"... an innovative ability to incorporate contemporary melodic, rhythmic and harmonic devices in both her playing and writing" New Music USA

Pianist/Composer ArcoIris Sandoval is a Fulbright award recipient currently residing in New York City. With a graduate degree from the Manhattan School of Music, she has won 2013 and 2015 ASCAP young jazz composer awards in addition to being a semifinalist at in the Montreux Solo Jazz Piano competition in 2012. She participated in the Mary Lou Williams Festival, Betty Carter Jazz Ahead and the Metropole Orkest Arrangers Workshop directed by Vince Mendoza featuring Richard Bona. One of her arrangements was performed by the Metropole Orkest at the 2016 BBC Proms tribute to Quincy Jones. She has also performed at major festivals throughout the world including Umbria Jazz Festival, Winter Jazz Fest in NYC, the Telluride Jazz Festival

YOICHI UZEKI is a perennial collaborator with countless major artists, including Cecil Bridgewater, Ornette Coleman, Oliver Lake, Alex Blake, Pharoah Sanders, Vanessa Rubin, and Najee. The Tokyo native continued his education in New York City and is currently on faculty at CUNY. He is a recipient of the Sir Roland Hanna Award, and currently has projects ranging from trio to big band formats, in the U.S. and Japan.

"...a miracle of a pianist who used every keyboard convention and invention available to enhance the expressiveness of the whole group." All About Jazz

This concert is supported by the Embassy of Japan.

Pianist, and Composer Willerm Delisfort is a messenger of life using music as his tool. His career extends the continuum of musical styles that ranges from Jazz, Gospel, R&B and many more. Because of this, Willerm's versatility has created a high demand for him with prominent jazz, rap, soul, and fusion artists including 2009 Best World Guitarist Fareed Haque, Grammy Award winning artist T-Pain, Louis Bellson , Lew Soloff, Calvin Newborne, Corey Wilkes, Curtis Fuller, Jimmy Heath, David Sanchez, Jennifer Holiday, George Freeman, Red Holloway, Javon Jackson, Melton Mustafa Sr, Peter Erskine, Freddie Jackson, and more.

Bassist Alex Blake, one of the most creative and singular artists in the international music scene, began his career at age 16 with the Sun Ra Arkestra, followed by Dizzy Gillespie and a host of other headliners. The last 20 years were spent traveling worldwide with NEA Jazz Master Randy Weston. Burnett Thompson and Alex Blake have collaborated on two recent projects in NYC at Mezzrow Jazz Club: Autumn in Yunnan and Reformation: Age of Mayhem

"incredible virtuosity combined with inventive musicality in a fashion that was stunningly entertaining.” The Los Angeles Times

Watch Alex Blake Live at the Blue Note