MUSIC: Celebrating Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and the Holidays!

Description

Celebrating Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and the Holidays!

Sunday, December 6, 6:30-8:30 PM (doors, 5:30)

The Press Room

77 Daniel St., Portsmouth, NH

Reserve Your Seats: 

$28 (pre-sale), $37 (at door)

Nick Goumas Quintet

Nick Goumas, sax

Jason Palmer, trumpet

Steve Hunt, piano

Barry Smith, upright bass

Jim Lattini, drums

Celebrate Jazz Legends and the Holidays with the Nick Goumas Quintet, featuring five outstanding jazz musicians: Nick Goumas (sax), Jason Palmer (trumpet), Steve Hunt (piano), Barry Smith (upright bass), and Jim Lattini (drums). 

This is the year of the 2026 Jazz Centennial, so we will pay tribute to the music of two Centennial Jazz Legends, Miles Davis and John Coltrane, both born in 1926. There will be a mix of compositions honoring these exceptional artists who have inspired and informed jazz through the ages. We will also celebrate the holidays, performing some classic holiday gems from the Great American Songbook along with the playful music of American jazz pianist and composer, Vince Guaraldi, and his soundtrack, "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

This event is sponsored by the Seacoast Jazz Society, a 501(c)3 nonprofit registered in New Hampshire, dedicated to fostering a love of jazz in the community, supporting local musicians, and providing scholarships to young artists.

About the Musicians

Nick Goumas, sax

Nick began his jazz career in the mid 1960s while in college. After earning a degree in Music Education in 1967, Nick spent 3 years in the U. S. Army Bands, first in Massachusetts, then in Italy and Germany, subsequently touring many countries as a jazz musician in both big band and jazz combos. After returning to the U.S., he was a freelance tenor and soprano jazz musician and began a 40+ year teaching music. He has performed with his quartet and quintet throughout New England and Quebec City. In addition to leading his own bands, he has performed with many other great musicians, including Jerry Bergonzi, Geraldine DiMarco, Bob Gullotti, Bill Pierce, Yoron Israel, Greg Hopkins, Curtis Fuller, the Four Freshman, Rosemary Clooney, Cab Calloway, and many more.

Jason Palmer, trumpet

Trumpeter, composer, and educator, Jason is one of the most in-demand musicians of his generation. He has performed with Roy Haynes, Herbie Hancock, organist Jimmy Smith, Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ravi Coltrane, Phil Woods, and numerous others. He has received many awards for performance and composition in the U. S. and Europe and has over 40 albums as a sideman and 13 albums as leader, including four albums reviewed by DownBeat that received 4 stars or better. He has toured over 30 countries with saxophonists Mark Turner, Greg Osby, Grace Kelly, and Matana Roberts, and has been a featured guest on multiple projects in Portugal, Mexico, Canada, Russia, and the U.S. For 20 years, Jason's quintet was the house band every weekend at Boston's historic Wally's Jazz Café. His band has also performed throughout the Northeast including at Tanglewood Jazz Fest, Sculler's Jazz Club, the Stone in NYC, the Jazz Gallery in NYC, and the Beantown Jazz Festival. He was commissioned by the Festival of New Trumpet Music in NYC to premier a new work at the Jazz Standard. The music from that suite was later featured on his 2016 recording on SteepleChase entitled "Beauty 'n' Numbers: The Sudoku Suite". In addition to a heavy performing schedule, Jason has been on the board of JazzBoston and is Assistant Professor of Ensembles and Brass at Berklee College of Music. He also has served as an Assistant Professor at Harvard University and at New England Conservatory, and on the faculty at the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in NYC. He has also given master classes all over the world.

