Trío Búho

Trío Búho is a latin jazz group featuring pianist José Soto, bassist Greg Loughman, and percussionist Gen Yoshimura. Together, they have forged a new and distinctive voice, rooted both in the rhythms and songs from across Latin America and the songs and improvisational approach of jazz. The result is a unique and irresistible blend, rhythmically infectious, melodically appealing, and peppered with exciting and surprising complexities. Costa Rican pianist José Soto has performed internationally with artists including Luciana Souza, Chico Pinheiro, Danilo Perez, and Cheo Feliciano. Bassist Greg Loughman has performed with artists including Jerry Bergonzi, Mark Murphy, the Rhythm Future Quartet, and Danilo Perez. Drummer Gen Yoshimura has made a name for himself as a versatile accompanist, performing with internationally acclaimed artists such as Fernando Huergo, Kris Davis, and Walter Smith, winning Jazz Artistry Now (JAN)’s Best of Jazz 2020 for his drumming in Fernando Huergo’s Big Band album “The Possibility of Change”.

Driven by the goal of creating socially aware music that betters society, the Costa Rican pianist, composer, and educator José Soto experiments with classical music, Latin American rhythms, free improvisation, and jazz. His music studies took him to the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, New England Conservatory, and the Berklee Global Jazz Institute Master 's program at Berklee College of Music. In Costa Rica, he worked as a teacher at several respected institutions and performed and toured nationally and internationally with the most influential groups of his country. He has performed in many national and international festivals in Latin America, the USA, and Europe, and with internationally recognized artists, such as Luciana Souza, Chico Pinheiro, Francisco Mela, George Garzone, Danilo Perez, Cheo Feliciano, Eddie Daniels, among others. José teaches at Berklee College of Music in the Ear Training Department and Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts. He also recently released his debut album, “The Ancestral Call,” which embodies his passion of creating music that carries social awareness through its homage to the Bribri indigenous community of his native Costa Rica.

https://www.josesotomusic.com/

Bassist, composer, and bandleader Greg Loughman has made a name for himself as an “emphatically lyrical” -Scott Albin, JazzTimes, versatile, and sensitive accompanist who plays "with sublime authority" -Raul d’Gama Rose, AllAboutJazz.com and "delivers not only the foundation, but also intriguing, melodic, cleanly stated solos" -Bill Donaldson, Cadence Magazine. Born in Zanesville, OH, Loughman currently lives in Boston, MA, where he earned a Master of Music degree from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. He has performed and/or recorded with artists including Danilo Perez, Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, Hal Galper, Mark Murphy, and many others. Since 2014, he has toured extensively with the Hot Club inspired jazz group the Rhythm Future Quartet and has made a name for himself in that genre, performing with such artists as Gonzalo Bergara, Stephane Wrembel, and John Jorgenson. In addition, Greg leads his own trio, co-leads the group Man On Land, and performs with the John Funkhouser trio, Klezwoods, the Sonic Explorers, and many others. He is also an in-demand studio musician in the Boston area, and teaches at the Berklee College of Music, as well as teaching private lessons from his home or online. In the fall of 2020, he founded New England Jazz Connections, an organization that empowers jazz musicians to stage concerts to raise funds for worthy causes.

https://www.gregloughman.com/

Gen Yoshimura is a drummer/composer/educator from Japan. He moved to Boston to study at Berklee College of Music (BM) and Longy School of Music at Bard College (MM), and has lived there ever since. Gen is a versatile musician proficient in many genres including a wide array of Latin styles, jazz, fusion, and pop.

Throughout his musical career, he has been given opportunities to share the stage with several internationally acclaimed artists including Fernando Huergo, Walter Smith, Kris Davis, John Lockwood, Oscar Stagnaro, Rick Dimuzio, Daniel Ian Smith, Nate Radley, Ernesto Diaz, Manolo Mairena, Gonzalo Grau, Rebecca Cline, Gilson Schachnik, Yulia Musayelyan, Jim Kelly, Fernando Brandao, Maxim Lubarsky, Fabiola Mendez, Eduardo Betancourt, Andy Voelker, Matt Jenson, Doug Olsen, Alexei Tsiganov, Angel Subero, Zahili Zamora, Fryderyk HD, SONMASS, Bruno Raberg Tentet, Allan Chase Quartet, Leo Blanco Trio, La Pura Vida, Santiago Bosch Trio, Pritesh Walia Trio, and many others.

A major highlight of his career includes being featured alongside Pat Metheny, Fred Hersch, and Bobby Watson in Jazz Artistry Now (JAN)’s Best of Jazz 2020 for his drumming in Fernando Huergo’s Big Band album "The Possibility of Change".

https://www.genyoshimuramusic.com/

The Brown Bag Concert Series, presented by Mechanics Hall and 90.5 FM WICN, has been a beloved tradition in Worcester since 1983. These hour-long concerts by acclaimed regional and national performers are held in the Great Hall on select Wednesdays from noon to 1pm. Bring your own “brown bag” lunch, and enjoy wonderful music while eating your lunch! Cabaret-style seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. All concerts are free, open to the public, and subject to change. The accessible entrance to Mechanics Hall is located on Waldo Street. Elevators are located in the ground-floor lobby and provide access to the second and third floors. Please note, there is no elevator access to the balcony. All concerts take place in the Great Hall on the third floor. If you need assistance, please contact the Mechanics Hall Ticket Office, Wednesday through Friday from 11:00am-5:00pm, by calling 508-752-0888.

Whenever possible, Brown Bag Concerts are also broadcast live on WICN 90.5FM, and streamed live on WICN.org.

Host or Publisher Mechanics Hall