Today’s Orchestra

Paul Ellington was born and raised in Denmark but frequently traveled to other countries with his father, Mercer K. Ellington, son of Duke Ellington, and former Duke Ellington Orchestra bandleader in his own right. From a young age, Paul had many different musical interests, including the drums, trumpet, and percussion. In the end, he focused his talents on the piano.

It became clear to Paul at a young age that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps, at which point he started to take piano more seriously, ultimately deciding that moving to the United States would be the best way to advance his music career.

Paul met one of his key teachers, Dr. Peter Vinograde, at the Manhattan School of Music, from whom he would learn much during his two semesters there. Paul left the Manhattan School of Music to study under another key mentor, Tommy James. He debuted his first composition for Big Band at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center to a huge ovation from the crowd.

Paul is the third generation of his legendary family to lead one of America’s most iconic jazz ensembles.

Jason Marshall’s 2003 arrival in New York City signified the continuation of hard swinging, forward thinking baritone saxophone playing. With early encouragement to appreciate all types of music, Jason has developed a style that encompasses with whole of African-American music. A special interest is given to the amalgamation of soul, R and B, and funk with straight-ahead jazz. Years of dedication and perseverance have resulted in a giant, soulful sound and instantly appealing concept. Influences such as Leo Parker, Nick Brignola and Bruce Johnstone have coalesced to ensure an open perception of the baritone sax and a “take -no-prisoners” approach to playing jazz music.

Dr. Tyrone J. Block is currently the Dean of the College of Music and Communication Arts at Southwestern Assemblies of God University. Born in Dumas, Arkansas, Tyrone has been playing trombone since he was a young child. During his career, he has won numerous competitions including the Northeast Arkansas Young Artist Concerto Competition, Walt Disney All-American Marching, and Duke Ellington Orchestra, and was voted Brass Player of the Year at the University of Arkansas-Monticello for two years.

Tyrone’s formal training began at Dumas High School where he was named to the All-State Band for three years and also the prestigious Governor’s School. He attended the University of Arkansas-Monticello where he received his B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) in Music Performance. In addition, he attended the Armed Forces School of Music where he graduated first in his class. During this time, he traveled with the United States Navy Show Band and toured three continents, many countries, and the United States.

Block received his M.M. (Masters of Music) in Performance from the University of North Texas with a related field in Ethnomusicology. It was during this time, that he recorded several series with the G.I.A. project Teaching Music Through Performance in Band under the direction of Eugene Corporon.

He also completed his D.M.A. (Doctorate of Musical Arts) at the University of North Texas. It was during this time, that he attended the Army School of Music and was selected as the Honor Graduate receiving the Distinguished Leadership Award.

He is on summer staff at the University of Arkansas at Monticello teaching and performing at their jazz camp. He has been on staff in Fort Worth ISD, Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, and Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. Dr. Block received the Distinguished Teacher Award for Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, the Distinguished Faculty Award for Southwestern Assemblies of God University, and is a S.E. Shires Performing Artist.

Dr. Block has performed in the following groups: Duke Ellington Orchestra, Jazz Monsters, Southeast Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Brazos Chamber Orchestra, Fort Worth Civic Orchestra, Dallas Jazz Orchestra, Mesquite Jazz Repertoire Ensemble, Metro Praise Jazz Orchestra, Joshua Experience Big Band, South Arkansas Brass Ensemble, Joint Armed Forces Wind Symphony, and North Texas Wind Symphony. Block has been a featured soloist with the University of North Texas Wind Ensemble, Jazzlanders Jazz Festival, the 106th Arkansas National Guard Concert and Jazz Band, and the Navy Atlantic Fleet Show Band.

Shelley Carrol hails from a family of gospel singers and musicians in Houston, Texas. It was there that the music bug bit him at an early age and landed him in the famed Boys Choir of Houston. After picking up the saxophone, he was able to study with the legendary Texas Tenor greats, Arnett Cobb and Don Wilkerson. At the time he didn’t know how revered these gentlemen were around the globe. They simply lived in his neighborhood. Shelley attended the city’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and was a standout in the city’s Summer Jazz Workshop Program.

