Pop/Jazz

 

Aubrey Logan

Jazz is the great leveler as an art form. Pop sensibilities are thrown out of the window when the greats step up to the microphone and one of today’s most brilliant contemporary jazz artists to bless us with her story, is Aubrey Logan. 

A singer, trombone player and a songwriter, her body of work is underscored by the integrity of a performer that is able to stretch herself emotionally across a musical landscape that defies description. Complex and still retaining the intimacy of stories that are both personal and inspiring, Aubrey is able to bring a wealth of experience to her songwriting that touches the deepest part of the human experience.

Recognized on the global stage as a performer who can deliver in the most informal of settings and then to huge festival audiences, her work is praised as being accessible, fresh and dynamic. It shines a light on an art form that can at times appear exclusive and hard to connect with. Aubrey certainly flips that narrative on its head and allows the music to bask in the sunlight; introducing new generations of listeners to her world of sophisticated songs. With a number one album ‘Where the Sunshine is Expensive’ already under her belt, Aubrey returns to the spotlight with her follow-up collection, STANDARD. 

Once again diving deep into her Jazz roots, STANDARD is a journey into her musical past with covers of the some of the most recognizable tracks that have ever been made, plus her original work ‘Done Pretending’ and ‘Louboutins 2.0’.

Having worked with some incredible names in the past, including Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, Josh Groban, Smokey Robinson, Patrice Rushen and Pharrell Williams, Aubrey can bring those unique perspectives to the music she delivers. On STANDARD, reworks of ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac, ‘Macarthur Park’, and ‘Sunny Side of the Street’, show the astounding application of a woman at the top of her game. 

Moving between Jazz, Funk, tender love songs, to Calypso-infused rhythms and traditionally inspired fusions, her vocals and trombone playing sway between the caress of a long-lost love to triumphant powerhouse performances that simply blow the mind.

As the world has endured the most difficult year, Aubrey continues to produce music that brings hope, joy and that touch of fun to her audiences. Sassy, undeniably gifted and with talent to burn, Aubrey Logan is that Jazz artist that you need in your life.

 

Sarah Reich

Sarah Reich (Performer, Choreographer, Instructor, Composer) has emerged as one of the new leaders in the Art Form of Tap Dance. At the young age of 15, this Los Angeles native was featured in Dance Spirit Magazine’s article, “20 Hot Tappers Under 20” and was named one of the “25 To Watch” in the 2017 Dance Magazine article. Sarah has been sought after to perform, choreograph, and teach in over 40 countries. “I want to continue to bring tap into mass media with great respect and quality,” she says, focusing on “reprogramming the minds of the general public on their perception of tap dance.” (Dance Magazine 2017)

Sarah has become one of the art form’s pop culture ambassadors, thanks to her appearances in videos with Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. Her videos with them (A Star Wars–themed tribute, “The Tap Awakens,” & “Thriller”, a Michael Jackson cover featuring Wayne Brady) have garnered millions of views on YouTube, all receiving rave reviews. She has toured the world with Postmodern Jukebox playing prestigious venues such as Radio City Music Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Sydney Opera House as well as a televised PBS special filmed in Las Vegas.

In addition to her vast international travels and countless television appearances, Sarah has had the honor to perform at some of the most prestigious venues back home in Los Angeles such as The Hollywood Bowl, the Greek Theater with Mexican Pop-Star, Cristian Castro and the Kodak/ Dolby Theater with the great Herbie Hancock.

With her Tap Music Project intensives in various cities, Reich teaches tap dancers how to dance with more musicality, communicate with musicians and write music. Using a live band in class, she instructs students on how to “scat” rhythms or transcribe choreography with rhythm notation, among other skills.

Sarah is developing new, and exciting works with her company Tap Music Project, with her debut Tap Jazz Album titled New Change. This album is originally produced, composed from percussive tap rhythms, and performed by a great selection of musicians to create a unique sound. She hopes this is just the beginning: “I want to be the first tap dancer to win a Grammy Award!”

