Holiday Jazz Brunch w/ Taylor O'Donnell & the Very Merry Quartet (11am)

Holiday Jazz Brunch w/ Taylor O'Donnell & the Very Merry Quartet

Sponsored by the Seacoast Jazz Society

Sun 12/14

11am doors/11:30am show

All Ages | $23 adv./$30 day of

Celebrate the warmth of the season as you enjoy harmony vocals and a mix of traditional holiday jazz standards and Christmastime favorites. The music will include Charlie Christenson’s originals from “The Very Best of the Many Charlie Christenson Christmases,” Taylor and Chris’s arrangements from “A Very Klaxton Christmas.” Note: A selection of brunch and lunch items will be available for purchase during both shows.

The Musicians

Taylor O’Donnell, vocals

Known for her exploratory use of vocal color and texture, and sincere delivery in her musical stylings, Taylor O’Donnell is a contemporary vocalist, educator, and conductor who uses her roots in jazz, R&B, folk, rock, and classical music to communicate her musical dialogue.

Growing up in Colorado and living all over the country from Florida to Maine, her performing experience has taken her from playing with her own jazz trio on cruise ships and throughout New England to performing as a guest artist with symphony orchestras. Her musical diversity informs her deep love for vocal improvisation and for exploring a plethora of sounds and colors to connect more deeply to her audience. She is lead vocalist for the retro-soul band “Mother Superior and the Sliding Royales, soprano vocalist and pianist for the “Vintage Vocal Quartet,” and vocalist, songwriter, and keyboard player for the electronica trio “Novel/Novella.” She has performed alongside Fred Hersch, Lyle Mays, Donny McCaslin, Dave Douglas, and Jed Wilson.

She has had appearances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, working with producer David Foster. In addition to performing with Chris Klaxton, Taylor recorded on his albums, Starcode and Collage. Taylor is also an assistant professor of voice at Berklee College of Music.

Chris Klaxton, vocals, trumpet, and guitar

New England native, Chris Klaxton, has developed a reputation as a gifted multi-instrumentalist, an imaginative composer, and an effective educator. With degrees in both classical and jazz trumpet, Klaxton has received a rich and varied education, studying with: Brian Lynch, Terence Blanchard, Jason Carder, Dr. Robert Stibler, Stephen Guerra, Whit Sidener, and Gary Lindsay.

Perhaps the most significant musical relationship of Klaxton’s career is that with famed trumpeter, Clark Terry. Years of study, several years as valet/travel manager, and more than a decade of friendship with Clark, has left Chris saturated with lessons and anecdotes (musical and otherwise). Chris is proud to pass on a repertoire unique to Clark, a system of phrasing and rhythmic pronunciation, and a means of conveyance handed down directly from one of the founding fathers of the music. In 2015 Klaxton founded OURBIGBAND, a New England-based large ensemble dedicated to performing new music. The band’s 2016 collaboration with famed trumpeter/composer, Dave Douglas, featured a program of Douglas’ large ensemble music as well as a premiere of Self Portrait in Four Dimensions (dedicated to Charles Mingus). Equal to Klaxton’s passion for performing is a commitment to education. On faculty at the University of Southern Maine, Plymouth State University, Portsmouth Music and Arts Center (PMAC), and Southern New Hampshire University, Klaxton teaches jazz trumpet, classical trumpet, jazz piano, composition, theory, and coaches ensembles. He is also an in-demand clinician, adjudicator, is available for private instruction, and serves as choir director for First Parish Federated Church in South Berwick, Maine.

Charlie Christenson, vocals and piano

Charlie Christenson is an associate professor of music in Berklee College of Music's Voice Department. As a vocalist, keyboardist, and songwriter, he has continually challenged the status quo and forged his own aesthetic path. He is equally at home playing, singing, and improvising in a wide array of contemporary styles, particularly rock, R&B, folk, and jazz (all of which are represented in the working bands which he has led in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Miami, Florida; and New York, New York). His recordings can be found on Spotify and Apple Music, released independently and through the New York-based label Biophilia Records. Prior to joining the Berklee faculty, Christenson taught at the University of Southern Maine, the University of Miami, and for six years served as the head of the Voice Department and director of the graduate program at the McNally Smith College of Music. He received a Ph.D. through the University of Miami developing his doctoral project, "A Study of Vocal Technique Through the Development of Four Advanced Études for Jazz and Contemporary Vocalists," and the first expanded collection of original voice études derived from this research is nearing publication.

Keala Kaumeheiwa, acoustic bass

Bassist Keala Kaumeheiwa has performed with Jimmy Heath, Jackie McLean, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, T.S. Monk, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Harry "Sweets" Edison, and James Moody as part of the first graduating class of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance. Currently, he is teaching Jazz Combo Ensembles at MIT and Phillips Exeter Academy, as well as freelancing around Boston and New England.

Zachary King, drums

Zak King is a versatile musician who has been performing professionally for over 15 years. He received a Bachelor of Music in music education from the University of New Hampshire and a Master of Music in music performance from the New England Conservatory, where he spent time under the mentorship of Billy Hart, Les Harris Jr., Joe Hunt, Bob Moses, and Jerry Leake, amongst many others. Zak’s style ranges from jazz/jazz fusion to rock and metal. He has recorded with and toured nationally with a number of projects, currently Uncured and Laang.

Zak regularly performs locally with Matt Savage, Javier Rosario, and Ayan Imai-Hall, as well as others. He has also performed at the Rochester International Jazz Festival, Welcome to Rockville in Daytona, and Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Virginia. Zak has been teaching private lessons for over a decade as well as group classes in the Boston Public Schools and the UNH Summer Youth Music School.

About the Seacoast Jazz Society

The Seacoast Jazz Society is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 1990 to spearhead and sponsor the ongoing annual Seacoast Jazz Festival that was first held in 1983 and every year since then except 2020. The mission of the Society is threefold: (1) to foster a love of jazz and understanding of jazz history to the seacoast community through events, presentations and the annual festival; (2) to support local musicians by sponsoring special projects, education, and promotion of their gigs; and (3) to provide scholarships for young artists. For more information about becoming a member or signing up for our e-publications, go to: https://www.seacoastjazz.org.

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