Mitch Marcus Quintet


"The Mitch Marcus Quintet plays 21st century jazz: adventurous music that swings with all the muscularity and verve of pioneers like Mingus, Monk, and Rollins, but pays tribute to that glorious past by daring to advance the sweet science of collective improvisation into the future."
-- Steve Silberman, Wired Magazine

Mitch Marcus Quintet plays Charles Mingus
Tenor saxophonist, pianist, composer, native New Yorker, and former Bay Area resident, Mitch Marcus is an active performer who plays and tours with many groups whose styles span a wide range of musical genres from progressive jazz to afro-beat, from the folk music of 60’s icon Donovan to accompanying dance classes for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Mark Morris Dance Group.

Mitch is a prolific composer for his own jazz quartet and quintet and the MMQ + 13 big band, for which he won a “Subito” grant from the American Composer’s Forum. Mitch has also been commissioned by the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco, and Oakland’s ‘Counterpointe’ dance company.

In 2013 he was given the honor of opening the SF Jazz Center's Joe Henderson lab, performing an expansive concert of Joe Henderson’s music.

Mitch holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the Indiana University School of Music at Bloomington, where he studied with David Baker and Tom Walsh.

He has appeared at Chez Hanny previously with the Mitch Marcus Quintet, and the Aaron Germain / Dan Zemelman Quartet.

http://www.mitchmarcusmusic.com/
Originally from France, also a former Bay Area resident, saxophonist/composer Sylvain Carton currently resides in Los Angeles.

An accomplished saxophonist and guitarist, Sylvain tours and records regularly with a number of groups representing a variety of musical genres and traditions, such as Beats Antique, The Japonize Elephants, The Mitch Marcus Quintet, Aphrodesia, Space Blaster, Khi Darag, Lord Loves a Working Man, John Vanderslice, Maureen and the Mercury Five, Carolyna Picknick, and The Sylvain Carton Quartet.

As a composer, Carton writes extensively for The Japonize Elephants, an eclectic ensemble who like to refer to their music as cinematic old-time eastern honk orchestral music. He also writes for his own jazz quartet, in addition to the Mitch Marcus Quintet, the MMQ + 13 big band, Carolyna Picknick, and the 12-piece afro-funk ensemble Aphrodesia. His compositions for big band won a "Subito" grant from the American Composer's Forum.

Sylvain Carton holds a BM in Jazz Performance from the Indiana University School of Music at Bloomington, where he studied with David Baker, Eugene Rousseau, Tom Walsh, and Shirley Diamond, as well as an M.A. in music composition from UC Santa Cruz.

He has appeared at Chez Hanny previously with the Mitch Marcus Quintet.

http://sylvaincarton.com/
Guitarist Michael Abraham was raised in the suburban marshlands of post-industrial Pittsburgh, PA. He became interested in the electric guitar as a result of listening to rock music during his early morning paper route. Later, his dad decided to play the kid some James Brown and Frank Zappa. During a summer landscaping gig, Abraham performed high-incline shrub maintenance and slope mowing while listening to Stravinsky. Yet later, young Abraham was seduced by the forward-leaning jazz of Miles, Coltrane, Ornette, and Mingus.

Known for his ability to bridge diverse styles with a creative edge, Abraham keeps busy as a valuable session player in the Bay Area and has recently relocated to Los Angeles.

His work includes performances, recording, and touring with 60’s rock-icon Donovan, the hit musicals ‘Wicked’ and ‘American Idiot’, Grammy award-winner Mads Tolling, SFJazz, Dayna Stephens, Josh Roseman, Mitch Marcus, and surf-rockers Spaceblaster.

He has appeared at Chez Hanny previously with the Mitch Marcus Quintet.

http://abratunes.com/
George Ban-Weiss is a USC engineering professor by day, and a professional upright and electric bass player by night.

Previously based in the San Francisco Bay area, George has had the opportunity to play at many high profile venues including Yoshi’s, Herbst Theater, The Warfield Theater, The Great American Music Hall, and The Palace of Fine Arts, as well as the 55 Bar and Small’s in New York City.

His musical associations include Mads Tolling, Eric Garland, Henry Hung, Colin Hogan, Kasey Knudsen, Jazz Mafia, Telepathy, Yancie Taylor, The Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, and The Realistic Orchestra.

He has appeared at Chez Hanny previously with the Mitch Marcus Quintet.

www.georgebanweiss.com
San Francisco drummer Eric Garland began as a kid in a small town in the California Sierra Nevadas, playing grooves around the house on chairs, boxes, pots and pans, using hands or wooden kitchen spoons. He got his first drum set when he was 10 years old.

He has worked with Roy Ayers (with Jazz Mafia Symphony), Bobby McFerrin (with Brass Monkey Brass Band), hip hop artist Lyrics Born, and 60’s icon Donovan.

Current musical projects revolve around Karina Denike, Realistic Orchestra/Treat Street Social Club, accordionist Rob Reich, Tin Cup Serenade, Electric Squeezebox Orchestra, Brass Monkey Brass Band, and violinist Mads Tolling. He co-leads the Klaxon Mutant Allstars with trumpeter Henry Hung, and his own sextet, the Eric Garlands Hodge Podge Ensemble, and runs the jazz jam session at Amnesia.

http://www.garlandomusic.com/
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