The James Hall Trio Plays Romantic Ballads

To celebrate February, the James Hall Trio will play the great romantic ballads and Broadway tunes of the 1940s and 50s. The personnel include James Hall (keyboard and vibraphone), Doug Mathews (bass), and Jamesly Jean-Mary (drums). Doors open at 7 PM, and there is no admission charge.

About the Musicians

James Hall is a pianist, vibraphone player, and composer based in New Smyrna Beach. In his hometown of Pleasanton, California, he performed with numerous jazz musicians including Matt Finders, Andrew Speight, Anton Schwartz, Michael Marcus, Roger Glenn, and Erik Jekabson. Upon moving to Florida in 2019, he has performed with a wide range of jazz musicians including Antonio Escapa, Jeff Rupert, Scott Dickinson, the Orlando Jazz Orchestra, Tom Dietz, and Bobby Koelble, just to name a few, in the straight-ahead jazz and Latin spheres.

Bassist Doug Mathews has performed extensively in Central Florida with jazz musicians including Terry Myers, Ed Metz, and Chris Cortez. A regular at the Blue Bamboo, he is also a veteran of the Sam Rivers band and participated in multiple albums with the saxophone player during the 1990s.

Drummer Jamesly Jean-Mary started to play the drums at the age of six in church and from there he continued to study music in school. He attended Parkway Middle School of the Arts (2011-2014), where he was able to study with the great Melton Mustafa and Diron Holloway. He went on to attend the illustrious Dillard High School (2014-2018). For four years, he studied with Christopher Dorsey and was a part of the Dillard High School Top Jazz Ensemble. In 2017 and 2018, he was fortunate to compete in the Essentially Ellington High School Competition and he was awarded the Outstanding Drums award in 2018. Afterward, he attended Broward College (2019-2021), studied with Anthony Stanco and Rodolfo Zuniga, and received his Associate in Arts in Music. He went on to the University of Central Florida (2021-2024) to study and perform with Jeff Rupert, Richard Drexler, Clarence Penn, and Jason Marsalis before graduating in 2024.

P.S.: I have a concert on January 11th at Timucua Arts Foundation in Orlando showcasing my own compositions and the trio, plus guest Josh Mercado on trumpet: For tickets, please click here (tickets available on Eventbrite).

Host or Publisher James Hall