Interplay: winners of the first annual Generations International Competition and Fellowship

Posted Fri, 11/14/2008 - 2:24am

Interplay offers a post-bop sound rooted in the tradition of artists like Clifford Brown and Horace Silver. The group won the first annual ICA/SF State International Competition and Fellowship for Emerging Jazz Combos handily, bowling over the audience at Yoshi’s San Francisco during an exciting “Battle of the Bands” concert and greatly impressing the hard-to-impress veterans of the Generations Ensemble.

Based in New York City, the band is comprised of some of the best, and busiest, young musicians on the very demanding New York jazz scene. Trumpeter Bruce Harris is from the Bronx, pianist Adam Birnbaum grew up in Boston and drummer Carmen Intorre hails from Buffalo. Bassist Yasushi Nakamura was raised in Seattle but born in Tokyo. Intorre, Nakamura and Birnbaum all attended The Juilliard School, and Harris studied at SUNY Purchase.

The Band

Bruce Harris: trumpet

Website: http://www.bruceharris.biz

In addition to his work with Interplay, Bruce Harris leads his own quintet and big band in clubs around New York City and is an active member in the Winard Harper Quintet. In 2007, Harris performed at the Festival of New Trumpet Music in New York City as part of a schedule that also included Dave Douglas, Jeremy Pelt, and Cecil Bridgewater.

Harris' affinity for jazz began when he was youngster, listening to his grandfather play the alto sax in his family's South Bronx apartment. His love affair with the trumpet was inspired by the Spike Lee movie, “Mo’ Better Blues,” and from the start Harris was grounded in the fundamentals, as his early stylistic influences were Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Clifford Brown and Dizzy Gillespie.

As a high school junior, Harris was selected to perform in the “Essentially Ellington” Jazz Band competition, sharing the stage with Wynton Marsalis. The next year Harris made the National Grammy High School Band and received a Blue Note Jazz Scholarship. The next step was college studies at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, where Harris received an invaluable mentorship from trumpet great Jon Faddis. In 2003, Harris traveled to Europe as guest soloist with the Netherlands Jazz Orchestra. Harris completed his studies with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 2004 and stepped off into a full-time professional jazz career. He’s since played with stars like Curtis Fuller, Marcus Strickland and Dave Brubeck.

Carmen Intorre: drums

Website: http://www.carmenintorre.com

Carmen Intorre leads his own groups, from duo to septet, throughout the New York City area. In addition, he makes regular appearances in the groups of Dominick Farinacci and Ernie Krivda. The regard with which his colleagues hold this young rhythm-man was underscored recently when Intorre was asked to sub for Byron Landham with the trio of famed organist Joey DeFrancesco.

Born in Buffalo, New York, Intorre began playing drums at age five. By age 16, he was performing with local jazz groups, most notably including legendary Buffalo pianist Al Tinney. He served as the house drummer at The Calumet Arts Café, backing visiting stars like David “Fathead” Newman and George Garzone.

In 1999, Carmen moved to New York City and began his studies at New School University, spending two years there before moving on to The Juilliard School. Intorre recently graduated Juilliard with a Bachelor in Music degree in jazz performance. At Juilliard Intorre studied and/or worked with Lewis Nash, Percy Heath, Ray Brown, Benny Golson and Wynton Marsalis.

Yasushi Nakamura: bass

Website: http://www.yasushinakamura.com

Bassist Yasushi Nakamura leads a busy schedule playing in some of New York City’s most important jazz venues. He’s recently been found at Birdland, the Jazz Standard, the Blue Note and the Algonquin Hotel performing with his Nial Djuliarso Quartet cohorts and with groups like David Berger’s Sultans of Swing and tenor saxophonist Loren Schoenberg. In April, 2008, Nakamura played at the Lincoln Center Gala backing a group that included guitarist John Pizzarelli, singer Ann Hampton Callaway and trumpeter Eddie Henderson.

Nakamura was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1982 and grew up in Seattle. His musical training began at age eleven with clarinet and tenor saxophone, and he switched to bass at age fourteen. After graduating Newport High School in 2000, Nakamura went on to study jazz at Berklee College of Music, receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Performance in 2003. In 2004, he received a full scholarship to the Juilliard School, graduating with a degree in Jazz Studies in 2006.

Over his short but extremely impressive career, Nakamura has already performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, and the Monterey Jazz Festival. He was invited to perform with the 2003 Jazz Aspen Snowmass academy led by Christian McBride, the 2004 Ravinia Jazz Festival, and 2004 Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead at Kennedy Center. He’s already performed with jazz stars including Victor Goines, Benny Golson, Jon Hendricks, Hank Jones and Wynton Marsalis.

Adam Birnbaum: piano

Website: http://www.adambirnbaum.com

The most recent addition to Interplay, pianist Adam Birnbaum is already a veteran of work with stars like Greg Osby, Wycliffe Gordon, Wynton Marsalis and George Mraz. In addition to his work with his Generations Fellowship collegues, Birnbaum is a regular member of renowned saxophonist/composer Greg Osby’s excellent ensemble. He’s toured throughout the U.S. with Osby and is featured on Osby’s 2008 CD, 9 Levels.

A 2003 graduate of Juilliard, Birnbaun quickly won the 2004 American Jazz Piano Competition. In October, 2006, he received the first ever "special honor" prize at the Martial Solal Competition in Paris. Accomplished as a leader in his own right, Birnbaun’s trio trio has opened for both Brad Mehldau and Herbie Hancock. He led a quintet-in-residence at the 2006 Festival Dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. Birnbaum is also an acclaimed solo pianist. In October 2005, he presented the first solo jazz piano recital at the Phillips Collection Sunday Concerts Series in Washington, D.C. A year later, Birnbaum toured the Czech Republic playing solo concerts. In April 2007, he made his New York solo debut as part of the Fazioli Salon series at the Klavierhaus.

Birnbaum’s third album as a leader, Travels, was released in 2008. He has also released Ballade Pour Adeline, which received a Gold Disk award from Swing Journal as one of the top albums of 2006, and A Comme Amour. Prior to his work at Juilliard, Birnbaum studied music at the New England Conservatory of Music. He has studied piano with Kenny Barron, Danilo Perez, and Fred Hersch.

For more information visit: http://creativearts.sfsu.edu/generations