While attending the University of North Texas, Shelley earned a spot in the Grammy Nominated One O’clock Lab Band. There he recorded two critically acclaimed CDs in 1990 – 91. During the same period, Mr. Carrol was invited to join the Duke Ellington Orchestra by trumpeter Barry Lee Hall. This would prove to be an enormous musical opportunity with worldwide exposure. Since joining the band, he has toured the U.S. and over 30 foreign countries. He has also recorded and or performed with Sheryl Crow, Maureen McGovern, Tony Bennett, Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, Roger Waters, and a host of others. Shelley evolved to record as a leader in 1997, featuring members of the Duke Ellington Orchestra on his debut CD for Leaning House Records. His second CD, A Distant Star was released in the fall of 2001. Carrol’s third release was recently recorded with his Monday night band, which has been featured at The Amsterdam Bar in Dallas for several years. This recording, Gentle Friend, is now available.

His latest recording is entitled I Heard That and features iconic guest artists like the late Marchel Ivery, Stefon Karlsson, Roger Boykin, and vocalist Ardina Lockhart. Shelley also currently teaches privately in the Dallas area and gives clinics whenever he can. He even has plans to develop a Summer Jazz Workshop in Dallas.

Shelley was a 2006 finalist in the Texas Commission for the Arts “State Musician” recognition and was also named the 2007 Sammons Center Jazz Artist of the Year.

Bryan Davis is a trumpet and flugelhorn player originally from the UK. He received his formal musical training at Leeds College of Music but considers “the road” to be his true education. With over 30 years of professional experience to his credit, Bryan continues to learn from the numerous musicians he performs with around the world. However, his trumpet teachers include Richard Iles, Gerard Presencer, Brian Lynch, and Roger Ingram.

In his early career, Bryan had long associations with several groups, ranging from the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Great Britain to the salsa group Casa Latina All-Stars.

Bryan also performed with several theatre companies from 1999 onwards, including 42nd Street, Cabaret, The Official Tribute to… The Blues Brothers. He is perhaps best known for his association with The Rat Pack, having toured regularly with them from mid-2004 to late 2009, and then occasionally up to early 2013. Tours in Germany and Austria led to his association with several groups from these countries, most notably Thomas Gansch’s Gansch & Roses, Otto Sauter’s Ten of the Best, and the Lower Austrian Concert Jazz Orchestra.

Now a fixture on the scene in New York City, J.J. has performed and recorded with numerous groups in the US including Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Blood Sweat & Tears, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, the Eyal Vilner Big Band, the 8 Bit Big Band, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and Mike Longo’s NY State of the Art Jazz Ensemble. US theatre credits include sub work on Broadway for “Chicago”, “Some Like It Hot”, “Diana, the Musical” and “On Your Feet”.

Mr Davis has also become increasingly involved with music education, not only teaching trumpet lessons, in person and online, but also leading clinics and workshops, and appearing as a guest artist, around the world. Since late 2015, he has been an adjunct faculty member at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, in New York.

Philadelphia-born musician David F. Gibson has earned an impeccable reputation in the jazz world. He’s one of the rare drummers who can jump into any groove and swing, or stretch out dynamically.

His music credentials verify his outstanding rhythmic and melodic abilities. David has toured and recorded with the Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Frank Foster. He worked directly with Joe Williams and the Frank Foster Non-Electric Company and also The Diane Schuur Trio. His work in vanguard style includes guest spots with the Sun Ra Arkestra and the David Murray Big Band, as well as other adventurous performances and educational projects.

David earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Temple University. An active interest in Television media initiated several collaborations with producers of local Philadelphia programs including City Lights, Perspective, and Sesame Street. He has recorded over 100 musical tracks for a religious cable show called Time of Deliverance.

David continues to conduct clinics and workshops around the country and the world. In 1994 he formed a nonprofit organization, Collective Arts Services, Ince to help replace the diminishing music programs in our educational school system and secure grants for artists.

Two-time Grammy Award winner Mark Gross has appeared on over 40 notable jazz recordings. Aside from performing globally with the Mark Gross Quartet, he’s toured the world for 25 years with everyone from Delfeayo Marsalis, Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, and Nat Adderley to Dave Holland, Jimmy Heath, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

Stateside, Mark’s Broadway efforts have made a big impact for decades, having served recently as the lead reed player for the Tony Award-winning “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” play. After developing his interest in classical music at the Baltimore School for the Arts, Mark sharpened his axe at the world-renowned Berklee College of Music before embarking on his lifelong journey through jazz.

Andre Hayward is an extremely gifted trombonist with the sound and clarity reminiscent of the late J.J. Johnson. His gospel-tinged approach is refreshing and will warm the hearts of anyone he comes in

contact with.