 

Sara Niemietz

The measure of any artist over time is how they are able to constantly evolve and deliver material that engages an ever-expanding audience. This is the world that Sara Niemietz lives in. From working with the legendary BJ Thomas and Snuffy Walden to being a featured artist with PostModern Jukebox, the 28 million views on her YouTube channel bear testament to what a formidable talent she is.

Sara has been performing and making music since the age of four and is able to incorporate all of that considerable life journey into the unique stories only she possesses. Drawing on her countless performances across decades of industry experience, her songs broaden the imagination and bring a whole new dimension to the world of guitar-infused sonic dreams. From blues-tinged ballads to more indie focussed rock, she combines all the truisms of her history into a widening catalogue of influences underpinned by that pinch of spice that everyone can buy into. 

Not only a singer/songwriter of the highest magnitude, Sara has also starred on Broadway, Chicago and Los Angeles stages, appeared on film and television shows and numerous soundtracks and albums. She is a multi-dimensional artist that navigates the virtual world with ease and has a style that is distinctive and exclusively hers.

She made the transition from child performer to an artist to be reckoned with in 2013 when she sang on BJ Thomas’ album ‘The Living Room Sessions’. That led to appearances at The Grand Ole Opry, at Radio City Music Hall, on The Ellen [DeGeneres] Show and on MTV UK. She has performed in over 40 countries to adulating crowds and it is an environment she thrives in.

Sara has also achieved Top Ten Billboard chart success with PostModern, and as a solo artist with her live album released during the pandemic titled ‘TwentyTwenty’. Collaborating with long-time mentor and Emmy Award-Winning artist Snuffy Walden and recorded in front of an LA audience, they displayed an incredible chemistry which only fuels the excitement for the studio album being released in May 2021. Digging deeper than she’s ever gone before, Sara’s jazzy, bluesy voice underscored by a burgeoning desire to deliver more Indie Rock inspired music, will set a marker as her career continues to scale newer, unexplored heights. 

‘TwentyTwenty’ will be the gift that all audiences can enjoy as the world emerges to a dawn of new musical possibilities. Sara Niemietz will lead that charge into the sun and leave us forever blessed with her talent and the stories only she can tell.

 

W.G. Walden (Snuffy)

Every time Snuffy Walden picks up his guitar, it seems as though he sings through its strings. And that's why his recordings and appearances are so hugely popular. W.G. Walden, or just “Snuffy," is one of America's foremost film and television composers who reached one of the first of many milestones of success when he and his band opened for Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and then toured with such musical greats as Chaka Khan, Eric Burdon, and Donna Summer. See Snuffy perform today, and it seems as if the inventive riffs from his guitar are ultimately shaped by the subtle movements of his lips. Body language, yes, but the most expressive communication is aural – it's what you hear that speaks with color, passion, tenderness, spice and heart. 

Snuffy started scoring themes for television before he really understood what scoring was. The producers of thirtysomething were intrigued to hear a tape by a guy named “Snuffy." As soon as they hit the "play" button they knew he'd be writing the theme for their show. From there, the credits stream on: Friday Night Lights, The Wonder Years, Nashville, My So-Called Life, Roseanne, and West Wing for which he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Title Theme. Along the way, there've been 13 Emmy nominations and 33 BMI awards including the Richard Kirk Career Achievement Award, an exclusive tribute to those who've made major contributions to the field of television and film composition. Such industry recognition is rare. In this case, however, it's earned because of this artist's hallmark ability to capture intricate emotions with musical simplicity. Today, the work of Snuffy Waldon continues to ring with genuine warmth and truth. 

 

 

Bill Cantos

The music and lyrics of Bill Cantos have been recorded by artists spanning the worlds of pop, jazz, theater, gospel, and world music: Ramsey Lewis, Lea Salonga, Patti Austin, Brenda Russell, Herb Alpert, Cheryl Bentyne, The Imperials, Flora Purim, Clay Crosse, Helen Baylor, Mark Winkler, and many others. He has written songs (with Alan and Marilyn Bergman and Mari Falcone) for the new musical CHASING MEM’RIES, which recently premiered at the Geffen Playhouse in LA.

