Noah Simpson

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Noah Simpson is a trumpet player, composer, and producer currently based in the PNW. Originally from Phoenix, Noah started his music education at Scottsdale Community College, and would finish at Portland State University. Simpson’s modern approach to trumpet playing and improvisation is described as energetic, dynamic, and attentive. While currently teaching at Reed College and George Fox University, he frequently collaborates with artists like George Colligan, Alan Jones, Domo Branch, and other PNW natives. He’s also worked with artist like George Benson, Bernard Purdie, Alex Acuna, and Ron Artis II. Currently he’s producing AR location based media under the As:Is label.

Noah Garabedian

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A native of Berkeley, California, Noah Garabedian holds a BA in Ethnomusicology from the The University of California Los Angeles, and a Master’s in Music Performance from New York University. In 2006 he was awarded a John Coltrane National Scholarship, and in 2007 was selected as a finalist for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz graduate program. In March of 2011, Mr. Garabedian was selected to participate in Brad Mehldau’s master class at The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, and in June of that same year was selected as a finalist in the ISB Double Bass Competition.

In November of 2016, Mr. Garabedian received a Fulbright Specialist Grant to teach jazz music for one month at Silpakorn University, in Bangkok, Thailand. As an educator Mr. Garabedian currently works with the music outreach program at Jazz At Lincoln Center called Jazz For Young People. He is also currently part-time faculty at The New School in New York City and works as a teaching artist with the New York Pops. In the past he has served as adjunct faculty at NYU, taught with The Weil Institute at Carnegie Hall, the Brooklyn Friend’s Summer Jazz Camp, Stanford Jazz Camp, and participated in the music outreach program between UCLA and the Los Angeles Unified School District.

As a sideman, Mr. Garabedian has performed and toured with Ravi Coltrane, Josh Roseman, Ralph Alessi, Andrew D’Angelo, Myron Walden, Nir Felder, Frank LoCrasto, Silver City Bound, Julian Pollack, as well as his own sextet Big Butter And The Egg Men. In March of 2014, Mr. Garabedian represented the US State Department on a seven-week tour of Southeast Asia with Silver City Bound, where they performed for the public, and taught workshops on music in several countries.

Lynn Speakman

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Lynn Speakman (alto saxophone/flute) has been a performer, composer, arranger, and music educator for over 25 years. Her career has given her the opportunity to perform with bands such as the Christian McBride Big Band, Gerald Wilson and His Orchestra, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Wycliffe Gordon Big Band and many small groups. She was a member of the DIVA Jazz Orchestra while in NYC, which she had the opportunity to tour, perform, and record with. Lynn is also an experienced music educator and has taught at the Stanford Jazz Workshop for 17 years as well as Calhoun School and Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Middle School Jazz Academy in NYC, Detroit Civic Youth Jazz in Michigan, and Center of Life Jazz and Judah Project in Pittsburgh. In addition to teaching and performing, Lynn spends much of her time composing and arranging as well as transcribing and engraving music for her own band, her students, and for a large list of clients in NYC, where she resided for 7 years. She currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA and is active on the music scene there, both as a sideman and with her own band, the Lynn Speakman Quintet.

Luther Allison

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“He’s reamplifying the tradition of jazz piano and he’s lifting up a legacy that’s the foundation for many people” -New York Times. Accomplished multi-instrumentalist Luther S. Allison has set himself apart as one of the most in-demand artists in jazz today. Forging a path on both piano and drum set, Allison cemented himself as one of the leading voices of his generation. The Charlotte, North Carolina native is recognized for his blues-based, gospel inspired playing with deep roots in the tradition of bebop and soul music.

Upon completing his B.A. in Studio Music and Jazz from the University of Tennessee and M.M. in Jazz Studies from Michigan State University (both degrees with focuses in drum set and piano) Allison began a consistent touring career on both instruments supporting the likes of Jazzmeia Horn, Helen Sung, Samara Joy, Rodney Whitaker, Etienne Charles, The Baylor Project, and Ulysses Owens Jr.

Allison’s debut album, I Owe It All To You, was released on Posi-Tone Records, highlighting his noteworthy arrangements, compositional prowess, and exceptional skill as a pianist. Rated 4.5 stars by Downbeat, the album was described as “a portrait of a straight ahead pianist who seems to have no weak points in his arsenal” -Downbeat. Allison is also featured as a sideman on numerous projects – notably the GRAMMY Award Winning single, Tight, supporting vocalist Samara Joy.

