Jonathan Russell at the Blue Note

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Jonathan Russell, 11-year-old jazz violinist, will be performing with Ed Polcer's All Stars for two sets at The Blue Note on Sunday, October 8th. Part of the popular Sunday brunch program, this line-up is a last minute replacement for Manny Duran's Sextet who were originally scheduled to perform with the young Mr. Russell. Ed Polcer's All Stars will include Ed Polcer, cornet; Vince Giordano, bass; Mark Shane, piano; Joe Ascione, drums and Matt Hoffman on vibes.

Jonathan Russell has performed at major jazz festivals including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the Suncoast Dixieland Jazz Festival in Florida, the Hot Steamed Jazz Festival and The Great Connecticut Traditional Jazz festival in Connecticut. He has also performed at SUNY Purchase and the Harvard Club. In the past he has played with Paris Washboard, Titan Hot 7, Pearl Django, Blue Street Jazz Band, Fryer/Barnhart International All-Stars, Les Paul and Chicago 6. Jonathan regularly performs with the Grove Street Stompers and Ed Polcer in New York and Barbone Street in Pennsylvania in addition to a variety of solo and trio gigs around the New York City area. He has released his first CD, entitled The Sheik of Araby, featuring eleven standards from the jazz age. Joining Jonathan on the CD are Ed Polcer, Mark Shane, Mike Weatherly and Kevin Dorn.

During the past several years, Ed Polcer has become one of the most sought after cornet performers on the jazz festival circuit. He has appeared in hundreds of concerts, festivals and jazz parties throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, including numerous return appearances at the Newport/Kool/JVC Festival in New York. Ed's musical versatility and leadership have earned him a reputation as a dynamic bandleader, and he is often called upon to organize festivals, concerts, dances and parties.

Ed joined Benny Goodman's Sextet for an American tour in 1973. An expert showman, Ed has led numerous concerts with varied themes, including his extensive U.S. tours for Columbia Artists. In 1992, '93 and '94, "A Night At Eddie Condon's", transported the audience back to the famous nightclub and gave a musical retrospective of American jazz over the last 100 years.

Vince Giordano has long been the premier authority on performing 1920s and 1930s jazz and popular music. Woody Allen, Madonna, Terry Zweigoff, Garrison Keillor and the New York Philharmonic have all used Giordano and his eleven-piece big band, the Nighthawks, to summon up the days of Busby Berkeley and bathtub gin. Most recently the Nighthawks recorded 22 note-perfect recreations of vintage hits for the soundtrack of The Aviator, Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic.

Mark Shane began his professional career as a pianist in dance bands in the metropolitan New York Area. His jazz influences came from the recordings of the masters: Louis Armstrong, Teddy Wilson, Earl Hines, Fats Waller, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young and Benny Goodman.

During an extended tenure as house pianist in New York's Eddie Condon's jazz club, Mark added a distinctive new voice to the Condon tradition of hot ensemble playing and, at the same time, developed his solo jazz piano style through exposure to the masterworks of James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, Earl Hines, Teddy Wilson and Art Tatum. He has worked with Benny Goodman and with many all-star alumni from the great bands of Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller. A partial list of these jazz stars includes: Doc Cheatham, Buck Clayton, Wild Bill Davison, Ruby Braff, Vic Dickenson, Bob Wilber, Kenny Davern, Benny Goodman, Buddy Tate, Scott Hamilton, Ken Peplowski, Peanuts Hucko, Flip Phillips, Jack Lesberg, Ed Polcer, Bobby Rosengarden, Warren Vache, Jr., and Earle Warren.

Joe Ascione is a first-call drummer who has been on about 90 records to date and is half of the popular Frank and Joe Show. The Penguin Guide says "his CV has stretched from Cab Calloway to Donald Fagen, and he seems at home in any style from swing onwards."

Matt Hoffman is an up and coming ninteen-year-old vibe player currently studdying at Purchase College. This will be Matt's debut performance at the Blue Note.

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