HILLSDALE—A quintet of student musicians from Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale will perform as the Rising Stars opening act at the New Jersey Jazz Society’s April 6 Jersey Jazz LIVE! concert at the Madison Community Arts Center.
The quintet members are part of Pascack Valley High School’s Chamber Jazz Ensemble, a larger group that works to develop jazz soloists and explore standard jazz repertoire.
The band will be led by alto saxophonist Ming-Yang Qin, the lead alto saxophonist for the Jazz House Kids Big Band, which placed first in this year’s Charles Mingus High School Competition. According to PVHS Director of Bands Craig Yaremko, Qin loves Johnny Hodges.
Other members of the quintet include:
- Carolyn Veit, trumpet, a fan of Clifford Brown who placed first for the third year in a row in the Bergen County Band and also performed with the Region Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band;
- Timmy Ngai, piano, who “is as comfortable with Basie as he is with the Beatles”;
- Eddie Gricic, bass, also an All-State tuba player; and
- Brady Viola, drums, who has studied Philly Joe Jones’ classic performance of “Billy Boy” with the Red Garland Trio on Milestones by Miles Davis.
The PVHS quintet will open for vibraphonist Chuck Redd and pianist John DiMartino, who last performed together on Redd’s 2019 Dalphine Records album, Groove City. In a review of their duo performance on Billy Strayhorn’s “A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing,” DownBeat magazine’s Bobby Reed wrote that it showcases Redd’s skills as a narrator, while DiMartino provides the ideal coloration.
A veteran of the jazz scene, Redd is widely respected for his 15-year tenure with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and 19 years performing with the late guitarist Charlie Byrd.
The Madison Community Arts Center is at 10 Kings Road in Madison, N.J. The Jersey Jazz LIVE! concerts begin at 3 p.m. Admission is $15 for NJJS members and $20 for non-members. Student admission is $5 with valid ID. Light refreshments will be available for purchase.
Advance tickets can be ordered here.
Funding for Jersey Jazz LIVE! has been made possible, in part, by Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.