JOE BARNA & SKETCHES OF INFLUENCE

Name: JOE BARNA & SKETCHES OF INFLUENCE
Start: 2026-04-10T20:00:00-04:00
Location: 1 Clinton Plaza Drive, Oneonta, NY, United States, New York 13820

Schedule

Fri, 10 Apr, 2026 at 08:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

1 Clinton Plaza Drive, Oneonta, NY, United States, New York 13820 | Oneonta, NY

JAZZ Line-Up:
Greg Glassman - trumpet
Ralph Lalama - saxophone
Fima Chupahkin - piano
James Robbins - bass
Joe Barna - drums & cymbals
Greg Glassman
Brooklyn-based trumpeter, Greg Glassman, is an advanced improviser, and an active staple of the jazz scene in New York City. A protégé of Marcus Belgrave and Clark Terry, Greg has performed in bands led by some of the world’s greatest musicians, including David Schnitter, Oliver Lake, Eric Lewis, Lakecia Benjamin, Stacy Dillard, Saul Rubin, Frank Lacy, Javon Jackson, and John Esposito. He has toured the world, from Singapore to Siberia, Algeria to Iceland, with artists like Burning Spear, Oscar Perez, Roswell Rudd, The Skatalites, and currently with 2017 MacArthur Genius, Taylor Mac. He maintains a lively performance schedule as a bandleader around town, and teaches jazz trumpet at Bard College.
Ralph Lalama
A solid fixture of the New York jazz scene and respected world-wide, Ralph Lalama embodies the best of the jazz sound ideal – great time, great swing, expressed through great melodic ideas. Everything he says and plays comes out of his deep connection and appreciation for “the Beat.” Jazz critic Zan Stewart put it succinctly: “Lalama is a grand, modern-minded storyteller…a first-class jazz soloist.” He excels in a chord-less trio format with his amazing command of the harmonic progressions articulated through his horn. But on top of being a great jazz soloist, Lalama is equally a solid veteran of jazz ensembles and orchestras. Over his impressive career starting with Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, and the Mel Lewis Orchestra – now the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra – he has honed the craft of sonic blending.
Lalama is a three-time Grammy winner through his work in the Joe Lovano Nonet and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. He has nine CDs out as a leader and is on more than sixty recordings as a sideman. He has received praise from the likes of critics Gary Giddins, Stanley Crouch, Ben Ratliff, Ira Gitler and Stuart Troup, among others. His latest release as a leader is the 2012 “Bop Juice: Ralph Lalama Trio, Live at Smalls.”
Ralph Lalama’s playing reveals an enormous depth of musical heart and knowledge. With his muscular, free-wheeling sound and masterful ability to tell a story through his horn, one understands why he so thoroughly connects with musicians, students and listeners alike.
Fima Chupahkin
Yukhym (Fima) Chupakhin was born in Krivoy Rog, an industrial city in the East part of Ukraine. He was first exposed to music in the age of 5, when his mother had bought him a small childish piano. Since that time Fima fell in love with music and the sound of piano. He was exposed to classical piano repertoire and choir music when he had entered a music school, and that had significantly influenced his future musical outlook. During the last year in the school, Fima discovered the world of jazz and had decided to study it along with classical music at the Krivoy Rog Music College. At the college Fima became more confident about his path as a jazz musician, after attending a concert of the famous Ukrainian jazz pianist and composer Segey Davidov. Few years later, Davidov became Fima's teacher and mentor at the State Kharkiv University of the Arts.
In 2005 Fima Chupakhin started his jazz career, entering the First Moscow International Jazz Piano Competition. In 2007 Chupakhin formed his own jazz project "Acoustic Quartet", with whom he recorded 3 albums of mostly original music. In 2010 "Acoustic Quartet" won a Gran-Prix at the prestigious Jazz Competition for the Young Performers at Usadba Jazz Festival. Since that time "AQ" (acronym for Acoustic Quartet) had become one of the most famous Ukrainian jazz groups in the Post Soviet Union area, and Chupakhin - one of the top-ranked young Ukrainian jazz pianists. In addition, Fima has gained the reputation of being a prolific cross-genre keyboardist, as he had participated in the recording of 15 crossover albums. He also has been extensively touring with “AQ" and with the famous Ukrainian pop/rock artists in Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Georgia, Israel, Russia and Belarus.
