Jay Hoggard Quartet

On July 11th and 12th Vibraphonist/composer Jay Hoggard comes to Alvin & Friends for two nights of great jazz, featuring  James Weidman on piano, Belden Bullock on bass, Alvester Garnett on drums, and Jocelyn Pleasanton drums and percussion. Two shows, 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm, $25 cover.

Vibraphonist, Composer Jay Hoggard’s music has touched the hearts and souls of listeners around Planet Earth for 40 years. Jay’s music is positive, spiritual, uplifting, and happy. He masterfully draws on traditional and contemporary musical vocabulary to develop new directions for the vibraphone. Jay seamlessly blends jazz and gospel roots with African marimba rhythms. His performance repertoire represents the three B’s of the jazz tradition (Blues, Bop, Ballads) with original innovations.

Jay Hoggard has long ranked with the greatest vibraphone innovators. He has been one of the most enduring and innovative masters on his instrument since the 1970s.  A direct musical descendant of  Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson, Lem Winchester, and Bobby Hutcherson, Hoggard’s omni-directional artistry encompasses the myriad musical dimensions of the African Diaspora and its spiritual resonances

Born in Washington, DC, Jay Hoggard was raised in Mt. Vernon, New York; at age 15, Jay began his pursuit of the vibraphone. “One night I had a dream that I was playing the vibes. I asked my father to rent me a set and from the first moment, I knew that this was what I was supposed to do.” Jay majored in the renowned World Music program at Wesleyan University. He toured Europe and played at Carnegie Hall during his freshman year. In his junior year, he traveled to Tanzania to study East African marimba music. Jay graduated from Wesleyan in 1976 and returned to New York City in 1977 to be proclaimed a young lion of the vibraphone.

As a performer, Jay Hoggard has toured the globe to rave reviews. He has performed in many of the finest venues of music presentation around the world, including major venues (Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Schomberg Center) and jazz festivals (St. Lucia. JVC, Montreux, Mt.Fuji, Pori, Hartford).  Jay performed in special concert collaborations with vibraphone masters Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson, Tito Puente and Bobby Hutcherson. He has recorded and toured with creative artists such as Kenny Burrell, Dr. Billy Taylor, Max Roach, James Newton, Hilton Ruiz, Oliver Lake, Bennie Maupin, Sam Rivers, Anthony Braxton, Jorge Dalto, Terumasa Hino, Dwight Andrews, Geri Allen, Anthony Davis, Henry Threadgill, Vishnu Wood, Chico Freeman, Muhal Richard Abrams , Sherry Winston, Ahmed Abdullah, and was a guest artist with the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band.

Jay Hoggard is a tenured professor at his alma mater Wesleyan University, where for the past 32 years he has directed the Wesleyan Jazz Orchestra and has taught and mentored thousands of student musicians.  Limited seating: Call 914-654-6549 to reserve.