Digital program

Originally hailing from Cos Cob, CT, jazz pianist, organist, and accordionist Gary Versace is one of the busiest and most versatile musicians on the international jazz scene, often featured in bands led by musicians such as John Scofield, Maria Schneider, John Abercrombie, Anat Cohen, Al Foster, Regina Carter, Ellery Eskelin, Ray Anderson, Rich Perry, John Hollenbeck, Ralph Alessi, Kurt Elling, Madeleine Peyroux, Matt Wilson, Brad Shepik, Ingrid Jensen and many others.

Versace has released several CD's under his own name on the Criss Cross and SteepleChase labels, the most recent being 'All for Now,' released in 2020 to critical acclaim and a 4-star review in Downbeat magazine. He received a Grammy nomination in 2019 along with vocalist Kate McGarry and guitarist Keith Ganz for their trio recording 'The Subject Tonight is Love,' thus marking his eighth appearance on a Grammy nominated recording. Other recent CD releases as a sideman include appearances with Rich Perry, Vic Juris, John Hollenbeck and the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, Ronnie Cuber/Gary Smulyan, John Hart, the Andrew Rathbun quintet featuring Tim Hagans and Bill Stewart, Ralph Alessi, Kurt Elling, and dozens more over the past several years with both nationally and internationally known jazz artists.

Versace continues to appear annually in the Downbeat's Critics and Reader's Polls, and won the Jazz Journalists' Association's 'Best Instrumentalist—Instruments Rare in Jazz (accordion)' award in 2018 and their 'Organist of the Year' award in 2012. Gary appeared twice as a guest on Marian McPartland's acclaimed NPR show 'Piano Jazz,' and McPartland has described him as '...endlessly inventive... [Versace] really has an extraordinary talent.'

Gary was a tenured professor at the University of Oregon in their jazz studies program before moving to New York City in 2002, where he has spent the last 18 years as a full time performer. He joined the Eastman School of Music faculty in 2017 as an Associate Professor of Jazz Studies, and continues to maintain an active career worldwide as a performer, educator, and clinician.

A veteran artist based in New York for 25 years, Phil Haynes is featured on more than 85 LP, CD, and DVD releases by numerous American and European record labels. Haynes’ debut, The Paul Smoker Trio’s QB with Anthony Braxton, was named the #1 recording of 1985 by esteemed critic Kevin Whitehead. The international media have compared his drumming to masters Jack DeJohnette, Roy Haynes and Elvin Jones, and his 60+ diverse compositions to Duke Ellington, Charles Ives, Charles Mingus and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. His performances were recently noted to be “The perfect middle between tradition and avant-garde, between power and sophistication, between accessibility and adventure. . . standards with a new sense of drama, dynamics, and true moments of fun.”

In addition to the critically acclaimed three recordings for Enja Records by the composer’s collective, Joint Venture, Haynes’ diverse and distinctive fifteen recordings as a leader include: Continuum (violinist Mark Feldman’s jazz debut); the ground breaking and iconic ensemble 4 Horns & What?; his first recording of jazz standards, A Couch in Brooklyn (featuring Israeli born pianist Micu Narununsky and bassist Drew Gress); The Hammond Insurgency with B-3 organ virtuoso Jeff Palmer; Free Country’s trilogy of Americana with cellist/vocalist Hank Roberts; the singular solo drum-set recording, Sanctuary, as well as No Fast Food, his defining saxophone trio featuring NEA jazz master David Liebman.

Moving to central Pennsylvania in 2003, Haynes founded the nationally noted Jazz@Bucknell chamber series in 2005 and was subsequently appointed as Bucknell University’s Kushell Jazz Artist-in- Residence. From 2007-2012, Haynes taught courses in Jazz History, directed his multi-media/new music Bucknell Interdisciplinary Improvisation Ensemble (BIIE), coached the University Jazz Band rhythm section and soloists, worked with various small ensembles and recitalists, maintained a vigorous private studio, and led the Bison Band. Recent years have featured appointments as interim Director of Jazz Studies for both Susquehanna University, PA, and Nazareth College, NY.

Artists Haynes has appeared on CD with include Theo Bleckman, Anthony Braxton, Adam Caine, Joe Daley, Dave Douglas, Mark Dresser, Marty Ehrlich, Ellery Eskelin, Mark Feldman, Ken Filiano, Vinny Golia, Drew Gress, Thomas Heberer, Mark Helias, Lindsay Horner, Ed Jackson, Ritsu Katsumata, David Kikoski, Frank Lacy, Andy Laster, David Liebman, Tony Malaby, Denman Maroney, Michael McNeill, Micu Narunsky, Jeff Palmer, Hank Roberts, Herb Robertson, Ned Rothenberg, Rich Rothenberg, Ted Rosenthal, Michelle Rosewoman, Steve Rudolph, Steve Salerno, Ed Schuller, Paul Smoker, Michael Stevens, David Taylor, John Tchicai, Andreas Willers, Gebhard Ullmann, and Tom Varner.

