Mahogany Chamber Music Series: Chamber Music … 1, 2, 3, 4!

Michael Dease is one of the world’s eminent trombonists, lending his versatile sound and signature improvisations to over 200 recordings and groups as diverse as Grammy-winning artists David Sanborn, Christian McBride, Kanye West, Michel Camilo, and Alicia Keys. Born in Augusta, Georgia, he played the saxophone and trumpet before choosing the trombone at age 17. In 2001, Dease moved to New York City to become part of the historic first class of jazz students at The Juilliard School, earning both Bachelors and Masters degrees, and quickly established a reputation as a brilliant soloist, side-person, and bandleader.

Give It All You Got (Posi-Tone, 2021), Dease’s newest release, has received positive acclaim from JazzTimes Magazine and a coveted 4-star review from Downbeat Magazine. The music centers on themes of devotion to the past and future of the jazz lineage, realized at the Jazz Institute at Brevard where he serves as director. As a bandleader, this is Dease’s eighth album for Posi-Tone, fourteenth of his career, and features Gregory Tardy, Ulysses Owens, as well as his wife Gwen Dease and eldest daughter Brooklyn Dease on percussion.

Dease is the winner of Downbeat Magazine’s Critics Poll for 2021 Trombonist of the Year, the 2016 Rising Star Jazz Trombonist, and is a three-time Grammy award winner with Christian McBride and Alicia Keys. He is also a sought-after lead, section and bass trombonist with today’s leading jazz orchestras. His experiences include bands led by Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton, Charles Tolliver, Rufus Reid, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band. However, it is on the frontline of small groups led by master musicians like The Heath Brothers, Winard Harper, Renee Rosnes, Bill Charlap, Claudio Roditi, and Lewis Nash, where Dease has revitalized the trombone’s image. Not content to simply improvise, Dease arranges and composes for many different bands, constantly adjusting his tone and timbre to add just the right flavor to the music.

Dease’s unique blend of curiosity, hard work and optimism has helped him earn worldwide recognition, including awards from ASCAP, The International Trombone Association, Yamaha, Eastern Trombone Workshop, New York Youth Symphony, Hot House Magazine, and Michigan State University, among others. Dease is profiled in Cicily Janus’ book, The New Face of Jazz: An Intimate Look at Today’s Living Legends (Random House). His experience in the studio has led him to produce several recording sessions for emerging artists, often composing and writing liner notes for the releases.

Dease’s singular talent has made him an effective and prolific teacher, resulting in invitations, master classes and residencies at University of North Texas, Scranton University, University of Iowa, Florida State College, Broward College, and many institutions abroad. He serves as tenured full professor of jazz trombone at the renowned Michigan State University jazz program, where he received the 2019 Michigan Distinguished Professor of the Year Award and the 2018 MSU Teacher/Scholar Award. Prior to MSU, he was on faculty at Queens College – CUNY, The New School and Northeastern University. In 2015, Dease founded the Jazz Institute at Brevard at the Brevard Music Center, and he continues to direct the Institute along with the Seiko Summer Jazz Camp (Japan) while also serving as the trombone faculty at the Skidmore Summer Jazz Institute (New York).  Many of Dease’s current and former students are enjoying successful careers in the music world.

Always an informed but forward-thinking musician, Dease has taken many lessons from master musicians while primarily studying with trombone legends Wycliffe Gordon and Joseph Alessi. His associations have run the entire spectrum of musical experience: Alicia Keys, Paul Simon, Paul Schaffer and the CBS Orchestra, Elton John, Neil Diamond, Illinois Jacquet, Slide Hampton & The World Of Trombones, Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, WDR Big Band, George Gruntz, Billy Harper, and numerous others.

Michael Dease is an enthusiastic endorser and Performing Artist for Yamaha Trombones, Trumpets and Saxophones, Pickett-Blackburn brass mouthpieces, and the custom repair services of expert craftsman Scott Sweeney of Sweeney Brass in Raleigh, North Carolina. Most importantly, he enjoys spending time with his extraordinary wife and Professor of Percussion at MSU, Gwendolyn Dease, and their daughters Brooklyn and Charly.

