Sasha Berliner

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Sasha Berliner is a musician, composer, producer, and band leader from San Francisco, CA. A rock drummer turned vibraphonist, Sasha was introduced to the instrument while attending Oakland School for the Arts. She moved to New York City in 2016 to attend the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, studying under acclaimed vibraphonist Stefon Harris. Harris’ influence on Sasha, in particular with regard to harmony, directly aided the development of her unique style.

Sasha’s first marquee show on the NYC scene was at NYC Winter Jazz Fest in 2018, followed soon after by Atlanta Jazz Fest and Burlington Jazz Fest. She was the first US recipient of the LetterOne “Rising Stars” Jazz Award in 2019, providing Sasha with an opportunity to tour as a band leader, while also facilitating the creation of her debut album Azalea in 2019.

Azalea was nominated for JazzTimes 2019 Readers’ Poll’s “Best New Release” and has been described as “shimmering and thoughtful” (Kassel, TIDAL), “gleefully exploring various genres and headspaces” (Tremblay, CTEBCM). The record’s politically charged, style-blending, alternative jazz sound employs digital effects, synths, audio speech samples, and strings, bringing together Sasha’s diverse musical background and influences.

The following year, Sasha was named winner of the 2020 Downbeat Critics’ Poll “Rising Star – Vibraphone” category. She was both the first woman, and at 21, the youngest individual in the poll’s history to receive the award. She has been voted one of the top ten vibraphonists in Downbeat Reader’s Polls every year since 2021. Sasha commissioned works for Modern Marimba and the SWR NewJAZZ Meeting as artist-in-residence for fall 2021, which resulted in her suite of live music entitled Tabula Rasa, released on CD in May 2023.

Sasha’s second studio LP, Onyx, features all-star musicians Marcus Gilmore, Burniss Travis II, James Francies, Thana Alexa, and Jaleel Shaw, and was tracked entirely analog to tape. The album was #1 on Jazzwise’s “Charting the Jazz Message” chart, and voted one of the best jazz albums of the year by UK Vibe, Textura, Jazz Vinyl Collector, and the 17th Annual Francis Davis Jazz Poll.

Sasha has headlined international venues like Newport Jazz Festival, The Blue Note, Montreal Jazz Festival, and Monterey Jazz Festival. In addition to performing with her own band, she has recorded and performed live with such renowned musicians as Tyshawn Sorey, Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride, and Cecile Mclorin Salvant. She is an endorsing artist for Marimba One and Vater Drumsticks. Sasha has been a guest lecturer at University of Champaign-Illinois, UC San Diego, Stanford Jazz Workshop, and Berklee College of Music, and is currently a Professor of Jazz and Jazz Composition at UC Irvine.

Sasha’s third studio album, Fantôme, is slated for release in March 2025 on Outside In Music. The album features Taylor Eigsti, Harish Raghavan, Jongkuk Kim, and Lex Korten.

Sam Reider

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Sam Reider is an American accordionist, pianist, composer, and educator. Originally trained as a jazz pianist, Reider has spent many years exploring and interpreting folk music from around the world on the accordion. His original compositions frequently combine jazz improvisation, folk instruments and grooves, and classical structure. As a performer, he’s been featured at Lincoln Center and on NPR and has collaborated with Grammy-nominated musical artists ranging from bluegrass mandolinist Sierra Hull, Venezuelan cuatrista Jorge Glem, and classical violinist Tessa Lark. Reider leads an ensemble of virtuosic acoustic musicians called The Human Hands and has released two records of original music under his name: “Too Hot To Sleep” and the “Human Hands EP.”

Reider grew up in San Francisco, California, in a family of creative, Jewish-American artists and musicians. He began performing at a young age, and was interviewed on Marian McPartland’s “Piano Jazz” on NPR when he graduated high school. At Columbia University, he fell in love with American roots music. While writing his senior thesis comparing the songwriting of Woody Guthrie and Ira Gershwin, Sam began studying bluegrass and old-time, transcribing the fiddle melodies for the accordion and learning to sing the songs. This set him off on a journey that has taken him from back porches and dive bars to concert halls and major festivals in practically every state in the country.

Representing the U.S. Department of State as a musical ambassador, Sam has travelled to China, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Estonia, Turkey and Azerbaijan, carrying his accordion on his back everywhere he goes and collaborating at with international artists. Sounds and stories from these travels frequently serve as the inspiration for Reider’s compositions, which together form an ongoing musical travelogue.

As a side-man, collaborator and recording artist, Reider has worked with artists including Sierra Hull, Jorge Glem, Phoebe Hunt, Courtney Hartman, Jon Batiste and Stay Human, T-Pain, David Amram, Nellie McKay Ranger Doug, the Brother Brothers and more. A passionate educator, Reider leads ongoing performances for public school students throughout the New York City area in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has designed curricula and taught courses at the Stanford Jazz Festival, San Francisco Jazz, and other private institutions around the country.

http://www.samreidermusic.com/

Ruth Davies

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Bassist Ruth Davies has been an integral faculty member and Festival artist at the Stanford Jazz Workshop for over 15 years. With a huge bass sound and a warm heart, Ruth is a favorite among SJW students. When she’s not recording or touring, Ruth devotes much of her time to teaching, not only at SJW, but also with the San Francisco Symphony’s Adventures In Music program, SFJAZZ’s Jazz In Session program, and Pamela Rose’s projects bringing historical women blues and jazz composers and artists to audiences around the country.