Allison is a distinguished touring artist who has taken the stage at notable venues such as Village Vanguard, Dizzy’s Club, Birdland, Kennedy Center, and Blue Note Milano. He has also been featured at renowned jazz festivals including Newport, Monterey, Detroit, Washington DC, North Sea, Umbria, Marciac, and Jazz A Vienne.

In addition to his work as a bandleader and sideman, Allison is a consummate educator and curator – having operated as Adjunct Jazz Faculty (4 years) and Chair of the Percussion Department (2 years) at The Calhoun School in New York City. He has also served on faculty for numerous summer intensives, particularly the Brevard Jazz Institute and the Stanford Jazz Workshop. Allison has worked in conjunction with the National Jazz Museum in Harlem as a Curatorial Fellow where he assisted the organization by programming and curating events in the museum for an entire calendar year. Moreover, Allison has curated and music directed performances for the Louis Armstrong Museum in Queens, New York.

As a composer, Allison has already begun to leave an indelible mark, leading to him being commissioned by Wynton Marsalis to compose an original work for the esteemed Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Allison was also commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center to music direct and arrange the Sacred Works of Duke Ellington – initially featured in Dizzy’s Club and later expanded for the Appel Room. Alongside his achievements as a musician/composer/music director, Allison is featured as both an actor and recorded musician on Maggie Gylenhaal’s upcoming film The Bride, contributing on screen along with several recorded tracks for the film score.

Luther Allison is a proud YAMAHA artist.

Kazemde George

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Kazemde George is an African American jazz saxophonist, composer, and beat-maker based in Brooklyn who exhibits a gift for streamlined, emotionally direct melodies, articulated with a warm tone and a certain guiding restraint. Raised by Caribbean parents in Berkeley, California, Kaz was exposed to a wide range of musical styles, and has been playing Piano, Saxophone, and Percussion from an early age.

During high school, Kazemde developed a passion for Jazz while studying the oral tradition under the tutelage of Khalil Shaheed, Charles McNeal and Susan Muscarella. He also began to make electronic music under the moniker “KG,B”. KG,B’s beats are inspired by Hip-Hop producers such as J Dilla, Madlib, and Flying Lotus, who he sees as modern the counterparts of early Jazz innovators.

In 2007, Kazemde moved to Boston to attend school, and in 2014, Kazemde completed the Harvard/New England Conservatory (NEC) Joint program, receiving his Bachelors in Neurobiology (Harvard) and his Masters in Jazz Composition (NEC). At NEC, Kazemde studied privately with Jerry Bergonzi, Cecil McBee, Donny McCaslin, John McNeil, Jason Moran, Danilo Pérez, and Miguel Zenón. In 2012, he received Harvard’s George Peabody Gardener Fellowship to study traditional music in La Habana, Cuba for ten months. Through his travels, Kaz has expanded his focus from Hip-Hop and Jazz to the full spectrum of musical styles which blossomed from the African Diaspora, including Afro-Cuban, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Brazilian, and African-American traditions. As he sees it, the study of these musical styles serves as a way to regain cultural histories that were lost through the processes of African-American Slavery.

Today, his focus is aligned towards music, but Kazemde is also a biologist at heart, and his quest to understand this wide breadth of styles is driven by an analytical mind with a scientific approach.

In October 2021, Kazemde released his debut album, I Insist, on Greenleaf Music by Dave Douglas.

Kazemde has performed with Solange Knowles and Saint Heron, David Murray, Román Filiú, and Jason Moran, at venues and festivals such as, Dizzy’s Coca-Cola Club, Zinc Bar, The Jazz Gallery, Irving Plaza, Yoshi’s, Black Cat, Cafe Stritch, The David Rubinstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, Panama Jazz Festival, Made In America Festival, AfroPunk, and Panorama NYC Music Festival

My Mission
My goal is to establish my own style as a creative innovator of African-American music, and to help in elevating communities of underprivileged youth through music and other cultural education. I will travel and immerse myself in American communities heavily influenced by African musical traditions in order to study, teach, and perform. I also hope to have the opportunity to explore places like Brazil, The Caribbean, West Africa, and the American South as part of my journey.

Jonathan Richards

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Jonathan Richards joins the SJW faculty for the first time this year, and we couldn’t be more excited. Based in Los Angeles, Jonathan has developed deep professional relationships with some of the top artists in jazz and pop, including David Foster, Khalid, Toni Braxton, Joe LaBarbera, Marquis Hill, Snuffy Walden, Van Hunt, Jeff Goldblum, Anthony Wilson, and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.