In 2012, Fima has been awarded the world prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to pursue his studies in the United States of America in 2012-2014. Chupakhin holds two master's degrees in Jazz Studies from William Paterson University of New Jersey and Kharkiv State University of Arts (Ukraine). At William Paterson University Fima has been shaping his unique voice under the leadership of the highly acclaimed pianist James Weidman, and other great musicians, including Armen Donelian, Steve LaSpina, Vincent Herring, Rich Perry and the legendary pianist Mulgrew Miller.
James Robbins
James Robbins is a Brooklyn based bassist, composer, arranger, and educator whose work bridges rigorous jazz tradition with expansive contemporary expression. A deeply intuitive improviser and thoughtful musical architect, Robbins has built a career defined by versatility, collaborative depth, and a clear artistic voice. While his professional experience spans nearly every genre, jazz and improvisational music remain the foundation of his artistic ethos, serving not only as his primary language as a performer, but as the conceptual engine behind his compositional work. Robbins began formal study at age thirteen under the mentorship of master bassist Marcus McLaurine at William Paterson University. By fifteen, he was already performing professionally throughout his local scene, developing the fluency and maturity that would characterize his later career. He went on to attend Berklee College of Music as a scholarship recipient in both performance and composition, where he refined his technical command, expanded his compositional palette, and deepened his engagement with modern jazz traditions. An in-demand bassist, Robbins has collaborated with a distinguished and stylistically diverse roster of artists including Sheila Jordan, Johnny O’Neal, ELEW, Sullivan Fortner, Laurence Hobgood, Jonathan Barber, Kenny Werner, Frank Lacy, Don Braden, Ralph Lalama, Fima Chupakhin, Jay Clayton, Nikolas Anadolis, Stephane Wrembel, Mike Ogletree, Dayramir Gonzalez, Thank You Scientist, and Baklava Express. His playing is noted for its lyrical sensitivity, rhythmic clarity, and ability to move fluidly between straight-ahead jazz, chamber settings, and genre-blending contemporary projects. As a composer, Robbins draws from the lineage of jazz while incorporating structural nuance and textural exploration often associated with contemporary music traditions. His work reflects a commitment to improvisation as compositional process, balancing formal architecture with space for spontaneous dialogue. Equally committed to the jazz lineage of mentorship, Robbins maintains an active teaching practice, mentoring emerging musicians in improvisation, ensemble communication, harmonic fluency, and creative development. His pedagogical approach emphasizes listening as a central discipline, encouraging students to cultivate both technical mastery and personal voice. Through private instruction, workshops, and institutional settings, he contributes meaningfully to the next generation of jazz artists.
Joe Barna
Joe Barna is a Drummer/Composer/Bandleader originally from Troy, NY whose passion and dedication to music have taken him around the world. He is a former student of SCCC in Schenectady, NY and holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts from SUNY Purchase in Westchester, NY.
Joe spent his first 4 years of college focused on classical percussion and performance before transferring to the music conservatory at Purchase in 1999. While at Purchase, he had the privilege to study with jazz greats the likes of Jon Faddis, Hal Galper, Adam Nussbaum, John Riley, Todd Coolman and Ralph Lalama. In 2004 Barna received his BFA in Jazz Studies with a focus on drumset performance & composition.
Some of the outstanding performers Barna has had the honor of performing alongside include: 3 time Grammy Award winners The Celtic Tenors, 7 time Grammy Award recipient Gary Smulyan, world renowned classical violinist Peter Fisher and 4 time Grammy Award recipient Ralph Lalama.
Other notable performances include Joe Magnarelli, Dick Oatts, Joel Frahm, Jon Gordon, Lee Shaw, Grant Stewart, Jim Rotondi, Keith Pray, Charlie Sigler, George Muscatello, Ray Vega, Jerry Weldon, Stacy Dillard, Jon Elbaz, Matt Garrison, Victor Gould, Lee Russo, Bryan Patneaude, The Big Soul Ensemble and his own original band Sketches Of Influence.
Joe has taken his passion and talent abroad to Canada, Australia, Russia, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, New Zealand, Dubai UAE, Turkey and Egypt. In addition to performing in these destinations he has also traveled across the United States and through the Caribbean Islands. In 2013, Barna also performed around the coasts of Hawaii, Fiji, Tahiti and New Caledonia.
In addition to his above credits Barna has recorded on over 10 albums as a sideman and has 6 albums as a bandleader. His most recent effort, The Purpose (2022) is an album dedicated to his mother Pamela Rose Barna.
www.bsideballroom.com