Performing Artists

New York trombonist Alex Jeun enjoys a diversified career internationally. 

He has been a previous Grand Prize Winner of the National Jazz Soloist Competition and 3rd place Antti Rissanen International Jazz Solo Competition in Finland.

He is currently a member of The Charlie Rosen 8-bit Big Band, Sugartone Brass Band, Stan Rubin Orchestra, Lionel Hampton Big Band, Street Beat Brass Band, Swingadelic, Shinbone Alley Stilt Band, Swingadelic, The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and Timatha & The TKO Party Band.

He has played alongside Franky Valli and The Four Seasons, Aretha Franklin, The Four Tops, The Temptations, and toured internationally with Fame The Musical, The Pajama Game, In The Mood, and Spamalot The Musical.

Jeun performed with Lionel Hampton in 2001.

Anibal Martinez started his studies in music at 10 years old in Puerto Rico, where he studied trumpet, solfeggio and harmony with Victor Lebron Cotto "Kleco," German Peña and Jan Duclerc. At 13, he played his first professional job with a local band from his hometown. Two years later he got his first big break playing with Cano Estremera, with whom he played for two years, and played after that with Willie Rosario, Ismael Miranda, Camilo Azuquita and others. In 1992 he moved to New York City to study at the New School For Social Research Department of Jazz Studies, where he earned his B.F.A.

In 1997 he got the call to work with the legendary Lionel Hampton, with whom he played until Hamp's passing. In the Hampton Band he played with Jon Faddis, Bill Watrous, Roy Hardgrove, Ernie Andrews, Pete and Conte Candoli, Claudio Roditi, Al Grey, Snooky Young, Jim Rotondi, Mark Mcgowan, Jimmy Heath, Chuck Findley, Jack Jones, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Rosemary Clooney, James Morrison, Terrell Stafford, Chaka Kan and many more great musicians. He has been working for 26 years as a freelance lead trumpet player in New York City, and also plays in the Frank Sinatra Show at the Carnegie Club with Steve Magglio (17 years), as well as backing international artists and doing recordings.

Anibal performed with Lionel Hampton from 1997 to 2002.

Bruce is currently Adjunct Professor at Julliard School of Music, New York. Bruce Williams hails from Washington, D.C. and has performed, toured and recorded with a long roster of jazz legends such as: Little Jimmy Scott, Frank Foster, The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Stanley Cowell, Louis Smith, Cecil Brooks III, The Count Basie Orchestra, The World Saxophone Quartet, Russell Gunn, Curtis Fuller, and Roy Hargrove, to name just a few. Bruce is a versatile saxophonist who is currently the newest and youngest member of the internationally recognized jazz group, “The World Saxophone Quartet,” as well as a member of a newly founded group by legendary drummer Ben Riley, the “Thelonious Monk Legacy Septet.”

In addition to Bruce’s playing, he is a jazz educator and mentor to many young jazz musicians. Bruce is currently a teaching artist at JazzHouse kids, an adjunct professor of saxophone at Bard College, and an ensemble coach at Julliard Conservatory Jazz department. In addition, Bruce has served as a adjunct saxophone instructor at both the New School for Social Research (Mannes School of Music) in NYC and Princeton University in New Jersey. Bruce has given master classes at Ohio State, Iowa State, The Jazz Institute of New Jersey, The University of the District of Columbia, Princeton University, The New Jersey Performing Arts Center “Jazz For Teens” program, and the Paris Conservatory in France. Most recently, Bruce came out with his new C.D., “Private Thoughts,” under the Passin’ Thru label owned by Oliver Lake.

Bruce performed with Lionel Hampton from 1991-1993.

Christian Fabian was born in Sweden, and moved to the U.S. in the ’90s to attend Berklee College. In New York he plays with Mike Longo’s NY State of the Art Jazz Ensemble and around the metro area. With Jason Marsalis he and the other members of The Native Jazz Quartet, which he co-founded, toured as Jazz Ambassadors for the U.S. State Department in 2013 and 2014.

