Metro Jazz + Band in Hartford, CT

ABOUT

Let our ensemble bring smooth jazz and blues to your wedding, restaurant, cocktail party, and special event. We are a jazz quintet specializing in all the incredible jazz standards. We will make your event as memorable as the songs that were inspired by the greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, and Frank Sinatra, to name a few, all from The Great American Songbook. Over the past several decades, the music of the Great American Songbook has enjoyed a renaissance as a wide variety of singers have taken up these songs and breathed new life into them. Sting, Diana Krall, Natalie Cole, Tony Bennett with Lady Gaga, and countless others have released popular albums and are widely recognized by their performances of the music from the Great American Songbook keeping jazz standards alive for all generations.

Screen name:

Metro Jazz

Member since:

Apr 20 2015

Active within 1 week

Level of commitment:

Very Committed

Years together:

5

Gigs played:

Over 100

Tend to practice:

1 time per week

Age:

62 years

Influences

We are inspired by the great artists of yesterday and the artists of today, such as Sarah Vaughn, Frank Sinatra, Diana Krall, Natalie Cole, Tony Bennett, with Lady Gaga, to name a few.

Booking contact: bonaccorsikathy (860) 742-3109

Members Of Band

Kathy Bonaccorsi, the vocalist, was born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1974, she moved to the San Francisco Bay area and lived there for 36 years. Studying vocals with Jan Emerson, singing writing and recording originals with musician and promoter Dan Daniels and Ron White, performing with The Light House Singers, and was the featured singer for many jazz, blues, and pop bands in California. Kathy returned to Connecticut in 2010 and began singing with the Vintage Vox Quartet and is currently bringing her Scool, smooth vocal style to Metro Jazz.

Drew Amendola, Guitarist, composer, and arranger, Drew has performed studio and live work in Connecticut, Boston, Nashville, New York, and Los Angeles. He has an undergraduate degree in music composition with studies at the Juilliard School, The Hartt School of Music, and The Berklee College of Music and a graduate degree in Law from the University of Connecticut. Drew has also studied privately with Marc Mommaas, Wayne Krantz, and Rodney Jones.

Garry Lapidus, drums/percussion, is a lifelong musician drawn to jazz for its complexity, improvisation, and creativity. He likes to explore jazz rhythms focusing on phrasing, articulation, and dynamics while keeping accurate time. Garry plays all jazz styles but enjoys Bebop, Cool, funk, and Latin Jazz in particular. He currently studies percussion at The Hartt School of Music, the direction of Sal Ranniello.
By day, Garry directs the Injury Prevention Center at Connecticut Children's Medical Center/Hartford Hospital. He is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics & Public Health at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

James Hunter, performer on bass guitar and acoustic bass. A public school teacher for New London, New Haven, and Groton over the past thirty-six years. James worked with rock, Latin, and jazz bands in Connecticut. He is a member of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony and currently performs jazz on the 1st and 3rd Sundays at the Steak Loft in Mystic, Connecticut. James performs gospel music Sunday Mornings at Madry Temple In New London, Connecticut.

Mark Vickers, piano/flute, has been a performer in Connecticut since beginning accordion at age eight. Mark went on to study jazz piano, improvisation, and arranging with Neil Slater at the University of Bridgeport while earning his bachelor's degree in music education. He received his Masters of Music Education with an emphasis in flute with Julius Baker from Juilliard. He later earned his Ph.D. in music education at the Hartt School and continued the study of jazz flute. During his 35 - year career as a public school music educator in CT. Mark performed with various jazz groups and big bands on the piano while playing flute with and conducting numerous concert bands and orchestras in the Hartford area. Currently, and in addition to performing with Metro Jazz, he is co-principal flute with CT Valley Symphony Orchestra. Co-directs the New York Flute Club Ensemble program in Manhattan and is an adjunct professor at the University of Bridgeport, where he leads the UB Knight's Ensemble Wind Band.

MUSIC