Thank you for attending and supporting the 1st Annual A2 JAZZ FEST! This one day outdoor jazz festival grew out of the weekly Wednesday jazz series at the Old Town Tavern in Ann Arbor, Michigan. When the founder Dave Sharp pitched the idea of a new outdoor jazz festival in Ann Arbor, every musician he talked with got behind the idea 100%! The amount of support from the musicians and community members has been incredible, and it’s our goal to keep the A2 JAZZ FEST as a continuing music festival that expands, improves and evolves into the future. This whole event could not have happened without the support of the musicians, music fans, volunteers and audience members. Thank you for supporting jazz in Ann Arbor!
A2 JAZZ FEST 2016 SCHEDULE
HERE ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EXCITING JAZZ ENSEMBLES THAT WILL BE PRESENT AT THE 1st ANNUAL A2 JAZZ FEST
ANDREW BISHOP /// Andrew Bishop is a versatile multi-instrumentalist, composer, improviser, educator, and scholar comfortable in many musical idioms. He maintains an international career and serves as an Associate Professor of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Bishop’s three recordings as a leader have received widespread acclaim from The New York Times, Downbeat Magazine, Chicago Reader, All Music Guide, Cadence Magazine, All About Jazz-New York, All About Jazz- Los Angeles, and the Detroit Free Press, among others. As a composer and arranger he has received over 30 commissions; numerous residencies and awards and recognition from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP); the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; the Andrew W. Melon Foundation; the National Endowment for the Arts; and a nomination from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. A dedicated teacher and clinician, Bishop was a two time recipient of the Arthur Andersen professor of the year and the Joyce G. Ferguson Faculty Development Grant for Excellence In Teaching. He earned five degrees in music including a DMA in music composition from the University of Michigan. Bishop is a Conn-Selmer and Vandoren artist.
GWENYTH HAYES /// With a versatile look and sound, vocalist and bassist Gwenyth “Wendy” Hayes has overcome many obstacles to become a well-known and respected performer. Gwenyth’s unique hybrid reinterpretations give due respect to classic songs and center around her sultry voice, groove oriented bass lines, and tight instrumental arrangements. This approach serves to reinvent time-worn traditional soul, jazz, and blues standards with a new smooth, sensual and contemporary feel. https://www.reverbnation.com/gwenythhayes
INGRID RACINE /// Trumpeter, composer and educator Ingrid Racine was born and raised in Ann Arbor, MI. She holds a BFA and MM in Jazz & Contemporary Improvisation from the University of Michigan, where she studied with Donald Walden, Geri Allen, Ingrid Jensen and Bill Lucas. She is rooted in a strong bebop sensibility, but can be found performing everything from early jazz to hip hop. Ingrid performs frequently as a sideman with the Heather Black Project, Wendell Harrison, and Marion Hayden, among others. Additionally, she is currently working as the music supervisor on an upcoming documentary about Ann Arbor’s own Community High School. Ingrid’s current quartet features guitarist Chuck Newsome, bassist Ben Rolston and drummer Rob Avsharian. http://www.ingridracine.com/
JESSE KRAMER /// Award winning drummer Jesse Kramer was born and raised in Ann Arbor, where he was mentored by local jazz masters such as Sean Dobbins, Paul Keller, Vincent York, and Claude Black. Kramer went on to earn a degree in jazz studies from the University of Michigan. During his time at U of M, Kramer was awarded a DownBeat Magazine Student Music Award for Jazz Arrangement, and was chosen to represent the University at the 2011 International Schools of Jazz meeting in Sao Paulo, directed by David Liebman. Kramer’s debut album, Acacia (2014), is an eclectic mix of American jazz, African, and world sounds, and features Kris Johnson (tpt), Marcus Elliot (sax), Glenn Tucker (organ/rhodes), and Damon Warmack (bass). Jessekramerdrums.com
KURT KRAHNKE /// Acoustic and electric bassist Kurt Krahnke is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music, and also studied at the New England Conservatory of Music. Since his return to Michigan, Krahnke has played with Steve Turre, Jimmy Giuffre, Joe Henderson, Sonny Fortune, Pinetop Perkins, Clark Terry, and toured and recorded with Leon Thomas. Krahnke played and has toured with the acclaimed JC Heard Orchestra from 1986-89. In Ann Arbor, Kurt has recorded and played with the Ellen Rowe Quintet and Los Gatos and continues to serve as a mentor for young bassists in the region.
MAX BROWN /// Max Brown is a guitarist from Ann Arbor currently living in Kalamazoo. After graduating from Community High School, where he went through the jazz combo program under Mike Grace and Jack Wagner, he moved to Kalamazoo to pursue a Jazz Studies degree at Western Michigan University. Max can be found on stage most nights of the week playing with a large variety of gigging bands all over the Midwest. He is joined on stage today by his trio, The Cosmonauts. with Henry Rensch from Kalamazoo on bass, and Jesse Kramer from Ann Arbor on drums. Find out where he’s playing next at https://www.facebook.com/ MaxBrownGuitar.
SAM GENSON /// Sam Genson is an Ann Arbor native jazz drummer who attended the MSU jazz program and studied under the direction of Randy Gelispie and Rodney Whitaker. He has been performing in the Ann Arbor and Detroit areas for over ten years and has played a variety of musical genres.