Other acclaimed performers that Haynes has appeared with in concert include John Abercrombie, Ralph Alessi, Tim Berne, Bobby Bradford, Don Byron, Bill Carrothers, Billy Childs, Marilyn Crispell, Joshua Davis, Jack Dejohnette, Bill Dobbins, Marty Ehrlich, Jon English, Michael Formanek, Joel Frahm, Charles Gayle, Steve Gilmore, Ben Goldberg, Arnold Hammerschlag, Peter Herbert, Ingrid Jensen, Dean Johnson, David Liebman, Albert Manglesdorf, Tony Marino, Ron McClure, Tony Micelli, Ben Monder, Glenn Moore, Varden Ovsepian, Paul Plimley, Eddie Severn, Louis Sclavis, Leni Stern, John Stowell, John Swana, Steve Swell, Greg Tardy, John Tchicai, Gary Thomas, Thomas Ullrich, Roseanna Vitro, J.D. Waters, Tim Warfield, Kenny Werner, Kenny Wheeler, Larry Willis and Andrea Wolper.

In addition to his Sanctuary solo concert presentations, as well as duet performances with David Liebman & Herb Robertson, current Haynes touring ensembles include his: romantic, folk-Americana string band, Free Country, featuring cellist/vocalist Hank Roberts; signature saxophone trio, No Fast Food, w/ bass titan Drew Gress and NEA jazz master David Liebman; as well as the classic piano trio, Day Dream, with Yamaha artist Steve Rudolph.

www.philhaynes.com | philhaynesmusic.bandcamp.com/music | www.cornerstorejazz.com

Professor of Saxophone, David Pope has been on the faculty since 2000. He is the Distinguished Teacher of the College of Visual and Performing Arts for 2012-13. He holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music, the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with additional studies at the University of Miami.

David has extensively trained as a classical and a jazz saxophonist and is an active composer and author. He has penned the regular column “Creative Jazz Improvisation” for Saxophone Journal since 1995. In demand as a performer and clinician, he has appeared at the World Saxophone Congress, North American Saxophone Alliance, College Band Directors National Association, and the Virginia Music Educators Association. He has presented masterclasses and recitals at the Eastman School of Music, University of Southampton, California State University, Fresno, University of Northern Colorado, University of Northern Iowa, University of Massachusetts, and Bucknell University. He has also been a featured artist at the New England Saxophone Symposium.

The Pioneer Saxophone Quartet (with Lynn Klock, Angela Space, and George Weremchuk) has been in-residence at SUNY Oswego, James Madison University, the New England Saxophone Symposium, the Central Florida Sax Fest, and the University of Miami. They premiered new works at the World Saxophone Congress 2012, and the 2008 North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference.

Widely recognized for his unique work with multiphonics, David has recorded a CD for Open Loop Records and two masterclass CDs for Saxophone Journal. His writings are available from Hal Leonard, Dorn Publications, and Ex Tempore. He has additional recordings on Albany Records and Dazzle Recordings

David Pope plays R. S. Berkeley “Virtuoso” saxophones and endorses Applied Microphone Technology.

Adam Larrabee has appeared as a sideman on Bruce Hornsby's album "Spirit Trail" and has involved himself in a wide variety of projects in the past few years from playing banjo in the bluegrass group "Joy Kills Sorrow", guitar in the chamber-jazz group "Andromeda", classical mandolin with "The Richmond Classical Guitar Quartet" and mandocello with "Enigmatica", recording and performing with rising jazz prodigy Grace Kelly, and his exploration of the music of Central France with "Le Bon Vent". In 2006, he won an Independent Music Award for his composition "Norwegian Slip" in the world/fusion category. Most recently, Adam has released a duo CD with pianist Bob Hallahan entitled "The Street Where You Live" in addition to a recreation of Duke Ellington's classic recording "Money Jungle" recording with his current trio with drummer Brian Jones and bassist Randall Pharr. In October 2009, Adam played banjo with "Love Canon", backing up rising pop/folk star Josh Ritter on a sold out two week tour of Ireland. In Oct 2010 Adam traveled to Ankara, Turkey for the Haceteppe Konservatory Jazz Festival and played in the premiere of "Ben Seni Variations" a work for Orchestra and Jazz Octet by Doug Richards. Adam taught jazz theory, composition and arranging at The New England Conservatory in Boston for nine years and currently lives in Charlottesville, Virginia and teaches classical and jazz guitar at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, banjo and mandolin at the University of Virginia and improv and small jazz ensemble at James Madison University in Harrisonburg.

An omnivorous musician, Sam Suggs was recently named New Artist of the Month by Musical America and earned the grand prize at the 2015 International Society of Bassists Solo Competition performing many of his own compositions.

As a collaborative bassist, he has performed at Chamber Music Northwest, Yellow Barn, Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, his jazz/fusion trio Triplepoint has toured in West Africa and Northern Europe, and his band Foundry was named a laureate winner in the inaugural M-Prize Competition. Suggs recently served as principal bass of the Oregon Bach Festival Berwick Academy for Historical Performance and earned honors in music theory and cognition from Northwestern University while working as the youngest principal bass of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

Currently Assistant Professor of Bass at James Madison University, Suggs received a Presser Foundation Award towards his doctoral studies at Yale University and, among many incredible mentors, he has worked with Don Palma, Peter Lloyd, Jeff Bradetich, DaXun Zhang, and Edgar Meyer.

Visit Professor Suggs' YouTube Channel