The new five jazz quintet features some of the top up-and-coming jazz artists today. Collectively, the members of the ensemble have worked professionally with the likes of James Williams, Eric Revis, Adonis Rose, Neal Caine, Steve Gadd, Eddie Gomez, Ron Westray and Donald Brown among others. The group met while working on their degrees at the University of Texas at Austin. They soon formed a musical rapport and decided to put together a recording project to feature their original compositions. This culminated in their debut album, "Introducing the New 5."
What makes this group especially unique is each members dedication to promoting jazz education. By 2010, four of the five members will have doctorates in music. These include doctorates in Music and Human Learning, Jazz Performance and Jazz Composition. In addition, Dr. Chris Budhan, the groups bass player, leads a music festival every year in his home town of Charlottetown, PEI Canada. The festival gives young jazz musicians live performance opportunities as well as offering them lessons and master classes from seasoned jazz artists. The combined education and expertise of the New 5 members makes them the ideal group for master classes at festivals or camps.
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