Born in Houston, Texas in 1973, Hayward’s first exposure to the world of music was through his parents, Melvin and Barbara Hayward where musical talent exists on both sides. Hayward began playing trombone and tuba at the age of 11 under the tutelage of Leon Schreiber and 2 years later with Bob Odneal who was lead trumpeter for Maynard Ferguson. Hayward continued playing through high school where he attended the High School for Performing and Visual Arts under the direction of notable jazz educator, Robert “Doc” Morgan. He continued to hone his skills with Houston’s legendary educator, Conrad O. Johnson. It was Conrad’s instruction, and the opportunity to work in his big band, “The Big Blue Sound”, where he started to gain experience working in an ensemble.

He landed his first engagement with trumpeter Roy Hargrove for a European tour after being heard at a jam session during a festival while playing with the Texas Southern University Jazz Ensemble. After Hargrove, Hayward performed and recorded with singer/bandleader Betty Carter for five years in her acclaimed “Jazz Ahead” program. Other acclaimed performers include Joe Williams, Slide Hampton, John Lewis, Mingus Dynasty Big Band, Gerald Wilson, Kirk Whalum, Jimmy Heath, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, and Illinois Jacquet’s Big Band. His most recent performance credits are The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, The San Francisco Jazz Collective, and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.

In 2003, he received first place at the International Thelonious Monk Trombone Competition in Washington, DC. Hayward is also an educator who has conducted numerous clinics and workshops in various parts of the US and overseas.

Hayward has served as jazz trombone professor at the New School of Jazz & Contemporary Music, New York University, New England Conservatory, Michigan State University, University of Texas – Butler School of Music, and the University of North Texas. He’s currently a professor at Huston-Tillotson University and San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Robert has toured extensively with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, performing throughout the U.S. and abroad.  Most recent tours with the orchestra have included Japan, Singapore, Korea, Israel, London, Italy, and Brazil, and frequent performances at the Blue Note, New York.  He was a member of the late Keter Betts trio for 13 years and continues to be a pianist and leader for the Wolf Trap Jazz Trio which was started by Betts’.  From 1995-1998, Robert was the pianist and musical director for singer/songwriter Kenny Rankin. He performs often as a member of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and played frequently as a member of the Charlie Byrd Trio, and appears on Charlie’s last recording, “For Louis”.

Robert can be heard on numerous recordings and is also a QRS recording artist, having recorded two piano rolls for the New York-based company. Recent recordings include “Bouquet Chorale” (Summit Records) featuring Marty Nau and legendary saxophonist Phil Woods. He is a featured artist every year at the W.C. Handy Music Festival in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He has performed with John Pizzarelli, Houston Persons, Melba Moore, James Moody, Oscar Castro-Nevis, and Warren Vache, to name a few. Robert is also a member of the Brooks Tegler Trio, which performs every Sunday evening at The Irish Inn in Glen Echo, Md., one of the longest-running jazz gigs in the Washington D.C. area.

Hassan learned to play bass at age four (standing on a chair) and with his father as a guide, developed a high sensitivity and wide range of expression in jazz. At age twelve (12) he became the bassist for the Craig Hundley Trio, appearing on television shows such as the Today Show, Johnny Carson, Jonathan Winters, Ted Mack Amateur Hour and the Della Reese show. The Trio also recorded an album for World Pacific Records. At age 18, Hassan joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra under the direction of Mercer Ellington. He continues to perform with the Orchestra.

In addition to performing with his father, Gerald Wiggins, Sr., he has performed with numerous other artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jackson, Loretta Devine, Billy Eckstein, Al Grey, Sarah Vaughn, Joe Williams, Herb Ellis, and many others. Hassan also performed on a USO Tour with Pearl Bailey and Louie Bellson entertaining the troops in the Persian Gulf. He was the bassist for the Broadway show “Me and Bessie” with Linda Hopkins and “Black and Blue” with Ruth Brown and Linda Hopkins. He was also the bassist for Duke Ellington’s shows “Sophisticated Ladies” and “Queenie Pie”. Hassan is a longtime member of the Bill Easley Quartet, which has recorded several albums. Hassan also performs regularly with Monty Alexander on tours in the United States, Europe, and Japan.

Additionally, his music credits also include appearances at Carnegie Hall, and on cruise ships such as S.S. Rotterdam, S.S. Norway, The Queen Elizabeth 2, and the Royal Viking cruise lines. He has performed in many of the Jazz Festivals including the Kool Jazz, Montreux, North Sea, Nice, Concord, Hollywood Bowl, Saratoga, and many others.

James Delano Zollar began his musical career at age 9 playing bugle in his hometown, Kansas City Missouri. At 12, he graduated to the trumpet where he began to discover his musical voice and focus. After high school he continued to study at San Diego City College and then the University of California at San Diego. At the same time, James honed his chops with various funk and jazz bands and led his straight-ahead quintet.

