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Matthew Rybicki Quartet

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Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Matthew Rybicki (Bass, Leader) has performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Ted Rosenthal, Mark Gould, Wycliffe Gordon, Nnenna Freelon, Renee Fleming, Terell Stafford, Winard Harper, Mark Whitfield, and Victor Goines.  He has also had the great fortune of performing at many well-respected venues in New York such as The Village Vanguard and The Blue Note, as well as concert halls and festivals in locations ranging from Italy to Taiwan.  Rybicki maintains an active performing schedule, working with his own small ensembles and with many accomplished colleagues and mentors such as Lew Tabackin, Lewis Nash, Dan Nimmer, Oscar Perez, David Berger, Charlie Persip, Charenee Wade, and Loren Schoenberg. Matthew received his Bachelor of Music from Berklee College of Music in 1995 and his Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School in 2004.

Ulysses Owens (Drums) is a key member of the quartet.He has received such honors as being selected by internationally read Modern Drummer Magazine as a finalist for "Up & Coming Drummer of 2011". He was also featured in Ebony/Jet Magazine on Wynton Marsalis' list of the next generation of Jazz Musicians to Watch (Aug 1, issue). Stating that artists on this list are not only great musicians but maintain a drive and integrity to keep Jazz music in the forefront of society. Ulysses has performed with some of the world's finest including Patti Austin, Terence Blanchard, Dianne Reeves, Maceo Parker, Ron Carter, Count Basie Jazz Orchestra, Michael Feinstein, Audra McDonald, Mulgrew Miller, and many others. Given the opportunity to tour with many of these artists nationally and internationally has brought a great level of refinement to Ulysses' musicianship.

Ulysses is currently touring with many Multiple Grammy winning artists Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton, Kurt Elling, Ted Nash and Wynton Marsalis; which have been performing in venues nationally and internationally. Throughout his career he's obtained endorsements from Zildjian Cymbals, Gretsch Drums, Gibraltar Hardware, Gator Drum Cases, DG Cajons, Avid Group (Sibelius Software & M-Audio interfaces and modules), Earthworks Hi-Definition Microphones, Craviotto Snare Drums, Remo Drumheads, and Vic Firth Drumsticks and Mallets.

Aaron Diehl (Piano) is the 2011 Cole Porter Fellow in Jazz of the American Pianists Association. Hailed by the New York Times as a “Revelation,” and the Chicago Tribune as “The most promising discovery that [Wynton] Marsalis has made since Eric Reed,” Aaron Diehl’s distinctive interpretations of the music of Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, Art Tatum, Duke Ellington, and other masters pays homage to the tradition while establishing his own original voice.

Mr. Diehl has performed with the Wynton Marsalis Septet, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, The Boston Symphony Orchestra, Benny Golson, Hank Jones, Wycliffe Gordon, Victor Goines, Wessell Anderson, Loren Schoenberg, and has been featured on Marian McPartland’s NPR radio show Piano Jazz. His international touring has included major European jazz festivals as well as performances in South America and Asia. In addition to the Mozart Jazz trio album, he has recently released Live at Caramoor, from his solo performance at the prestigious festival in the summer of 2008. His latest trio CD is entitled Live at the Players.

Walter Blanding (Tenor and Soprano Saxophones, Clarinet) was born on August 14, 1971 in Cleveland, Ohio to a musical family and began playing the saxophone at age six. In 1981, he moved with his family to New York City, and by age 16, he was performing regularly with his parents at the Village Gate. Mr. Blanding attended LaGuardia High School for Music & Art and the Performing Arts and continued his studies at the New School for Social Research. Mr. Blanding lived in Israel for 4 years, where he had a major impact on the music scene, inviting great artists such as Louis Hayes, Eric Reed and others to perform. He also taught in several Israeli schools and toured the country with his ensemble. During this period, Newsweek described him as "Jazz's Ambassador to Israel." His first recording, Tough Young Tenors, was acclaimed as one of the best jazz albums of 1991. Since then, he has performed or recorded with many artists, including Cab Calloway, the Wynton Marsalis Septet, Marcus Roberts, Illinois Jacquet, Eric Reed, Roy Hargrove and others. His latest release, The Olive Tree, features fellow members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

With his debut CD, Driven, Matthew has formally entered the jazz scene as a performer and composer of note.  Recording with jazz greats Ron Blake, Freddie Hendrix, Gerald Clayton, and Ulysses Owens, he was able to capture innovative and sophisticated performances on newly created original works that maintain ties to the history of jazz.

   

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