$10 Cover @ the Door / Start 4:30pm / Doors 4:15pm / Seated Show
Sam JC Lee and his band will present original compositions and arrangements on old hymns.
Sam JC Lee (Bass, Band Leader)
After graduating from Hanyang University in South Korea with a B.S. in Electronic Engineering, Sam JC Lee was called to music ministry. In 2004, he moved to Boston to obtain musical training on Jazz Composition and Performance at Berklee College of Music where he studied with the likes of John Lockwood, Steve Rochinski, Matt Garrison, Jetro da Silva, and Greg Hopkins. During his studies, he received Wayne Shorter Award, and Bass Department Achievement Award, and Berklee Achievement Scholarship for his rapid accomplishments. Within few years in Boston, Sam has quickly become one of the most demanded bassists in New England/NYC area because of his versatility on various styles of music such as Jazz, Funk, Gospel, R&B, and Rock. After graduation, Sam has performed at many notable venues such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Blue Note, Beantown Jazz Festival, and Scullers with many different world-renown artists, such as as George Garzone, John Blackwell, George Russell Jr., Steve Rochinski, Phillip Ferrell, Tim Hughes, Yoon Seung Cho, etc. Also he appeared on numerous CDs, film music, TV, radios, and national Christian conferences around the country. Some of his works were mentioned by major media like Jazz Times, Down Beats, Boston Globe. While continuing to be very active in music scene as a bassist, sound/recording engineer, and composer, Sam has been part of a music ministries for different Christian organizations, also currently serves Citylife Presbyterian Church in Boston, MA as FOH sound engineer/Jazz music director.
Gabriela Martina (Vocals)
Gabriela Martina (Swiss) is a vocalist, composer, arranger, and bandleader living since 2008 in the US.
Released in 2016 with a four-star review from DownBeat, her newest album, No White Shoes, represents a major step in the singer’s sojourn as a 21st-century musician. Martina had the opportunity to perform and collaborate with heavyweights like Meshell Ndegeocello, Jack DeJohnette, and Angelique Kidjo. She recorded with veteran drummer J.R. Robinson and was a semi-finalist in the Shure Voice Competition at the 2009 Montreux Jazz Festival, performing with guitarist Lee Ritenour’s band. Martina released a critically hailed EP in 2010, Curiosity, which included her original song “Ain’t Nobody,” a finalist in the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Foundation Young Jazz Composer Awards in 2012. Martina owns her own booking agency called Red Velvet Sounds and is cofounder and curator of the free improv concert series In Momentum.
Gabriela grew up yodeling with her family and had performances as early as the age of 4. Being raised on a beautiful farm in the heart of Switzerland surrounded by a musical family has influenced her musical path strongly. Martina’s upcoming album ‘Homage to Grämlis’ (2020), is a tribute to the farm in the Swiss Alps where she was raised. In spring of this year she won the LABgrant 2019 from The Boston Foundation, which gave her great support with her album production of ‘Homage to Grämlis’.
In June 2019 she took part in the Central Swiss Yodeling Festival and graduated with top marks. She has also performed in concert venues such as the Berklee Performance Center, Jordan Hall, International Tennis Hall of Fame, State House of Flags and the Scullers Jazz Club. Gabriela has a bachelor's degree from Berklee College of Music and is currently studying at the New England Conservatory of Music to complete her master’s degree.
Martina is passionate about learning more about other cultures, helping to develop a sense for community, and fighting inequality and racism. She is a strong advocate of causes that promote equal human rights independent of religious or political affiliations. From 2009 to 2010, Martina was the founder and president of the Cultural Leaders Club at Berklee College of Music, where students investigated causes and effects in terms of race, gender, and ethnicity issues. Sonic Relief, which Martina cofounded, was awarded the Berklee Urban Service Award 2016 for using music to aid people in need, such as organizing a humanitarian fundraising concert for Syrian refugees, featuring Simon Shaheen and the Lee Swensen Katz Trio in December 2015.
Gregory Groover JR. (Saxophone)
Raised with devotion for music, Gregory George Groover Jr. is a twenty-six-year-old tenor saxophonist from the Greater-Boston area. His love and pursuit of music directed him to the Boston Arts Academy where he graduated in 2011 as both the Elma Lewis Graduate with distinction and the Louis Armstrong Jazz award recipient. His effort and dedication to music led him to earn a full-tuition scholarship to Berklee College of Music where he received both his Bachelors and Masters in Music Performance Studies through the Global Jazz Institute, headed by world-renowned artistic director, pianist and UNESCO Artist for Peace Danilo Perez.
