Lawrence Fields, born and bred in St. Louis, has earned a spot at the forefront of young jazz pianists, thanks to his blending of vintage ideals with a contemporary mindset. Selected as the #2 Rising Star keyboardist in each of the past two years in the Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll, he is an in-demand performer and composer who is known for bringing a personal style and touch to venues around the world in multiple styles of jazz. Lawrence currently anchors the piano chair for Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas' critically-acclaimed "Sound Prints" quintet, as well as the genre-crossing Christian Scott group. In addition, Lawrence has been a member of the Nicholas Payton quintet, the Jeff "Tain" Watts quartet, and has performed and recorded with artists from Branford Marsalis and Christian McBride to Terri Lyne Carrington and Robert Hurst.
Fields leads his own trio and quartet, and his music has been featured on WBGO’s 'The Checkout' series. In addition, Lawrence's collaboration with Christian Scott can be heard on several albums, including the Grammy-nominated discs 'Axiom', 'The Emancipation Procrastination', and 'Ancestral Recall'. He features on the new Sound Prints release 'Other Worlds' and the critically-acclaimed 'Scandal', selected by The Guardian as their #1 jazz album of 2018, as well as one of Rolling Stone’s top 20 jazz albums of the year.
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Bass - Yasushi Nakamura:
One of the most in-demand jazz bassists both in New York City and on the international scene — and described as “one of the most commanding voices on bass today” — Yasushi Nakamura is praised for imaginative, quicksilver bass lines that deepen the groove. His blend of guitar-like precision and gut-level blues has sparked collaborations with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Wycliffe Gordon, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Hank Jones, Dave Douglas, Steve Miller, etc. With his charismatic stage presence and artful, hard swinging melodic touch, Nakamura is a first-call performer capturing new audiences and fans around the world.
Born in Tokyo, Nakamura moved to the United States at age 9, and considers both places home. His career is flourishing, with consistent engagements at premier jazz festivals including Tokyo, North Sea, Monterey, Ravinia, and venues such as Birdland, Village Vanguard, the Blue Note, the Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall. In 2014, he was honored to play the “NEA Jazz Masters Concert: Celebrating Jamey Abersold, Anthony Braxton, Richard Davis, and Keith Jarrett,” sharing the stage with Joe Lovano and Dave Liebman. A wide array of projects permits him to explore musical styles and collaborations.
Drums: Kush Abadey
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Kush has performed and/or recorded with many notables including Ravi Coltrane, Chris Potter, Nicholas Payton, JD Allen, David Weiss, Andrew White, Gilad Hekselman, Azar Lawrence, Terrance Blanchard, Frank Lacy, Jeremy Pelt, Tomasz Stanko, Barry Harris, Gary Thomas, Jared Gold, George Colligan, Dave Stryker, Josh Evans and David Gibson among others. In his early twenties, Kush Abadey is an accomplished drummer & bandleader. When he was just 16 years old he joined the ranks as the newest member of the Wallace Roney Quintet, and has traveled, performed and recorded with the band at various concerts, jazz festivals and club dates in many parts of the world.
Kush has performed primarily as a soloist for various community service projects taking the music to those who don't necessarily have the opportunity to go to live concerts; as well as to audiences at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Kush was the youngest artist to date, ever selected for the Strathmore Artist-in-Residence program for performance and composition. One of his most prestigious accomplishments was being invited to perform for "Jazz at the White House" hosted by Michelle Obama in 2008. There he performed in an ensemble led by Paquito D'Rivera featuring Wynton Marsalis. He was invited back to the White House in 2010 to be featured in a Harper's Bazaar photo shoot with the First Lady Michelle Obama. In 2009, Kush was awarded a Presidential Scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston Massachusetts, where he attended for two years. While at Berklee he was able to collaborate and study with some of the top musicians in the business including Terri Lyne Carrington, Ralph Peterson, and Darren Barrett. In 2012, Kush moved to NYC to pursue the jazz scene and was welcomed with open arms. He currently performs, records, and tours internationally with various renowned musicians and groups.