The members of the J@Ms all-star alumni band are all former students of the Jazz @ the Music Settlement program. Now graduated from the program, these alumni have returned to Cleveland and have put together a must see performance! The J@MS program is a weekly half-day immersion for students ages 12-18 focused on helping students develop an understanding and appreciation for jazz music. Along with having the privilege of learning from great musicians and mentors, students also enjoy the company of other young learning musicians, and discover the necessary skills it takes to grow as a musician. Students from the program have gone on to attend an impressive selection of universities, including top music schools such as Berklee School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, and New School, and top academic schools such as Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Brown University. More information regarding the J@Ms program can be found at the Music Settlement’s website (www.themusicsettlement.org).

All proceeds from this show directly support The Music Settlement.

FEATURING:

Anav Sood (Pianist)

Anav Sood started piano when he was eight as a student of Terry Moran in the Cleveland Institute of Music’s preparatory school. Since discovering jazz late into middle school, he began taking lesson with Eric Gould, the now director of the Jazz Composition Department at Berklee School of Music. Entering high school, Anav joined his high school’s jazz combo and ensemble as well as the Jazz at the Music Settlement program.

Since then, his compositions have been awarded at CIM’s Carl Baldassare Composer Competition as well as recognized by the acclaimed Downbeat magazine. Anav also received a full tuition City Music Scholarship to attend Berklee’s 5-week summer program, where he was chosen to perform in City Music’s selective Dean’s Setlist Series. He has been featured on WKYC channel 3 news and called to perform in Arts without Borders’ independent music and dance festival. Other notable performances include performing at Shaker’s Tedxconference, featuring speakers such as Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi) and Wesley Lowry, and opening for the Jazz Heritage Orchestra on numerous occasions. This past year Anav has performed with the Skatch-Anderssen Orchestra, a jazz big band led by Eric Dregne and Scott McKee that plays weekly shows at Brother’s Lounge. He has shared the stage with notable artists, including Steve Kortyka, Bill Pierce, and Dominick Farinacci. A recent graduate of Shaker Heights High School, Anav will attend Stanford University this coming fall to continue his academic and music education.

Langston Maxwell (Drums)

Cleveland Native Langston Maxwell has been playing music since an early age. He began playing drums at his fathers church in elementary school and was introduced to jazz at the Cleveland Music School Settlement where he studied with Bill Ransom, Eric Gould, Ken Leegrand, Glenn Holmes, and Paul Samuels. Through high school he played at places such as Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola in New York and Scullers Jazz Club in Boston. In 2011 Langston was given the opportunity to play at the TED conference in Long Beach California and in the same year played at the Tony Williams Jazz Festival in Philadelphia with the Berklee City Music Allstars. Langston received a full tuition scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music where he studied under many greats including Skip Haddon and he is now continuing his education at Cleveland State University where he is studying under Bill Ransom. Langston Maxwell’s passion for music has allowed him to play with great artists ranging from Benny Golson to Dominick Farinacci and he prays that he will be able to one day pour into the lives of young people the same way these greats have done for him.

Caleb Smith (Trombone)

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, trombonist Caleb Smith has always been a lover of music, however, he didn’t discover his musical voice until the 5th grade when he started playing trombone. Early on in his trombone career he loved playing all kinds of music, but he didn’t truly gain an appreciation for jazz until he joined the “Jazz at The Music Settlement” (J@MS) Program. Through J@MS he was able to attend the Berklee College of Music Five-Week Summer Performance program for two consecutive years - both times on a full-scholarship. Along with the Berklee program, he’s had the opportunity to play alongside Bill Pierce, Dominick Farinacci, The Cleveland Orchestra, Etienne Charles and The Jazz Heritage Orchestra. Although Caleb’s primary focus is jazz music he was also a part of acclaimed classical ensembles, such as the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO). Such life changing opportunities have been the corner stone of Caleb’s musical development. These experiences have helped him to accomplish receiving an honorable mention from the National YoungArts Foundation and being accepted with scholarship to some of the world’s most prestigious jazz schools including New England Conservatory, Berklee School of Music, The New School, Manhattan School of Music and Oberlin Conservatory. Caleb is currently attending Oberlin Conservatory on a full scholarship as a jazz trombone major and is studying under the tutelage of acclaimed jazz trombonist, Robin Eubanks.

Chris Allison (Tenor Saxophone)

Chris Allison, who just finished his first year at Berklee College of music, began studying jazz in high school at the Music Settlements' J@MS program. He was awarded a full scholarship to attend Berklee Five Week program three years in a row, sparking his interest in the vibrant music scene there. Later, he decided on attending the college after receiving a full tuition scholarship to the school where he now studies with George Garzone In Cleveland, Chris plays/has played with the TruNorth Big Band, Skatch Andderssen Orchestra, MOJO big band, Sophisticated Swing, and Gabriel's Horns. In the summer of 2015, Chris was hired to play in the Jimmy Dorsey Big Band at Montréal Jazz Fest where he played for a crowd of 4000 in Maison Symphonique de Montréal.

Ari Smith (Bass)

Ari Smith started his musical career from the age of 7 when his father got him a keyboard. After taking classical piano lessons for two years, he picked up bass guitar, and started playing rock. After studying with Raymond Deforest for several years, Ari became interested in jazz, and joined his school's and the Cleveland Music Settlement's jazz programs, studying upright bass under Glenn Holmes. Through the Music Settlement, Ari was able attend Berklee's Five Week Summer Program two years in a row. After graduating from Shaker Heights High School, Ari enrolled in Oberlin College and Conservatory on scholarship, and is currently studying math and jazz bass performance, studying under Peter Dominguez.