Phoenix Rising - 120 Years of Jazz to benefit Ability360 at Mesa Arts Center - Piper Repertory Theater

Howard Alden

Seven-string guitar master Howard Alden comes from California, inspired by Armstrong, Basie and Goodman, and guitarists Barney Kessel, Django Reinhardt and George Van Eps. In 1979 Alden moved east with vibraphone legend Red Norvo. In New York Alden’s skills were quickly sought out by a glittering array of jazz stars, including Joe Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, as well as pop/rock icons Steve Miller and Jay Geils. He’s been a regular part of George Wein’s Newport Jazz Festival All-Stars since 1991. Howard’s playing for Woody Allen’s movie “Sweet and Lowdown” sparked a world-wide Gypsy Jazz revival. He’s also been sought out to perform and record with classical/jazz violin virtuoso Nigel Kennedy. And genre-defying guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke has this to say about “Guitar” , Howard’s recent solo recording on K2B2 records; “It's the best recording of the seven-string guitar I've ever heard!” In 2009 DOWNBEAT magazine named Howard “a Modern Maestro”, one of the 75 Greatest Guitarists of all time.

Louise Baranger

Born in Hollywood, CA, Louise Baranger studied trumpet with Harold "Pappy" Mitchell and Uan Rasey, the former first trumpets at the MGM Studios, as well as jazz trumpeter Bobby Shew and legendary William Vacchiano of the New York Philharmonic. In 1982 Harry James asked her to join his band, and she remained until Harry’s death in 1983. She spent the next few years playing lead trumpet in the Las Vegas production of Sugar as well as freelancing in Los Angeles and working with such big bands as Nelson Riddle, Jack Wilson and Ray Anthony. Her many television credits include appearances on Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, A PBS tribute to Harry James, Dallas, Falcon Crest, The Flash, KMEX Children’s Telethon, Fox Studios TV Logo, Barry Manilow’s Big Fun On Swing Street (with Gerry Mulligan, Carmen McRae and Stanley Clarke), The Bobby Vinton Show, Kid’s Day at Walt Disney World, and The World Music Awards. Film credits include Blake Edwards’ Mickey and Maude, Mark Rydell’s For The Boys, and Dennis Dugan’s Brain Donors. Louise has played on Albums and videos with Bobby Womack, Joe Cocker, Holly Near, the Stan Kenton Alumni Tribute Orchestra, the Ladd McIntosh Big Band and dozens of jingles. In live performance, Louise has toured the world and backed the talents of Bobby Womack, BJ Thomas, The Temptations, The four Tops, Dionne Warwick, Steve Allen, Buddy Greco, Carol Lawrence, George Burns, Clark Terry, Joan Rivers, Milton Berle, Candice Bergen, Sammy Davis, Jr., the Fifth Dimension, and a host of others. On Broadway she has worked as a substitute player on Carousel, Les Miserables, and 42nd Street, as well as performed at Carnegie Hall with John Pizzarelli, Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops. As a soloist Louise has been featured with the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, the Jazz Ensamble de Santa Fe (Argentina), Leipzig and Mannheim Big Bands (Germany), the Athens Symphony, and Macon Symphony. As a leader her nine piece "little big band" has played at the 1999 Emmy Awards, the Millennium New Year’s Eve Celebration at Boston’s Symphony Hall, and jazz concerts featuring trombone great Carl Fontana, in addition to many private events and fund raisers. Louise’s first CD for Summit Records, Trumpeter’s Prayer features Arturo Sandoval, Frank Sinatra Jr., Carl Fontana and Steve Allen. A newly recorded CD also on Summit Records, The Great American Groove Book, was released in January of 2018. In 2005 Louise was a featured soloist at the Stars and Stripes Presidential Inaugural Ball in Washington, DC. She has also played for President Bill Clinton. Louise’s currently plays with the brass quintet, Revolutionary Brass (www.RevolutionaryBrass.com) and, along with her husband Fred Tregaskis (www.NEWCellars.com), performs a wine tasting/music show for fundraisers and other private events (www.wine-jazz.com). She also performs with her nine-piece little big band and the Groove Book Band, a jazzy tribute to the music of Motown. She was a senior faculty member at the Litchfield Jazz Camp from 2005-2012 and has given master classes in Japan, Argentina, Peru, Germany, and across the US.

Alan Lewine

Alan Lewine has been a working bassist since the late 1970s. Releasing his first record of original compositions for septet in 1986, he is also a composer and the founder of Owlsong Productions (www.owlsong.com). In Phoenix since mid-2020, Lewine has performed and recorded from New York to Los Angeles in the U.S., across Europe from Spain to Israel, as well as Cuba and Mexico. His influences include many forms of music – the entire history of jazz, flamenco, North African, salsa and gamelan music. He has performed with afropop stars as well as many jazz and some classical notables. Milt Hinton was an early mentor, and later Charlie Haden, Leroy Vinnegar, Ray Brown, John Clayton, Lynn Seaton and Bruce Gertz. Alan also studied traditional Ghanaian (Ewe) percussion with Obo Addy, Balinese gamelan with I Nyoman Suadin, flamenco with Julián Vaquero and Victór Monge, Cuban classical and the music of Ernesto Lecuona with Huberal Herrera and traditional country blues with Johnny Never. Alan has performed with Eddie Daniels, Huberal Herrera, Zorimé Caturla, Kenny Davern, Richie Cole, Joe Henderson, Clifford Jordan, Henry Threadgill, Vinnie Golia, Anita O'Day, Sheila Jordan, Mose Allison, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis, Roy Hargrove, Herb Ellis, Gus Johnson, Sweets Edison, Mickey Roker, Stephane Grapelli and many others. Reviewers have compared some of his compositions and band leadership style to Charles Mingus, which flatters him greatly, but he remains intensely interested in the creative flowering of the “avant garde jazz” movement of the late 50s and early 60s.

Mark Witt

Andy Gross

Dennis Rowland

Dowell “D” Davis