Advertisement
Three standout guitarists, a Hammond organ, and a night built around the rich tradition of jazz guitar.David Newsam's Guitar Night
Featuring the David Newsam Organ Trio
with Special Guest Guitarists (5pm)
sponsored by the Seacoast Jazz Society
Sunday, November 1
Two Shows: 5 PM and 7:45 pm
(doors open at 4 pm and 7 pm)
Tickets: $23 (pre-sale) $30 (day of)
Discount for a Two-Show Ticket: $37
The David Newsam Organ Trio Feat. Special Guest Guitarists Jim Dozet and Nick Grondin
Join us on Sunday, November 1, as we bring back an evening of great guitar performances called "Jazz Guitar Night" with the David Newsam Organ Trio and Special Guests!
The event will be held at Portsmouth, New Hampshire's legendary jazz venue, The Press Room, founded in 1976, located at 77 Daniel Street.
The David Newsam Trio, comprised of Michael Beling on Hammond organ, Gary Gemmiti on drums, and David Newsam on guitar, will lead two back-to-back jazz guitar shows, each featuring guest guitarists chosen from among New England's very best!
The 5 PM show will feature guitarists Jim Dozet and Nick Grondin.
The 7:45 PM show will feature guitarists Bryan Killough and Phil Sargent.
Dave will open the show performing as a trio with Gary and Michael. Throughout the set, featured guitarists Jim Dozet and Nick Grondin will perform with the rhythm section as a trio, and all three guitarists will team up to play in various combinations with each other. The show will conclude with all the musicians playing together for a final song that will pack the stage and rattle the walls of the Press Room.
The music for both shows will be a mix of original compositions, classic organ trio arrangements, and tunes from the Great American Songbook.
Reserve seats in advance. Ticket costs are: $23 (pre-sale), $30 (day of show). A discounted Two-Show Ticket can be purchased for $37 (pre-sale) for those who wish to attend both shows.
This event is sponsored by the Seacoast Jazz Society, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in New Hampshire with a threefold mission to foster a love of jazz in the community, support local and regional musicians, and provide scholarships for young artists.
About the Featured Guest Guitarists:
5 PM Show
Jim Dozet
Jim is a guitarist, sought-after sideman, and session player active throughout the Seacoast region and beyond. He performs regularly with Soggy Po' Boysand Foxglove, and leads his own project, Tourist Attraction. Recent highlights include the Seacoast Jazz Festival with Soggy Po' Boys and a set at Prescott Park Arts Festival opening for Ryan Montbleau. His touring and regional dates have taken him to venues including Vinegar Hill Music Theatre, the Rex Theatre, the Word Barn, the Dance Hall, the Pressroom, Cafe Lena, One Longfellow Square, Good Theater, the Dead of Summer Fest, and the Country Music Awards Festival (CMA Fest) in Nashville, TN, among many others.
Jim has been an active member of the vibrant Seacoast music scene for the past 25 years, moving fluidly across genres including funk, blues, jazz, hip hop, rock, and acoustic/singer-songwriter music. Earlier in his career, he performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival and opened for acts such as Soulive, George Clinton, Robert Randolph, and The Roots.
Jim holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a focus on Jazz Guitar Performance from the University of New Hampshire, where he studied under David Newsam, and studied privately with renowned Berklee professor Bruce Bartlett in Boston, MA. He has taught locally for 25 years, both privately and at local music stores, and for the past 15 years has taught private lessons and multiple ensembles at the Portsmouth Music and Arts Center (PMAC). He has led master classes in funk guitar styles at the Summer Youth Music School (SYMS) and has been a guest lecturer for guitar students studying at UNH.
Nick Grondin
An experienced performer and award-winning composer, Nick Grondin has presented his music to audiences throughout the U.S. and Europe, including France, Italy, Germany and at the Panama Jazz Festival. On guitar, he leads the Nick Grondin Group, which performs in the Boston area and New York. He presents his music as modern musical storytelling—inspired by rock, folk and contemporary jazz styles.
Nick also composes works for large and small jazz ensembles. His pieces for jazz orchestra have received awards such as 2008, 2009 and 2011 ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards, the 2008 DownBeat Magazine Student Music Award for Best Arrangement of “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and the 2007 DownBeat Award for Best Extended Jazz Composition. In 2008, Grondin launched the Nick Grondin Jazz Orchestra and released his debut CD, "SongTeller—The Jazz Orchestra Project" in summer 2009 at the Regattabar in Cambridge, MA.
He is Associate Professor of Ear Training at Berklee College of Music and Resident Artist in Guitar at the University of New Hampshire. He completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory in Boston (NEC), where he also received his Master of Music in Jazz Composition. He has studied with Miguel Zenon, Billy Hart, Donny McCaslin, Jerry Bergonzi, Frank Carlberg, Allan Chase, Dominique Eade, Dave Holland, and Ken Schaphorst. During this time, he had the opportunity to perform with vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant, pianist Jason Moran and bassist Dave Holland. Before coming to Boston, Nick attended the EDIM School of Modern Music in Paris.
About the David Newsam Trio:
Michael Beling (organ)
Michael performs regularly with some of the best jazz musicians in Maine and New Hampshire including Bronek Suchanek, Les Harris, Jr., Taylor O’Donnell, Chris Klaxton and John Hunter. He has played at numerous venues including the State Theatre, Merrill Auditorium, and Port City Music Hall. Michael graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Piano Performance (Jazz Concentration), from the University of Southern Maine, where he was named Presser Scholar. He studied with many acclaimed musicians including Thomas Snow, Laura Kargul, Ben Waltzer, and Vardan Ovsepian. Michael has extensive experience as a church musician, including serving as the music director of West Kennebunk United Methodist Church from 2013-2015 and temporary organist at the Bridgton Congregational Church in 2022. He is particularly drawn to African American gospel music. He has also served as a faculty member of Bates College from 2016-2022. As an instructor, Michael has enjoyed teaching a variety of students since 2008. He specializes in teaching jazz/blues, pop/rock and classical music to students aged 11 and up.
Gary Gemmiti (drums)
Mentored by the late Alan Dawson, world-renowned drummer and educator, Gary has spent 40 years behind the kit, touring and recording across the U.S. and abroad, including work with blues great Sam McClain. He currently records and tours with The Rustic Overtones, the reggae band Royal Hammer, and Dub producer “Scientist.” Gary also holds an ongoing jazz residency at the Pressroom in Portsmouth, NH, which began with the late Larry Garland, along with freelance work throughout New England.
David Newsam (guitar)
David has performed in concerts and clinics with many noted musicians, among them guitarists Jim Hall, Bucky Pizzarelli, Gene Bertoncini, Peter Bernstein, and Howard Alden; pianists Dave McKenna and James Williams; drummers Ed Shaugnessy, Louis Bellson, Bob Moses, and Alan Dawson; and jazz legends Clark Terry, Phil Wilson, Joe Williams, and Milt Jackson. He has been teaching at Berklee College of Music since 1989 in the Guitar and Professional Music departments. He teaches private lessons and classes on classical, flamenco and jazz guitar. Newsam is also the former artistic director of the Boston Classical Guitar Society and is a member of the Back Bay Guitar Trio. He grew up in Connecticut, where he was a student of Robert Shaw, and is a graduate of Berklee, where he studied with Jim Kelly, Larry Baione, and William Leavitt. David is a former Lecturing in guitar at Dartmouth College and also directed the Jazz Guitar Program at the University of New Hampshire from 1993-2024.
Advertisement
Event venue
The Press Room, 77 Daniel St,Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.