The Matt Steckler Quartet featuring John Esposito, Otto Gardner, and Joe Barna has announced it is coming to Alias Coffee in Troy on January 14, from 6-7:30 p.m.
Saxophonist Matt Steckler is teaming with John Esposito (piano), Otto Gardner (bass), and Joe Barna (drums), for an evening of fresh takes on original works for jazz quartet. The Roman God Janus represents “beginnings, transitions, looking back and forward,” the impetus behind this adventurous and versatile lineup.
Matthew Steckler, aka Matty Stecks, performs primarily on woodwinds and composes in several musical settings internationally. As an artist, he has appeared at The Blue Note and Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Operetta Teatrul (Bucharest), House of Blues & Jazz (Shanghai), and more. He has received commissions from Chamber Music America, Meet the Composer, and American Composers Forum, has recordings on Ropeadope, Cuneiform, and Innova labels, and has made Best CD lists in Downbeat and Jazz Times.
John Esposito is an American pianist/composer/drummer/producer who works on a wide array of creative music projects, extending across the stylistic boundaries of the Stride Piano, Swing, Bebop, Modal, and Free Music movements. He has performed and recorded with artists including Nick Brignola, Dave Douglas, Dave Holland, Carter Jefferson, and more.
Joe Barna is a drummer/composer/bandleader originally from Troy whose passion and dedication to music have taken him around the world. He studied at SUNY Purchase with Jon Faddis, Hal Galper, Adam Nussbaum, John Riley and Todd Coolman, and has had the honor of playing with GRAMMY recipients Gary Smulyan and Ralph Lalama. He has taken his passion and talent abroad to Canada, Australia, Russia, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, New Zealand, Dubai UAE, Turkey, Egypt, and many other destinations, and recorded on over ten albums as a sideman and has six albums as a bandleader.
Otto Gardner is an American bass player and teacher, playing music for 40 years throughout the Northeast, California, and Canada. he is a founding member of Schenectady’s Empire Jazz Orchestra, in which he has played for more than 22 years, along with such Jazz Master guests as Jimmy Heath, Lou Soloff, Curtis Fuller, Rufus Reid, and Benny Golson. In addition to performance and recording, Otto’s teaching experience spans three decades, and since 2010, he has been a member of the Bard College community as an adjunct professor in the Jazz Department.
The Matt Steckler Quartet is playing at Alias Coffee on Jan. 14 from 6-7:30 p.m. Attendees must pay a $20 minimum donation at the door. For more information, visit here.
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