In, 1985, he moved to New York City and played with the Cecil McBee Quintet for five years and then recorded with Tom Harrell, Weldon Erving, and Sam Rivers. James was featured in Robert Altman’s motion picture “Kansas City”, also in Madonna’s music video “My Baby’s Got a Secret”, as well as Malcolm Lee’s film “The Best Man”. He played on the soundtrack of “The Perez Family” and is proud to be included in The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz (Oxford University Press 1999.)

James was also a featured soloist with Jon Faddis & Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra as well as Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The Count Basie Orchestra with Diane Schuur, Seth MacFarlane & Jose James, Don Byron’s Bands, The Marty Ehrlich Sextet, Jon Batiste, Tom Scott, The great vocalist Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, Sarah Vaughn, Gladys Knight, also working with the Latin piano master Eddie Palmieri and Grammy Award Winner Samara Joy.

He remains New York-based where he stands out in a wide range of musical settings. Today, he’s playing with the Duke Ellington Orchestra and has been a valued member of the orchestra since 1983.

Charlie Young has had a rich career performing and recording with various ensembles such as the National Symphony Orchestra, the US Navy Band, the Count Basie Orchestra, and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Young has shared the concert stage with many of the music industry’s leading icons ranging from Clark Terry and Ella Fitzgerald to Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones. Performance venues have ranged from London’s Royal Albert Hall to New York’s Carnegie Hall.

In 1988, Charlie Young was recruited as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra where he presently serves as Band Leader and lead saxophonist. Young joined the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra in 1995 serving as the ensemble’s principal woodwind specialist for over 15 years. In 2013, he was appointed Artistic Director and Conductor.

In addition to working with legendary ensembles, Young and his jazz quintet performed at the 1988 San Remo Jazz and Blues Festival as musical ambassadors. In 2008, he was invited to present an inaugural concert and lecture at the opening of the New American University in Cairo, Egypt. Mr. Young is published on over 30 CD recordings, including his solo release “So Long Ago.”

Young is a recognized clinician in the field of jazz education as well as in classical and jazz saxophone performance, including 30 years as a Professor of Saxophone at Howard University and Coordinator of Instrumental Jazz Studies. Clinic presentations in Brazil, Venezuela, Chile, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Singapore, and throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan have earned Charlie Young a stellar reputation among the most respected in saxophone performance and education.

Andrae is a trombonist, baritone player, composer, and arranger who first discovered music at church with his grandparents and mother. Focusing on delivering a message of grace and truth, his music navigates through the roots of negro spirituals, the body and soul of rhythm and blues, and the mindset of jazz improvisation, harmony, and rhythm. He earned his academic degrees from Oberlin Conservatory (BA), and Queens College Aaron Copland School of Music (MM) where he was mentored by SteveTurre and Robin Eubanks.

After completing his formal studies, he began touring the world intensively while serving as a trombonist with The Skatalites, Abdullah Ibrahim and Ekaya, and The Duke Ellington Orchestra. He has also worked with Roy Hargrove,The Count Basie Orchestra, The Lionel Hampton Orchestra, The Trombone Summit with Slide Hampton and Curtis Fuller, Clark Terry, Ravi Coltrane, Monty Alexander, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Jason Mraz, Postmodern Jukebox, and many more.

Ravi has performed domestically and internationally for over two decades. Most recently, he has been performing and touring with Steven Van Zandt and his band Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul, where he had the chance to play with Sir Paul McCartney, and Bruce Springsteen. Ravi also spent two years touring with Kool & The Gang, and Ravi has just joined Ain’t Too Proud, the Broadway show based on the life and times of the legendary soul group The Temptations. Ravi began his musical journey while growing up in Southern California listening to his father’s extensive jazz collection, and studying privately.

After high school, he matriculated at Howard University where he gained his BA in Music Therapy. While in college Ravi was fortunate to study with three incredible trumpet players, Donald Byrd, Fred Irby III, and Professor William Fielder. During this time he also played at The Kennedy Center in the musical Stardust, and performed and recorded with Jon Faddis. In his final year at Howard, Ravi was able to get his first touring gig with tenor sax legend Illinois Jacquet. Mr. Jacquet asked Ravi to join his big band, The Illinois Jacquet Big Band where Ravi toured and performed with greats such as Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Herbie Hancock, Nancy Wilson, Dianne Reeves, Clark Terry, and Bill Clinton during his first inauguration.

