Stranahan, Goldings, & Robaire

ABOUT COLIN STRANAHAN:

Born In Denver Colorado, and the son of a Jazz Educator, Colin Stranahan has always been surrounded by music. By his teenage years he was already actively working on the local Denver scene, and has recorded multiple records of Capri Records. After receiving the prestigious NFAA Presidential Scholar award in 2005 , he studied in California for one year as a Brubeck Institute Fellow. Shortly there after he attended the prestigious Monk Institute of Jazz. Stranahan was also one of the winners of the 2012 Thelonious Monk Drum Competition. Now living in Brooklyn, New York, Colin is among the most sought-after drummers in the world. working with such artist as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jonathan Kreisberg, Fred Hersch, Terence Blanchard,Dr. Lonnie Smith, Dave Kikoski, Kevin Hays, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and many others. He also now is part of a collective trio featuring some of the most talented and praised you musicians in New York City. Rick Rosato on bass and Glenn Zaleski on piano. Together they are the Stranahan/Zaleski/Rosato trio. They have recorded 2 albums that have been very successful and a third on the way which was recorded Live at The Jazz Standard which is scheduled to be released in 2018.Colin Stranahan currently holds teaching positions at a couple of different conservatories in Europe, where he teaches both private lessons, and ensemble teaching. Aarhus Royal Academy of Music, and London's Royal Academy of Music. Colin also has started teaching at a few summer Jazz programs including The Brubeck Institute Summer Jazz Colony, and The Fara Sabina Summer Jazz school and Festival in Fara Sabina, Italy. Colin also has been giving drum master classes all over the world. Some of these recently have included, Oberlin Collage, New England Conservatory, International Jazz Conference in Thailand, and at the Singapore Esplanade Jazz Festival.

ABOUT LARRY GOLDINGS:

Larry Goldings is a Grammy-nominated pianist, keyboardist, composer, and songwriter. Among jazz enthusiasts, Goldings' organ trio with Peter Bernstein and Bill Stewart has been recognized for charting new ground, with synergistic playing and hard-swinging yet thoughtful music. Goldings' talents have been sought-after by an impressive range of musicians including James Taylor, Norah Jones, John Mayer, Madeleine Peyroux, Melody Gardot, Tracy Chapman, Rickie Lee Jones, Charlie Haden, Steve Gadd, Herbie Hancock, Sia, Christina Aguilera, Elton John, and Leon Russell.

Larry has recorded 18 albums as a leader, hundreds more as a sideman, and has collaborated on a long-term basis with Maceo Parker, Jim Hall, Michael Brecker, and John Scofield. Goldings has been recording and touring with iconic singer-songwriter James Taylor since 2001, and is the featured musician on Taylor's One Man Band CD/DVD, the culmination of a two year world-wide tour with James and Larry in duet.

In 2007, Goldings received a Grammy nomination (Best Instrumental Jazz Album of the Year) for his live album Trio Beyond - Saudades (ECM) with John Scofield and Jack DeJohnette. His compositions have been recorded by Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker, John Scofield, Toots Thielemans, Jim Hall, Gaby Moreno, Bill DeMain, Jane Monheit, Spencer Day, Curtis Stigers, Mike Viola, Lea Michele, Sia, and others. The 2014 UK Songwriting contest awarded Larry, along with Dannielle DeAndrea and David Batteau, "Best Song" in the Jazz/Blues category for the composition, "High Dreams."

Goldings composed the music for the 2013 feature film Dealin' With Idiots, written and directed by Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm). His music graces the soundtracks of Seth Rogan's Neighbors, Judd Apatow's Funny People, as well as the films Space Cowboys, Proof, NBC's The Office, and most recently, an upcoming TBS sitcom, Your Family or Mine, for which Larry co-wrote the music. Goldings' music is frequently heard on NPR's critically-acclaimed This American Life.

Larry's most recent recording, Music From The Front Room, is a freshly untraditional piano trio outing, with Larry playing Steinway upright piano, and features David Piltch on bass, and Jay Bellerose on drums.

ABOUT DAVE ROBAIRE:

Although Dave Robaire is a native of Los Angeles, his career really began to blossom when he moved to New York City in 2004. During this time, Dave studied at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music while taking private lessons with one of today's true masters of the bass, John Patitucci. From the beginning of his career, Dave's innate versatility led him to work with band leaders from all across the jazz genre including Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Andy Milne's Dapp Theory, Gilad Heksleman, Jonathan Batiste, and guitar legend Pat Martino.

After five years in New York, Dave and his wife Vanessa decided moved back to LA for a change of pace. Before leaving the east coast however, Robaire documented his experiences on Away and Back, his first recording as a leader which features Edward Simon, Marcus Gilmore, Kyle Wilson, and Vanessa Robaire. Shortly after the cross-country move, Dave was accepted into the masters program at California Institute of the Arts where he had the opportunity to study with the great Darek "Oles" Oleszkiewicz. Immediately following his two years at CalArts, Robaire auditioned for the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance in front of a panel of judges including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Jimmy Heath, Kenny Burrell, and James Newton. Dave, along with six of his peers, was accepted into this amazing program which led to study, travel, and performances with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Billy Childs, Benny Golson, Dave Liebman, Ron Carter, Dick Oatts, and Jerry Bergonzi among many others. As he has settled deeper into Los Angeles' growing jazz scene, Robaire has become known as the first choice bassist for many artists as they tour the west coast (Helen Sung, Gilad Hekselman, John Ellis, Edward Simon, Jonathan Kreisberg, Jacky Terrasson, Ben Wendel, Dayna Stephens). Dave is also now a regular member of Jane Monheit's west coast quartet.

Most recently, Robaire has been co-leading the collectively formed group Holophonor, made up of the seven alum of the 2012-2014 Thelonious Monk Institute program. Holophonor will be releasing their second album Light Magnet on October 6, 2017 on World Galaxy Records. This project was produced by the group's mentors, 10-time GRAMMY winning saxophonist, composer, Wayne Shorter.

In the Fall of 2015, Robaire was invited to join the jazz faculty at California State University, Northridge (CSUN)'s prestigious music school.