Primary Instrument: Clarinet
I’m a clarinetist and tenor saxophonist who grew up in Connecticut and moved back recently, after living and working in New York for over twenty years. Here in Connecticut, I enjoy performing in many genres of music such as jazz, r & b, classical, folk, rock, etc, with guitarist Sinan Bakir, percussionist Michael Augeri, pianist Warren Byrd, bassists Paul Fuller and Matt Dwonszyk, and other artists. While in New York, I also worked as a musician and music instructor in various settings. An active member of International Women In Jazz (IWJ), a New York based organization, I was both a performer and organizer, taking part in many of its events as a musician and working as Chair of the Networking Committee, a committee founded by a few other members and me, which created and planned many of IWJ’s events like the monthly Jam Sessions at Local 802, The American Federation Of Musicians. The Networking Committee later became The Events Committee, a committee that continued on the path of planning concerts, festivals, and workshops for IWJ.
While in New York, I performed in many venues such as Bar 55, CBGB’s, The Bitter End, The Nuyorican Poet’s Café, St. Nicholas Pub, the Lenox Lounge, Windows Over Harlem, and performed with bassist Bob Cunningham, singers Evelyn Blakey and Ayana Lowe, drummers Jimmy Lovelace and Charlie Persip, clarinetist and saxophonist Patience Higgins, and many more musicians.
I studied at Hartt School of Music at the University Of Hartford and graduated with a B.A. in Music from the University of South Florida. While a Music Education student at Hartt, I audited jazz classes taught by saxophonists Jackie McLean and Paul Jeffries. Then I continued my jazz studies in New York at JazzMobile, studying with saxophonists Kenny Rogers and Charles Davis, and took a jazz course at Lucy Moses, as well.
As a composer and songwriter, I’ve written and performed music for the theater: for the Trojan Women, working with my sister, director Sonya L. Martin at the Dance Project Theater and for the New York Shakespeare Festival at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre, working with director Dennis Davis. I also taught as a music instructor in the New York Public Schools, Midori and Friends, and community centers. I continue to teach in Connecticut Public Schools and at The Hartford Community Center.
Primary Instrument:
Clarinet
Location:
Hartford, CT
Willing to teach:
Beginners
