Saxophonist, Multi-Reedist, Composer, Bandleader, Recording
Artistand Educator Sharel Cassity
(pron.“Sha-Relle”) is a distinguished musician on the New York jazz scene where
she resided for 16 years. Listed as “Rising Star Alto Saxophone” in Downbeat
Magazine for the past 8 consecutive years & having earned her Masters from
The Juilliard School on full scholarship, Sharel has won the 2007 ASCAP Young
Jazz Composers Award & was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in
2010.
Known for her fiery and soulful style of improvising &
her expert ensemble skills, Sharel is a versatile sideman having performed
regularly alongside renowned artists Roy Hargrove, Lewis Nash, Joe Chambers
& Darcy James Argue. Currently a regular member of the Dizzy Gillespie Big
Band, Dizzy Gillespie Afro Cuban Experience, Nicholas Payton’s TSO, Cyrus
Chestnut’s Brubeck Quartet and the Jimmy Heath Big Band, Sharel has toured 24
countries and performed at leading venues like the Newport Jazz Festival,
Monterey Jazz Festival & the North Sea Jazz Festival. Sharel was lead alto
in the Diva Jazz Orchestra from 2007-2014 and performed in the Broadway musical
After Midnight as well as Maurice Hines’ Off-Broadway production, Tappin’ Through
Life. Other jazz luminaries she has performed with include Herbie Hancock,
Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Natalie Cole, Christian McBride, Gregory
Porter, James Moody, Clark Terry, Phil Woods, Slide Hampton, Maceo Parker and
Terrence Blanchard.
In mainstream genres Sharel has recorded with Top 40 hit
singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant on her 2015 CD/ DVD release and also joined
her band on the Today Show. Additional popular artists she has performed with
are Aretha Franklin, Vanessa Williams, K.D. Lang, Fantasia, Trisha Yearwood,
Seth MacFarland (Family Guy), Ruben Blades & DJ Logic. Sharel can be seen
in an ESPN Superbowl commercial in 2013 and appears in the PBS Television
Broadcast “Juilliard Centennial Celebration”.
As a bandleader and solo artist Sharel leads her own
projects, ELEKTRA and the SHAREL CASSITY QUARTET. She has led these groups at
renowned venues like the DC Jazz Festival, Winter Jazzfest, Blue Note Jazz
Festival, Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival, Monty Alexander Jazz Festival,
Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, Martha’s Vineyard, The Kennedy Center, The
Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, Blue Note Jazz Club, Dizzy’s Club
Coca-Cola, Birdland, Smalls Jazz Club, Smoke Jazz, the Jazz Showcase and more.
She also took her quintet on a 5 city tour of Mexico in 2016.
Sharel’s most recent project and 4th release as leader,
Evolve, is her debut recording with her band ELEKTRA and will be released on
her label Relsha Music. This album is a jazz mix-genre project with a cast of top
NYC musicians, featuring a collection of artful originals and reimagined
compositions by Alicia Keys & Bjork. On this album Cassity confronts the
evolution of music, her own personal and artistic evolution and a push for
evolution of the current social climate (race & gender) in the United
States. Her former releases, Just for You, (DW 2008), Relentless (Jazz Legacy
Productions, 2009) & Manhattan Romance (Venus Japan 2014) established her
both internationally and throughout North America having stellar bands and
receiving top rated reviews in JazzTimes, Jazziz and Downbeat. Relentless was
played on over 100 radio stations and was on the Jazzweek charts for 32
consecutive weeks.
Sharel has been included in 3 jazz publications, “I Walked
with Giants” by Jimmy Heath, “AM Jazz: Three Generations under the Lens” by
Adrianna Mateo and “Freedom of Expression: Interviews with Women in Jazz” by
Chris Becker. Additionally she has been featured on the cover of Saxophone
Journal & featured in the American Indian News magazine.Sharel is an alum of audition based programs
IAJE Sisters in Jazz, Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead, Ravinia at Steans Institute
& received numerous Downbeat Student Music Awards in both the “Composition”
and “Ensemble Performance” categories.
In addition to performing, Sharel has always been passionate
about teaching and inspiring future generations of musicians. Cassity currently
is a Professor of Saxophone and Piano at Elgin Community College in Elgin,
Illinois.Between 2016-17 Sharel served
abroad as the Woodwind Professor at Qatar Music Academy in Doha, Qatar.
Students from her private studio have won scholarships to the Hartt School of
Music and placement in Jazz for Teens, Jazz House Kids and the Jazz Standard
Youth Orchestra. She has taught internationally in Japan, Costa Rica, Mexico,
China and Qatar and has given numerous clinics about the saxophone, jazz
language, rhythm, harmony and music business.
Starting her musical journey at the age of 6 as a classical
pianist & quickly winning state level competitions by the age of 8, she
went on to win numerous awards on a national level--eventually placing in the
Disney International Piano Concerto Competition at age 11. Receiving her first
saxophone at the age of 9, Sharel was classically trained in the French school
of saxophone by a descendant of classical saxophonist Eugene Rousseau. Later at
Yukon High School in Yukon, Oklahoma Sharel added flute, clarinet & piccolo
to her arsenal and performed in the school jazz, marching and symphonic bands.
While in high school she was the recipient of the John Philip Sousa Award and
earned a position in both Oklahoma All State Jazz and All State Concert bands
for 3 consecutive years. Afterwards she attended the University of Central
Oklahoma Jazz Program for 2 years before transferring to NYC to complete her
BFA at The New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music.
