Opportunity # 1 -Tom Schuman, world-traveling keyboardist with Spyro Gyra, who play all of the great Jazz fests internationally, will make a rare appearance in his old stamping grounds in Western New York, Sunday, May 16th at the 8th GO Jazz Festival at the Apple Grove Inn (named now the Apple Orchard Inn) in Medina, NY.
Further, Tom, who now lives in Las Vegas and will be flying in for this gig, will be playing acoustic keys on a specially rented Yamaha 6ft. Grand Piano. Highly regarded Buffalo pianist Jim Beishline tells, “Tom’s a great musician and a great acoustic pianist. I’m anxious to see and hear him and plan to be there.” A child prodigy, Tom was his church organist at age ten, playing Classical music on Buffalo radio at age 11, touring internationally at age 15. He joined Spyro Gyra at age 17, twenty-eight years ago and has been with them ever since, through several Platinum-selling recordings.
This will be only the second time that Western New York will have had a chance to hear Tom on acoustic keys in the last ten years. Tom has just released an acoustic piano trio album, “Schuman Nature,” which caused a trained musician/critic to suggest that “with Oscar Peterson, 79 and Dave Brubeck, 83, likely to be needing to slow down in the near future, fortunately we have Tom Schuman to pick up those mantles.”
Opportunity # 2 - Tom together with Grammy appearing Terrance Bruce. They played together with Spyro Gyra and Cabo Frio, when those highly successful groups were just getting started. They’ve rarely had the chance to play together since. This will be only the third time in 13 years. They love to play together, and with their arms around each other’s shoulders, call themselves “twins.” Tom plays piano like McCoy Tyner, Terrance looks like McCoy and plays sax the way you’d imagine McCoy would.
Heidi Truschel, musician and critic reported of their appearance at the Apple Grove, 5 years ago, “…the audience sat in rapt attention to the give and take between Schuman and Bruce. Schuman would visually connect with Terrance, bobbing his head and egging him on. When Terrance didn’t have the sax in his mouth, he’d be pounding his leg and shouting encouragement to Tom. Respond they did, and the audience responded, sometimes with standing ovations.”
(Terrance has stood the Festival crowd on its head by himself: Jeff Wagner, past owner of the Apple Grove, after the first: “I’m not a Jazz fan, but I’d go anywhere to hear Terrance Bruce” and Supreme Court Clerk: “One of my life’s peak experiences.”)
Opportunity # 3 - Don Washington returns to play in Orleans County after 17 years. This Kendall Schools music star was introduced as a 7th grader, by Music Teacher Nancy Pierce, “We’ve got six years to look forward to hearing Don.” They were six wonderful years and fortunately there were several other talented musicians to play with Don from this remarkable class that set record high NYSMA scores. Those scores sent Don and others to State’s and Eastern Regional’s performances and Don to the Nationals.
He went off to college and his degree in Music and Masters in Education and teaching and performing. Blue Note’s critic Ellen Rocco tells: “The Don Washington Blues Band (trio) could go head to head with the best of Chicago, New Orleans and Memphis. Led by the extraordinarily talented Don Washington, the playing is professional, the commitment is palpable and you’ll hear the heart within the first notes they play.”
This is the first time Don’s been back to perform in this area in 17 years and who knows when he’ll be back again. In addition to his own performance, for old times sake he’ll sit in with the Kendall High School Jazz Ensemble on a couple of numbers.
Opportunity # 4 - Quinn Lawrence, Mamiko Kitaura, Jared Schonig and Dan Loomis, all Eastman School of Music grads this Spring, together for maybe the last time and possibly it will be each of their last times in the area.
Quinn, trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist, is off to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and maybe a stint with Wynton Marsalis. Wynton was sure paying attention to Quinn’s brilliant playing that magical night at the Montage Grill last October.
Mamiko, pianist, who just completed her Masters in Performance at Eastman, is already playing with Monica Mancini (Henry’s daughter), is acclaimed throughout the Western New York area and will probably go national in the near future. (A competition winner in Japan, Mamiko has agreed to do a Classical number for us as the band sets up.)
Jared, drummer, is already touring with Paradigm Shift, accompanying the greats like Houston Person and David “Fathead” Newman. Like Ted Poor before him, he may be moving to New York City and greater exposure.
Opportunity # 5 - Kendall High School Jazz Ensemble returns after two years. Several of the same musicians who played so beautifully two years ago will be back including neighbor, pianist Stacey Snyder.
Finally, as Medinan and former member of the popular area Rock group, the “Humans,” Marty Busch said, “How often do we get a chance to hear nationally-known musicians in Orleans and Genesee Counties?”
SOUNDMAN:
Rob Robinson (aka "Christopher Robin") - Keyboardist and our soundman Rob Robinson, is a pianist and composer (of popular and religious music) of local note. He's frequently played at the Apple Grove Inn, elsewhere in the region, Canada, and Europe. His mother, Virginia Bishop, played organ and piano in the region for years. She was a regular at the Apple Grove. Rob was a child prodigy, who, from the age of eight, soloed on keys for Medina school assemblies. He does sound often at the Apple Grove Inn, other indoor sites and festivals outside as well. He's an electrician and also teaches piano and guitar.