All That Jazz at the Davis Center

MEET THE PERFORMERS

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  Alfredo Colon

  Dominican American saxophonist and composer Alfredo Colon is a proud New York City native. His music has been described as authoritative and fiery yet mournful and melodic. Drawing on his interest in Dominican folklore and the works of visionary saxophonists Albert Ayler and Ornette Coleman, Colon creates a musical atmosphere that highlights beauty by framing it in disarray.
  
  Colon has worked with artists such as Henry Threadgill, Moses Sumney, William Parker, Amirtha Kidambi, Cafuné, Hamid Drake, Cautious Clay, Toninho Horta, Dawn Richard, and Aaron Parks.
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  Kalia Vandever

  Kalia Vandever is a Grammy Award-winning trombonist and composer. Their approach to the trombone is distinctive and defined by their sonorous tone and lyrical improvisational voice. They lean into the challenges of the instrument and allow patience and melody to guide their process. In their compositional practice, Vandever draws from their love of songs and improvisation, creating a landscape of sounds that resonate in the body and hold the listener. Their newest album, Another View, was praised by Stereogum for its “hypnotizing power.”
  
  Photo credit: Lesley Mok
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  Elé Salif Howell

  Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Elé Salif Howell began drumming at age 2. He studied with pianist Art Khu and in the Oaktown Jazz Workshops in Oakland. He apprenticed with drum master Lenny White and tours regularly with NEA Jazz Master saxophonist Gary Bartz, Ravi Coltrane, and Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (formerly known as Christian Scott). Howell has performed and recorded with Brandee Younger, Weedie Braimah, Stanley Clarke, and Alain Pérez, among others. His father, saxophonist Richard Howell, has been a major influence and collaborator throughout his career. Elé continues to write his own music, perform regularly around the world, and teach.