As a performer, Gregory has had the honor to share the stage with prestigious musicians such as Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind, and Fire), Patrice Rushen, Terri Lyne Carrington, Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, Brian Blade, and Esperanza Spalding. As a bandleader and a sideman, he has performed in music festivals in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Africa.
Currently, Gregory serves as an educator at his alma mater the Boston Arts Academy where he provides instruction in Jazz studies to the next generation of artists and scholars. In addition to teaching, Gregory continues to perform regularly with his working quartet performing the music of his first EP release, the Negro Spiritual Songbook Volume I and is earnestly working towards the release of his first full-length recording as a leader, the Negro Spiritual Songbook Volume II.
Jiri Nedoma (Piano)
Jiri Nedoma was born on October 7, 1978, in Prague, Czech Republic. He began piano lessons at the age of five and was soon after introduced to wind instruments, which later led to his studies on the trombone.
After high school, Jiri enrolled at the Conservatory of Jaroslav Jezek in Prague, where he focused simultaneously on classical and jazz music. During his studies, he became a member of the prominent Czech Radio Big Band, performing with many jazz and pop artists across Europe. Jiri was a finalist in Belgium’s Jazz Hoeilaart International Contest as a member of the Ondrej Stveracek Quartet; he was also one of two selectees to represent the Czech Republic at the Visegrad Alliance meeting of four central European states.
After receiving a significant scholarship from Berklee College of Music's World Scholarship Tour, Jiri left Prague for Boston, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in piano performance. He was awarded the Claire Beskind Award for outstanding achievement and contributions to the piano department. Following the completion of his studies at Berklee, Jiri received the Helena Foundation Presidential Scholarship to pursue his master’s degree at the New England Conservatory, which he completed in May of 2013. While at Berklee and NEC, he studied with such jazz greats as Fred Hersch, Jerry Bergonzi, Joanne Brackeen, Jason Moran, Phil Wilson and Hal Crook among others.
Jiri has appeared at major music festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival, Beantown Jazz Festival and San Jose Jazz Festival. He has performed at numerous venues and concert halls worldwide, including Jordan Hall, Berklee Performance Center, Smalls, ShapeShifter Lab, Jazz Dock, Regattabar, Scullers Jazz Club and Wally's Jazz Club, among others. Jiri has collaborated with Grammy award-winner Terri Lyne Carrington, jazz luminary Hal Crook and Grammy nominee Donna McElroy. He has also made multiple recordings with renowned artists Gabrielle Goodman, Albino Mbie, Jeannie Gagne, Nadia Washington, and others. His recording with vocalist Yvonne Sanchez, “My Garden,” was nominated for Album of the Year and Jazz Record of the Year in the Czech Republic.
Currently, Jiri is an active performer, accompanist, and teacher throughout the New England. He is a highly sought-after pianist, keyboardist, and arranger who blends jazz, classical, R&B, and gospel into his own personal musical language.
Tyson D. Jackson (Drum Set)
“Every time I have the opportunity to play, (music) I count it as an absolute pleasure. Without it, I would not be who I am today. As I create, I never lose focus on the main idea which is that it must be played in order to positively affect and influence the listener.” Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, Tyson Jackson first discovered his love for music at the ripe age of 3. He distinctly remembers discovering his passion for music and the drums at New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church; beating on hymnals during church services was his forte`.
Throughout his academic career, Tyson has attended performing arts institutions dedicated to music—these institutions further peaked his interest and allowed his love for music to grow. Throughout his musical career, Jackson has been afforded many opportunities to study and be mentored by world-renowned artists including Ron Blake, Carl Allen, Terence Blanchard, Darren Barrett, AJ Wright, Terri Lynn Carrington, Ralph Peterson, Tia Fuller, Sean Jones, Nona Hendryx, etc. These experiences, Tyson feels, are invaluable and will help to propel him as he aspires to be successful in the music industry. “As an artist, I realize that I serve as a vessel for music to flow through. As a young & aspiring artist, it is my duty to continue to pay homage to the masters who have come before me, while incorporating an innovative approach to my artistry, personal brand & musical endeavors.”
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