MUSIC: RANDY BRECKER Multi-Grammy Trumpeter and Composer & ADA ROVATTI Internationally Acclaimed Saxophonist w/ Mark Shilansky, Nick Grondin, Austin McMahon, Bronek Suchanek

Description

(Note: Two shows will be offered: 5:45 PM and 8:30 PM. FOR TICKETS TO EITHER TIME: go to https://www.seacoastjazz.org/brecker.)

Please join us for this very special show with two illustrious visiting jazz artists: internationally prominent, multi-Grammy Trumpeter RANDY BRECKER and worldwide acclaimed Saxophonist ADA ROVATTI. These outstanding artists are visiting as part of the University of New Hampshire’s annual Clark Terry Jazz Festival for UNH students and have graciously agreed to also perform for the public. You will hear a mix of original compositions from their voluminous repertoire.

On stage with them will be members of the UNH Faculty Jazz Band: Mark Shilansky, piano; Nick Grondin, guitar; Austin McMahon, drums; and Bronek Suchanek, bass. Two showtimes are offered.

This event is cosponsored by the Seacoast Jazz Society and the University of New Hampshire. The Jazz Society is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. To become a member or learn more, go to: https://www.seacoastjazz.org.

Youtube link with Randy Brecker:
https://youtu.be/mqP1ePJPw1c?si=syYhhruPmvHhEZQz


About the Musicians

RANDY BRECKER, trumpeter and composer
Randy Brecker is a seasoned jazz veteran, a virtuosic trumpeter, and a prolific composer. His horn playing has graced the bandstands and recordings of the greatest jazz artists of our time: Horace Silver, Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Charles Mingus, Clark Terry, Joe Henderson, Duke Pearson, Frank Foster, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, and more.

He is known to be a “first call” studio musician because of his talent and his versatility in jazz, rock, and R&B. His trumpeting has energized innumerable studio sessions of artists ranging from James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen and Parliament-Funkadelic to David Sanborn, Jaco Pastorius, and Frank Zappa.

In 1967, Brecker ventured into jazz-rock with the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, recording on their first album “Child Is Father to the Man.” After leaving the band in 1969, Randy appeared with Horace Silver and many other jazz acts feeling a need to fulfill his desire to improvise freely. By 1973, Randy and his sax playing brother, Michael, had become the most in-demand studio players in New York City. In 1975 they decided to form their own band, “The Brecker Brothers,” becoming a band of immeasurable influence and impact. Hailed by pop and jazz critics alike, their first album, which Randy produced, was nominated for four Grammy awards. The brothers went on to record a total of six albums and receive seven Grammy nominations between 1975 and 1981. They reunited ten years later in 1992 releasing “Return of the Brecker Brothers” and “Out of The Loop” (GRP Records), receiving two Grammy awards, and resulting in tours in the U.S. and Europe. And the Grammys kept coming! With Randy as bandleader, their album “34th N Lex” (ESC label) featuring Michael Brecker, David Sanborn, Fred Wesley, and Ronnie Cuber, and his regular working band won a Grammy in 2004 for “Best Contemporary Jazz Album.” And the recently released album “Some Skunk Funk” featuring Michael Brecker and the WDR Big Band won another Grammy in February 2025 for “Best Large Ensemble CD.” Randy Brecker is a true musical pioneer who continues to perform extensively around the world in a variety of settings. His quest for musical excellence while constantly expanding his trumpet style and encyclopedic catalogue of compositions are unparalleled.

We are fortunate that Randy and Ada are part of this year’s Clark Terry Festival at UNH and delighted they will perform two public shows at The Press Room.


