John Clay Quintet ..Vocalist Ruby Pucillo...A Stellar Lineup Of NYC Players
About this Event
Doors open at 6:00pm. Try to be seated by 6:30pm to have your dinner order taken. Showtime begins at 7:00pm when we transform the space into a theater.
Out of respect for the performers and other patrons, please keep talking to a whisper during the performance.
Very Limited Occupancy. Tables seating 2, 4, 5 guests, with tables for 6, 8, 12 available upon request. Single, general admission tickets are also available. See The Attached Seating Chart. Admission Is $15.00 - $35.00 Per Person, Ticket prices may be higher for special performances. Having problems with the ticketing system? Call 203-247-4273
Parking: Please park in LaZingara's lot or on Greenwood Ave. or School Street. Please avoid parking in P.T. Barnum Square.
John Clay Quintet:
John Clay - Drums John Clay is the kind of musician other musicians want to play with. A remarkably versatile drummer with a deep feel for jazz, soul, R&B and beyond, Clay has spent decades performing alongside some of the most respected names in music.
His career started early. Growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, John was playing in local bands by age 13. While still in high school, he found himself onstage backing Bill Withers before 35,000 people at one of Kentucky’s largest benefit concerts.
By his twenties, Clay was working with jazz legends Jimmy Raney, Jamey Aebersold and Zoot Sims, performing at legendary New York clubs including The Village Vanguard and recording with Sims for the Pablo label. His career has taken him from straight-ahead jazz to fusion, soul and R&B, including work with The Main Ingredient, performances at the Blue Note and the Saratoga Jazz Festival, and collaborations with an extraordinary roster of musicians.
But the résumé only tells part of the story. What makes John Clay special is what happens when he sits behind the kit. His playing is creative, fluid and deeply musical—always listening, always responding, and always pushing the music forward without getting in its way.
Now performing regularly throughout the New York metropolitan area, John brings that experience, versatility and energy to the stage.
Ruby Pucillo - Vocals Ruby Pucillo is a talented vocalist who really understands both her instrument as well as the genre. Ruby brings a refined fresh style to her vocals as well as a nod to the classic jazz vocal masters.
Ruby is a dynamic force in the world of jazz, celebrated for her exceptional talents as a composer, arranger, and lyricist. A two-time New York All State Vocal Jazz scat soloist, Ruby's skill in scat singing sets her apart. Scat singing, a vocal improvisation style in jazz, utilizes nonsense syllables, wordless vocables, or no words at all, allowing the singer to use their voice as an instrument to create innovative melodies and rhythms. Ruby excels in this art, often engaging in call and response with the band's instruments, showcasing her incredible vocal dexterity and creativity.
A distinguished graduate of the University of Denver and the prestigious Lamont School of Music, Ruby's education has been the foundation of her remarkable career. She has been recognized as an outstanding soloist at the UNC Greeley Jazz Festival, further cementing her reputation as a leading jazz vocalist.
Ruby's compositions and arrangements are celebrated for their originality and emotional depth, earning her numerous accolades in the music industry. Her passion for jazz and her innovative approach to scat singing make Ruby Pucillo a standout artist, continuously pushing the boundaries of vocal jazz and captivating audiences with every performance.
Matt Garrison - Saxophone With confidence, lyricism, and a tonality that is suffused in warmth, saxophonist Matt Garrison fervently pursues the art-form of jazz as reflected in his own words, “I like to think that I am a translator of sorts. A jazz musician, in my opinion, is supposed to interpret the world around them and convert those situations and feelings into music.” This is the essence of Garrison’s voice and music.
As a seasoned professional, Garrison has gigged or recorded with various players of note–the late Dennis Irwin, Pete Malinverni, Adam Nussbaum, Eliot Zigmund, Sam Yahel, Jeff Hirshfield, Jon Cowherd, Andy Laverne–and was once in a band with trumpeter great, Ray Vega. Garrison continues to establish himself and thrive in a variety of settings and states, “I am never satisfied with stopping the search for a better way to express myself.”