Ravi has performed with various artists such as Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Queen Latifah, Christina Aguilera, Annie Lennox, Lenny Kravitz, Barry White, The Roots, Boyz II Men, The Temptations, and The O’Jays. He gained his MA in Jazz Studies from New York University as well. He also began performing, touring, and recording with various bands like the Duke Ellington Orchestra, The Count Basie Orchestra, Sam Rivers Rivbea Orchestra, David Murray’s Big Band and Octet, Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy, Blood, Sweat, and Tears, David Byrne & St. Vincent, Ani DiFranco, and Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour.

He has played several times in the Saturday Night Live house band, Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Today Show with Kool and The Gang, The Today Show with Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul, the American Music Awards with Queen Latifah, the MTV VMAs with Christina Aguilera, The Late Show with David Letterman with Rufus Wainwright, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert with M. Ward, Good Morning America with Boyz II Men, The Rachel Ray Show with Tony Bennett and The Count Basie Orchestra, and The View. He’s also been featured in a Foxwood Casino commercial. Recent TV credits include the Emmy-award winning live production of Jesus Christ Superstar starring John Legend in April 2018, and HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.

Ravi has also spent many years performing in the orchestras of several Broadway shows such as Annie, The Color Purple, Chicago, Sweet Charity, Anything Goes, 42nd Street, Swing!, On A Clear Day, Le Cage Aux Folles, Fela!, Baby It’s You!, Come Fly With Me, Nice Work If You Can Get It, and Kat and The Kings.

Ravi was on the faculty of the Jazz@ Lincoln Center Middle School Academy for several years, and has led Music Therapy programs at Isabella Geriatric Center, St. Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital, and has taught privately for many years.

Dan Block took up the saxophone just short of his 14th birthday, trumpet soon after, and clarinet the following year. Classical music and the great American Songbook standards were constantly being played in his home, and he was influenced by both. While at Juilliard, pursuing a degree in clarinet, Block divided his time between jam sessions in the New York loft scene and orchestral and chamber music duties at school. He was at this time fortunate enough to participate in Charles Mingus’ final recording project, which resulted in Something Like a Bird and Me, Myself an Eye. Playing alongside Charles McPherson, Pepper Adams, and the Breckers was transformative; playing in the Juilliard Orchestra under the baton of luminaries like Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta, and George Solti provided a contrasting perspective.

After graduating, Block became a member of Skah Shah, one of the top bands in the Haitian music circuit; he was deeply influenced by the music’s phrasing and unique rhythmical concepts. After exiting the Haitian scene, Block became a member of Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks, probably the world’s most authentic ’20s and ’30s repertory band. It was there he found the common denominator between Kompa (Haitian pop music) and traditional jazz. He has played in the big bands of Maria Schneider, Toshiko Akyoshi, David Berger, and Ken Peplowski, and frequently plays with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. He has also worked as a sideman with Tom Harrell, Frank Wess, Jack McDuff, and Richard Wyands. Block has played and recorded with Jerry Dodgion and Harry Allen’s saxophone groups and now plays and tours with the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

Much of Block’s recording and performing has been with vocalists, among them Bobby Short, Michael Feinstein, Rosemary Clooney, Anne Hampton Calloway, Catherine Russell, and Tony Bennett. He has also worked extensively on Broadway, playing on at least 30 shows, and his clarinet, saxophone, and flute have been heard frequently on TV and radio commercials as well as film scores.

Jon Mark McGowan became a professional musician in 1984 joining the Haitian Compa band “The Mini All-Stars, going on tours to Haiti, Guadaloupe, France, and Canada.  In 1986, Mark went on a tour of Europe playing trumpet with the traveling show “Jesus Christ Superstar.” In 1988, Mark recorded his first album, a jazz quintet record co-led with Reggie Woods (another recording with Reggie in 1991).

In 1992, Mark joined the Illinois Jacquet Big Band, performing at the Village Vanguard and then touring Europe and various venues in the U.S. until 1998.  In 1995, Mark joined the Lionel Hampton Orchestra performing and touring with the big band until Lionel’s death in 2002. In 2001, Mark toured the U.S. with the Duke Ellington Orchestra and Lee-Ann Womack, playing lead trumpet.

Since then, Mark has performed with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at various venues in Europe and the United States (including a Houston, Texas performance with the big band on September 16, 2023).  From 2016 through 2018, Mark performed, toured, and recorded with the Count Basie Orchestra.  From 2014 through 2019 Mark played trumpet with the Michael Feinstein/Tedd Firth Big Band at Lincoln Center among other venues.  Today, Mark continues to play with the Duke Ellington Orchestra in New York and beyond.