This month brings with it a new Julián and Friends, highlighting the music of featured artist Jonathan Suazo.
The Julián and Friends composers showcase, created to celebrate and serve as a platform for young composers-instrumentalists, is in its second year at the Jazz Showcase. Each monthly presentation seeks to expand the intergenerational conversation of Black American Music with experimental and forward thinking original programs.
Julián Pujols Quall
A Dominican-American pianist and composer from Chicago, Julián´s journey started with the Caribbean rhythms of their childhood. A classically trained artist, their work found a home in jazz performance, improvisation, and collaboration.
Julián is a recent Jazz Performance graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, where they studied with Warren Wolf as a recipient of the Merit School of Music's Alice S. Pfaelzer Tuition-Free Conservatory Blue Ribbon Scholarship. As a solo pianist they have studied at the Aspen Music Festival, Gijón Piano Festival, Brevard Music Festival and Colburn Piano Festival.
As a founding member of the Peabody Improvisers Collective Julián developed experimental collaborative programs and has been creating and performing improvisational music for ballet, modern and West-African dance programs in Baltimore and Chicago for the last three years. In addition to Julián and Friends, they formed Mamey, a music project that seeks to deepen the understanding of the influence the Caribbean arts have had in their musical creative journey and to honor beautiful Dominican traditions and cultural resilience, as they strive to promote new and vibrant art.
Jonathan Suazo
Jonathan Suazo is an award-winning saxophonist / composer / cultural advocate / educator who also leads his own project entitled RICANO, a unique afro Caribbean Jazz concept that blends the sounds of Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. Jonathan was named one of the top ten emerging jazz artists of 2023 by the GRAMMYS and his debut album “Ricano” (Ropeadope Records) was listed at #6 in the best Jazz albums of 2023 by The New York Times.
A Berklee Global Jazz Institute graduate, he’s received many honors including the South Arts Jazz Road Tours Grant, the New Music USA Creator Fund Grant, A full tuition Scholarship to attend the Berklee Global Jazz Institute Masters Program, The Project Support Grant for Program Alumnis by the Fundacion Banco Popular for his Ricano album and the Berklee Urban Service Award for using the arts to support humanitarianism.
In connection with his Ricano project, Jonathan has become an ally of several organizations like Puerto Rican Arts Alliance, Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, Escuela Libre de Música San Juan, Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, El Institute de Cultura, Fundación Banco Popular, IBA and Boston Music Project to impact more that 600 student since 2023.
Catalina Maria Johnson of Downbeat Jazz Mag describes his music as “a soundscape propelled by lyrical sax playing” and Giovanni Rusonnello from the New York Times describes his music as “richly built, written from the heart and packed with complexity, always seeking the next level of altitude.”
Suazo’s resume includes collaborations / performances with Miguel Zenón, Terri Lyne Carrington, David Sánchez, Charlie Sepúlveda, Gonzalo Grau, Alex Alvear, Ricky Rodriguez, Ileana Cabra (iLÉ), Calma Carmona, Rakalam Bob Moses, Joe Lovano, Paoli Mejias, Humberto Ramirez, David Rivera, Tito Matos, Ricardo Pons, William Cepeda, Jon Secada, Pedro Capó, Obie Bermudez, Hans Glawischnig, Humberto Ramirez, Silverio Perez, Tony Escapa; and he’s led his and at the Santo Domingo Jazz Festival, Martinique Jazz Fest, Sala Sinfónica Pablo Casals, Teatro Francisco Arriví (Puerto Rico), Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Fest (Anfiteatro Tito Puente), Springfield Jazz Fest, Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, Elephant Room Austin TX, SXSW 2023, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, The MFA Boston, and many more.
TICKETS
General Admission $20
VIP $30
Student Tickets $15
Available at the door ONLY with valid student ID
