Artist Profiles

Jesse Hameen II, drums

Drummer Jesse Hameen II is a musician with a mission. He is dedicated to entertaining and inspiring others to attain a higher level of spiritual consciousness. Driven by his desire, he encourage others to know that life’s conditions can be changed and improved.

When witnessing the development in his students, he declares “I am happy to have ingrained a piece of me in that development.”

Born in New Haven, CT, as Jesse Kilpatrick, Jr., his family upbringing and his background in Gospel, Afro-Cuban, R&B, and Jazz prepared him to begin successful road tours in 1963. He has since traveled and performed extensively throughout the world. He has been leading his own group, Elevation, since 1976.

Some of Jesse’s New Haven mentors are: Dickey Myers, Houston Person, Vernon Biddles, Frankie Williams, Curly Glover, Sonny Williams, Count Steadwell, Leo Stevens, Johnny “Hammond” Smith, Bobby Coles, Willie Ruff and Charlie Smith.

“Cheese,” as he is called by many of his peers and friends because of his spirited smile, has performed, recorded and/or appeared with the following artists on stages and national TV: Ruth Brown, Charles Brown, Grover Washington Jr., George Benson, Ms. Irene Reid, Gloria Lynne, Stanley Turrentine, Tommy Turrentine, Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions, Ruby & The Romantics, Charles Earland, Jimmy McGriff, Jimmy Witherspoon, Hank Crawford, Lou Donaldson, Etta Jones, Lena Horne,

Tommy Flannagan, Rodney Jones, Leon Thomas, Pharaoh Sanders, Jimmy Scott, Blue Mitchell, Kenny Burrell, Brook Benton, Arthur Prysock, Jimmy Ponder, Melvin

“Sparks” Hasan, Major Holly, Doug Carn, Jean Carn, Bobby Watson, Harold Vick, Albert Daley, Walter Bishop Jr., Christian Sands, Freddie Hubbard, Jamil Nasser, Dr. Lonnie Smith, David “Fathead” Newman, Kenny Baron, George Adams, Benny Powell, Hamiet Bluiett, Curtis Fuller, Ronnie

Mathews, Billy Larkin, Eddie Buster, Bobby Buster, Russell Malone, Odean Pope, James Spaulding, Rusty Bryant and Sonny Fortune.

At 81 years old, Jesse has performed with countless musicians. This partial list is far from complete. His professional career, which spans more than 60 years, continues through today.

Being an educator, Jesse has taught components of music as an adjunct professor at The Hartford Conservatory of Music, Betsy Ross Arts Magnet Middle School in New Haven, ECA (Educational Center for The Arts) HS, in New Haven, Clara Muhammad School in Corona, NY, and Jazz Mobile In NYC. Jesse has also been a Guest Clinician at Juilliard and has taught classes at Wesleyan University. He has presented seminars and assembly programs in NYC public schools, libraries and in other cities nationwide for over fifty years.

Presently, Jesse is on the faculty of Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, as a private instructor and Director of the NMS Summer Jazz Program. Jesse has served as Chair of the NMS Jazz Department for the past twenty years. NMS is the largest nonprofit community arts organization in the state of CT and one the 10th largest in the US.

Additionally, Jesse is on the faculty at Gordon College in Wenham, MA. He is a Commissioner of Arts and Culture for the City of New Haven.

As a Jazz preservationist, Jesse is one the founders of the rejuvenated New Haven Jazz Festival (2008–2017). He is on the Board of Directors for Jazz Haven, which has been the presenting organization for the Jazz Festival. Jesse implemented the inherent policy that every Jazz Haven Festival must have a residual effect by featuring youth artists and a Guest Clinician at the NMS Summer Jazz Program each year.

Jesse is President and Founder of Inspire Productions Recording Company. The company has produced two releases for the Savant Record Label: Thanks To You and Moving Out by vocalist Ms. Irene Reid; as well as Give Your Life to God and Sign Of The Times by Jesse Hameen II, Why Don’t You Say Yes Sometime? by trombonist Benny Powell, and Hit It by the Neo Bass Ensemble.

» jessehameenii.com

Rodney Jones, guitar

Guitarist Rodney Jones was born in New Haven, CT, while his father was a graduate student at Yale Divinity School. Rodney is a producer, composer, and arranger. Jones’s albums include The Liberation of Contemporary Jazz Guitar, Articulation, When You Feel the Love (Verve), The “X” Field,

Right Now!, The Undiscovered Few (Blue Note), Soul Manifesto (Blue Note), Soul Manifesto Live, and Dreams and Stories.

At the age of 19, Rodney was hired by the great Jazz Master Dizzy Gillespie and worked with him for three years. He was the staff guitarist for the The Rosie O’Donnell Show (6 years), as well as for Showtime at the Apollo (9 years), The Rhythm and Blues Awards, Songwriters Hall of Fame, and was the Musical Contractor for The Cosby Show and It’s a Different World.

He has written for, produced, and performed with Ruth Brown, Lena Horne, Maceo Parker, Christian McBride, Jimmy Smith, Chico Hamilton, Barry Manilow, Bette Midler, Kenny Burrell, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and others. He has been on the faculty of The Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School as a Professor of Jazz Guitar Studies. Jones’ book Hip Guitar Lines: The Lines, Fingerings, and Ideas That Will Transform Your Playing was published in 2020. He continues to be an innovator in the jazz guitar world.

» rodneyjones.com

T.K. Blue, saxophone

Blue, Talib Kibwe’s nickname, appears on over 85 recordings and performed with such artists as Don Cherry, Jaki Byard’s Apollo Stompers, Ted Daniels’ Big Band, Abdullah Ibrahim, Miriam Makeba, Randy Weston (T.K. was also his musical director and arranger), Sam Rivers, Archie Shepp, Xalam (from Senegal), Charli Persip, Sahib Shihab, Benny Bailey, George Lewis,