ADA ROVATTI, saxophonist
Italian native Ada Rovatti started playing saxophone in high school after years of classical piano training. After winning a scholarship from Berklee College of Music she divided herself between Boston and Italy. In Boston she studied with Joe Viola, George Garzone and Fred Lipsius. In Italy she regularly performed in WDR Big Band with guest artists such as Phil Woods, Lee Konitz, and many more. After spending a year in Paris touring Europe and Africa, Ada moved to New York City. She has performed in important festivals such as NYC’s JVC Festival, as well as festivals in Rochester, Detroit, Montreal, San Francisco, NorthSea, the International Assn. of Jazz Educators annual event, and more. She is a regular on the ever-popular JazzCruise, performing with an impressive and diverse list of artists and bands such as: Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Heath, Patti Austin, Mike Stern, Anne Ducros, and many others. In 2003 she released her first 2 CDs as a bandleader with the Elephunk Band and with her quartet with guests Randy Brecker, Mike Stern and Don Alias. Ada was part of two Grammy-winning
CDs by Randy Brecker, “34th N Lex” and “Rocks” with NDR Big Band along with David Sanborn, and on the acclaimed CD of John McLaughlin “Industrial Zen.” She also appeared in the movie ‘Mona Lisa Smile’ featuring Julia Roberts.

As a band leader she has released six CDs: “Ada Rovatti & The Elephunk Band,” “Under The Hat,” “Airbop,” “Green Factor,” “Disguise” and “Brecker Plays Rovatti -Sacred Bond.” She has toured with the Brecker Brothers Band Reunion, recording a live double DVD/CD from NY’s Bluenote Jazz Club. In 2021 she was invited as a guest to perform with the WDR Big Band of Cologne, Germany, in a special concert titled “4 Tenors” along with Bob Mintzer, Bob Malach and Paul Heller. In recent years Ada has been touring and recording for various artists, arranging, producing, and working on her brand-new released project “The Hidden World of Piloo” introducing her also as songwriter and string orchestrator with special guests Fay Claassen, Niki Haris, Kurt Elling, and others.


MARK SHILANSKY, piano
Jon Garelick of the Boston Globe called Mark Shilansky an "inventive, modern mainstream jazz pianist.” Mark provides melodic improvisation and infectious compositions whether performing solo, with jazz luminaries, in his classrooms as professor at Berklee College of Music or University of New Hampshire.

Shilansky has six recordings as a leader including his 2007 “Join the Club,” a mostly Latin Jazz affair featuring David Bowie and saxist Donny McCaslin, and his 2013 “Fugue Mill,” the debut of his Jazz/Bluegrass/Celtic project featuring violin phenom Sara Caswell. Mark is also featured on over 60 recordings as a keyboardist, vocalist, composer/arranger, or producer, and in performance as band member for such artists as the New York Voices, Luciana Souza, and David Thorne Scott.

NICK GRONDIN, guitar
An experienced performer and award-winning composer, Nick Grondin has presented his music to audiences throughout the U.S. and Europe, including France, Italy, Germany and at the Panama Jazz Festival. On guitar, he leads the Nick Grondin Group, which performs in the Boston area and New York. He presents his music as modern musical storytelling—inspired by rock, folk and contemporary jazz styles. The group’s recent album, “A View of Earth,” features pianists Jon Cowherd and Michel Reis and vocalist Aubrey Johnson, and can be heard on streaming platforms.

AUSTIN MCMAHON, drums
Austin McMahon performs regularly with Jerry Bergonzi and has recently performed and/or recorded with Sean Jones, George Garzone, Marquis Hill, Lionel Loueke, Ben Monder, Lage Lund, Kate McGarry, Noah Preminger, Jason Palmer and Alexa Tarantino. He has appeared as an opening act for Grammy award-winners Dianne Reeves and Esperanza Spalding. On tour, Austin has performed at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, at several
jazz festivals around the world, and at jazz clubs, concert halls and theaters throughout the US, Italy, Germany, Finland, France, China and India.

BRONEK SUCHANEK, bass
Equally at home with classical music as with jazz, Bronek has performed with several symphony orchestras as well as many prominent artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Pinchas Zukerman, Simone Porter, Alexander Schimpf, Lauri Pora, Dimitri Berlinsky, Joyce Yang, and Mark Kaplan. His jazz performances have included performing with the Artie Shaw Orchestra, the Woody Herman big band, the Benny Goodman Tribute Band, and more. He has also performed with artists Rebecca Paris, Amanda Carr, James Williams, Alan Dawson, Herb Pomeroy, Joe Puma, and Chris Potter. In addition, he has performed at many notable jazz festivals, including Newport, Montreal, Krakow, Wroclaw, Poland, and Germany. He has toured in Taiwan, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Turkey, and the U.S.