Nate Najar Trio

Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts, 1905 Kentucky Ave, Winter Park

NATE NAJAR AND DAN LEVINSON “SWING TRIO”

Guitarist Nate Najar is emerging as one of this decade’s finest modern jazz exponents. He is a player who uses a distinctive technique to convey his artistic prowess- not many artists play acoustic classical guitar with right hand classical technique, yet it is the perfect choice for Najar’s comprehensive approach. Not restricted to single notes or chords, Nate seamlessly weaves melody, harmony and rhythmic freedom. The result is music that is swinging, emotional, inventive and interesting.2010 saw Najar release "Groove Me" on Woodward Avenue Records. A collaboration with Tony Award winning vocalist Melba Moore, "Groove Me" reached into the top 10 of the Billboard Jazz chart. A St. Petersburg, FL native who began playing guitar at age eight and considers Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery and Charlie Byrd his primary influences, Najar’s full length recordings on Candid Records – including 2012’s Blues For Night People: The Nate Najar Trio Remembers Charlie Byrd – earned him accolades from critics and influential jazz voices alike. Other recent recordings include 2014’s “Aquarela Do Brasil” and the swinging “This is Nate Najar” (2016). 2017’s “Christmas In December” marked Nate’s return to Woodward Avenue Records.

Equally at home as both leader and sideman, clarinetist Dan Levinson’s roster of musical associates includes such names as Mel Tormé, Wynton Marsalis and Dick Hyman. Originally from Los Angeles, Dan has been based in New York since 1983, although his busy schedule often takes him around the world. He has performed in Brazil with filmmaker Woody Allen's band, as well as in Japan, Iceland, Latvia, and eighteen European countries. From 1990 to 2002 Dan toured with singer/guitarist Leon Redbone. Since 1993 he has been a member of Vince Giordano's Nighthawks, New York's preeminent 1920s orchestra, with whom he has appeared at Carnegie Hall, on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion radio program. He has recorded over 100 CDs, including nine under his own name. Dan can be heard on the soundtracks to the films The Cat's Meow, Ghost World, The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond and Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, as well as the Grammy Award winning HBO television series Boardwalk Empire.

Nate and Dan are joined by bassist Tommy Cecil. Active in the Washington, DC jazz scene since 1976, he has established himself as one of the most in-demand players in the area. Tommy has had long associations with many of DC’s favorite jazz greats, including John Eaton, Buck Hill, Charlie Byrd, Dick Morgan, Shirley Horn, Brooks Tegler, and the Redd Brothers. As a freelancer, Tommy has worked with Mose Allison, Tommy Flanagan, Joe Henderson, and many other star artists. Concert appearances have taken Tommy throughout the U.S. and overseas. Tommy is featured on dozens of recordings as a sideman. As a leader, he has released three albums: “Our Time: Sondheim Duos Volume 2” and “Side by Side: Sondheim Duos” with pianist Bill Mays; and “Samba for Felix” featuring Tommy Flanagan, Billy Hart, Gary Bartz, Paul Bollenback, and Cyro Baptista. He released two albums with pianist Louis Scherr, including “The Song Is You” and “Warm Valley featuring Joe Henderson.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8S5ACbzWN0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U9jLfiRaJ0