Before receiving his scholarship at Berklee, Christian studied at Maastricht Conservatory in The Netherlands, recorded three albums with his band Time Design, and performed throughout Europe: Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Hungary. Lionel Hampton selected him as bassist for the Lionel Hampton Big Band in 1996, and he remains the Bass Chair of the Band. Other artists he has performed with include Jimmy Owens, Gary Burton, Danny Gottlieb, Lewis Nash, John La Porta, Elvin Jones, Cheryl Bentyne, Ed Thigpen, Makoto Ozone, Chaka Khan, Bob Mintzer, Charlie Mariano, Claudio Roditi, Rick Margitza and Jon Hendricks. His compositions earned two awards and three nominations with Hollywood Music in Media in 2008 and 2009 for Best Jazz Artist.

His duo with ukelele star Herb Otha produced the Japanese hit CD Stardust 4 Strings on JVC. Christian’s band Fabian Zone Trio has released six CDs since 2006 and reached #1 on Music Choice, Top 10 on Jazz Radio for Canada and Top 20 on Jazz Week 3 times.

Christian performed with Lionel Hampton from 1996 to 2002.

Find out more about Christian at his website www.christianfabian.com.

Clarence has been performing professionally since 1976 with artists like: The Mighty Sparrow, The Temptations, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennet, Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, Nancy Wilson, to name a few. He has performed in Broadway shows. Most recently in “Come Fly Away”. He joined the Count Basie Orchestra in 1984.

He has recorded with people like: Slide Hampton’s World of Trombones, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Tom Waits and of course The Count Basie Orchestra. He was cast as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra in the Francis Ford Coppola film “The Cotton Club”.

"Gibson may be the ultimate Big Band drummer." - Jerry Carrier,The Philadelphia Daily News

"Gibson's drumming is strong and fluid and as satisfying as any drummer I [have] heard in years." - Chip Deffa, The New York Post

David F. Gibson has toured and recorded with The Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Frank Foster and worked with Joe Williams and the Frank Foster Non-Electronic Company and The Diane Schuur Trio. His work in vanguard style includes guest spots with the Sun Ra Arkestra and the David Murray Big Band as well as other adventurous performances and education projects.

Gibson conducts clinics and workshops around the country and the world. In 1994, he formed a non-profit organization, Collective Arts Services Inc.

Gibson performed with Lionel Hampton in 1994.

After mastering his craft over the past 30 years, Doug Miller recently joined the music faculty of Old Dominion University in 2019. He brings with him an impressive list of accomplishments. After studying privately with the legendary jazz saxophonist Joe Henderson, he completed studies at the Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music, both in Boston, MA.

Mr. Miller has performed with a long list of world renown jazz artists, some of which include George Russell, Art Blakey, Frank Foster, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, McCoy Tyner, Machito, Tito Puente, Jack McDuff, Quincy Jones, Joe Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Diane Schuur and Nancy Wilson. He was a member of The Lionel Hampton from 1982-1988 where he served as tenor saxophonist as well as musical director. He has performed at virtually every major jazz festival in the world and at legendary venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and the famed Village Vanguard in NYC. Doug is listed in the Leonard Feather/Ira Gitler 'Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'.

He has recorded with many artists including George Russell, Lionel Hampton, The Count Basie Orchestra, George Benson, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Joe Williams, Jon Hendricks, Manhattan Transfer, Stevie Wonder and the New York Voices (on which his arranging talents contributed to this recording receiving a Grammy Award.)

Mr. Miller has been a clinician for over 25 years at such venues as the now defunct International Association of Jazz Educators conventions, Kansas State University, Florida State University, University of North Texas and La Escuela Moderna de Musica in Santiago, Chile.

He is currently a tenor saxophonist, arranger, and also serves as Road Manager for the World Famous Count Basie Orchestra. In addition, he also continues to conduct clinics and to perform as a guest artist internationally.

Originally from upstate NY, Freddie Maxwell has been a NYC-based professional trumpet player, arranger, composer and music educator for the past four decades. He lived and played in London and Monte Carlo, and has toured the world with Alicia Keys, Lionel Hampton, Jimmy Dorsey, the Glen Miller Orchestra and numerous others. He has shared stages with iconic jazz and big band stars such as Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Benny Golson and Frank Foster; pop/R&B stars Barry White, The Temptations and Tina Turner; and Latin artists Mark Anthony, Sérgio Mendes, the Chico O'Farrill Afro Cuban Jazz Orchestra and the Big 3 Palladium Orchestra. Freddie performed on recordings with Christina Aguilera and Alicia Keys, and his national television performances include the Grammys, The David Letterman Show, and specials on BET and HBO. Freddie has also been a New York public school educator for the past 25 years.

