Album Notes

"Here Today" is a burning CD by the hottest working jazz band in the Washington DC area. Saxophonist Jeff Antoniuk and his group, The Jazz Update, are a who's who of jazz names from the mid-Atlantic, with more than 100 albums recorded between them.

"Here Today" shows the Update serving up their first group recording in fine style. Joined by stellar trumpet player Dave Ballou, the band constantly walks the tightrope between tradition and the 21st century. If you're looking for the state of acoustic jazz in the new millennium, The Jazz Update is a good place to start.

By February the 2007 CD "Here Today" was at #25 in the US national jazz charts. In March it rose to #3 on the jazz charts in Canada.


“Jeff Antoniuk's new CD Here Today is a wonderful
recording full of craziness and grace.”

> > > Jeff Coffin, Grammy Award winning saxophonist
> > > > with Bela Fleck & the Flecktones


Jeff Antoniuk, the Canadian-born founder of The Update, is a critically acclaimed acoustic jazz player who also travels the globe as a busy funk/ R&B soloist. With a masters degree from the University of North Texas, he moves easily between genres in his rhythm-infused style. His eclectic influences range from Stan Getz and Michael Brecker to Jane Siberry and Ralph Vaughn Williams. He has shared the stage with legends including Bobby McFerrin, Freddie Hubbard and Ray Charles and appears on numerous recordings.

Jeff has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Canada Council, JAZZIZ Magazine, Billboard Magazine and the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Jeff teaches in the Jazz Division at Towson University in Maryland and at the National Music Center in Washington DC.

Pianist Wade Beach is a Baltimore native. He apprenticed with Sir Roland Hanna in New York City in the 1970's after earning a master’s degree as a classical pianist. A 20 year veteran of the Air Force Band, he is a powerhouse of classical technique and jazz harmonic sophistication, He teaches at George Mason University.

Bassist Tom Baldwin is one of the most sought after players in the mid-Atlantic, and was first runner up in the Thelonious Monk Competition for bass. Tom often backs modern jazz greats like James Moody, George Garzone, and Eric Alexander when they come through Baltimore and DC. Tom teaches in the jazz department at the University of Maryland.

Anyone who follows jazz in the Eastern United States will know the name Tony Martucci. A drummer of unusual depth and humor, Tony has played and recorded with giants from almost every period of jazz. Mose Allison, Joe Henderson, Joe Lovano and Sonny Stitt have all been lucky enough to share the stage with him. Tony teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and the University of Maryland.

Trumpet player Dave Ballou is one of the most highly regarded musicians on the contemporary jazz scene today. While recording numerous CD's under his own name for Steeple Chase Records, he played and recorded with names like Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, Maria Schneider and Steely Dan. Dave is currently the Division Head of Towson University's Jazz Department.


Jeff Antoniuk and The Jazz Update is the core of Maryland Summer Jazz, one of the East Coast's most successful summer jazz camps for adults and high school students.

For more info on our July camps, visit us at www.marylandsummerjazz.com