Steve Hunt, piano

After graduating from Berklee College of Music (where he now teaches piano), Steve recorded and performed in the Boston area with Randy Roos and Tiger Okoshi. He also performed with Peter Calo's bands, "Bellvista" and "Thin Ice" and toured with fusion drummer, Billy Cobham. In the mid-80s, he was musical director for the Jazz Explosion, leading a trio that backed up important artists on tour. The trio consisted of Hunt, bassist Jimmy Earl, and Victor Jones on drums. The artists included: Gato Barbieri, Angela Bofill, Tom Browne, Stanley Clarke, the late George Duke, Kenny G, Freddy Hubbard, Ramsey Lewis, Noel Pointer, Stanley Turrentine, and the late Phyllis Hyman. The Jazz Explosion performed in the Kennedy Center, as well as San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and London. In 1987, he joined a tour of Europe led by fusion bassist Stanley Clarke and guitarist Allan Holdsworth. He recorded on Clarke's album "If This Bass Could Only Talk," and on "East River Drive," where he is credited with helping to compose the song "I'm Home Africa". Until 2003, Steve performed, toured, and recorded as a member of Allan Holdsworth's band. Several of his compositions appear on Holdsworth's albums and the compilation, "The Best of Allan Holdsworth: Against the Clock." In 1997, percussionist Gregg Bendian recorded on Hunt's album, "From Your Heart and Soul." This began a relationship in which Hunt recorded on four of Bendian's albums. In addition to performing and teaching, Steve runs a record company, "Spice Rack Records," closely associated with "The Kitchen Recording Studio." Steve serves as producer, arranger, engineer, and performer on many releases with other artists including Peter Janson's album "Beautiful Day," on which Steve helped compose "December Morning Sun," "Dragonfly", and "Beautiful Day". When Steve isn't busy in the studio he performs at venues locally and on tour as well as at festivals and other events.

Barry Smith, upright bass

Barry was born in England and came to Boston in 1972 to study at Berklee College of Music, then moving to New York City in 1976. He toured with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, then toured and recorded with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, and later with Woody Herman’s Thundering Herd. He also toured with the Gerry Mulligan Concert band and toured and recorded with Red Rodney and the Ira Sullivan Quintet. He returned to the Boston area in 1986 and taught at Berklee College of Music for 31 years. Currently he is a freelance musician in the New England area. 

Jim Lattini, drums

Jim has performed extensively with many renowned jazz artists including Nick Brignola, Bobby Shew, Randy Brecker, Steve Marcus, David “Fat Head” Newman, Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, John Lockwood, Carmen Bradford, Bucky Pizzarelli, Ken Peplowski, Giacomo Gates, Clair Dee, Terell Stafford, and John Pizzarelli, just to name a few. In 1989, he toured with the Artie Shaw / Dick Johnson Orchestra throughout the U.S. and Canada. He performed with Rebecca Parris and recently did an East Coast tour with the Capital Jazz Orchestra in tribute to the 75th anniversary of the Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall Concert featuring Ken Peplowski. He has also been in shows with The Fifth Dimension, The Four Freshmen, Buddy Hackett, The Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, Jeffrey Osborne, The Rat Pack, Byron Stripling’s Tribute to Louis Armstrong, Franco Corso, Joe Piscopo, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Pete Barbutti, and Steve-March Torme. Jim has performed in many festivals and has been on numerous TV and movie soundtracks including the Joan Rivers' documentary, "A Piece of Work". Some other recording credits include, “The Bob Sinicrope Trio”, “Boston Gig” (featuring Enrico Rosa), Miles Donahue’s “Bounce" (featuring Joe Calderazzo and John Patitucci), Louise Van Aarsen’s “Destiny”, Rebecca Parris’s Grammy Award nominated album, “You Don’t Know Me” (featuring Houston Person, Jerry Bergonzi, and Gary Burton), “Reflecting Forward” (The Palance/Wolff Project Part I), and Giacomo Gates' recent album, “You." In addition to performing and recording, Jim has been senior adjunct professor of drums and percussion at the UMass/Lowell for 18 years, and he is drum and percussion instructor at Lexington, MA, Public Schools, as well as adjunct professor of drums and percussion at Northern Essex Community College and a private instructor in Methuen, MA.