Oregon native Rob Scheps began studying the tenor saxophone at age nine. He grew up on Long Island, New York. After graduating high school, he enrolled in the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music. There he received a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies with Honors in Performance.
While living in the Boston area, Rob formed and led his own groups, including the True Colors Big Band. In 1988 he moved to New York, where he formed the Rob Scheps Core-tet and the Bartokking Heads, firmly establishing himself on the jazz scene.
Not content to limit himself, Rob continued to take on new challenges. He formed new bands on both coasts. He served as a faculty member at the Mannes College of Music. He worked with contemporary music ensembles. All while performing with some of the most noted and influential big bands of our age, such as the Gil Evans Orchestra and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.
In addition to his jazz credentials, Rob been an active part of the classical, theater, and popular music communities. For 13 years, he served as the Principal Saxophone with the Oregon Symphony. He was part of the national tour of Porgy and Bess with the Charleston Symphony, and the New York City Opera orchestra for Wonderful Town. He has worked on Broadway on productions such as CATS and Miss Saigon. He has appeared with such legends as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Liza Minnelli, and Linda Ronstadt. His range is best shown by viewing his ‘Performances’ page, showing the diversity of those with whom he has worked.
Jamie Reynolds is a Canadian pianist, keyboardist and composer who has lived in New York City since 2005. He graduated with honors from the University of Toronto in 2004, where he studied with David Braid, Mike Murley, Phil Nimmons, and many others. Jamie moved to New York in 2005 when he was awarded multiple Canada Council grants to study privately with Fred Hersch and Craig Taborn. He has also received professional development grants for touring in 2012 and for recording his album Counterpart in 2013. Jamie has performed at New York’s top jazz clubs and has toured extensively in Canada, the U.S., and Europe, including a performance at the Newport Jazz Festival. Jamie is also a longtime faculty member at the 92nd St. Y School of Music, where he teaches jazz piano, theory, and composition. He is also a staff accompanist at the Diller-Quaile School of Music and a former faculty member of the preparatory program at Queens College. Jamie released his debut album, “Time with People”, an acoustic piano trio recording of original music, in 2012. His second, “Counterpart”, features electric instruments and effects and was self-released in 2013. Jamie’s latest project, “Grey Mirror”, featured the guitarist Matthew Stevens and the improvising brass quartet the Westerlies. “Grey Mirror” was released in 2017 on the Fresh Sound label and received a 4.5 star review in Downbeat Magazine.
Bassist David Kingsnorth has performed with the John Abercrombie /Rob Scheps Quartet, Eliot Zigmund, Joshua Breakstone, Oscar Brown Jr., Richard Wyands, Frank Jackson, the New Jersey Ballet, and the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea. He is originally from California, where he studied with John Clayton and received degrees in math and music from the University of California, Berkeley.
Drummer Matt Garrity has been on the New York music scene since 1994. He has performed and recorded with some of the best in the business, including Grammy winners: Joe Lovano, Vincent Herring and Steve Slagle, as well as David Williams, Teri Thornton, Peter Bernstein, David Amram, Eric Alexander, Judi Silvano, Gary Versace, Ron McLure, Ed Cherry, Joel Forrester, Jeremy Pelt and Jerome Richardson.