James Stewart, saxophonist, has performed with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Frank Foster and the Loud Minority Big Band, Oliver Lake Big Band, David Murray Big Band, Abdullah Ibrahim, Jorge Silvester and the Conceptual Motion Orchestra, and The Sun Ra Arkestra, on various saxophones, flute, clarinet and bass clarinet. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from New Jersey City University.

James performed with Lionel Hampton in 2002.

Playing trumpet with the great Lionel Hampton was one of the highlights of my musical career. My first tour was in 1995, a tour with the big band starting with the famous Nice France music festival.  The first night Lionel had the band play two encores after a very long set, which I quickly came to learn was his standard practice.

After that tour I played most of his big band gigs, first as third trumpet, then in 1998 as second trumpet until Lionel's death August 31, 2002.  Some of my greatest memories involve traveling with the big band to Seattle to play a week at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley to be followed by the great Moscow, Idaho music festival. Remembering Lionel's love and enthusiasm for music, even at an advanced age, continues to be an inspiration for me to this day.

Kuni moved to New York City in 1974, and studied with Barry Harris and Norman Simmons. He became a U.S. citizen few years later. In 1991 he received a call from the jazz legend Lionel Hampton, who later acclaimed Kuni as “a great musician, great soloist with soul.” He continued to play with Hampton for over twelve years—Kuni was the last pianist for Hamp. Kuni also toured with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Illinois Jacquet Big Band and the Cab Calloway Orchestra, becoming well established as an international jazz pianist, and performing in major New York jazz clubs and concert halls. He also performed as a soloist, and in a jazz piano and mime collaboration called iMimenation, touring with the show throughout the United States, Australia, Japan, Brunei, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras. Kuni has written two Jazz piano text books, which were published in Japan.

Find out more about Kuni at his website: www.kunimikami.com.

Kuni performed with Lionel Hampton from 1991 to 2002.

Mark Gross is a dedicated and accomplished jazz saxophonist with a solid academic background in music. Mark Gross swings and sings along today’s jazz vanguard. Constantly pushing the music forward while staying true to the classic elements of jazz, Mark credits his prolific sound to the rich appreciation for Gospel music that resounded through his parent's home in Baltimore, MD.

Gross has toured the world for over 30 years exploring these sounds with the Mark Gross Quartet/Quintet, Buster Williams, Delfeayo Marsalis, Dave Holland, Mulgrew Miller, Nicholas Payton, Dizzy Gillespie, Nancy Wilson, James Moody, Jimmy Heath, John Lee, Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Tom Harrell Big Band, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Frank Foster and the Loud Minority, Charles Mingus Big Band, Mark Whitfield, Joe Dukes, Captain Jack McDuff, Benito Gonzalez, Neal Smith, Cyrus Chestnut, Regina Carter, Lionel Hampton, Stefon Harris, Walter Booker, Jimmy Cobb, Don Braden, Vincent Gardner and many others.

Mark Gross has recorded over one hundred jazz recordings with other artist, including two that won Grammy Awards with the Dave Holland Big Band.

Gross has also recorded as a leader:

Preach Daddy, King Records, 1997
Riddle of the Sphinx, J Curve Records, 2001
Blackside, Jazz Legacy Productions Records 2012
+ Strings, MGQ Records, 2018
The Gospel According to Mark, MGQ Records, Fall 2023 release date
Mark Gross has appeared in featured films, television, and on Broadway several times. These include Malcolm X, Annie, Bolden, HBO series Boardwalk Empire, and Broadway musicals including Five Guys Named Moe, Kat & the Kings, After Midnight, Shuffle Along and currently Ain’t Too Proud, the Life and Times of The Temptations. Mark Gross tours extensively with his band Mark Gross Quintet (MGQ). He is currently promoting his latest recording on tour, + Strings.

Mark Gross’ skills were fine-tuned at an early age while he attended the Baltimore School for The Arts, studying with Dr. Chris Ford. After high school Mark attended Berklee College of Music. Two of its finest professors, Joe Viola and Bill Pierce helped further develop Mark's musicianship. Upon graduation in 1988, Mark Gross began his professional and musical caravan in jazz. He has extensive experience as an educator and has held positions at Princeton University, Prins Claus Conservatoire, William Paterson University and Wells Fargo Jazz for Teens at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Currently he is Director of Jazz Instruction at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, professor at Prins Claus Conservatoire in Groningen, Holland and part-time lecturer at Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts. Gross holds a B.M. in Music Performance from Berklee College of Music.

