Bios – Dance of the Spirit

George Caldwell hails from Clarksdale, Mississippi. After graduating from Oberlin Conservatory and a brief stint playing with Clifford Jordan, Caldwell followed Mulgrew Miller into the piano chair of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, for three years. Caldwell’s next job was with David “Panama” Francis at the legendary Rainbow Room in New York City, followed by seven years with the world renowned Count Basie Orchestra. Some of the great jazz artists with whom he shared the bandstand include Quincy Jones, Roy Hargrove, George Benson, Dizzy Gillespie and Cab Calloway.

A sampling of Caldwell’s discography includes five discs with the Basie organization: ‘The Count Basie Orchestra Live at El Morrocco’, ‘Basie’s Bag’, ‘Joe Williams and The Count Basie Orchestra Live at Orchestra Hall’, ‘Jazzin’ with Tito Puente, and ‘The Count Basie Orchestra live at The Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild w/ the New York Voices’ (for which the band won a Grammy).

Caldwell was awarded full scholarships to Memphis State University and Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he received his bachelor of music in piano with a minor in music theory.

His latest release, ‘Accord’, was favorably reviewed in the March 2018 issue of DownBeat magazine and is available on the Amazon website and in select cd stores. He is artistic director of the John Coltrane Celebration, presented annually by the Pappy Martin Legacy Jazz Collective. Mr. Caldwell is currently professor of practice in the music department at SUNY Buffalo. Caldwell was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame on October 12, 2022. More info is available at georgecaldwelljazz.com.

“Alex McArthur is damn good. She has the slight “sizzle” with the esses and the ability to smoothly glide from note to note… And when I say “glide”… I’m talking about the glissando and rubato of real blues and jazz singers. Alex McArthur is a treasure. She is the real deal” – Peter Hall, Buffalo Rising, January 2022​

From the first moments she can remember, music brought comfort & joy like nothing else – the house she grew up in was filled with it all. From instrumental jazz, classical, prog rock, Motown & soul, 80’s-2000’s pop, to every Disney movie that had a song to sing & dance to, her parents did not hold back exposing her to as much of the musical world as they could. Doing so fostered an appreciation for many approaches to musical storytelling and expression.​

Alex’s love for storytelling via musical means led her to study musical theatre & music at the University at Buffalo. After meeting George Caldwell during jazz ensemble auditions her first year, she found a deep appreciation for vocal jazz music & improvisation that she had not felt before. She decided to study independently with some of the best jazz musicians, educators, & composers of the Buffalo region, all aiding the creation & control of her rich, soulful sound.

Since then, she remains open to the ways in which she can continue to share her love of music & storytelling with musicians & audiences alike of any & all backgrounds.​

Winner in the JazzBuffalo Poll for Female Jazz Vocalist of the Year (2022, 2021, 2018), her groups of multiple genres (jazz, pop/funk/soul) can be regularly found at various venues, festivals, & events in the Western New York area. When not performing under her own name, she can be found as a featured guest for a variety of jazz, pop, blues, funk, & classical performances/groups in the area.​

Alex serves as a concert host with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra with their education program. She is a vocalist & master of ceremonies for weddings & private/corporate events with The Silver Arrow Band, & is an active member of the theatre & choral communities of Buffalo (Starring Buffalo, Musicalfare Theatre, Vocalis Chamber Choir, Harmonia Vocal Jazz Ensemble). She also serves as a board member for the Sportsmen’s Americana Music Foundation.