Since 2008, Bill has collaborated live and in the recording studio with Herb Alpert & Lani Hall, contributing to seven albums including the Grammy-winning STEPPIN’ OUT. He also performs regularly with Burt Bacharach as keyboardist and featured vocalist. He was a backing vocalist on three world tours with Phil Collins and has also toured with Diane Schuur, Deniece Williams, Debby Boone, Freddie Hubbard, Vikki Carr, and Rita Coolidge; the artists with whom he has recorded include Elton John, Leon Russell, Josh Groban, Tony Bennett, Barry Manilow, Bob Dylan, Brian Bromberg, Jay Graydon, Andrae Crouch, Clint Black, and Kirk Whalum.

Bill sang and co-wrote the main title song “All Right Day” for the film HOME RUN SHOWDOWN. He has sung on the soundtrack of over sixty films including SING, STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE, WALL-E, RIO, and RIO 2, and contributed to the music for the Oscar-winning documentary 20 FEET FROM STARDOM. He can be seen performing with Dick Van Dyke in the 2017 HBO film IF YOU’RE NOT IN THE OBIT, EAT BREAKFAST.

Bill was a member of the cast (singer/pianist) of the world premiere production of the Cy Coleman/ Alan & Marilyn Bergman musical LIKE JAZZ at the Mark Taper Forum. He also has a deep love for Brazilian music, and has worked extensively with some of Brazil’s best-known artists, including Dori Caymmi, Sergio Mendes, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, and Gal Costa. In addition, he has produced albums for Lisa Ono, Steve Amerson, Tony Guerrero, Deniece Williams, and Lillias White.

Bill has recorded six solo CDs; the most recent is LOVE WINS: NEW STANDARDS FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM, a collection of original songs written in the style of classic jazz standards. Growing up in San Diego, Cantos received a Masters in Jazz Studies from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he studied piano with Fred Hersch. In 2011, he received their Distinguished Alumni Award.

 

Mari Falcone

Mari Falcone has co-written songs with legendary lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman for the new musical CHASING MEM’RIES. which had its world premiere in 2017 at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. Among her recent projects, she wrote the string arrangement for "Come Live With Me", a track on Steve Tyrell's #1 Billboard-charting album A SONG FOR YOU, and co-produced a recording project by Tony Award-winning singer/actress Lillias White.

She has released three solo CDs as a pianist/composer (AND ALL THIS, EMBRACE THE CROSS, and CHRISTMAS PEACE); her instrumental music is a blend of classical, pop, gospel and jazz influences.

As a composer/lyricist, she composed THE GARDEN BALLET on a commission from the Florence Dance Company in Florence, Italy; her songs have been recorded by Deniece Williams, Herb Alpert, Haven, and Helen Baylor; she wrote and produced Debby Boone’s album for children THE SNOW ANGEL; co-wrote the main theme (“All Right Day”) and did additional scoring for the film HOME RUN SHOWDOWN; and has written special material for a variety of artists, including Louise Duart, who featured Mari’s music in the revue CATSKILLS ON BROADWAY. In addition, she worked in Italy writing music for Cinecittá and Rai Uno television, and has scored film & TV projects including the documentary TOUCH THE SKY, the award-winning short film JILLIAN’S VANTAGE and THE SECRET LIFE OF BARRY’S WIFE (Showtime).

Mari toured as keyboardist, conductor, and/or musical director with Donna Summer, Amy Grant, Nell Carter, Debby Boone, Deniece Williams, and Vikki Carr. She also served as musical director for the Groundlings comedy troupe and INSTAPLAY, a musical improv group led by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner; was musical director/conductor for the Off-Broadway premiere of the musical MOBY DICK; worked on the musical EFX with Michael Crawford in Las Vegas, and the inaugural production of DENNIS THE MENACE: THE MUSICAL in St. Louis.

Mari is also a playwright with many performed works to her credit, including AN ORANGE IN GRIFFITH PARK, BURT AND HERB, BOXED UP, BETWEEN THE LINES, and NEW CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS. Her work has been staged at numerous LA theaters. She was a founding member of At Rise, a playwriting collective dedicated to the development and presentation of new works by women writers;

Born and raised in Chicago, she earned her Masters degree in classical piano performance from the University of Miami, a student of Rosalina Sackstein.