The list of artists Ruth has toured and recorded with reads like a Who’s Who of blues and jazz, including Charles Brown, Elvin Bishop, Clark Terry, John Lee Hooker, Bonnie Raitt, Jay McShann, Van Morrison, Maria Muldaur, Junior Mance, Linda Tillery, Barbara Dane, Barbara Morrison, Etta Jones, Elvis Costello, Eric Bibb, Keb’ Mo’, Terry Gibbs, Jimmy Witherspoon, and Little Jimmy Scott.

Ruth’s discography includes several Platinum and Grammy-winning recordings, and covers jazz, blues, and movie soundtracks. She has recorded with Charles Brown, Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker, Van Morrison, Sammy Hagar, Clark Terry, Vassar Clements, Toots Thielemans, Ernie Watts, Elvin Bishop, Maria Muldaur, Clairdee, Tammy Hall, Jackie Ryan, Pamela Rose, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, among others.

Roy McCurdy

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Roy McCurdy is a living legend, having worked with some of the greatest artists in jazz including Sonny Rollins, Cannonball Adderley, Nancy Wilson, Art Farmer, and Benny Golson. A devoted teacher on the faculty of the Thornton School of Music at USC and the Pasadena School of Music, Roy joins the SJW faculty for the first time this summer.

Roy first got his start in jazz working with the Mangione Brothers, Chuck and Gap, in the early ’60s. He joined the Art Farmer Jazztet and subsequently worked with Sonny Rollins. He became a full time member of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet from the mid-’60s until Cannonball’s death in 1975.

He’s toured and recorded with veritable Who’s Who of jazz greats and groups, including Blood Sweat & Tears, Freddie Hubbard, Kenny Burrell, McCoy Tyner, Joe Williams, Sonny Clark, Jackie McLean, Carmen McRae, Lee Morgan, Betty Carter, Kenny Dorham, Bobby Timmons, Ron Carter, Harold Land, Bobby Hutchinson, The Count Basie Orchestra, Donald Byrd, Herbie Hancock, Coleman Hawkins, Joe Henderson, Milt Jackson, Oscar Peterson, Bud Powell, Jimmy Smith, Horace Silver, Sonny Stitt, Clark Terry, Kenny Drew, Eddie Harris, Stanley Turrentine, Hubert Laws, Charles Lloyd, Patrice Rushen, Blue Mitchell, Sarah Vaughn, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Randy Porter

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Jazz pianist Randy Porter has a refined understanding of improvisation and the spontaneous communication between musicians. As a Steinway Artist, Randy draws from a rich palette of sonorities found within his imagination and the depths of the piano. Lynn Darroch of The Oregonian states, “Porter has built a reputation as a musician’s musician, a knowledgeable, inventive, and sophisticated player with a remarkable sense of time and gorgeous keyboard facility…”

Randy Porter has performed with many jazz greats, including Freddy Hubbard, Art Farmer, and Benny Golson. He has also performed with the Charles McPherson Quartet throughout the US and in France, Italy, Greece, and China and has toured with Diane Schuur and Bobby Caldwell, conducting the Jazz Orchestra for their “Sing in Swing” tour. Some performance highlights for Randy include appearances at Kimball’s with Art Farmer and Clifford Jordan, Lincoln Center and Kennedy Center with Diane Schuur, Seattle’s Jazz Alley with New York Voices, Yoshi’s in San Francisco with Karrin Allyson and Rebecca Kilgore, The House of Blues in Chicago and BB King’s Blues Club in NYC with Gino Vannelli, the Monterey Jazz Festival with Madeline Eastman, and the Chicago and Detroit Jazz Festivals with Charles McPherson.

Randy’s compositions and arrangements can be heard on his own recordings: Thirsty Soul with John Wiitala on bass and Reinhardt Melz and Todd Strait on drums; Brio also featuring John Wiitala and Reinhardt Melz; Modern Reflections with Nancy King on vocals, Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Mel Brown on drums; and Eight Little Feet with Bob Magnusson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums. Samples of Randy’s writing and playing can be found on Apple’s iLife jingles. Porter also composed the music for the 2009 documentary Deep Green.

