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.

Naomi Siegel

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Naomi Moon Siegel is a composer, trombonist, producer and music educator whose work is geared toward creating authentic expression and connection. In June 2016 she released her debut album Shoebox View – a ten-song travelogue featuring 13 musicians and cinematically combining folk melodies with fantastical soundscapes and patient arrangements. She is one half of the folk/punk/jazz duo Syrinx Effect, a member of Wayne Horvitz’s Royal Room Collective Music Ensemble and an active collaborator in the Seattle music scene, performing regionally and internationally. In 2012 she received the Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Award for Emerging Artist of the Year. She has performed with such luminaries as Skerik, Stuart Dempster, Das Racist, Allison Miller, Rene Hart, Terry Riley, Julian Prieste, Wycliffe Gordon, and Tata Dindin and The Salam Band. As an educator, she teaches privately and in workshop and ensemble settings working with students to develop their own sound, improvisation skills and compositional voice.

Since moving to Seattle in 2008, Siegel has been a mainstay of the world, experimental and jazz scenes. She has collaborated and played with many ensembles including The Jefferson Rose Band, Thione Diop’s Afro Groove, Picoso, Ahamefule J. Oluo’s Now I’m Fine, Daniel Barry’s Two Hemispheres and many of Wayne Horvitz’s projects. She has made appearances in the Earshot Jazz Festival, Sasquatch! and Bumbershoot. Living in Seattle’s rich musical climate has given her space and inspiration to develop her own musical voice rather than trying to fit into a certain genre.
She is an in-demand educator, teaching for Seattle JazzEd, The Jazz Night School, Seattle Music Partners and Seattle Rock Orchestra Summer Intensive, while maintaining her own private teaching studio where she infuses trombone teaching with her study of yoga and meditation.

In 2012 she committed to a practice involving composing new material every day for a designated period of time. To flee the Seattle grey, she created her own musical retreats in Costa Rica, Senegal and The Gambia to slow down, absorb environmental sounds and just compose. This practice has resulted in a rich library of pieces that she then arranges for different ensembles, including her own groups Sunchasers and The ODAT Band – both featured in The Earshot Jazz Festival. Her debut album Shoebox View also features pieces composed in this way. In 2016 she will be touring in support of Shoebox View with an intimate ensemble featuring guitarist Sean Woolstenhulme and drummer Eric Eagle.

While an Oakland, CA resident from 2006-2008, she performed at the Stanford Jazz Festival, San Jose Jazz Festival, Monterrey Blues Festival and made appearances with the Naomi Siegel Quartet, Edgardo Y Su Candela, Realistic Orchestra, Joyfull Noise Brass Band, Ms. Taylor P. Collins and the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. As an educator, she was a faculty member at The Jazz School (now the California Jazz Conservatory) and The Stanford Jazz Workshop.

In addition to her work as a musician, Siegel also produces Love Bath Sound Collages. Love Bath Sound Collages are long-lasting gifts that mash up voicemails spoken for the recipient. Usually given in honor of special occasions like weddings and graduations, Love Baths are evocative, celebratory archives featuring a community of voices that leaves the listener/recipient feeling showered with love.

She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in jazz trombone performance from Oberlin Conservatory where she studied with Robin Eubanks, Jim DeSano and Wendell Logan. During that time she also participated in a mind-expanding workshop at the School for Improvised Music, studying with some of New York’s finest improvisers such as Ralph Alessi, Mark Helias and Ravi Coltrane. Attending Milton Academy gave her the opportunity to have transformative music-making experiences in South Africa at the age of 16.

She was born in western Massachusetts, spent many formative years playing in the woods of western North Carolina with a community of friends, and was raised outside Chicago. Inspired by the natural world, her music creates an auditory landscape, providing a space for performers and listeners to be with their own feelings while connecting with the larger ecosystem.

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.