Sean Conley - Bass Hawaiian born bassist and composer Shawn Conley grew up loving all types of music. This love of diversity of sound developed into a career that straddles many genres. He is a longtime member of the Silkroad Ensemble and a member of the Brooklyn-based chamber orchestra The Knights. Recent projects include Silkroad’s Grammy Award-winning album , an upcoming release of the Brahms and Beethoven violin concertos with Gil Shaham and The Knights, the world premiere tour of Osvaldo Golijov’s (commissioned by Silkroad), as well as an international tour of the performance-art piece The Head and the Load created by South African visual artist William Kentridge. Shawn can also be heard on The Knights album Azul, featuring Silkroad founder Yo-Yo Ma.
As a studio musician, he has performed on multiple soundtracks including True Grit, Moonrise Kingdom, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Vietnam War documentary by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, and the Amazon series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Shawn studied at Rice University with Paul Ellison and in Paris, France with Francois Rabbath. He currently lives in Honolulu, where he is the Principal Bassist with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra.
Shunzo Ohno - Trumpet
Considered one of the most influential trumpeters of our time, Shunzo Ohno has played, recorded and toured with such renowned leaders as Gil Evans, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Art Blakey, and many others. Mr. Ohno has 16 recordings under his name as a leader and has appeared on over thirty more as a sideman. His fascinating life, with his triumph over illness and adversity, is the subject of a biography, "Trumpet of Hope" and a documentary film, "Trumpet of Glory." Fuji Television featured his story on the primetime show "Unbelievable." The documentary short, Never Defeated: The Shunzo Ohno Story, narrated b
long-time friend, Buster Williams. Born in Gifu, Japan, Shunzo began his musical passion at age 13 in his local public school. By age 19, Shunzo was the leading jazz trumpeter in Japan. Working as a composer and arranger, Shunzo's career hit high gear when he met renowned bandleader Art Blakey. He toured with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, throughout
the United States and settled in New York City in 1974 at Blakey's suggestion. The compelling Latin energy in Shunzo's playing can be traced back to his tenure with the celebrated Machito and his Afro-Cuban Orchestra. He recorded the Grammy Award-winning album with Machito and His Salsa Big Band (1983),
which feature his solos. Shunzo then joined one of his most influential inspirations, master arranger and composer Gil Evans, becoming a key contributor on tours, club dates, and recordings, including the 1988 Grammy Award-winning "Live at Sweet Basil." Shunzo made a total of four recordings with Evans, who remained a lifelong mentor to him. Returning to Japan with Super Sounds, a group that included jazz legends Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Larry Coryell broadened his
experience.
Rob Aries - Pianist (Average White Band, Bill Evans, Liza Minelli) Rob Aries toured and recorded with artists such as guitarist John Scofield, the "world jazz" group Special EFX, R&B band Change, saxophonist Bill Evans, Brazilian pianist Eliane Elias, and singers Liza Minnelli, Melba Moore, and Freddie Jackson. He also produced and co-wrote several songs on saxophonist Donald Harrison's CTI release "The Power of Cool", and played and composed for the late saxophonist Cornelius Bumpus’s CD "Known Fact" on Palmetto Records. Rob currently tours with the Average White Band.
We're sorry, there are no refunds after tickets have been purchased. In the event of a pandemic, rain, snow, or other forms of weather which prohibit a performance, the performance date will be postponed and rescheduled for another date within a reasonable amount of time. If the new date is postponed, a future alternate date will be picked at the discretion of Bethel Jazz and the musical artist. The ticket holder will be notified of postponements, cancelations, and rescheduled dates via email. Tickets are non-refundable and may be transferred to another person in the event a purchaser can not make the rescheduled date. In the event, an artist cancels a date, and Bethel Jazz is unable to reschedule the artist, Bethel Jazz reserves the right to provide a substitute performer of equal quality without notice to the ticket purchaser. If a date is canceled and not rescheduled, Bethel Jazz will provide a refund (in some cases minus the Eventbrite fee) or credit for another performance at the choice of the ticket holder. Bethel Jazz will always do its best to accommodate for changes in seating, table sizes, or changes to tickets.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 23.18 to USD 97.88
