Michael Rabinowitz, bassoon

Roberta Piket, piano

Rich Zurkowski, bass

David Alvarez III, drums

Greg Wall, soprano saxophone

Whether blowing bebop over a Mingus tune or freely improvising with Anthony Braxton, Michael Rabinowitz’s contributions have changed the conception of what the bassoon can do. Since graduating with a BFA in music performance from SUNY at Purchase in the late seventies Michael’s improvisatory skills opened the door for the bassoon to enter a variety of musical environments not traditionally associated with the instrument.

He has recorded with Ira Sullivan, Red Rodney, Wynton Marsalis, John Hicks, Dave Douglas, Chris Potter and Joe Lovano. His festival appearances include Chicago, Montreal, Berlin, Tri-city, Tanglewood, San Francisco and Hollywood Bowl. Michael is a founding member of The Charles Mingus Orchestra which can be heard regularly at the Jazz Standard in NYC. His quartet Bassoon and the Wild has performed at the The Vanderbilt Planetarium, Frick Museum, JVC Jazz Festival, , Penn State, Kavehaz and other venues in NYC. Ocean Eyes is Michael’s 5th CD and documents the development of his quartet with mostly original compositions. The Buffet Group USA has been Michael’s sponsor for the past fifteen years and has supported his participation in performances and master classes at the IDRS most notably the Jazz at June Festival in Oklahoma with oboist Paul McCandless. In 2009 Michael was awarded a grant from Chamber Music of America in collaboration with French oboist Jean Luc Fillon and released their CD On the Reed Again.  In 2014, Michael formed a group called The Odd Couple Quintet with jazz horn virtuoso John Clark. Michael has conducted masters classes at many universities and has released four feature albums.

Trumpet player Alexander Pope Norris has played with legends Betty Carter and the Village Vanguard Band and modernists Joshua Redman and Marvin ‘Smitty’ Smith. He began his Latin jazz exploration with Baltimore-based Rumba Club, going on to work Afro-Cuban jazz artists Andy and Jerry Gonzalez, Giovanni Hildago, and Monguito Santamaria. He appears on over 60 CDs including Alex Norris Quintet, “A New Beginning” on the Fresh Sounds Label. Tours with Steve Winwood and Miami Sound Machine show the pop side of his career. He graduated from the Peabody Conservatory in 1990, received a master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music in 1995 and earned a doctor of musical arts degree from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music in 2007. He has taught there and at the Manhattan School, the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and Towson University. Alex is currently teaching in the jazz studies department at the Peabody Conservatory of music. Living in NYC, he remains a busy artist and clinician.

Alex Pope Norris – trumpet

Greg Wall – saxophone

Greg Murphy – piano

Joris Teep – bass

Steve Johns – drums