A group of rising stars bringing you an evening of original and arranged compositions with stylistic influences from jazz, show tunes, Brazilian popular music, blues, and free improvisation.
Nathan Nakadegawa-Lee - saxophone
Hannah Mayer - piano
Gus Hurteau - vibes
Oliver Tuttle - trombone
Isaac Coyle - bass
Miles Turk - drums
Saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Nathan Nakadegawa-Lee was born and raised in Oakland, California, and is a graduate of the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York. During his time at the New School, he studied with luminaries such as Melissa Aldana, Darius Jones, Tivon Pennicot, David Glasser, Or Bareket, Jon Irabagon, Anat Cohen, Joshua Rubin, and Ismail Lumaneovsky. In Oakland, Nathan has taught at Oakland Summer Music, Oakland Public Conservatory, and his alma mater Claremont Middle School, providing music education at no cost to middle schoolers. He has performed at the Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland with the Derek Lewis group, and more recently at The Stone in New York with Sebastian Selendis Alexander Johnson. Nathan is a big supporter of community organizing, hosting eclectic house shows and Improv Nights where he brings together 10 to 20 improvisers to play in pre decided groups that are kept secret from the participants until they play. Nathan continues to compose, improvise, and perform in New York City and the Bay Area.
Hannah Mayer is a 21-year-old pianist and composer from El Cerrito and a recent graduate of the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, MD. Hannah has had the honor of performing alongside notable musicians including Sean Jones, Melissa Aldana, Etienne Charles, Warren Wolf, Charenée Wade, Tim Green and Sharel Cassity, and has been a member of Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead (Kennedy Center), NYO Jazz (Carnegie Hall) and the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars. Hannah recently released an album paying tribute to the Broadway composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim (“Hannah Mayer & Friends Play Sondheim”), which captures their drive to bridge their love of improvised music and theatre.
Tickets at Nathan Nakadegawa-Lee & Hannah Mayer Group