Pat Bianchi - keyboards
A Grammy-nominated organist, winner of DownBeat’s 2016 rising star poll, and winner of Hot House magazine’s 2019 poll, Pat Bianchi has established himself as one of the premier organists on the international scene. His command of the instrument, harmonic prowess, rhythmic intensity, and versatility are rivaled by few. Bianchi has been a longtime member of jazz guitar icon Pat Martino’s trio, and also performed with NEA Jazz Master and saxophone legend Lou Donaldson and his quartet for a number of years, as well.
Bianchi has performed with such greats as Red Holloway, Terell Stafford, Peter Bernstein, Chuck Loeb, and Dakota Staton. He has released six CDs as a leader and is a featured artist on more than 30 recordings. His newest release, In the Moment, rose to no. 1 on the Jazzweek Radio Charts and features an array of guests, including Pat Martino, Kevin Mahogany, Joe Locke, Peter Bernstein, and Paul Bollenback.
Chris Finet - bass
Chris Finet is a top-call bassist in Arizona and throughout the Southwest for jazz, classical, and commercial music.
He is the Associate Professor of Practice in bass and jazz studies at Northern Arizona University and maintains an active performing schedule year round in addition to guest teaching, clinics, and festival adjudication.
As a jazz bassist he is in demand to perform with the region’s top artists and is often called to perform with touring artists such as Dave Douglas, David Liebman, Flora Purim, Jane Monheit, Houston Person, Byron Stripling, Lewis Nash, and many others. He also stays busy performing for Broadway national tour productions and commercial acts such as The Eagles, Patti LaBelle, Chris Mann, Michael Feinstein, and more.
Chris is the principal bassist of the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra and has held positions with orchestras such as Chamber Orchestra of New York, Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, and others. He has appeared as a featured concert soloist with the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, North Valley Symphony, and the NAU Symphony. Chris is a graduate of Northern Arizona University (BM), and The Manhattan School of Music (MM).
Natalie Gallatin - saxophone
Natalie is a saxophonist, composer, bandleader, educator, recording artist, and activist based in Phoenix, Arizona. She is a 21st century torch-bearer for the performance, education, and re-evaluation of the rich heritage of jazz music.
Driven by a dedication to nurture the next generation of musicians, Natalie has found joy in teaching private music lessons across various instruments including flute, saxophone, clarinet, and piano. She currently serves as the lead intern for The Nash Education Interns at The Nash, engaging in jazz performances and clinics throughout the valley’s schools. Additionally, Natalie shares her expertise as an instructor for The Nash Legacy Ensembles, guiding students through jazz standards, music theory, ear training, and the intricacies of the jazz language, laying a solid foundation for their musical journey.
Clark Gibson - saxophone
Clark Gibson is the Director of Education at The Nash, a jazz saxophonist, composer, former Director of Jazz Studies and Associate Professor of Saxophone at Northeastern State University.
Over the past 20 years, Clark has worked with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, the Tempta- tions, the Four Tops, Tito Puente Jr., Pat Bianchi, Doc Severinson, Lalo Rodriguez, Lewis Nash, Sean Jones, Michael Dease to name a few.
Gibson has been a leader of 3 internationally released cds and has received favorable reviews from Down Beat Magazine, Jazz Weekly, allaboutjazz.com, Los Angeles Jazz Scene, Japan's Jazz Life, The Aquarius Weekly and more.
Clark released his latest CD, Counterclock, on Cellar Records Live featuring Michael Dease, Sean Jones, Pat Bianchi, Nick Mancini and Lewis Nash in April 2023.
Corcoran Holt - bass
As a keeper of the rhythm, Corcoran began his study of upright bass at the age of 10 with the renowned DC Youth Orchestra (DCYOP). Soon he learned that his great-grandfather, with whom he shares a birthday, was a bass player who grew up in High Point, NC and lived next door to a very young John Coltrane. Legend has it that he gave Trane music lessons. Corcoran feels called to the bass and his work is about honoring the ancestors.
While continuing his classical training at DCYOP, Corcoran attended the prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington DC from 1996 to 2000, where he studied classical bass with Carolyn Kellock and jazz music with educators Davey Yarborough, the late great Keter Betts and Steve Novasel. During these high school
years, Corcoran realized his affinity for the jazz and honed his performance skills by working frequently on the Washington DC jazz scene.
Always performing, he completed a Bachelors of Arts in Jazz Studies from Shenandoah Conservatory in 2004, where he studied bass with Michael Bowie. He received his Masters degree in Jazz Studies from Queens College in New York City in 2006 under the tutelage of Buster Williams, Michael Phillip Mossman, and Antonio Hart.
