Wolfgang: Gnawa Jazz

Danny Wolf, the leader of Wolfgang, is a drummer, composer, recording engineer, and producer. He performs internationally, and is the recipient of a Downbeat and Woody Herman Jazz awards. Virtuosic and versatile, Danny’s desire to learn music of foreign cultures was what set the Wolfgang project in motion.

Aside from Moroccan gnawa music, Danny plays jazz, hip-hop, rock, and Afro-Latin music. While earning his undergraduate degree at the prestigious University of Miami, Danny was one of the most sought after all-purpose drummers in the city. He has studied with Ari Hoenig, Gene Jackson, and vince Cherico, and he is currently pursuing his M.A. in jazz performance at Queens College.

Born in Malaysia, raised in Australia and now living in New York City, Linda began playing piano at four, then classical bassoon in high-school. At fifteen, Linda began playing the electric bass and in 2002 she was accepted into the jazz program at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and started taking lessons on double-bass.

Linda was a James Morrison Scholarship Finalist in 2003 and in 2004 was a winner of the IAJE Sisters in Jazz collegiate competition - performing at the IAJE Conference that year.

She graduated with first-class honours from W.A.A.P.A, and received the award for the best graduation recital. Her honours thesis is titled, “A New Approach to Rhythmic Bass Improvisation: an exploration of rhythmic devices used by Dave Holland and the rhythmic aspects of North Indian Classical Music.”

While in Australia, Linda was leading her own quintet and the Western Australian Sisters in Jazz Big Band whilst conducting clinics for the Australasian sector of Sisters in Jazz.

In April 2006 Linda attended the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program, the Banff program for Creative Improvisation in May 2007 and the Steans Institute in 2008.

She was a recipient of the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer’s award 2008 and has just completed her Masters at the Manhattan School of Music studying with Jay Anderson, John Riley and Rodney Jones. She is an active bassist (on upright and electric) and composer - composing music for short films including the Student Academy Award nominated film “Wian Bu.”

Jazz pianist Pascal Le Boeuf is part of a growing New York jazz scene characterized by odd time signatures, shifting harmonies, and the influences of alternative rock, electronica, and hip-hop. The San Francisco Chronicle describes his music as “a rich brand of modern jazz, with performances and compositions that display an impressive level of sophistication. Textured harmonies and shifting time signatures are handled with aplomb.”

In his short musical career, Mr. Le Boeuf (pronounced “le buff”) has garnered over twenty national and international awards and accomplishments, the most notable being the ASCAP/IAJE Commission honoring Quincy Jones, which premiered at the 2004 IAJE conference and featured tenor saxophonist Chris Potter.  Pascal has also received awards from Downbeat Magazine, the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, and the John Coltrane Foundation.

Saxophonist Jacob Teichroew is a musician, music educator, and music journalist based in New York City. A versatile performer, Jacob graduated with a degree in classical saxophone performance, and performs jazz, rock, contemporary improvisation, and salsa in numerous ensembles. He recently received the Jimmy Heath Excellence in Jazz scholarship from Queens College, where he is pursuing a master’s degree in jazz performance under the tutelage of Antonio Hart and Michael Mossman. He has received awards from Downbeat Magazine, and was one of four finalists in the 2006 NASA Young Jazz Artist national competition.

As an educator, Jacob teaches saxophone privately to students young and old. He also teaches woodwinds and conducts band in inner city schools through the Third Street Music Settlement.

Jacob has published articles for Jazz.com, works as a freelance promotional biographer, and is currently the jazz editor at about.com (jazz.about.com). There he writes CD and concert reviews, posts music news, and conducts interviews with leading figures in the jazz world.