Dayna Stephens Quartet


photo by Steve Sheraton

Saxophonist Dayna Stephens was born in Brooklyn and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He attended the prestigious Berkeley High School and took part in their jazz ensemble. Dayna was then accepted to Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA on a full scholarship. There, he studied with Hal Crook, Billy Pierce, George Garzone and Andy McGee. While in Boston, Dayna also had the opportunity to perform with Chick Corea and the Boston Pops for a P.B.S. special.

After graduating from Berklee, Dayna was selected to be in the Thelonious Monk Institute program located at the University of Southern California. He studied there for 2 years and while there, studied and played with Dave Holland, Kenny Barron, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, Lewis Nash, Mark Turner, Christian McBride, Carl Allen and Terence Blanchard.

Since Graduating from the Monk Institute in 2003, Dayna has performed with Salvador & Carlos Santana, Kenny Barron, Roy Hargrove, OZOmatli, Patrice Rushen, Tom Harrell, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Jeff Parker, Freddie Hubbard, Steve Coleman, Oliver Lake, Eric Gravatt, Ndugu Chancler, Idris Muhammad, Bobby Short, and Josh Roseman.

Dayna also plays upright bass and has performed with Stefon Harris, Marcus Belgrave, Sonny Fortune, Roy Hargrove and Natalie Douglas.

http://www.daynastephens.com/

A graduate of William Paterson University's elite jazz program, Jeffrey Burr has garnered critical acclaim for his unique approach to playing jazz guitar. The son of two classical bassists, Jeffrey began his musical education at an early age, and was quickly recognized as a prodigy. By the time he reached college, he had already played with Mark Levine, Harvey Wainapel and Vince Wallace. As a member of the California High School All-Stars, he toured Japan and performed twice with bop grandmaster Dizzy Gillespie at the Monterey Jazz Festival.

At WPU he went straight into the top ensemble, winning Best College Small Group in Downbeat Magazine's annual jazz competition. In 1997 Rufus Reid, legendary bassist and director of the jazz program at WPU, invited Blue Note Records president Bruce Lundvall to Jeffrey's final recital. Lundvall soon had Jeffrey in the recording studio with Reid, drummer Adam Nussbaum and producer Bob Belden. By this time Jeffrey had moved to New York and started performing in the city's famous jazz haunts, including the Blue Note, 55 Bar, and Smalls, rubbing shoulders with many of the city's elite performers, including an unknown young singer named Norah Jones.

Jeffrey now resides in Oakland. His latest recording is entitled "Bright Blue".

http://jeffreyburrjazz.com/

Pianist and organist Adam Shulman has been a staple of the San Francisco Jazz scene since he moved to the city in 2002.

Before the move, Adam was a student at UC Santa Cruz where he studied with the great Smith Dobson and trumpeter/arranger Ray Brown. He received his degree in classical performance under the tutelage of the Russian pianist Maria Ezerova.

Currently, Adam plays regularly with Marcus Shelby in large and small group contexts and with Anton Schwartz mostly in a trio setting. He can also be seen as a sideman with countless Bay Area musicians and vocalists such as John Wiitala, Vince Lateano, Kitty Margolis, Andrew Speight, Dayna Stephens, Ian Cary, and Mike Zilber.

Adam has played as a sideman with internationally renowned artists Stefon Harris, Willie Jones III, Miguel Zenon, Luciana Souza, Paula West, Bobby Hutcherson and the Glen Miller Orchestra.

Adam appeared here previously with Faye Carol and Marcus Shelby.

http://adamshulman.com/

Drummer Darrell Green attended the California Institute of the Arts on a scholarship, majoring in jazz studies with an emphasis on African percussion.

Throughout college, Green drove up to the Bay Area every weekend to play at San Francisco’s Club Deluxe with Marcus Shelby and Howard Wiley. In 2001 he began touring with Lavay Smith, and formed a trio with guitarist Julian Lage and bassist David Ewell. Two years later, Green joined the Dave Ellis Quintet and performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival.

In 2005 Green landed a scholarship at the Manhattan School of Music. Shortly thereafter he began working with David Weiss, saxophonists JD Allen and Sherman Irby, and the Myron Waldon/Daron Barrett Quartet.

Green currently performs with Pharoah Sanders, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Sherman Irby, Steve Turre, Faye Carol, Lavay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers, and Jeremy Pelt.

http://www.darrellgreen.net/

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