Live performance of original compositions by composer and vibraphonist Bill Ware and his trio of internationally known musicians, Alex Collins on keyboard, Carlos Mena on bass, and Taru Alexander on Drums.

Concert starts at 7:30 PM but guests are invited to bring a picnic and enjoy the grounds starting at 6:00 PM. Light refreshments will be offered for sale. No alcohol please. The concert will will take place in the the spacious Twin Ponds Barn, rain or shine. Bring a folding chair to enjoy the music inside the barn or outside. This will be under cover, but open air, so please wear insect repellent if desired.

Tickets are a suggested donation of $20. Cash and check will be accepted at the door, but preregistration and payment is recommended and appreciated.

BILL WARE is a vibraphonist, composer, bassist and producer known for his three years with Steely Dan, as a founding member of the Jazz Passengers and as a member of the Groove Collective. He has also led dozens of bands featuring his own works and has performed with Deborah Harry, Mavis Staples, Elvis Costello, Jimmy Scott, Cuba Gooding, Bob Dorough, Marc Ribot, and others. As a sideman, he’s appeared with Bobby Previte’s New Bump Quartet, the Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet, and Mickey Bass’s New York Powerhouse Ensemble. Ware is a graduate of Montclair State University and studied jazz at the Harlem Jazzmobile Workshop under renowned educator and be-bop guru Barry Harris.

Ware is also known as an innovator of the use of electric effects on the vibraphone, creating a unique sound, which he integrates into many of his projects. As a composer Ware has diverse and prolific interests, including contemporary classical symphonies, multiple concerti, numerous film scores and soundtracks and a number of hybrid classical/jazz projects.

Among several film scores he has written over the years, in 2019 he composed an original score for the animated German, silent film by Charlotte “Lotte” Reiniger called “The Adventures of Prince Achmed” (1926) and in 2021 he composed and created a new original score for “The Spanish Dancer” (1923), a costume drama set in the Spanish court of King Philip the Fourth starring Pola Negri, commissioned by Milestone Films and the Eye FilmMuseum, soon to be released on BluRay.

We are thrilled that Mr. Ware and his Quartet will present the premiere of some of his original compositions. Mr. Ware brings an internationally known Trio of Musicians to join him. For more information about this artist check out his WebSite: https://billwarevibes.com/

ALEX COLLINS is a New York City based pianist, composer and arranger who studied at the Manhattan School of Music and the Eastman School of Music. He received the Wynton Kelly Jazz Foundation Award for Jazz Achievement (2003) and participated in the prestigious Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program (2006). Collins has performed in the bands of the Brandon Wright, Ronnie Burrage, Michelle Coltrane, Big Funk, Gerry Gibbs, John Lee, Lonnie Plaxico, Lenny White and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars.

CARLOS MENA comes from a family of Ecuadorian musicians and began playing professionally when he was seven years old. He studied music in Switzerland at the Zurich University of the Arts and received his Master’s in Music at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. Mena is an accomplished soloist, arranger, composer, and multi-instrumentalist who plays bass, guitar, piano, and small percussion. He is a highly sought-after performer, playing alongside many renowned musicians in NYC and abroad.

TARU ALEXANDER was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and is the son of famed tenor saxophonist Roland Alexander. Taru has appeared on more than 100 albums and as a leader has released “KoJo Time” and “Echoes of the Masters” on Sunnyside Records. He has worked internationally with Abbey Lincoln, Betty Carter, Roy Hargrove, Carlos Garnett, Rodney Kendrick, Branford Marsalis, Danny Mixon, Gary Bartz, Reggie Workman, Bill Saxton, Kirk Lightsey, Mark Whitfield, Benito Gonzales, Santi Debriano, Christian McBride, Kenny Davis, Mulgrew Miller, Benny Green, David Kikoski, Marcus Strickland, Hank Jones and many more.