Jazz Festival 2025

Jazz Program Director & Alto Saxophone, Rudresh Mahanthappa: Hailed by Pitchfork as “jaw-dropping… one of the finest saxophonists going,” alto saxophonist, composer and educator Rudresh Mahanthappa is widely known as one of the premier voices in jazz of the 21st century. He has over a dozen albums to his credit, including the acclaimed Bird Calls, which topped many critics’ best-of-year lists for 2015 and was hailed by PopMatters as “complex, rhythmically vital, free in spirit while still criss-crossed with mutating structures.” His most recent release, Hero Trio, was considered to be one of the best jazz albums of 2020 by critics and fans alike. Rudresh has been named alto saxophonist of the year for nine of the last eleven years running in Downbeat Magazine’s International Critics’ Polls (2011-2013, 2015-2018, 2020-1), and for five consecutive years by the Jazz Journalists’ Association (2009-2013) and again in 2016. He won alto saxophonist of the year in the 2015-2018 & 2020 JazzTimes Magazine Critics’ Polls and was named the Village Voice’s “Best Jazz Artist” in 2015. He has also received the Guggenheim Fellowship and the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, among other honors, and is currently the Anthony H. P. Lee ’79 Director of Jazz at Princeton University.

Born in Trieste, Italy to Indian émigrés in 1971, Mahanthappa was brought up in Boulder, Colorado and gained proficiency playing everything from current pop to Dixieland. He went on to studies at North Texas, Berklee and DePaul University (as well as the Stanford Jazz Workshop) and came to settle in Chicago. Soon after moving to New York in 1997 he formed his own quartet featuring pianist Vijay Iyer. The band recorded an enduring sequence of albums, Black Water, Mother Tongue and Codebook, each highlighting Mahanthappa’s inventive methodologies and deeply personal approach to composition. He and Iyer also formed the duo Raw Materials.

Coming deeper into contact with the Carnatic music of his parents’ native southern India, Mahanthappa partnered in 2008 with fellow altoist Kadri Gopalnath and the Dakshina Ensemble for Kinsmen, garnering wide acclaim. Apti, the first outing by Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak Coalition (with Pakistani-born Rez Abbasi on guitar and Dan Weiss on tabla), saw release the same year; Agrima followed nine years later and considerably expanded the trio’s sonic ambitions. In 2020, Rudresh released Hero Trio, an album of “covers” paying tribute to his musical heroes followed by the digital EP Animal Crossing in 2022 with the same trio. He also co-led a project celebrating the centenary of Charlie Parker with the blessing of the Parker estate.

Mahanthappa has also worked with Jack DeJohnette, Mark Dresser, Danilo Pérez, Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, the collaborative trios MSG and Mauger, the co-led quintet Dual Identity with fellow altoist Steve Lehman, and another co-led quintet with fellow altoist and Chicago stalwart Bunky Green (Apex). His exploratory guitar-driven quartets on Samdhi and Gamak featured David Gilmore and Dave “Fuze” Fiuczynski, respectively. In 2015 he was commissioned by Ragamala Dance to create Song of the Jasmine for dancers and a hybrid jazz/South Indian ensemble.

He was also commissioned by the PRISM Saxophone Quartet to compose a chamber piece, “I Will Not Apologize for My Tone Tonight,” which can be heard on the quartet’s 2015 double-disc release Heritage/Evolution, Volume 1. He was recently commissioned by the AACM’s Great Black Music Ensemble to compose “Finding Our Voice” which premiered in 2021.

Mahanthappa is a Yamaha artist and uses Vandoren reeds exclusively.

Trumpet, Ted Chubb: Over the past two decades Ted Chubb has developed into both a deeply expressive trumpeter and an inventive composer. His solo release “Gratified Never Satisfied”, demonstrates an innate ability to adapt his knowledge, talent and worldliness to every aspect of his art and work. He is an accomplished bandleader and has served as sideman to an impressive list of NYC’s top musicians, including Winard Harper, Christian McBride, Wallace Roney, Billy Hart, Antonio Hart, Billy Harper, Houston Person, Charenee Wade, Norman Simmons, Don Braden, Vince Ector, Melissa Walker, Bruce Williams, and Cecil Brooks III. He has performed at venues from NYC jazz clubs Smalls; Fat Cat, The Jazz Standard, and Dizzy’s at Jazz at Lincoln Center, to Jazz Festivals across North America, South America and Europe. Ted received his MM from Rutgers University and studied with master trumpet teacher, William Fielder. From 2006-2011, he toured with the Tony Award-winning show, Jersey Boys. In addition to his performance activities, Ted is currently Adjunct Professor of Jazz Trumpet at Princeton University, as well as Jazz House Kids, Vice President of Jazz Education and Associate Producer. He is a member of the artistic leadership and production team responsible for curating all events for the Montclair Jazz Festival. He has led tours, master classes, and cultural exchange programs across the US as well as the globe from Peru to most recently Bahrain. Along with his wife, Rachel Ryll, Ted is co-owner, President and Artistic Director of “The Statuary” an active artist live/work/present space that serves as a hub for the local jazz community and presents world-class jazz to the people of Jersey City.

