Marcos Varela, a equally skilled doubler at both acoustic and electric bass is among the highly respected bassist/musicians in the American and International Jazz/music scene. His talents have also earned him many awards and accolades as musician, composer, producer, band leader, and teacher.
In his hometown of Houston, Texas, Varela attended the renowned High School for the Performing & Visual Arts. As a professional musician, he continues to be very active in the New York jazz and contemporary music scene and has made a name for himself as one of the most in-demand bassists in the City and worldwide. He regularly performs with a wide variety of ensembles and band leaders including; The Mingus Big Band, John Holiday, George Cables, Ingrid Jensen, Billy Hart, Antoine Roney, Charli Persip, Clifton Anderson, Jason Moran, Geri Allen, The Last Poets, Leslie Odom, Jr., Frank Lacy’s Vibe Tribe, Kendrick Scott, Billy Harper, Tyshawn Sorey, and Vincent Gardner’s Jazz Houston, among countless others. He was selected as a member of Jazz at Lincoln Center Trombonist Vincent Gardner's Jazz Houston, which has featured guests such as Gregory Porter, Wynton Marsalis, Ruben Blades and Jon Faddis. As a composer, He has also composed music for several film and television projects, including director Domenica Cameron-Scorsese's film "Roots in Water."
Legendary bassist Ron Carter contributed to the liner notes for Marcos's Origin Records debut album "San Ygnacio'', where Carter writes that Varela's "Tone, Choice of Notes and Compositions will place his playing and name on the list of bassists to be heard.", in addition Mr. Carter has made statements regarding Marcos’ musical contributions saying of him; “a valuable asset to any musical organization”, “a truly unique musician”, “Mr. Varela belongs in the top bass players in the industry and his impressive resume confirms my words”, “a fine example of talent that is essential to the scene”, “top notch proficiency on his instrument as well as a complete understanding of the history and details of the jazz art form”
In addition to sideman work, Varela leads his own projects. This includes a European tour which featured a performance of the music of his debut album “San Ygnacio” on origin records at the historic Jazz á Liège festival in Liege, Belgium. This project (Marcos Varela featuring Billy Hart) shared a billing with Fred Hersch's Trio at the festival. He also recently lead a all star quartet at Prishtina’s Jazz Week in Kosovo, in March of 2020. Varela’s newest projects include “One Mind” recently released on the Spanish label Fresh Sound Records, with pianist Peter Zak, as well as Seamus Blake and Billy Drummond. Another project on the same label, “Illumination” featuring Rob Garcia, Marcos Varela, John O’Gallagher, and Noah Preminger, is set for release in late 2020/early 2021.
Leonardo Genovese was born in Venado Tuerto, Argentina in 1979. After some years of studying classical piano at the National University of Rosario as well as private lessons in contemporary music, he moved to Boston in 2001. He started his career at Berklee College of Music where he studied with Danilo Perez, Joanne Brackeen and Frank Carlberg, among others. Leo graduated as a Professional Music Major in 2003 and has been constantly performing and recording with talented musicians such us Hal Crook, Darren Barrett, George Garzone, Francisco Mela, Joe Lovano, Bob Gulloti, Phil Grenadier, Dave Santoro, Chris Cheek, Michael Janisch and Ben Monder. In 2004, he released his first solo album entitled Haikus II signed by Spanish label Fresh Sound Records. He also performs regularly with the Esperanza Spalding Group, the Mike Tucker Quartet, Planet Safety (w/Bob Gullotti and Dave Zinno), Wayne Shorter Group and Jack Dejohnette.
When he’s not touring with Spalding, Genovese – who is currently based in New York – also plays with a loosely assembled group called the Chromatic Gauchos, whose core membership includes Bob Gulloti, Dan Blake and John Lockwood. This threesome, along with Spalding and percussionist Sergio Miranda, appears prominently on Seeds. While Genovese is still early on his career arc, he hopes that his music could eventually be more than just a source of entertainment, but also a force for change in a world that is troubled by economic, social and political challenges. “I would like it to go somewhere positive, somewhere helpful,” he says. “I would like for people to really gain something worthwhile from it. There are so many people around the word in need. Most of us never realize it, because most of us have the basic necessities and much more. But some people – many people – have very little.”
He adds: “I want to make people more aware of the many different circumstances – and sometimes difficult circumstances – that other people face every day. A lot of it has to do with having the right intention. Music is a lot like people in that way. If it comes from a good place, it’s more likely to bear good fruit.”
Jay Sawyer was Born in Grand Rapids, MI, Jay Sawyer is one of the most in-demand rising star drummers in New York City. He has shared the stage with artists such as Freddy Cole, John McNeil, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Stefon Harris, Donny McCaslin, Benito Gonzalez, and Shai Maestro among others. Jay is also a first call drummer for many up-and-coming musicians in New York including Itamar Borochov, Caroline Davis, Tomoko Omura, John Raymond and many more. He has toured extensively in the USA and Europe, including performances at the Montreal, Detroit and Chicago Jazz Festivals, Festival Eclats d’Email in Limoges, France and more.
While attending Western Michigan University and the University of Illinois, respectively, Jay studied with some of the most well-respected jazz drummers including Billy Hart, Tim Froncek, Keith Hall and Dana Hall. Each nurtured his passion and skill for the art of jazz drums. As a result, Jay has become a passionate and gifted educator, both as a private lesson teacher as well as in a group setting.
https://www.whirlwindrecordings.com/%E2%80%8Bleo-genovese/
- Marcos Varela’s New Record, "San Ygnacio" out now on Origin Record's. Selected as one Jazziz Magazines Top releases of 2016 as well as selected by NPR Music as one of the top debuts of 2016! http://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2016/12/21/506093073/the-2016-npr-music-jazz-critics-poll Featuring George Cables, Billy Hart, Clifton Anderson, Logan Richardson, Dayna Stephens, Arnold Lee, Eden Ladin and Kush Abadey with Liner notes by the Legendary Ron Carter, https://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2016/03/bassist-marcos-varela-bridges-generations-remarkable-debut-cd/
order here; http://originarts.com/recordings/recording.php?TitleID=82711