Randy has been a performer and educator at the Port Townsend Jazz Festival for many years where he has played with Bud Shank, Maria Schneider, Ingrid Jensen, and Terrell Stafford, and where he has coached many young jazz musicians. He has also worked several years at the Stanford Jazz Workshop and at Jazz Camp West with singer Madeline Eastman. Porter teaches master classes and adjudicates student combos and bands at high school and college jazz festivals. Currently, Randy teaches jazz piano at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

Paul Cornish

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Paul Cornish is a pianist and composer from Houston, Texas, who currently resides in Los Angeles, California. Growing up in church and studying classical piano lessons from the age of 5, Paul’s musical knowledge spans a great deal in all kinds of musical genres. He studied at the world-renowned High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Texas which has produced the likes of Walter Smith III, Jason Moran, Eric Harland and Robert Glasper to name a few. Paul’s talents have been heard in Norway, Budapest, Canada, and numerous music festivals and venues across the United States such as Carnegie Hall and Blue Note.

Paul is currently studying Jazz Music Performance at the University of Southern California. With the USC Thornton Jazz Orchestra and Honors Combo, Paul received the Outstanding Soloist award at the 2015 and 2016 Next Generation Jazz Festival. As a composer, he won a gold medal in the 2013 NAACP ACT-SO Competition and was selected as a finalist for the 2014 ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Competition. In 2021, received 18th Street Arts Center’s (Los Angeles) Make Jazz Fellowship and was commissioned by the Apollo Chamber Players to write a piece for string quartet and two voices commemorating the centennial celebration of Houston’s Library System. Cornish was also a finalist in the 2023 American Pianists Awards and the Herbie Hancock International Jazz Piano Competition. Cornish has performed extensively across the globe with such notable artists as Joshua Redman, Louis Cole, Mark Guiliana, Snoh Aalegra, Terrace Martin, Thumpasaurus and HAIM.

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Patrick Wolff

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Saxophonist Patrick Wolff has been teaching at SJW for 12 years. Originally from New York and currently residing in San Francisco, Patrick is a highly-regarded saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He attended New York University where he studied with Ralph Lalama, George Garzone, Frank Foster, Ron McClure, and Frank Kimbrough. Patrick has toured heavily with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, worked with Shane Endsley, Josh Roseman, Judi Silvano, and Ron McClure. He has performed with many of the world’s greatest musicians including Louis Hayes, Tootie Heath, Peter Bernstein, Larry Grenadier, Matt Wilson, Drew Gress, Marcus Gilmore, Gregory Hutchinson, Joe Lovano, George Cables, Marcus Belgrave, Dayna Stephens, Taylor Eigsti, Julian Lage, and Ray Drummond. As a bandleader he led a trio in NYC with bassist Chris Van Voorst Van Beest and drummer Yujiro Nakamura. An artistic success, this group performed regularly at clubs like Zebulon, the Bar Next Door, and Louis 649, and were active in MTA’s Music Under New York program. They released an album entitled Petals.

Since relocating to the Bay Area, Patrick has worked with many of the most exciting local bandleaders, including Graham Connah, Marcus Shelby, and Andrew Speight. He currently leads a trio with bassist John Wiitala and drummer Hamir Atwal, as well as a sextet with the same trio, plus trumpeter Erik Jekabsen, pianist Adam Shulman, and saxophonist Andrew Speight. Both groups perform original music and can be seen in regular performance. The trio and sextet have recorded two records, Your Obedient Ghost and Noose of Light.

Wolff’s experiences as a sideman reach far beyond the jazz world. His first national tour was with punk band/comic troupe The Loose Nuts, and his longest-running musical association was with Afro-beat/highlife juggernaut Asiko. He spent a year as a member of the seminal avant-garde compositional rock group Kayo Dot, and has played with Nigerian reggae star Majek Fashek, Fuji music legend Adewale Ayuba, and indie rock giants Calexico.

Patrick Hill

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Patrick Hill is an African American Alto Saxophonist, Woodwind Instrumentalist, Arranger, and Composer. As a native of Dallas, Texas, he grew up under the mentorship of critically acclaimed Alto Saxophonist, Brad Leali. He completed his Undergraduate studies at the University of North Texas with a Bachelors in Jazz Performance. While studying at UNT, Patrick had the opportunity to learn in various ensembles including the UNT Latin Jazz Ensemble under direction of Jose Aponté, The 3 O’Clock Lab Band under direction of Tanya Darby, and the Grammy Nominated 1 O’Clock Lab Band under the direction of Alan Baylock. He has had the pleasure of performing as a sideman and bandleader with several revered musicians such as Michael Bublé, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, The Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Philly POPS, Brad Leali, Charles McPherson, Shelley Caroll, Conrad Herwig, Wycliffe Gordon, Kenny Werner, Ari Hoenig, Quincy Davis, Kirk Whalum, and many more. He obtained his Masters Degree in Jazz Performance at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania under the mentorship of members of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Dick Oatts and Terrell Stafford as well as Tim Warfield Jr. After graduation he proceeded to tour with Michael Bublé traveling to many different countries. He currently resides in New York City where he is working towards an Artist diploma at the Julliard School. His goal is to present a unique sound to the general and musical public that pays homage to the previous innovators of this music while moving forward his own perception of melody, soul, and swing to bring forth a sense of community.

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.