October 2 2 , 2 0 19 • 7:3 0 pm Cohen - Davison Family Theat re PEABODY JAZZ COMBO SERIES Nasar Abadey, Sean Jones, Richard D. Johnson, directors Joseph Kosma (1905–1969) The Autumn Leaves John Coltrane (1926–1967) Blue Train Freddie Hubbard (1938–2008) Little Sunflower Nasar Abadey Combo Emmett Reed, vocals Christian Lumsden, guitar John Reynolds, alto sax Nathaniel McKeever, trumpet Miranda Towler, trumpet Chyna Beals, trombone Joseph Oldam, bass DJ Tomczyk, drums Victor Feldman (1934-1987) Arranged by Warren Wolf Joshua Allen Branch Branchin’ Out Cyrus Mackey Celestial Sean Jones Combo Jett Lim, trombone Cyrus Mackey, trumpet Robert Gilliam, tenor sax Gavin Horning, guitar Ethan Bailey-Gould, guitar Lawrence Hutfles, bass Allen Branch, drums Jackie McClean (1931–2006) Appointment in Ghana Marco Lybertt Quiet Toots Thieleman (1922–2016) Bluesette Thelonious Monk (1917–1982) Ugly Beauty Charlie Powell Plink Jazz Futures Ensemble Thelenious Muhammad, vocals Charles Powell, guitar Nico Wohl, guitar August Braatz, trombone Adan Montes, trombone Joe Huang, tenor sax Marco Lybbert, piano Jason Torres, bass Matthew Lucas, drums For your own safety, look for your nearest exit. In case of emergency, walk, do not run to that exit. Nasar Abadey, faculty artist Nasar Abadey is a professor of jazz percussion in the Jazz Studies Department at the Peabody Conservatory. Abadey’s band SUPERNOVA’s® debut CD, Mirage was released on Amosaya Records, and his sophomore CD Diamond In The Rough was released on DPC Records. Abadey has toured Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean, and he and his band were selected by the U.S. State Department and Lincoln Center as ambassadors to tour with the American Music Abroad Rhythm Road. This one month tour took them to five countries in East Africa: Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia, and Mozambique. Abadey’s personal style is explosive, intriguing, and melodic. He has worked with Sonny Fortune, Dizzy Gillespie, Phaoroah Saunders, Ella Fitzgerald, Gary Bartz, and many others. Abadey has appeared in various music festivals internationally. He teaches privately and conducts workshops in D.C. and its neighboring public schools. Abadey attended University of Buffalo, in N.Y., Howard University, and the University of District of Columbia in Washington, D.C. SUPERNOVA® performs music from the threshold of Jazz to beyond space and time. Abadey and SUPERNOVA’s® musical presentation demonstrates an array of colors, textures, and grooves. Abadey is endorsed by Sonor Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks, and Remo Drum Heads. Sean Jones, Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair in Jazz Studies Singing and performing as a child with the church choir in his hometown of Warren, Ohio, Sean Jones switched from the drums to the trumpet upon his first exposure to Miles Davis at the age of 10. Years later, he still cites Miles’ overall artistic vision and purity of sound as his greatest personal influence. He also credits the profound impact of hearing John Coltrane with cementing his course as a trumpeter, composer, educator, and activist. After receiving his master’s degree from Rutgers University, Jones had a six-month stint with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. This marked the beginning of a relationship with Wynton Marsalis, who offered Jones a position as lead trumpeter with the LCJO, where Jones remained until 2010. A highly respected and in-demand musician, Jones has recorded and/or performed with many major figures including Joe Lovano, Chico O’Farrill, Illinois Jacquet, Jimmy Heath, Frank Foster, Nancy Wilson, Dianne Reeves, Gerald Wilson, and Marcus Miller. The relationship with Miller led to another highly impacting experience when Jones was selected by Miller, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter for their Tribute to Miles tour in 2011. Currently, Jones is artistic director of the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra, artist-in-residence at San Francisco Performances, and a member of the SF JAZZ Collective. In addition, he serves as a member of the Jazz Education Network’s Board of Directors and was recently appointed as artistic director of Carnegie Hall’s NYO Jazz, which made its Carnegie Hall debut and inaugural European tour in the summer of 2018. He has recently released his eighth recording, Live from Jazz at the Bistro, on Mack Avenue Records. Heavily involved in education, Jones taught at the Berklee College of Music as the chair of the Brass Department before joining the Peabody Conservatory as the Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair in Jazz Studies in 2018. He has also taught at Duquesne University and at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, while regularly offering master classes and clinics all around the world. Richard D. Johnson, faculty artist Born in Pittsburgh, Richard D. Johnson has strong territorial jazz roots. He was first introduced to the piano at the age of 5 by his father, a gospel pianist from Baltimore. He has cultivated a rich and pedigreed musical background, being schooled by some of the most legendary jazz musicians and studying at the most esteemed institutions of music. After receiving a scholarship and graduating from the Berklee School of Music in just two years, Johnson earned a master’s degree in jazz pedagogy from the Boston Conservatory. He then went on to receive an Artist Performance Diploma at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at the New England Conservatory under the direction of the influential Ron Carter. Johnson was a member of Wynton Marsalis’ Septet and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra from 2000 to 2003. He also played as part of the Russell Malone Quartet, Delfeayo Marsalis Quintet, and the Bobby Watson Quartet. After completing his tenure with those groups, Johnson started the Reach Afar program for young people ages 7 to 17, educating them about elements of jazz in hip-hop. As a representative of the United States through the U.S. State Department, he was named United States Musical Ambassador. He did six State Department tours, performing in more than 76 countries in Central and South America, Africa, and the Middle East. He has also accompanied such jazz icons as Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Arturo Sandoval. In 2005, Johnson became the musical director for the Atlanta Spirit LLC. This joint project enabled him to create a live instrumental five-member band for the National Basketball Association and perform at all 46 home games and outside activities. One of his other strengths is administration and music management. He is the founding member of Johnson Works LLC, a management placement service for musicians. In this role, he performs with world-class artists promoting jazz to a vast array of audiences. He also serves as the piano instructor for the Ravinia Jazz Program in Chicago. Another passion of Johnson’s is history, which has led him to become a certified tour agent/guide and educate thousands of high school students. In 2013, he began visiting Doha, Qatar, as a performing artist at the Jazz at Lincoln Center venue. Having been well received there numerous times, he was presented with the opportunity in 2015 to be the acting on-site full-time Jazz ambassador in partnership with the St. Regis Doha Hotel company. Johnson is an accomplished composer and arranger with four musical releases as a leader. His latest colead project with Gregory Generet, entitled 2 of A Kind, features a stellar jazz ensemble consisting of Freddie Hendrix on trumpet, Jon Beshay on tenor saxophone, Barry Stephenson on bass, and Henry Conerway on drums. Johnson is a Yamaha endorsed piano artist.
