2022–2023 DONNA AND MARVIN SCHWARTZ ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

Emory Jazz Fest 2023

Gary Motley, Director of Jazz Studies

Warren Wolf, vibraphonist, and the Emory Jazz Fest All-Stars

Friday, February 10, 2023, 8:00 p.m.

Gary Motley, piano; Gregory Tardy, tenor saxophone; Edwin Livingston, bass; Clarence Penn, drums

Emory Big Band with the Emory University Symphony Orchestra Strings

Saturday, February 11, 2023, 8:00 p.m.

Emerson Concert Hall Schwartz Center for Performing Arts

Friday, February 10, 2023

Jazz Fest 2023 Guest Artist Program

Warren Wolf and the Emory Jazz Fest All-Stars

Gary Motley, piano; Gregory Tardy, tenor saxophone; Edwin Livingston, bass; Clarence Penn, drums

Tonight’s selections will be announced from the stage.

Schwartz Artist-in-Residence Program

The Donna and Marvin Schwartz Foundation Artist-in-Residence program at Emory seeks to substantially increase the depth, diversity, and profile of performing arts education in the Emory and greater Atlanta communities by providing opportunities for meaningful contact with performing artists, composers, and art scholars from throughout the world. To learn more about performances and interactive learning workshops with Schwartz artists in residence, visit schwartz.emory.edu/SAIR.

Warren Wolf, vibraphone

Warren Wolf is a multi-instrumentalist from Baltimore, Maryland. From the age of three years old, Wolf has been trained on the vibraphone/ marimba, drums, and piano. Under the guidance of his father, Warren Wolf Sr., he developed a deep background in all genres of music.

Beginning with classical, Wolf has studied composers including Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Paganini, Brahms, Vivaldi, and Shostakovich. He also studied ragtime, learning music from the songbooks of Scott Joplin, Harry Brewer, and George Hamilton Green. In jazz, Wolf has studied artists and composers including Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Freddie Hubbard, Clifford Brown, Herbie Hancock, Oscar Peterson, Milt Jackson, Bobby Hutcherson, Cal Tjader, Return to Forever, Weather Report, Wynton Marsalis, and many others.

Wolf attended Peabody Prepatory for eight years, studying classical music with former Baltimore Symphony Orchestra member Leo LePage. During his high school years at Baltimore School for the Arts, Wolf studied with current Baltimore Symphony Orchestra member John Locke. After graduating from Baltimore School for the Arts in June 1997, Wolf headed north and enrolled at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

During his time at Berklee, Wolf studied with Caribbean jazz vibraphonist Dave Samuels and vibist Ed Saindon. At Berklee, Wolf began to explore deeper into jazz. Some musicians who helped Wolf reach his musical goal while at Berklee include Jeremy Pelt, John Lamkin, Darren Barrett, Wayne Escoffery, Richard Johnson, Kendrick Scott, Walter Smith, Jason Palmer, Rashawn Ross, and many others. Through those musicians, Wolf became an active performer throughout the Boston area, gigging frequently on the vibraphone, drums, and piano. One of the highlights of Wolf’s time in Boston was co-leading a quintet with Boston-based trumpeter Jason Palmer at the historic jazz club Wally’s Cafe. Wolf was the house drummer at Wally’s for two years.

After graduating from Berklee in May 2001, Wolf became an active musician on the local Boston scene. He was hired in September 2003 to become an instructor in the percussion department at Berklee College of Music. Wolf taught private lessons on the vibraphone and drums, as well as a beginner’s keyboard class for entering freshman drumset majors.

After two years of teaching at Berklee, Wolf headed back to Baltimore to achieve his main goal of becoming a full-time performing musician. Wolf landed the piano duties performing in the Rachael Price Group and toured throughout the United States. He is currently the drummer of choice for alto saxophonist Tia Fuller, who tours with internationally renowned pop star Beyoncé. Wolf is also a member of the Donal Fox Group, which includes bassist John Lockwood and drummers Dafnis Preito and Terri Lyne Carrington. In addition, Wolf performs with Bobby Watson’s Live and Learn Sextet, Karriem Riggins Virtuoso Experience, and Christian McBride & Inside Straight. With these three groups, Wolf has traveled the world including performances in South America, Canada, Italy, Spain, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Scotland, London, Greece, Singapore, Thailand, Jakarta, Bangkok, Tokyo, Paris, and Moscow. Wolf has several recordings as a leader. His first two are on the M&I label, which is based in Japan. The first, Incredible Jazz Vibes, features Mulgrew Miller on piano, Vicente Archer on bass, and Kendrick Scott on drums. The second record, Black Wolf, features Mulgrew Miller on piano, Rodney Whitaker on bass, and Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums. Wolf has a self-produced CD titled RAW that features Darren Barrett on trumpet, Walter Smith on tenor saxophone, Jason Palmer on trumpet, Plume on alto saxophone, Kris Funn on bass, Peter Slavov on bass, Lawrence Fields on piano/Fender Rhodes, and Charles “Dogg” Haynes on drums. On RAW, Wolf performs on both the vibraphone and drums. On his fourth recording, Warren “Chano Pozo” Wolf, Wolf performs on the vibraphone, drums/ Fender Rhodes, and piano. This recording features Tim Green on alto saxophone, Lawrence Fields on piano/Fender Rhodes, John Lamkin on drums, Dana Hawkins on drums, Kris Funn on bass,

Louis Cato on electric bass, Delandria Mills on flute, Tabreeca Woodside on vocals, and Integriti Reeves on vocals. Wolf has recently signed to the Mack Ave recording label. A future record will be released soon.