Corcoran performs regularly at many of the top music festivals and venues around the world. He leads his own groups, has been a long time member of the Kenny Garrett Quintet, and has worked with greats such as Curtis Fuller, Jimmy Heath, Benny Golson, Steve Turre, and Wycliffe Gordon to name a few.
Charles Lewis - piano
Charles Lewis was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
in 1933. He began performing on piano at church functions when he was only 7 years old. Some of his earliest musical influences include Oscar Peterson, Ray Charles, Dizzy Gelespie, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker and Nat King Cole.
Charles moved to Arizona in 1953 when he enrolled at Arizona State University. He began performing at the famous 7th Ave. Elks Club jams in 1954. He played with several bands before forming his own band, The Charles Lewis Quintet. He landed a gig at the Playboy Club in Phoenix in 1961.
He eventually began getting grants from major organizations to conduct workshops. He performed “self awareness through music” seminars for the Bureau of Indian affairs, the Dept. of Corrections and many other organizations. He’s also done workshops on the relationship of music to colors, textures and linear shapes for the National Alliance for Arts Education. He has served on the Arizona Com. on the Arts, the Music advisory panel for the National endowment for the arts in Washington, DC and many other prestigious panels.
He teaches privately in the areas of jazz piano, harmony and theory, jazz improvisation and vocal performance. He considers his crowning achievements to be the work he’s done doing musical workshops for children. He says he loves living in Arizona because of the peace he has found in the wide open spaces and the relatively slower pace of life in the desert.
Jeff Libman - guitar
Jeff Libman is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at Arizona State University. He holds a PhD in Music Education from ASU. As a jazz guitarist, Libman performs frequently in the Phoenix metropolitan area, sharing the stage with some of Arizona’s finest jazz musicians, including Michael Kocour, Brice Winston, Dom Moio, and Eric Rasmussen.His album Strange Beauty, released on the Cellar Live label, received extensive radio airplay and reached #26 on the JazzWeek chart.
Typhanie Monique - voice
Typhanie is a performer, educator and recording artist whose four critically acclaimed, independently produced albums have captured the ears of Chicago Tribune jazz critic Howard Reich and thousands of dedicated fans. She has shared the stage with jazz’s elite, including Joe Lovano, Chris Potter,The Manhattan Transfer and Mavis Staples to name a few.
An in-demand educator and vocal coach, Monique served on the adjudication panel of the 2015 Thelonious Monk Vocal Jazz Competition. She has studied privately with legendary vocalists Bobby McFerrin, Shelia Jordan and the late Mark Murphy, and considers herself a lifelong student of the art of singing. An adjunct professor since 2012, Typhanie mentors the next generation in voice science, contemporary singing styles and techniques and artist development. A whole self approach to body, mind, spirit development.
Lewis Nash - drums
“Rhythm Is My Business” is the title of Lewis Nash’s 1989 debut recording, and the legendary drummer is all about the business of keeping rhythm. Universally recognized as one of the great drummers in jazz history, his illustrious career spans more than four decades.
Lewis arrived in New York City in 1981 and gained international recognition as a member of vocalist Betty Carter’s trio. This was a pivotal time in his development, as he traveled the world for nearly four years with Carter and met many of his musical peers and predecessors.
In the years to follow, Nash toured, recorded, and performed with many of jazz’s most celebrated icons, and his resume reads like a “who’s who” of jazz royalty. These jazz legends include Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, JJ Johnson, Sonny Rollins, Tommy Flanagan, Sonny Stitt, Clark Terry, Stan Getz, Benny Golson, Art Farmer, Gerry Mulligan, Hank Jones, Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, Ray Brown, Milt Jackson, Jimmy Heath, Randy Weston, Cedar Walton, Ron Carter, and Wynton and Branford Marsalis.
Ashlin Parker - trumpet
A versatile jazz trumpeter based in New Orleans, Ashlin Parker is sought after for big band, small ensemble, and solo performances. He has played with various ensembles at jazz festivals and clubs in Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, and Wales. Ashlin leads the Trumpet Mafia and plays regularly with ensembles in New Orleans, such as the Ellis Marsalis Quintet, The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, and Bill Summers and Jazalsa. He has played with musicians such as Ellis Marsalis, Jason Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Herlin Riley, Roland Guerin, Leroy Jones, Derek Douget, Adonis Rose, Dr. John, Karl Denson, Igor Butman, and Nicholas Payton, as well as vocalists Rafael Saadiq, the O’Jays, Anthony Hamilton, PJ Morton, Aretha Franklin, Quiana Lynell, Tiffany Austin, and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Ashlin has played on more than 30 albums with other musicians and has featured solos on albums such as the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra’s Songs: The Music of Allen Toussaint (2019) and Live at Newport (2017), Tiffany Austin’s Unbroken (2018), Ellis Marsalis’ Ellis Marsalis Quintet plays Ellis Marsalis (2017), and Jason Marsalis’ Heirs of the Crescent City (2016).
