broadcasted from the

International Association of Jazz Educators Convention in New York

City. He has also been a well recognized host in Los Angeles at places

like the Hollywood Bowl, Catalina Bar and Grill, The Jazz Bakery, The

Museum of Contemporary Art, The Skirball Cultural Center, The Carpenter

Auditorium, The Crown Plaza Hotel and can be seen weekly as the jazz

host at the LAX Westin Hotel. ” LeRoy has developed an entertaining

jazz television show called “Hangin' with the Jazzcats” that is

currently being pitched for weekly programming. “Live with the Jazzcat”

is his weekly radio interview show that is broadcast live on 1410 AM

KRML radio in Carmel, California and online at “The Jazzcat.net”. Click here for more information.

Michael Klayman – The Lens & The Eyebrow – Photographer
Michael