Other notable musicians that Wolf has played, collaborated, or recorded with include Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Jeremy Pelt and Creation, Nicholas Payton, Tim Warfield, Adonis Rose, Anthony Wonsey, Aaron Goldberg, Cyrus Chestnut, Lewis Nash, Willie Jones, Eric Reed, Yoron Israel, Larry Willis, David “Fathead” Newman, Stefon Harris, Reuben Rogers, Kevin Eubanks, Curtis Lundy, Steve Davis, Duane Eubanks, Ron Carter, Wycliffe Gordon, Robert Glasper, esperanza spalding, and many others.

Gary Motley, piano

Since embarking on a solo career in 1994, Gary Motley has been at the forefront of jazz in the southeastern United States, establishing himself as a keyboard virtuoso, composer, and internationally acclaimed educator. A high-energy performer in genres including straight-ahead jazz, chamber music, and symphonic works, he has been recognized by Downbeat magazine, the American Composers Forum, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Great American Jazz Piano Competition—and he was recently inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in acknowledgement of his artistic and educational achievements.

During his career, Motley has established a professional association with many of today’s leaders in jazz. Featured on public radio’s Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland, he has shared the stage with artists from Dave Brubeck and Regina Carter to Mel Tormé and Bob Mintzer. Motley’s composing portfolio encompasses a wide array of genres and ensembles and he has premiered works at numerous national and international festivals.

In addition to his work as an artist, Motley is committed to jazz education, serving as professor of pedagogy and founding director of Jazz Studies at Emory University.

Gregory Tardy, tenor saxophone

“Music is an expression of the soul and I always try to speak through my horn,” says Gregory Tardy. “I once heard an older musician say ‘it is better to be felt than to be heard.’ I never forgot that. That is my approach to playing any style of music.”

Born into a musical family, Gregory Tardy began his musical career studying classical clarinet. In high school, Tardy excelled in music, winning many awards and scholarship offers. While studying with renowned clarinetists Russell Dagon and Jack Snavely, Tardy began preparing for a symphony career. Over time, he began to be asked to play saxophone, to fill in missing gaps in various ensembles. Although he never practiced the saxophone seriously, Tardy began getting calls to play local funk gigs in the Milwaukee area. At the prodding of his older brother, Tardy finally listened to the duo recording of John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk playing Monk’s Mood, and then immediately determined to be a jazz musician.

Tardy’s passion for the saxophone took over his studies and soon his clarinet was gathering dust. At this time, he moved to St. Louis and after a year of performing on the jazz and blues scene, he decided to move back to his birthplace, New Orleans, in order to focus his jazz studies even further. “This proved to be great move,” Tardy says. “ There were all of these outstanding players down there—many of whom went on to be well known, like Nicholas Payton, Brian Blade, Victor Goines, Mark Turner, Delfeayo and Jason Marsalis, and far too many others to mention. Many, like I, came to study with Ellis Marsalis; some were just hanging out. It was there that I really started to get my playing together.” While in New Orleans, Tardy also played with some of the local brass bands, did some gigging with the Neville Brothers, Allen Toussaint, and groups of all styles—but he never stopped pursuing jazz.

In 1992, Tardy recorded his first solo project, Crazy Love. This was also the year that he was picked up by Elvin Jones Jazz Machine, a relationship that lasted several years. During the time with the legendary Elvin Jones, Tardy felt that it was finally time to move to the Big Apple. In New York City, he went on to perform and record with an extremely large array of prominent artists including Tom Harrell, Dave Douglas, Wynton Marsalis, Jay McShann, Steve Coleman, Betty Carter, James Moody, Bill Frisell, Rashied Ali, John Patitucci, and many more. In 1999, Tardy began to play in various bands led by the great Andrew Hill, a relationship that lasted many years and produced several highly acclaimed recordings. He has also performed and/or recorded alongside many other notable saxophonists, such as Joe Lovano, Mark Turner, Chris Potter, Dewey Redman, Ravi Coltrane, and many others. In recent years, Tardy has come full circle, bringing his clarinet out of retirement, using it on recordings by Tom Harrell, Ohad Talmor/Steve Swallow, Stefon Harris, Chris Potter, and Andrew Hill.

