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Community Jazz Sessions at Heartwood SoundstageWant to sit-in with the rhythm section and play your tune? We welcome you!! Please fill out this form!
https://forms.gle/65k6QqbDK5xfqw9JA
Join us for an evening of live jazz, community, and creative collaboration at Heartwood Soundstage. This monthly Jazz Jam features a professional house rhythm section, spotlight performances by local jazz artists, and open opportunities for jazz musicians to sit in and play or sing.
Players with jazz experience at any level — from emerging improvisers to seasoned performers — are invited to bring their instrument and sign up for an opportunity to be featured with the house rhythm section on a tune or two of their choice. Jazz listeners are warmly invited to come enjoy the music, discover local talent, and be part of a growing Gainesville jazz community.
Whether you come to play or simply to listen, this evening is designed to be welcoming, lively, and full of the spontaneous energy that makes jazz such a powerful shared experience. Everyone is welcome!
September Guest Artist: Dr. Alexander Pershounin, UF Professor of Double Bass and Bass Guitar (teaching classical, jazz, and commercial styles)
Rhythm Section:
Cindy Mueller, piano
Dr. Alexander Pershounin, bass
Ryan Hecker, drums
Dr. Alexander Pershounin - Bass & Spotlight Performer
Dr. Alexander Pershounin has performed extensively nationally and internationally. Equally versatile in classical, jazz, commercial, and world music settings, he has been featured as a performer, arranger, and composer on such internationally recognized music events as Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, Pori Jazz Festival in Finland, Europe’s Jazz Contest in Belgium, and New Orleans Jazz Fest, among many others. His performing credits include collaboration projects and appearances with the world-class artists ranging from Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Golson, Bob Berg and Ray Charles to Itzhac Perlman and Yo Yo Ma. He has recorded several commercially released albums as a soloist and an ensemble musician. Dr. Pershounin holds music degrees from Russia’s most prestigious music institution, Gnessins’ State Academy of Music in Moscow, as well as DMA and MFA degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Dr. Pershounin has joined the music faculty at University of Florida School of Music in the Fall 2024, teaching classical, jazz, and commercial double bass and bass guitar studio. Prior to UF he taught at the University of Northern Iowa, Columbus State University, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Westfield State College, and Gnessins’ State College of Music in Russia. His students won national and international competitions, were accepted to prestigious music institutions, and successfully developed their own professional careers as musicians.
Cindy Mueller - Piano/Host
Cindy Mueller is a Gainesville-based jazz pianist and vocalist, with many years of experience as music educator, musical director and bandleader. A summa cum laude graduate of James Madison University in Music Education, she has worked as a performer, musical director/pianist, and teacher in the United States and internationally, including with the USO in Germany and Italy. With fellow jazz musician, John David Eriksen, she has released the jazz album Sixes and Sevens, available on major streaming platforms. After hosting jazz sessions in her own music studio for years, Cindy is happy to help bring this kind of welcoming musical gathering to Heartwood Soundstage as pianist and host of the Heartwood Jazz Sessions.
Website: www.cindymueller.biz, Instagram: @cindymuellerjazz
Ryan Hecker - Drums
Ryan Hecker is a new resident of Gainesville, Florida. Prior to the move, Ryan was an active drummer and percussionist in South Florida for over fifteen years. Ryan is a graduate of Florida International University with a B.A. in Jazz Performance and the University of Miami with a M.M. in Jazz Performance. Ryan can most often be heard in the theatre, with recent performances including In the Heights at the Arsht Center of Performing Arts and On Your Feet! at the Actors’ Playhouse. Ryan spent his pre-college career as a member of the Florida Youth Orchestra and continued playing with the Sunrise Symphonic Pops Orchestra throughout college. This experience combined with his schooling in jazz has shaped Ryan’s goal for his music career, which is to expand and redefine the definition of what a “Drummer” can and is expected to perform. Currently, Ryan is a Professor of Fine Arts at Santa Fe College teaching a variety of music courses and percussion lessons.
Indoor Stage
All Ages
Free Entry
Sit-ins welcome
Bring an instrument
Everyone is welcome!
A HUGE thank you to our fall Jazz Sessions sponsors for making this event possible!
David Atherton
Christina Carlton
LJ Murawski
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Event venue
619 South Main Street, Gainesville, FL, United States, Florida 32601
Tickets
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