The Bop Island Jazz Festival Announces Opening Concert Featuring World Class Jazzmasters

BEACON, N.Y. - Aug. 29, 2018 - PRLog -- The Bop Island Jazz Festival is very pleased to announce today that iconic jazzmasters guitarist, Peter Bernstein, organist Rick Montalbano, tenor sax Joel Frahm and on drums Diego Ramirez will play with the Bop Island Jazz Band on September 22nd, 2018 at the historic Woodstock Playhouse.

Jazz guitarist Peter Bernstein has participated in over 80 recordings and numerous festival, concert and club performances with musicians from all generations. As a leader, Peter has released nine albums and a DVD, Live at Smoke. Current projects include his recent album, Monk, recorded for the newly reactivated Xanadu label. Together with Doug Weiss and Bill Stewart, he put their own spin on the rich legacy of Thelonious Monk.

Peter was a member of Joshua Redman's band and played on Redman's Freedom in the Groove CD. He played with Diana Krall's quartet fand with Dr. Lonnie Smith, the legendary organist who made his debut on the George Benson Cookbook albums. He has also recorded five CDs with organist Melvin Rhyne, known for his association with Wes Montgomery. In addition, Peter has appeared in groups led by Nicholas Payton, Sonny Rollins, Lee Konitz, Tom Harrell, and Eric Alexander.

Rick Montalbano, pianist, organist, composer and arranger, started his career in the early 1960's and has performed with a long list of jazz greats. Rick served as pianist / conductor for singer Lou Rawls in the early 70s. He currently plays solo piano at The Savoy in Rome, NY., performs with and contracts bands for the Showroom at the Turning Stone Casino and is much demand as an accompanist.

In addition to operating the Music Factory recording studio, Rick teaches jazz piano at Colgate University, Hamilton College & Syracuse University and is the assistant director of the Central New York Jazz Orchestra.

Saxophonist Joel Frahm studied classical piano and bassoon before taking to the tenor saxophone when he was 14 years old. Initially, he worked with various blues and jazz bands meeting a coterie of like-minded musicians who were already a bit more established than he including but not limited to such artists as drummer Matt Wilson and pianist David Berkman; he would work and record with both on numerous occasions.

Frahm has worked with elders and icons such as Maynard Ferguson, Betty Carter and Dewey Redman as well as Lee Konitz, Pat Martino and Andrew Hill. He also worked with near contemporaries or contemporaries such as Wilson, Larry Goldings, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ben Allison, Ingrid Jensen, Dena Derose and Kyle Eastwood.

Frahm has become one of the more in-demand saxophonists – certainly standing among the top-tier players in New York as well as globally. He's since released a number of recordings under his own name – mostly for the Palmetto, Anzic and Smalls labels. Additionally, his contributions to others' recordings now exceed the 100-title mark.

Drummer Diego Joaquin Ramirez is a current member of numerous NYC-based groups including Marc Cary & The Harlem Sessions (Residency at Smoke Jazz Club), Wayne Tucker and The Bad Motha's, and his own group SULA. He has performed with many other notable musicians including Vijay Iyer, Cyrille Aimee, Duane Eubanks, Michael League, Jazzmeia Horn, Alina Engibaryan, Grace Kelly, Stacy Dillard, Greg Tardy, Theo Hill, Luques Curtis, Walt Weiskopf, Niwel Tsumbu, Loah, Ruth-Anne Cunningham, Brian Deady, and Liam O'Maonlai.

His recognition and awards include the Berklee Vater Drum-Set award, the Cork City Arts Award, the TD Fellowship award, the ASCAP Herb Alpert Jazz Composition award, and finalist in the 2017 DC Jazz Prix Competition with his group SULA.

He has played at many international venues and festivals including the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Fest, Montreal Jazz Fest, SXSW, The Kennedy Center, The DC Jazz Fest, Barranquilla Jazz Fest (Colombia), Umbria Jazz Fest (Italy), Cork Jazz Fest (Ireland), BIRD (Rotterdam), Minton's Playhouse, Smoke, Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, Smalls, Fat Cat, Zinc, Nublu, and continues to perform at venues and festivals all around the world.

To learn more about this concert and the other Fall concerts visit  http://www.woodstockplayhouse.org.

About the Bop Island Jazz Festival
The Bop Island Jazz Festival is comprised of a stellar group of musicians and technicians participating in a series of performances at the Woodstock Playhouse. The historic Woodstock Playhouse is the home of The Bop Island Jazz Festival.

Please join us for world class artists presenting Jazz in an intimate setting. The Bop Island Big Band is 16 world class jazz and freelance musicians whose mission is to perform and celebrate the best of big band jazz and provide a forum for new works by some of today's brightest composers and arrangers.

Bop Island Jazz Festival
P.O. Box 1294 Woodstock, NY 124498
845.481.0820
http://www.bopislandjazzfestival.com

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