Tardy’s performance schedule has taken him all over the world, playing at all of the major jazz festivals and on some of the biggest stages in jazz. As a sideman, he has been featured on several Downbeat Albums of the Year and also several Grammy-nominated recordings, including a Grammy-winning CD with Brian Lynch in 2006. He also has recorded 14 CDs under his own name featuring his unique compositions, blending his love of traditional jazz with a more modern seeking style. His latest project, If Time Could Stand Still, was released in fall 2020 on WJ3 Records.

Edwin Livingston, bass

Hailing from Dallas, Edwin Livingston was exposed to music early on. He has lived in Austin and New Orleans, and he now lives in Los Angeles.

In his various travels, Livingston has played and recorded with many notable artists and greats including Elvin Jones, Ellis Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Jason Marsalis, the Headhunters, Los Hombres Calientes (Grammy-nominated Latin Jazz album), Bill Summers, Munyungo Jackson, Donald Harrison Jr., Alvin Batiste, Ronnie Laws, Debra Laws, Lionel Loueke, D.J. Logic, David ”Fathead” Newman, John Beasley, the MONK’estra, Otmaro Ruiz, Mike Garson, Russell Ferrante, Sadao Watanabe, Justo Almario, Leni Stern, Kevin Toney of the Blackbyrds, Dave Weckl, Will Kennedy, Peter Erskine, Vince Wilburn Jr., Jimmy Branly, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Tootie Heath, Joe LaBarbera, Hot Buttered Rhythm, Gecko Turner, Henry Butler, James Clay, Barbara Morrison, Queen Latifah, the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, the Afro-American Chamber Music Society Orchestra, the Benjamin Wright Orchestra (Raphael Saadiq, Justin Timberlake, will.i.am, Brian McKnight, Mary J. Blige, Aretha Franklin), Dave Slonaker Big Band (Grammy-nominated large ensemble album), Vince Mendoza, Bob Mintzer (Grammy-nominated large ensemble album), Yellowjackets,

Mary Chapin Carpenter, Jovanotti, Keiko Matsui, Melody Gardot, Seal, Natalie Cole, Ben Vereen, Frankie Valli, and many others.

In addition to a full playing, touring, and recording career, Livingston is on the faculty at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, teaching bass and small ensembles in the jazz studies department. He is also part of the faculty of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. He has a bachelor’s degree in music performance from Wichita State University and an MFA in performance/composition from the California Institute of the Arts.

Livingston has appeared in several feature films including Ray, Dreamgirls, Dolemite Is My Name, and Low Down, and he has also performed on NBC live in Jesus Christ Superstar with John Legend, Sara Bareilles, and Brandon Victor Dixon. Other notable performances include with Seal on the Late Late Show with James Corden, with Melody Gardot on Later . . . with Jools Holland, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Ellen DeGeneres Show, the Today Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, and the A & E show Private Sessions with Queen Latifah.

Livingston has recorded two CDs as a leader performing original music: the Edwin Livingston Group and Transitions.

Clarence Penn, drums

Clarence Penn is one of the busiest jazz drummers in the world, a leader of multiple bands, a composer, a prolific producer, and an educator. Since 1991, when Penn arrived in New York City, he has placed his unique blend of mega-chops, keen intellect, and heady musicianship at the service of a staggering array of A-list artists—a chronological short-list includes Ellis and Wynton Marsalis, Betty Carter, Stanley Clarke, Steps Ahead, Makoto Ozone, Michael Brecker, Dave Douglas, Maria Schneider, Luciana Souza, Richard Galliano, and Fourplay. Penn’s impressive discography includes several hundred studio albums (including the Grammy-winning recordings 34th N Lex by Randy Brecker and Concert in the Garden and Sky Blue by Maria Schneider) representing a 360-spectrum of jazz expression. Penn has toured extensively throughout the United States, the Americas, Europe, Japan, and Southeast Asia. He has composed music for films and commercials and produced tracks for numerous singers in the pop and alternative arenas. Penn earned a “Ten Best of 1997” accolade from the New York Times for his first leader recording, Penn’s Landing.

A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, where he was a protégé of Ellis Marsalis, Penn is active as an educator and drum clinician. From 2004 to 2012, he taught on the faculty of the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music. He has also served on faculty at the Stanford Jazz Workshop, the Saint Louis College of Music in Rome, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Intensive Jazz Institute.

Penn’s most recent rhythmically intoxicating recording is 2014’s Monk: The Lost Files, arrangements of the music of Thelonious Monk. Released on the Origin record label, an amazing quartet comprising saxophonist Chad Leftkowitz-Brown, pianists Gerald Clayton and Donald Vega, and bassist Yasushi Nakamura perform the music of Thelonius Monk with today’s modern jazz sensibility. Near completion is a world music studio project of songs and instrumentals that melds background voices— including his own—with a world-class band.

Whether Penn is leading his own band or performing as a sideman, he brings to the table unfailing versatility and professionalism, an ability to find creative ways to interpret a global array of styles and idioms, and a stated intention “to play music that’s warm and organic for the people and for myself . . . When people hear my name, I want them to think, ‘I don’t know what band he’s playing with tonight or what he’ll be doing, but it’s going to be good, it’s going to be musical.’”

Saturday, February 11, 2023