Patience Higgins is a multi-reed player has toured and recorded with many incredible artists including The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Count Basie Band, Ray Charles, Lionel Hampton, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Savion Glover, Pointer Sisters, Barry Harris, Jimmy Scott, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Muhal Richard Abrams, Charles Tolliver, T.S.Monk, Venesa Rubin and the Sugar Hill Quartet.

Broadway shows: Dreamgirls, The Wiz, Chicago, Ave Q, Black & Blue, Jelly’s Last Jam, Sophisticated Ladies, Shuffle Along and Hair.

Movie Soundtracks: Cotton Club, School Daze, Jungle Fever, Passover, Awakenings, Baby Boy, Soul to Soul and August Rush.

Patience Higgins is Professor of Woodwinds at The New School & Jazzmobile.

Patience performed with Lionel Hampton from 1988 to 1992.

Robert Trowers was born in Brooklyn, New York. He developed an interest in the trombone from listening to the music of the "swing era." Among the bands that sparked his interest in jazz were those of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw.

Some of the trombonists that influenced his playing style were Lawrence Brown, "Tricky Sam" Nanton, Tyree Glenn, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller and Jack Teagarden. Later, he became enamored of the "bebop" school of playing, particularly the work of J.J. Johnson, Jimmy Cleveland, Curtis Fuller and Frank Rosolino.

During his college years, Mr. Trowers played in numerous professional-level bands in and around New York. He was a member of Jaki Byard's "Apollo Stompers" and the Ray Abrams / Hank Dougherty Big Band. He played with other New York jazzmen such as Charles Byrd, Ray Draper, Cecil Payne, Harold Cumberbatch and Mario Escalera.

He did his first European tour as a member of Abdullah Ibrahim's band in 1979, called "Ujammah." This group began the tour with a Carnegie Hall appearance and ended with a concert at New York's Public Theatre.

In 1982, Mr. Trowers got a call to play with jazz legend Lionel Hampton, and stayed for the next three and a half years. After a year freelancing in New York and teaching in the public school system, he did a European tour with another jazz legend, Illinois Jacquet. Shortly after this tour, he was hired to play trombone in the Count Basie Orchestra, under the direction of Frank Foster. He would stay in this band for the next eight years.

The years with those stellar bands put him onstage with some of the greatest names in jazz, including Sarah Vaughn, Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstine, Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Jay McShann, Sonny Stitt, Benny Carter, Al Grey, Frank Sinatra, Joe Williams, Tony Bennett and many others.

During his hectic Basie years, Mr. Trowers recorded two albums under his own name for Concord Records; "Synopsis"(1983) and "Point of View" (1985). Critics described his sound as "vibrant and pointed," "smooth, warm and inviting" and "one of the best."

After the Basie years, Mr. Trowers toured with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Wynton Marsalis and later with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band under Jon Faddis. Notable freelancing activities include a short tour with T.S. Monk playing the music of his father, Thelonius Monk. Mr. Trowers also played at the Saratoga Jazz Festival with his own group and did a European tour with a traveling theatre production of the Broadway show "Black and Blue."

In addition, Mr. Trowers (along with Basie band colleagues Derrick Gardner and Frank Foster) started a New York nonprofit arts organization named "Progressive Artistry." Progressive Artistry received numerous grants from the Brooklyn Arts Council, and presented numerous jazz concerts and lecture / demonstrations in inner - city neighborhoods up until 2004. In this period after the Basie years, Robert was also a member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra (originally known as the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra), and played their traditional Monday nights at the Village Vanguard, also doing a short tour of France and Tunisia with them. This period also saw him as a member of one of the late editions of Frank Foster's “Loud Minority” big band.

Robert is currently on the faculty of North Carolina Central University (NCCU), in the Jazz Studies program. NCCU boasts an award-winning jazz faculty and a jazz band that has consistently had a high percentage of its members in the H.B.C.U. all -star band in its years of participation. He is also the current trombonist in Randy Weston's African Rhythms Quintet.

Robert performed with Lionel Hampton from 1982 to 1986.

Find out more about Robert at his website: www.roberttrowers.com.