WPL Jazz Concert: The Nat Janoff Quartet

Recorded 9/26/24. Nat Janoff (guitar): Guitarist, composer and teacher Nat Janoff, has been working steadily in the contemporary jazz scene for the past 15 years. Nat’s earliest experience with music started with the piano. Then, he switched to bass. After hearing Eddie Van Halen, Nat had to play guitar. Growing up in the 80’s, Nat’s musical interests were all things rock and metal and Nat earned a reputation for being one of the best shred guitarist in the area.
Nat’s transition from metal and rock guitar to jazz occurred when he sought out a platform to improvise for longer than the standard rock riff. That, and hearing Mahavishnu Orchestra’s Birds of Fire for the first time. Pursue jazz he did and after earning his Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Performance from William Paterson University in 1996, Nat set to work forging his own musical path. The first marker on that path was Nat’s debut album, Looking Through featuring the rhythm section of world renowned electric bassist, Matthew Garrison and drummer Gene Lake, putting Nat on the map as both a player and a composer.
Rave Tesar (keyboards): Growing up in a musical household, Rave began playing piano at an early age and developed an affinity for all styles of music. He began his career working on the Jazz scene in and around New York with numerous groups and leaders. His reputation soon led to national and international tours as a side man with singer Frankie Randal, rock and roll hall-of-famers The Shirells and the minimalist pop group Tirez Tirez. The Rave Tesar Trio (which includes Kermit Driscoll on bass and Bill Tesar on drums) has released three CDs - “You Decide” (all songs on this first CD are composed by Rave); “Defragment Now” and “Open Door”. Rave is, perhaps, best known for his long-standing collaboration with singer Annie Haslam and her progressive rock band Renaissance. Serving as a co-writer and producer, Rave worked on several of Haslam's solo projects as well as the 2001 Renaissance "live" from Japan CD, "The Land of the Rising Sun", and their studio album, "Grandine il Vento", on which he also served as primary producer. In addition to his work in jazz and pop music, Rave has written and recorded numerous works for film and television. He is also an educator, and is featured as such in the public television series, "Exploring the World of Music".
James Robbins (bass): Bassist, double bassist and composer James Robbins studied with Marcus McLaurine, (bassist of Clark Terry), and Joris Teepe, (bassist of Benny Golson), and among others at Berklee College of Music. He has played throughout the United States and Europe in various formations, alongside Nikolas Anadolis, Stéphane Wrembel, Joseph Doubleday, Jonathan Joubert, Michel Camilo, Javier Rosario, Les Paul, and as bassist of the group Thank You Scientist. He rubs shoulders with many great New York jazzmen in clubs like the Smalls or the Blue Note where he performs regularly, as well as in almost all the House of Blues in the US.
In 2008, he was awarded the Groningen Award from NJPAC, the Roy Meyer Swingers Award, and the Berklee Writing and Composition Scholarship. James has taught bass, guitar and vocals at Montclair State University's Stokes Forest Music Camp, Vermont Jazz Center, and William Paterson Summer Jazz Program.
Karl Latham (drums): His career has spanned the globe performing, recording and producing with Grammy® Award winning artists, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members and a multitude of internationally acclaimed musicians including: Ali Ryerson; The Bernie Worrell Orchestra; Jerry Vivino; Andy Snitzer; Mark Egan; Johnny Winter; The Shirelles (Music Director); John Lee Quartet; The Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars; The Fantasy Band; Howard Paul with Laurence Hobgood, Anat Cohen and Tom Scott; and has co led 2016 BMW World Jazz Award nominated “Constellations” with Mark Egan and Ryan Carniaux and Don Braden/Karl Latham Big Fun(K). Karl toured Europe extensively for nearly 25 years in the groups of Wolfgang Lackerschmid and Johannes Mossinger. Karl has subbed on the Broadway productions of “Bring It On”, “Hamilton”, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”, and “Ain’t Too Proud”. Karl continues to record, produce and engineer in his studio. During the pandemic, he developed the “Concerts from the Cabin” virtual jazz series, streaming live concerts of incredible local jazz artists. He continues to teach privately and as an Adjunct Professor at Drew University, the County College of Morris and Passaic County Community College. His CD “Together” with Alex Collins and Ryan Berg was released in 2021.