Capital District Jazz presents:
"Jazz at the Spring" featuring
The Jeanine Ouderkirk Trio

Who: Capital District Jazz Presents
What: Jazz concert with the Jeanine Ouderkirk Trio
When: Thursday, January 31 at 7:30 PM
Where: Spring St Gallery, 110 Spring St., Saratoga Springs, NY
Tickets: $15.00 https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4033046

Jazz at the Spring rings in 2019 with the fabulous Jeanine Ouderkirk Trio featuring Scott Bassison and Lou Smaldone. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Jeanine Ouderkirk began her musical journey with the study of piano and clarinet.  Then ten years ago she realized it was singing that allowed her to connect with audiences most personally, and vocal improvisation was the vehicle for that connection.  Jeanine Odenkirk’s passion for Jazz and her love of using improvisation for the connection it provides to both musician and audience led her to hone her skills studying with world renowned vocalist Bobby McFerrin. Using McFerrin’s methods of scat singing and circle singing, she developed her own practice of exploring vocal improvisation and storytelling.  Jeanine and her bandmates use jazz improvisation to realize their vision of connection, relation, and expression of the truth of melody and lyric. Ouderkirk is an alum of Saratoga Springs High School and the Crane School of Music, and has been fortunate to study and perform with amazing teachers and become a teacher of music herself.  Jeanine Ouderkirk is a generous musician, and her joy of singing is infectious as is her desire to share the songs and the improvisations they inspire.

Scott Bassinson is a pianist who plays with impeccable taste and whose listening skills are equal to his impressive chops.  He has a rare sense of placing just the right chord or melodic fill to suit each moment on the bandstand. Bassinson began classical piano study at the age of 4 at the St. Louis Institute of Music, and later attended Berklee College of Music. Since moving to the Capital Region, Scott has performed in a variety of contexts and genres including solo piano, jazz trios, as a multi-keyboardist with jazz, funk, folk and pop groups. But it is his experience as an accompanist for folk and jazz vocalists that make him the perfect collaborator for Jeanine Ouderkirk as she deftly reinterprets material from the Great American Songbook and explores works by modern artists like Joni Mitchell, Sam Cooke, and Joan As Police Woman.  

Lou Smaldone is a seasoned bassist and in demand sideman in the Albany Area and beyond. His formal education included time at Schenectady County Community College and The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. Inspired by the bass stylings of greats Paul Chambers & Charles Mingus, Smaldone relishes the opportunity to provide the foundation for the trio’s forays into musical storytelling.  Smaldone’s effortless time keeping and always in the pocket propulsion is the hallmark of this active listener and inspired sideman.

Jazz at the Spring is held the last Thursday of each month at the Spring Street Gallery, Saratoga Springs, and is sponsored by Capital District Jazz, Ltd. (CDJ) a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization formed by practitioners and fans who love jazz music.  American in origin, jazz reaches and draws from millions of performers and listeners around the globe who are inspired by its rich history, excited by its technical complexity, and moved by its emotional depth.  The members of CDJ want to share their love of jazz with current and potential performers and enthusiasts throughout the "Capital District".  CDJ's mission is to build and serve a wider audience for jazz through education; to create performance opportunities for jazz musicians; and to develop venues for these pursuits. CDJ supports All Ears: Jazz and Improvised Music Workshop, which is a fun hands-on way for students of all ages to learn about jazz.

CDJ is offering a number of free tickets for youth age 17 and under.  If you are interested in obtaining a free ticket please inquire via email info@cdjazz.org. Tickets are available in advance at:  brown paper tickets: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4033046


© 2019 Capital District Jazz Ltd.