Belmont Jazz Ensemble Performs at Cambridge’s Legendary Ryles Tonight

Photo: The Belmont High School Jazz Ensemble.

You can’t get any better than the Belmont High School Jazz Ensemble.

The quintet of talented seniors – Max Davidowitz on drums, Mary Yeh, bass; Charlie Smith, piano; Rowan Wolf, tenor saxophone; and singer Zoe Miner – won over the judges at this year’s Massachusetts Association of Jazz Educators’ annual conference with their outstanding performance at the Berklee Performance Center in March, earning them the rarified status of being named gold medalists.

But the combo never got the chance to show their chops to the public three months ago after the concert they would have been part of was cancelled at the last minute.

So the group’s long-time director, Berklee professor Mazim Lubarsky, and the members decided to put on their own show. Tonight, Wednesday, June 3 at 7 p.m., the combo will be performing at the legendary venue Ryles Jazz Club in Cambridge’s Inman Square. The club, which hosts international and local jazz performers, is located at 212 Hampshire St. which is only 15 minutes from Belmont Center. 

Tickets are $5.

The night will also showcase guest performers – and fellow Belmont High students – Riley Grant and Alex Sun on trumpets and Sa-Sa Gutterman on trombone. 

Check out a video of the group here.

This is an opportunity for residents and fellow students to enjoy great music and get a chance to see young musicians – nurtured in the school district’s music program – at the start of their careers. 

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Belmont High’s Jazz Combo Presents All Kinds of Music Friday Night

Five talented senior musicians will premier their chops tonight, Friday, Jan. 30 as the Belmont High School Jazz Combo presents “Jazz of All Kinds” in the High School’s Little Theatre at 7 p.m.
The members – Max Davidowitz, drums; Mary Yeh, bass; Charlie Smith, piano; Rowan Wolf, tenor saxophone and Zoe Miner  vocals – have been part of ensembles in the past few years which have several gold medals from the Massachusetts Association of Jazz Educators for performances in the Northeast District Jazz Festival held each spring. They have also performed at Jazz Night and POPS concerts in Belmont as well as at the Hatch Shell in Boston. Friday’s concert is a first of its kind for the combo.
Under the direction of jazz pianist Maxim Lubarsky, the combo have been rehearsing weekly after school; in the past week, they have rehearsed extensively at members homes.
Special guests for Friday’s performance include Sa-Sa Gutterman, Riley Grant, Alex Sun and the BHS Jazz Choir directed by Sean Landers.
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