Westport’s Jazz Rabbi Goes To Redding

Greg Wall, known to many in town as the Jazz Rabbi, took his band “on the road” so to speak to perform an afternoon of Jazz classics at Redding’s Mark Twain Library under the watchful gaze of Twain himself, whose portrait holds a prominent place in the event space at the library.

Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com

Rabbi Wall (playing sax) is a founding board member of the Jazz Society of Fairfield County (JazzFC) where he serves as president and artistic director. Greg performs regularly at Westport’s Joseph J. Clinton VFW Post 399 on many Thursday evenings.

This was the first of the library’s Listen Up! sessions, a fun way to learn to appreciate Jazz music. The Mark Twain Library will hold two sessions with Greg Wall on two Thursday afternoons: April 16th and May 21st, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM. The MTL is less than 25 minutes from downtown Westport via scenic Route 53 which runs along the Saugatuck reservoir.

To learn more visit: Mark Twain Library.org

Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com

Rabbi Wall performs on both tenor and soprano saxophone and has recorded with Hasidic New Wave, Greg Wall’s Later Prophets and Zion80. Greg Wall’s Unity Orchestra has made many session appearances for record dates and film scores. Greg has curated a weekly Westport-based Jazz series since 2015, performing with a rotating lineup of internationally acclaimed NYC based and touring Jazz artists.

Joining Greg on saxophone for this gig were Matt DeChamplain on piano, who is proficient on in a wide variety of styles including stride piano, swing, bebop, and post-bop. He has collaborated with numerous notable musicians which include Dave Brubeck of “Take Five” fame among many others. Brubeck was a long-time Wilton resident who passed in 2012. Others include Jimmy Cobb, Steve Davis, Javon Jackson, Shawnn Monteiro, Nat Reeves, and Avery Sharpe.

Playing bass was Matt Dwonszyk, who holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Hartford and a Master of Music degree at SUNY Purchase College in New York. He has taught jazz bass at Manchester Community College and Central Connecticut State College. Matt has performed at legendary jazz venues like Smalls, Smoke, Minton’s, Zinc Bar, Birdland. He has released several albums, including his most recent, “Live at the Side Door”.

On drums was Joe Corsello who studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston before playing in the US Army band. Joe became a house drummer for Michael’s Pub in New York, backing such jazz artists as Red Norvo, Joe Venuti and Dave McKenna and was a member of the jazz/rock band New York Mary, which recorded two successful records. He has toured with the B52′s, Patti Smith and Stevie Wonder among others.

Jazz trumpeter Kerry MacKillop spent several years touring extensively worldwide as featured soloist with The Artie Shaw Orchestra and The Woody Herman Band. He has had the honor of performing with such luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie and Tony Bennett,  to name just a few. In addition to fronting his own groups, he was also a member of the house band for “Seinfeld” and “The Nanny”.

Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com

More than fifty people filled the MTL event space, including three young people who got a taste of this classic American music genre. Rabbi Wall and the band were very impressed with the frequent rounds of applause from the enthusiastic audience members .

About the Jazz Society Of Fairfield County:

JazzFC was formed by Wall and a few others to enrich the cultural life of Fairfield County by promoting the performance and appreciation of Jazz and its heritage. They offer free or low-cost concerts by accomplished artists, outreach to under-served audiences, and educational and performance opportunities for student, amateur and emerging professional musicians. JazzFC provides outreach to seniors, benefit performances for Veterans, and student musician clinics led by world-class professional musicians, followed by live performance opportunities by the students with their clinicians. In 2022 they launched a scholarship award for deserving students pursuing a higher education in music. The Micky Golomb Scholarship Fund was formed to honor the memory of Myron “Micky” Golomb, a well-regarded area saxophonist, educator and habitué of the Jazz Society’s Thursday evening performance presentations.

The scholarship is offered to students expressing financial need, dedicated to pursuing a career in jazz performance and/or jazz education. It is open to instrumentalists, vocalists, and composers and offers up to $10,000, which may be awarded to a single recipient or split among a few finalists, in the form of tuition paid directly to the educational institution.

To learn more abut JazzFC and see their upcoming concert schedule at Westport VFW visit: JazzFC.org

JazzFC is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization. Donations are always welcome.

Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com