Winner - Jimmy Heath Award - Jan Kus Quartet

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Saxophonist, band-leader and composer Jan Kus started his musical journey at age 5 in his native country of Slovenia. After graduating from the National Conservatory for Music in Ljubljana in 2006, the young recipient of the prestigious scholarship, granted by the Slovenian Ministry of culture, continued his musical studies at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, Netherlands.

During his time in The Hague he performed with the who's who on the scene of up-and-coming young European jazz musicians, playing extensively in The Netherlands, as well as touring internationally throughout Europe (Slovenia, Belgium, Italy, Hungary, Greece, Cyprus, and Slovakia).

In 2012, Jan arrived to New York to pursue his Master's degree at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College under the tutelage of the great Antonio Hart.

Upon his arrival in New York City, he participated as a core member and composer in the all star – lineup recording sessions of the Ziga Murko 13 brass band, which included: Mark Turner, David Binney, Alex Sipiagin, Jason Palmer, Dave Taylor, and Josh Roseman among others.

During his time at Queens College, Jan started collaborating extensively as a sideman with a number of international musicians he met on the NYC's thriving jazz scene, performing in various formats and musical environments, from piano-less saxophone trios, to large ensembles and big bands, including performances, recording sessions, and special feature solos written for him to perform in the context of a larger ensemble.

At the time of his studies at Queens College, he was awarded with the prestigious Jimmy Heath Award for his outstanding work.

Today, Jan Kus is an internationally recognized New York-based saxophonist and composer. In addition to performing and recording with some of today's biggest names in jazz (Alex Sipiagin, Antonio Hart, Linda Oh, Marko Djordjevic), and being active in a wide variety of musical genres (Traditional to Modern Jazz, Latin jazz, Flamenco, Neo-Soul), he performs his original music on a steady basis throughout the Tri-State Area and Europe, with past performances in Asia and the Caribbean, as the leader of his cross-cultural group – the Jan Kus Quartet.

CD DESCRIPTION
Jan currently performs as a sideman in various different musical projects in NYC, spanning from traditional to contemporary jazz, flamenco music, Puerto Rican folk-music-infused-jazz, Balkan jazz and Neo Soul. He also leads his own exciting formation, the Jan Kus Quartet, with which he released his debut album Faith in 2016, which is quickly gaining appreciation for a variety of audiences.

Faith is an album of eclectic musical treats, spanning from contemporary jazz to latin jazz, vocal jazz, hip hop and soul, featuring original compositions as well as two captivating covers.

Track (Time) - composer

1. Disconnect 7.13

2. Emptiness 8.48

3. One For The Band 0.32

4. Aquí 6.57

5. One For The Band – Jan's Story 3.02

6. I'm Just A Little Person 8.02

7. One For The Band – Sean's Story 1.18

8. Rhythm A Ning 7.34

9. Strength 8.08

10. One For The Band – Dan's Story 3.18

11. Neófito 6.42

12. Faith 9.03

13. I'm Just A Little Person (trio version) 7.01

All compositions written and arranged by Jan Kus, except Aquí and Neófito by Dan Martínez

Rhythm A Ning by Thelonious Monk, arranged by Jan Kus I'm Just A Little Person by Jon Brion, arranged by Jan Kus

Player and instrument:

Jan Kus (YAHN KOOS) – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone

Sean Fitzpatrick – piano, rhodes

Dan Martínez – double bass

Joel Mateo – drums

Special guests:

Mélanie JB Charles – vocals (Track 6, 9)

Antonio Hart – alto saxophone (Track 2)

Alex Sipiagin – trumpet (Track 1, 8, 11)

Carlos Maldonado – percussion (Track 10, 11)

Rafal Sarnecki – electric guitar (Track 1)

Žiga Murko (ZHEEGAH MOORKOH) – electronics (Track 1, 3, 9)

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