Guitarist Miles Okazaki is a NYC-based guitarist originally from Port Townsend, a small seaside town in Washington State. His approach to the guitar is described by the New York Times as “utterly contemporary, free from the expectations of what it means to play a guitar in a group setting — not just in jazz, but any kind. ” His sideman experience over the last two decades covers a broad spectrum, from standards to experimental music (Kenny Barron, John Zorn, Stanley Turrentine, Dan Weiss, Matt Mitchell, Steve Coleman, Jonathan Finlayson, Jane Monheit, Amir ElSaffar, Darcy James Argue, and many others). He has released nine albums of original compositions over the last 12 years on the Sunnyside, Pi, and Cygnus labels. In 2018 Okazaki received wide critical acclaim for his six-album recording of the complete compositions of Thelonious Monk for solo guitar, an unprecedented project that Nate Chinen called “the six-string equivalent of a free solo climb up El Capitan. ” That year, Okazaki was voted the #1 rising star guitarist in the Downbeat Magazine critic’s poll. Other projects include a longstanding duo with drummer Dan Weiss, a duo with percussionist Rajna Swaminathan, and a published book, Fundamentals of Guitar, with Mel Bay. He taught guitar and rhythmic theory at the University of Michigan from 2013-22, joined the faculty at Princeton University in 2021, and holds degrees from Harvard University, Manhattan School of Music, and the Juilliard School.

Matthew Parrish, Bass: Born in the heart of central California, Matthew Parrish emerged from a musical upbringing fueled by hard work and a deep love for jazz. He embodies the very essence of jazz bass performance, captivating audiences with his electrifying talent and magnetic stage presence.

Matthew’s illustrious career is studded with collaborations that read like a who’s who of jazz legends. From sharing the stage with luminaries such as Regina Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Paquito D’Rivera to recording alongside Houston Person, Clark Terry, and Etta Jones, he has left an indelible mark on the music industry. The list goes on, including Miri Ben-Ari, James Williams, Harry Sweets Edison, James Newton, Gary Thomas, Greg Osby, Stefon Harris, and Orrin Evans, among countless others, each encounter further fueling his artistic fire.

His virtuosity on the bass, characterized by a beautiful, warm, and intricate sound, has earned him an unparalleled reputation as a performer, composer, arranger, and producer. Critics and peers alike hail him as a true luminary in the jazz community, recognizing his ability to effortlessly transport listeners to new sonic landscapes with his mesmerizing melodies and pulsating rhythms.

Matthew’s quest for musical excellence knows no bounds, taking him to stages around the globe. From the hallowed jazz clubs of New York City to the vibrant metropolis of Sao Paulo, his name has become synonymous with extraordinary performances that leave audiences breathless and begging for more.

Currently, Matthew finds himself immersed in a whirlwind of thrilling projects and touring engagements. He is a vital member of the enthralling Ute Lemper’s ensemble, sharing the stage with the iconic Ruth Naomi Floyd, Michelle Lordi, and the incomparable Orrin Evans. The legendary saxophonist Houston Person is another esteemed collaborator, whose musical chemistry with Matthew transcends boundaries. Additionally, he is an integral part of the dynamic Vana Gierig Trio, featuring the extraordinary talents of the renowned Paquito D’Rivera.

Matthew Parrish’s journey is a testament to the power of passion, dedication, and a relentless pursuit of artistic excellence. Through his magnetic performances and infectious energy, he continues to reshape the boundaries of jazz, leaving an indelible mark on the music world. With every note he plays, Matthew invites audiences into a realm where music transcends time and place, igniting a fire within their souls that will burn forever.