ROSS SALVOSA
Ross Salvosa is a Lecturer of Piano/Piano Pedagogy at Central Washington University and an active member of the Music Teachers National Association and is currently serving as 2023 Poster Session Chair as well as a member of the conference planning committee and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force of the Washington State Music Teachers Association. He has served in the juries of the Seattle International Piano Competition, Oregon Music Teachers Association Young Artist Competition, Steinway Canada Young Artist Competition, Vancouver International Festival of Russian Music, Philippine National Music Competition for Young Artists, and the Piano Teachers Guild of the Philippines Festival and Competition. He has given piano pedagogy lectures and masterclasses for the Steinway Young Artist in Canada (Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver), BC Registered Music Teachers Association (Richmond, Langley and South Fraser), Kenosha Music Teachers Association, Piano League, Cultural Center of the Philippines, University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, Philippine Suzuki Association and the Manila Piano Series.

Ross is on the advisory board of the Seattle International Piano Festival and Competition where he also served as outreach coordinator. He was the chairman and artistic director of Music Without Borders Society in Vancouver-BC from 2013 to 2018. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of British Columbia, where he was a recipient of the Mildred Johnson scholarship award, and his Masters and Bachelors of Music Degrees from the Conservatory of Music at Lynn University under full scholarship. He studied with Sara Davis Buechner, Corey Hamm, Roberta Rust, Kenneth Broadway, Ralph Markham, Emilio Del Rosario, Reynaldo Reyes, Mauricia Borromeo, Ruby Pilante-Salvosa, Abelardo Galang II, and Jose Artemio Panganiban.

JOSHUA DAVID
Joshua David is a 24-year-old composer, pianist and bandleader from Birmingham, Alabama. He began taking piano lessons at age four, and at age five, began studying classical piano at Birmingham-Southern College Conservatory initially under Adam Horowitz and then Dr. Adam Bowles. At ten years old, he began studying percussion in the school band with teacher Aaron Paul Brown and won many awards for musical excellence in both piano and percussion. At age 16, Joshua released his first album, Joshua David, a collection of original jazz compositions which has received radio airplay across the U.S. and the U.K. Joshua participated in the Ruben Studdard Music Camp from age 12 to 17 and received a scholarship from the Ruben Studdard Foundation his freshman year of college.

Joshua graduated cum laude from Samford University in May of 2021 with a Bachelor of Music Degree. While at Samford, he majored in music composition under the instruction of Dr. Mark Lackey.  While in college, he continued to study classical piano with Dr. Jason Terry. He also was a member of the jazz ensemble,  commercial music ensemble and gospel choir.

Currently, Joshua is doing what he loves: composing, performing and producing music. He was recently commissioned to compose four contemporary classical works for a social justice project which is being performed at venues around the country including the Peabody Institute and Carnegie Hall. Joshua has composed music for independent films and has collaborated with other artists and bands on jazz and gospel projects.

On September 19th, Joshua released his second project, Stay Cool, a hip-hop and R&B inspired jazz EP. He has a third album in the works, paying homage to significant jazz influences in his life such as Thelonious Monk, John Coltraine, Chick Corea, and others. He plans to release it in 2023. Joshua has been the worship leader at Restored Sight Christian Church for nine years and gives all glory and honor to God for the gift of music and every opportunity he has been given.

Joshua David’s music is available for purchase on his website, iTunes and Amazon. You may stream Joshua’s music on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, TIDAL and all other streaming platforms.

ARTINA MCCAIN
Hailed by the New York Times as a “virtuoso pianist” Artina McCain, has built a formidable career as a performer, educator and speaker. As a recitalist, her credits include performances at Wigmore Hall and Barbican Centre in London, Weill Hall at Carnegie and Merkin Hall in New York City and more. Other highlights include guest appearances with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra. In 2022, she was the mistress of ceremony for the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.