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Upcoming
2007 Events
Peter Chwazik Quartet to play Ellington
for Arts at Grace Concert
The Arts at Grace concert series will present the second annual William J Greer Memorial Concert 4 p.m. Sunday, March 11 at Grace Episcopal Church, 13 Court St. in Cortland. The Peter Chwazik Quartet will present a program featuring the music of Duke Ellington. A reception will follow the performance.
Admission to all Arts at Grace events is free, but voluntary donations can be made at the door. Come and enjoy a spectacular performance of some of the finest numbers in the Duke Ellington collection. Then, stay for the reception and talk with the musicians who are the Peter Chwazik Quartet. For further information, call the church at (607)753-3073.
The Arts at Grace is a community outreach effort of Grace Episcopal Church with the assistance of many contributors from the greater Cortland community. The series is also supported by a Vision Grant from the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York, funds from the New York State Council of the Arts Decentralization Grants, as well as the New York State Music Fund, established by New York Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
After studying guitar with Steve Brown at Ithaca College, Utica native Peter Chwazik moved to New York City and changed his focus to bass. He has played with a variety of well-known jazz musicians since the 1980's, including the late free jazz pioneer Don Cherry. An original member of New York Voices, he has appeared at jazz festivals in the US, Canada and across Europe.
The other members of the quartet include saxophone player Mike Dubaniewicz, pianist John W. White and drummer Steve Curry.Chwazik is often seen with pianist Dino Losito, vocalists Nancy Kelly and Ronnie Leigh, the Gap Mangione Big Band and the New Millennium Jazz Quartet. He also has worked with artists as varied as Wycliffe Gordon, Toshiko Akyoshi and Lew Tabackin, Hank Roberts, Bo Diddley, Al Martino, The Mills Brothers and the Rochester Philharmonic. He has performed with the Central NY Jazz Orchestra, sharing the stage with Hubert Laws, Benny Golson, Joe Locke and Kevin Mahogany. Chwazik is a highly versatile studio musician, recording artist, and composer. He is a member of the performance art ensemble Alligator Mouth Improv and musical director of Opera Cowpokes. Peter currently lives in the Ithaca area.
Saxophone player Mike Dubaniewicz received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of North Texas. He then went on to the Manhattan School of Music where he played lead alto in the Jazz Orchestra. He has performed with legends like Jon Hendrix, Sir Roland Hanna, Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, and Frank Foster. From 1998-2003, Mike toured the world with Maynard Ferguson's Big Bop Nouveau Band serving as Saxophonist/Musical Director, performing in over 20 nations in Europe and Asia.
John W. White is currently Associate Professor of Music Theory, History, and Composition at Ithaca College. As a pianist he specializes in diversity and is equally at home in the worlds of jazz, classical, and popular music. He has performed with a number of artists such as Mike Tomaro, Joe Negri, Wycliffe Gordon, Barbara Baker, and free improviser Rhiannon. He is currently the Music Director and Organist for St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Ithaca, NY.
Steve Curry of Rochester, NY studied drumming with jazz legend Vincent Ruggeiro and percussion with John McNeil of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. He is currently with The Gap Mangione Big Band. He has performed with Chuck Mangione, Jeff Jarvis, Bob Militello, the Rochester Philharmonic under Jeff Tyzik, and a variety of diverse artists including Jerry Vale, Mickey Rooney, Frank Gorshen, Donald O'Conner, Kenny Rankin, Mark Murphy and others. Steve is active as a studio session drummer, performing on hundreds of national and regional jingles, HBO presentations, and the sound track for the full length feature film “The Next Big Thing”. As the leader of The New Millennium Jazz Quartet he gives public school jazz presentations through Young Audiences of Rochester. Steve teaches percussion at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.