In addition to teaching private lessons and leading master classes at many high schools, colleges, and universities throughout the U.S., Ashlin teaches children and teenagers at the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music (2015-present), taught applied jazz trumpet lessons at the University of New Orleans (2011-2018, and serves as a Professor of Practice at Tulane University (2018-present).
Honors include sharing in the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble for the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra’s debut album, entitled Book One. Trumpet Mafia won the OffBeat Magazine’s 2017 Best of the Beat Award: Emerging Artist of the Year. Ashlin won the French Quarter Fest, Inc. 2018 Spirit of Satchmo Award for his musical contributions to New Orleans. He holds the Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from Shenandoah University Conservatory (2005) and the Master of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of New Orleans (2009).
Mary Petrich - saxophone
B.M. Saxophone Performance Indiana University
M.M. Saxophone Performance Arizona State University
Saxophonist Mary Petrich enjoys a vibrant career as performer and teacher. Her deep love for creativity and improvisation has led her to explore traditional and non-traditional approaches, resulting in a very personalized style of playing and teaching music.
Her education focus includes improvisation for all players and saxophone study in both jazz and classical repertoire. She is director of the Nash Women’s Jazz Initiative and founder of ‘Nash Jazz DivAZ’, a project that supports jazz education for girls. Mary is also a member of the music faculty at Phoenix College, teaching improvisation and leading jazz combos.
As a performer, Mary has been pursuing her own vision as part of large and small groups including; The Phoenix Symphony, The Jazz Women All-Stars, The Temptations, AZ Festival Orchestra, and The Phoenix Chorale. She is also a founding member of the Phoenix Jazz Women Collective, director of the Nash Little Big Band and leads her own group, “OpenHand Quartet”.
Her mentors include Tony Malaby, Eugene Rousseau, and Bryon Ruth.
Deborah Weisz - trombone
From playing in the Sahara Desert, with Roswell Rudd, to touring the world with Frank Sinatra; trombonist and award-winning composer Deborah Weisz’s life in music has been filled with diversity. Originally from Chicago, IL, Deborah’s musical journey has included stops in Phoenix, Las Vegas, and NYC, where she has lived since 1993; performing and writing music for a variety of work (commercial, classical & jazz) while exploring the post-bop and beyond realms via performance & recordings with her own groups.
Deborah also works as an educator/teaching artist; giving back, and sharing her love of music with students of all ages. Along with her current teaching work, out of her private studio in NYC, Deborah is trombone instructor, ensemble coach and contributing arranger for the middle school & high school programs at Jazz at Lincoln Center, a faculty member of the NY Pops Educational Programs, and adjunct jazz faculty at WCSU in Danbury, CT. & The New School in NYC, NY.
Recent events of note include playing the rarely performed Duke Ellington’s Sacred Works in concert, two CD releases with the Schapiro 17 Jazz Orchestra, performing in the debut of Ed Neumeister’s Assemblage Jazz Orchestra, and continuing to write new music for her small and large ensembles and plan for future performances & recordings of all her groups.
Administration
Lucille Berk
Lucille Berk Graduated from ASA in 2015 before heading to Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she graduated with a BM in clarinet performance and a BME in instrumental band. Once graduated, Lucille began to work in Hope, Indiana, where she was the first ever certified general music teacher. There, Lucille created and implemented a new elementary general music curriculum focused on creative learning and musical play. After her time in Hope, Lucille returned to Arizona, where she began teaching in the Tempe Elementary school district. During her time in Tempe, Lucille used her class to promote a fun and supportive learning environment where young students could explore their creative minds through musical projects. Lucille has found great joy in facilitating open-ended projects to encourage self-reflection and transparency.
Rich Bloom
Rich Bloom is a former public school English teacher who is recently retired. He taught high school, middle school and primary grades over many years, and lives with his wife, teenage son, and two golden doodles. He attempts to play bass, and he is very excited to keep working on his jazz chops.
Madi Shupe
Madison Shupe is an upcoming jazz trombonist studying at the University of North Texas. She is an alumni to the Nash jazz education program with a passion for performing. She also aspires to inspire the next generation of musicians. In her spare time she enjoys hiking the mountains of Arizona.