You can see Jonathan in many videos featuring Postmodern Jukebox, Sara Neimietz, and the Sarah Reich Tap Music Project. He’s also all over scores recorded for TV and film, including Beyoncé’s The Gift, Katharine McPhee’s PBS Soundstage Special, The American Music Awards, and scoring sessions for shows such as The Night Of (HBO), Mrs. America (HULU), and Dear White People (Netfilx).

Even better for us at SJW, Jonathan is a very high-level jazz educator, currently on the faculty of Pasadena City College, long noted for its excellent jazz program.

Jhoely Garay

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Jhoely Garay is a New York-based guitarist, composer, arranger, and educator from Mexico, whose music expresses her passion for straight-ahead swing, contemporary jazz, and musics and rhythms from Latin America. She uses her voice as an artist to raise awareness about topics often overlooked by the public, such as climate-related issues and untold or hidden histories left out of official narratives.

Garay has become an integral part of the dynamic jazz scene in New York and Mexico, collaborating with iconic artists such as Dee Dee Bridgewater, Steve Wilson, Darcy James Argue, Jim McNeely, Mike Holober, among others; and performing at renowned venues, such as Carnegie Hall, The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, The MET Museum, Jazz Institute Berlin, The Public Theater, Stanford University, Aaron Davis Hall, The Clemente Soto Cultural Center, Shea Center for Performing Arts, Colima International Jazz Festival, National Arts Center in Mexico, and as a guest composer, arranger and conductor of the NYO Jazz Orchestra, the Berlin Youth Jazz Orchestra.

Her gifts as both a guitarist and composer have earned her numerous accolades, including five Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation awards, the Stanford Jazz Mentor Fellowship (2022-23), the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble Prize (2020), and the Repsol Emerging Artist Award (2017). She was selected to participate in the Woodshed Network Residency directed by the Tony Award-winning NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater and participated in the International Workshop for Jazz and Creative Music at The Banff Centre in Canada.

Garay has received recognition as a composer and for her jazz orchestra and large ensemble works from ASCAP, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, New Music USA, American Composers Forum, Pathways to Jazz, New York City Artist Corps, and the National Fund for Culture and the Arts in Mexico, and her commitment to fostering musical talent extends to her role as a Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Ambassador.

Garay is a passionate educator committed to sharing her love for music. In addition to the Stanford Jazz Workshop, she is a faculty member at Jazz House Kids New York, 92NY music program, El Paso Jazz Girls, and the Riverdale Music Studio. Garay has also taught masterclasses in jazz guitar and composition at higher education institutions in Mexico and the U.S., such as Portland State University, Jazz Education Network Conference, Universidad Veracruzana JazzUV, Universidad de Queretaro, Universidad Autónoma de Colima.

Garay holds a Master’s degree in Jazz Composition from the Manhattan School of Music and a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Guitar Performance from The City College of New York, graduating with honors from both institutions.

Howard Wiley

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Born in Berkeley, California, Howard Wiley displayed a unique musical talent from a very young age, while performing at his local Gospel church. Wiley says “the first time I picked up the saxophone, it became a part of me, like an additional limb, I knew I had found my purpose.”

Wiley studied the saxophone in high school, was selected to be a member of the Grammy All-American Jazz Band two years in a row at 14 and 15 years old. He travelled to both New York and Los Angeles performing with the best young musicians in the country at various activities related to Grammy Week. The following year, he was selected to participate in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz’s All-Star Band. This band of young lions studied andperformed with jazz greats including Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Gerald Albright, and many others. Wiley then received a scholarship to Berklee School of Music; where he would graduate with honors. During his time with the Institute, Howard also met and collaborated with other rising stars of Jazz in Los Angeles, including Kamasi Washington, Tony Austin, Miles Mosley and more (the collective now known as the West Coast Get Down). To this day, Howard is still a member; recording and touring with them worldwide when not working on his solo projects.

At the age of 15, he released his first CD as a leader with the local press review stating “…this CD signals the arrival of the San Francisco Bay’s newest diamond in the rough.” In 2007 Wiley released his third album, The Angola Project, comprising ensemble pieces inspired by 1950s recordings from Angola State Prison. According to Jazz critic Daniel King of the San Francisco Chronicle, “What makes Wiley’s album a great listen is his textural range, his less-is-more compositional approach and his patience as a soloist. Instead of packing notes into every bar, he places them thoughtfully into well-paced improvisations.”