Cellist-composer Jonathan Golove is a dedicated performer of both new and traditional works, as well as of improvised music. He has performed throughout the United States and Europe at venues including Weill Recital Hall (Carnegie Hall), Zipper Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and London’s Southbank Centre. He has been featured as cello soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Slee Sinfonietta, and New York Virtuoso Singers. One of only a handful of performers on the theremin cello, Golove has appeared as soloist with the Asko/Schoenberg Ensemble, London Sinfonietta, and International Contemporary Ensemble, and he is a member of the Cologne-based 1. Deutsche Stromorchester. He is also active as an electric cellist, particularly in the field of creative improvised music. He has performed and recorded with jazz groups including the Michael Vlatkovich Tryyo and Quartet, Ubudis Quartet, and Vinny Golia’s Large Ensemble, and made appearances at the Vancouver Jazz Festival, the Eddie Moore Jazz Festival (Oakland), and the International Meeting of Jazz and New Music (Monterrey, Mexico). He has recorded for the Albany, Centaur, FMR, pfMENTUM, and Nine Winds labels, and his performances and interviews have been heard in broadcasts by numerous National Public Radio stations, as well as on Radio Nuevo León, West German Radio, CBC, and Radio France. His summer appearances include numerous festivals devoted to new works, including the Holland Festival (Amsterdam), Festival d’Automne (Paris), Lincoln Center Festival, June in Buffalo, and the Festival del Centro Histórico (Mexico City). Mr. Golove’s original compositions have been performed at venues including the Kennedy Center, Washington D.C., Venice Biennale, Festival of Aix-en-Provence, Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society II, and the Kitchen, and he has received awards and grants for his work from organizations including ASCAP, the Yvar Mikhashoff Trust for New Music, and Meet the Composer. He served as department chair for UB’s Department of Music for the past six years. His electronic chamber opera Mental Radio recently received its German premiere at the Centre Court Festival in Cologne.

Wildy Zumwalt, is an active performer, teacher and scholar of the saxophone with engagements in the US and Europe. He has appeared as a soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Western New York Chamber Orchestra, Erie Chamber Orchestra, and the Southern Tier Symphony, as well as numerous university and community bands in the US. He has presented recitals and masterclasses at the Florida State University, The Hartt School of Music, Ithaca College, University of Southern Mississippi, West Texas A&M, Darmstadt Akademie für Tonkunst, Szczecin International Saxophone Institute and Utrecht Konservatorium, among others. Zumwalt plays regularly with the Chautauqua Symphony and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and has sat in with the Knoxville Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Flagstaff Symphony, and Naples (FL) Philharmonic. He also has been featured in numerous radio broadcasts including National Public Radio’s Performance Today.
Dr. Zumwalt is Professor of Saxophone at the State University of  New York in Fredonia, where he has taught for 22 years. A noted scholar on early saxophone repertoire, Zumwalt’s research has led to the re-discovery and publication of works by Hans Brehme, Edmund von Borck and Hugo Kaun. Zumwalt is currently writing the first biography on the classical saxophone pioneer, Sigurd M. Rascher, whose Archive is held in Reed Library at SUNY Fredonia.
REVIEWS
“Zumwalt accentuated the plaintive singing qualities of the saxophone.”

 Darmstädter Echo
“Wildy Zumwalt gave a stunning performance.”

Sonneck Society for American Music
“Wildy Zumwalt’s alto saxophone was like nothing I had ever heard before. At times human voice and instrument were so interchangeable it was hard to distinguish between the two.”
Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY

Daniel Haskin is the author of 7 books of poetry, featuring Rain Flowers (2020) and his newest book Scripted Life (2022), He lives in Buffalo, NY and is a member of the LitGarden Writers Group. His poems appeared in The Buffalo News, Snapdragon Journal of Art and Healing, The Ekphrastic Review, and elsewhere. He has released two albums of electronic music, and his compositions have also appeared on BBC Radio. He is also a member of the Buffalo Society of Artists. In addition to his education at Daemen College he has also been a past juror of the Allentown Art Festival, and performed at the Canisius College event ‘Poetry and Music’ (2021), among other things. He is currently collaborating with soprano Tiffany Du Mouchelle on their neoclassical project Sitara. www.danielhaskin.com

Daniel Haskin is a New York regional / British artist whose work can be described as evolving through symbolism and poetic realism and his drawings have been shown in Buffalo, Toronto, and London. At times his work is built on a mixed media platform utilizing pastel, graphite, glazing, and goldleaf.

Haskin is also a poet, writer, and illustrator who has been published in the Buffalo News, Snapdragon Journal of Art and Healing, and various other international publications. His new book of poetry and verse, “Scripted Life” has recently been published and his new children’s book “Wildest Dreams” is due to be released in 2023.

Haskin is also a composer of deep ambient electroacoustic music. Utilizing an atmospheric and emotional sense in his work, he employs effect drenched guitars, synths, and found atmospherics to create almost beatless dreamlike soundscapes.