Moving frequently throughout her childhood , Sharel’s family
eventually settled in Yukon, Oklahoma where she graduated high school. In 2000
she moved to New York City where she resided for 16 years, earning her degrees
while thriving on the NYC jazz scene. She recently relocated to the Chicago
area with her husband and son. Sharel is proud to be a Vandoren Performing
Artist, RS Berkeley Virtuoso Saxophone Artist and AMTMicrophone Artist.
Lauren Henderson is a jazz, Latin jazz, soul and fusion
vocalist.A recording artist and
composer from Massachusetts, Henderson's Caribbean and Latin Heritage are
central themes in her original music.
Currently based in both Miami and New York, Lauren performs
standards and original music.She has
appeared at the Blue Note, Birdland, Joe’s Pub, Casa del Jazz (Italia),
Regattabar, WGBH, and various national and international venues.Henderson has toured the United States,
Germany, Russia, Italy, Spain, Mexico and various countries.
Her original music was recently featured in The Drowning,
directed by Bette Gordon and starring Julia Stiles, Avan Jogia, Josh Charles,
Tracie Thoms and an outstanding cast.
Lauren's eclectic vocal influences spread across genres. Her
Afro-Latin influence aids her in producing a distinct yet versatile sound.
Lauren's diverse musical background is rooted in jazz and has been influenced
by artists like Shirley Horn, Nancy Wilson, Anita O’Day, Chris Connor, Julie
London, Sarah Vaughan, Astrud Gilberto, Omara Portuondo, and many others.
Founder and CEO of Brontosaurus Records, Lauren Henderson is
pursuing her MBA at Brown University. Having earned college degrees in both
Music and Hispanic Studies, atWheaton
College (MA), Lauren continues to combine her love of music and culture. While
living inPuebla, México she studied the
traditional music of the Yucatán and popular music throughout the country at
Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. Through her international piano and
voice studies, she worked on developing her musicianship. In Córdoba, España
she studied flamenco and its similarities to jazz at La Universidad de Córdoba.
An avid nuevo-flamenco listener, Lauren often quotes popular sounds of various
countries while nurturing the roots of classic forms.
Henderson began study piano at an early age. She grew up
singing in church and school choirs, as well as listening to jazz records her
parents and grandparents played in the house. Timid as a young musician, she
was always reluctant to sing solos, until given a gentle push by mentors
shortly before heading to Wheaton College (MA) to receive her Bachelor of Arts.
At Wheaton, she discovered her voice, becoming the Musical Director of her
singing group, a member of Jazz Band, studying classical voice and musical
theatre, as well as finding inspiration in her professors and master classes
with artists like Paquito D’Rivera and Take6.
In 2011 she released her debut album, Lauren Henderson. It
was recorded almost immediately upon her arrival in New York. Henderson
recorded with close friend and musical partner, Sullivan Fortner (piano), along
with Ben Leifer (bass), and Jesse Simpson (drums). The original intent was to create
a demo to aid in her pursuit of a career in New York’s competitive jazz
scene.The quartet recorded classics by
Duke Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Rogers and Hart.
After the work was shared with colleagues and fellow musicians, it was reviewed
by various publications, including DownBeat Magazine, JazzTimes and All About
Jazz. It is available on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, and is accessible as a
Pandora.com station.
She has had the opportunity to study with legendary and
influential musicians like Barry Harris at the Barry Harris Workshop. Lauren
has had the opportunity to study and perform with Grammy-Nominated Vocalist,
Jane Monheit, and Grammy-Nominated Pianist, Michael Kanan.
Her most recent release, A La Madrugada, features Sullivan
Fortner on piano (Impulse - Universal Music Group Artist, Roy Hargrove Quintet
and Winner of the Cole Porter American Pianist Association 2015 Jazz
Competition), Ameen Saleem on bass (Roy Hargrove Quintet), Louis Fouche on alto
saxophone (Steven Colbert, Eddie Palmieri, Christian Scott), Jonathan Powell on
trumpet (Eddie Palmieri Afro-Caribbean Sextet, Arturo O'Farrill, voted
"Best Latin Jazz Trumpeter" 2009 by Latin Jazz Corner), Riley
Mulherkar on trumpet (Member of Juilliard, named "Rising Jazz Artist"
by Wynton Marsalis), and Jeremy Bean Clemmons on drums and percussion (Award
Winning Producer and prior member of Grammy Nominated, Andy Bey's Quartet,
Member of Soul Understated). The recording has been featured and reviewed in
various publications. It is available on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, Spotify and
various online outlets. A La Madrugada has landed in the JazzWeek Top 100 for
over 3 weeks.
In March of 2018, Henderson released ÁRMAME under the
direction of Grammy-Nominated Producer and Emmy-Winner, Mark Ruffin!This album will features Terri Lyne
Carrington, Josh Evans, Godwin Louis, Sullivan Fortner, Eric Wheeler, Nick
Tannura, Nanny Assis, and Joe Saylor and has charted in the JazzWeek Top 40
since its release.
Alma Oscura, Henderson’s fourth release, will feature
Impulse! artist, Sullivan Fortner, a Steinway Artist and Grammy-Nominated
Pianist, Michael Thurber (bass) and the incredible, Joe Saylor (drums and
percussion) of Stephen Colbert’s ‘The Late Show’!The compositions are a pleasing mix of jazz,
Latin, soul y más!