Wiley’s love of jazz and arranging led him to fuse his jazz sounds with funk. Ever the soulful live musician, Howard has built a strong reputation for presenting jazz shows ‘that you can dance to’. On experiencing Wiley in a live setting, journalist Drew Foxman writes, “…he befitted a dignified presence by displaying his deep reverence for the musicians with whom he was collaborating, unmasking the persona of an unassuming leader. This is a musician who understands his sound, not only in an ensemble, but in the history of music. This humility, though, translates into downright explosiveness on the bandstand.”

Howard Wiley has toured internationally, recorded and performed with artists including Miss Lauryn Hill, Sheila E, Cory Henry, Christian McBride, Chester Thompson and more. He is a Founding member of the new Bay Area collective BLACK LONDON, who are currently performing in and around Northern California. He has performed worldwide with other artists and with his solo project at the San Francisco Jazz Festival, Playboy Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Fest, Blue Note Club, Madrone Art Bar, Cape Town Jazz Festival, the Grammy Museum, Yoshi’s Oakland, Malcolm X Jazz Festival, Sonoma Jazz Festival, Smalls NY and SXSW, to name a few. Recently, he was also a featured artist performing his original music for the official new APPLE iPhone commercial and global conference.

George Cables

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Piano legend George Cables has performed and recorded with some of the greatest jazz musicians of our time, including: Joe Henderson, Roy Haynes, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Sarah Vaughn, Tony Williams, Bobby Hutcherson and Dizzy Gillespie.

Cables attended Mannes College of Music for two years and by 1964 he was playing in a band called The Jazz Samaritans which included such rising stars as Billy Cobham, Lenny White and Clint Houston. Gigs around New York at the Top of the Gate, Slugs, and other clubs attracted attention to Cables’ versatility and before long he earned a brief 1969 tenure at the piano bench with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.

A 1969 tour with tenor titan Sonny Rollins took Cables to the West Coast. By 1971 he became a significant figure in the jazz scenes of Los Angeles, where he first resided, and San Francisco, where he also lived. Collaborations and recordings with tenor saxophonists Joe Henderson and Sonny Rollins, trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw and vibist Bobby Hutcherson made Cables’ wide-ranging keyboard skills, often on electric piano, amply evident. Demand for his sensitive accompaniment increased and by the end of the 1970s, Cables was garnering a reputation as everyone’s favorite sideman.

The longest standing relationship Cables developed in the late seventies was with alto saxophonist Art Pepper. Cables, who Pepper called “Mr. Beautiful,” became Art’s favorite pianist, appearing on many quartet dates for Contemporary and Galaxy, and joining Art for the extraordinary duet album, Goin’ Home, that would be Pepper’s final recording session.

George Cables has emerged as a major voice in modern jazz. He is currently performing and recording as a soloist, with trio and larger ensembles, and as a clinician in college jazz programs. In addition to composing and arranging for his own albums, George Cables has contributed to recordings by Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Bobby Hutcherson and many others. He is noted for his fresh Interpretations of classic compositions and for his innovative style of writing.

Gary Kerkezou

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Originally from Greece, Gary Kerkezou has become one of the most in-demand young drummers in New York. Performing nightly at world-class jazz clubs like Birdland, Dizzy’s Club, Cafe Bohemia, the Django, Smalls, Bar Bayeux, Mezzrow, Cellar Dog, Minton’s Playhouse and Ornithology, she quickly built a reputation for herself as an extraordinary musician. She has collaborated with stellar names in the jazz world (Christian McBride, Regina Carter, Troy Roberts, Michael Dease, Bill Pierce, Javon Jackson, Eric Alexander, Geoff Keezer, Pasquale Grasso, Cyrus Chestnut, Lage Lund, Grant Stewart, David Wong, Jeb Patton, Adam Birnbaum and others) and has recorded multiple albums as a sideman.

In addition to a busy performing schedule, she is an instructor at Jazz House Kids, one of the most successful and respected jazz education programs in the country. She has also given masterclasses at some of the nation’s finest jazz programs (Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, and KC Area Youth Jazz) as well as at multiple public schools around the city.

Moving to USA 8 years ago to study, she got her undergraduate degree from Berklee College of Music where she was accepted with multiple scholarships and afterwards enrolled in Manhattan School of Music with an almost full ride to get her Masters in Music degree.

Raised in a family of professional musicians, she also has a Diploma on classical violin from her home country and has been performing as a violinist since she was a child, with orchestras, smaller ensembles and as a session musician, with artists like Lalah Hathaway, Jacob Collier, Christopher Brubeck, AJR, and Patrick Doyle.