Temidayo Balogun - Saxophone/ Compositions
Jerry Sabatini - Trumpet
Carlos Herrand Pou - Drums
Domas Žeromskas - Piano
Diego Payan - Bass
Guest Appearance:
Olayemi Ogundola (Saxophonist/Composer)
Temidayo Balogun is a talented and versatile pan-African musician with a strong background in jazz and contemporary music. He hails from Osun state, Nigeria, and has a diverse skill set that includes playing the saxophone, piano, and talking drum. His musical journey has taken him through a rich education at the Muson School of Music(Lagos, Nigeria), and later on at the Longy School of Music(Cambridge, Massachusettes), where he had the opportunity to study with renowned artists such as Noah Preminger, Eric Hofbauer, and Ben Schwendener.
Temidayo is not only a solo artist but has also had the privilege of collaborating with various notable musicians and bands, both in Nigeria and Boston. These collaborations include artists like Yinka Davies, Taye Mayegha, Tosin Aribisala, and groups like The Lagos Jazz Series Quintet, Generayshun, The Native Brains, Ope and the Stereo Choir, Jazz in My Room, and most notably, The Makanda Project in Boston.
His involvement in The Makanda Project led by John Kordalewski has allowed him to work alongside jazz legends such as Chico Freeman, Avery Sharpe, Dee Alexander, Ricky Ford, Warren Smith, Bill Lowe, and others, which is a significant achievement in the world of jazz music. In addition to his live performances and collaborations, Temidayo Balogun recently released his debut studio album titled "Ìbà," which is available on various digital platforms. This album reflects his deep connection to his Yoruba cultural roots and West African musical influences, both rhythmically and harmonically. It's a testament to his skills as a composer and his dedication to exploring and sharing the rich musical traditions of his heritage.
Jerry Sabatini is widely recognized in the New England jazz scene as a creatively adventurous and musically diverse, trumpet player, improviser, composer, arranger and educator. His influences and performance experiences range from the music of traditional to contemporary American jazz combos, Big Bands, blues, pop, rock, soul and funk ensembles to experimental music and many forms of indigenous music from around the world. He collaborates, performs and records frequently in the US and has toured in Europe and the Middle East with many of New England’s most innovative composers, musicians, and ensembles, including The Makanda Project, Mehmet Sanlikol’s Dunya, Ken Field’s Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, Eric Hofbauer’s Five Agents, The Dylan Jack Quartet, Felipe Salles’ Intercontinental Big Band, The Boston Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra, and the classic Rock band Neurotic Gumbo. In 1995 Jerry founded the progressive jazz ensemble, Sonic Explorers, which he currently leads and performs on trumpet and flugelhorn as well as composes and arranges the band’s repertoire. Sonic Explorers have five independently released CD's under Jerry’s direction. His discography includes over fifty full-length album recordings in a wide breadth of musical styles. He is a frequently commissioned composer, arranger, clinician, and director of Jazz education programs and ensembles as well as a teacher of Jazz History. Jerry is currently affiliated as a Professor of Practice of Jazz Ensembles at Clark University in Worcester, MA and a director of Jazz Ensembles at Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, MA and Groton Hill Music Center in Groton, MA.
Carlos (Cabeto) Herrand Pou is a Dominican multi-instrumentalist, composer & educator based in Boston, MA. He joined the National Conservatory of Music at age 15, shortly after, he started to play with renown local jazz musicians. After participating in the 2015 edition of Berklee on the Road, he was awarded a scholarship to join the prestigious Berklee College of Music, where he graduated with the highest honor majoring in Performance. While at Berklee, he studied with acclaimed drummers Terri Lyne Carrington, Francisco Mela, Neal Smith, and Yoron Israel. In 2017, he joined Berklee's famous Berklee Global Jazz Institute undergraduate program, where he studied under the tutelage of Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano, John Patitucci, Ben Street, Adam Cruz, and others. He received the Steve Gadd Award in 2017 and The Most Active Drummer in 2018. In 2023, he received his Master's Degree in Jazz and Contemporary Music at Longy School of Music of Bard College as a Presidential & Equity Scholar.
Domas Žeromskas is a jazz pianist and composer from Vilnius, Lithuania, where he was
brought up alongside local jazz veterans and soon became a sought-after player, known
for his technical versatility and soulful, eclectic taste.
He released his debut album “Infinite Itinerant” (featuring Braxton Cook, Gustav
Karlström & Liutauras Janušaitis) at the age of 18 and since then has been recording
and touring internationally with artists such as Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Gregory Tardy,
Naledi Masilo, Riga Gospel Choir, his own trio (with Ian Quinton Banno and Héctor L. Falu Guzmán) and was also part of Euroradio Jazz Orchestra, hosted by WDR in 2022. Domas is currently based in Boston, where he recently graduated from Berklee College of Music.
Diego Payan is a bass player from the Dominican Republic, currently based in Boston. After participating in Berklee in Santo Domingo in early 2023 he received the great honor of a full scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music. Diego brings a lot of stylistic variety and passion to the bass guitar, which leads him to always seek improvement and reach new horizons.