Young Lions Jazz feat. Brian Morris Jr.

Come join us on Sunday, April 3, 2022 at 2PM at Gregory’s Restaurant & Bar for a performance and interview with our featured artist, saxophonist  Brian Morris Jr. Brian started the saxophone at age 10 but didn’t get serious until high school started. Brian went to Neshaminy High School, which has a thriving music program that motivated him to practice 8 hours a day for a year to catch up to his peers. Eventually, he made some of the more advanced ensembles and started playing in the area. Some of his first performances were at the temperance house in Newtown, Pa, and at local jazz competitions.

After graduation, he attended Lebanon Valley College for one year before deciding to transfer to Temple University. The summer before his first semester at Temple was his performance debut in Philadelphia at Chris’ Jazz Cafe. Then from there, his playing abilities blossomed. By the next year, Brian was offered the job of running the late-night jam session at Chris’ Jazz Cafe every Friday night for about 6 months where he consistently played with Mike Boone and his son Mekhi Boone. This gave him an opportunity to improve his playing each week by playing with Mike Boone, who was mentoring me throughout the process. In addition, this was an amazing way to network with some of the best jazz musicians in the world! From there, his playing career took off to gigging several times a week while still being in college. Brian is currently finishing up an undergraduate degree in Music Education with a concentration in jazz studies.

Mike Boone (Bass):

Mike began with piano lessons at the age of eight, later attended the prestigious Eastman School of Music to study bass. After touring with Ben Vereen and Buddy Rich, he moved to Philly in 1983.

“What I learned from hanging out in Philadelphia and meeting all sorts of people is that jazz was an African American art form and has spiritual qualities because it does come from the blues, which come from the church. There is definitely this connection, and I made those connections in a way that I probably wouldn’t have made had I stayed in New York. In fact, I probably wouldn’t be playing jazz, so it was a blessing to come to Philly.”

After embracing the upright bass, he found himself in the company of legendary local musicians, including John Swana, Sid Simmons, Byron Landham, Shirley Scott, and many more. Mike especially recalls his tutelage from Trudy Pitts—and Bill “Mr. C” Carney’s insistence that he convert from electric to acoustic bass.

As a leader, Mike has produced a few albums of his own and is currently an adjunct professor of jazz at Temple University. Nowadays, he is often accompanied on stage by his teenage son, musical prodigy Mekhi Boone, who plays drums. The bassist also has a vibrant social media life on Facebook where his provocative posts garner buzz-worthy responses. Ultimately, for the elder Boone, it is all about the power of music.

Gusten Rudolph (Drums):

Gusten Rudolph started playing drums at age four. Nine years later, Gusten had the opportunity to join the middle school jazz band and attend a jazz camp where he discovered his love for the genre. The flexibility and creativity innate in jazz and swing spoke to Gusten, and he continued to learn about and play jazz. In high school, Gusten was selected for all-state jazz band in 2008 and 2009 as well as all eastern jazz ensemble in 2009. He performed in the Kimmel Center Youth Jazz Ensemble in middle and high school. Gusten then had the opportunity to study jazz in college at Rutgers University with Victor Lewis. In college, he was awarded the Gloria Kinney Memorial Award for a student who has shown academic excellence and artistic accomplishments in jazz studies. Currently, Gusten plays a variety of music professionally and personally, but jazz remains dear to his heart. Gusten is energetically passionate about his work and enjoys connecting with fellow musicians and people through music performance, creation, and collaboration. When Gusten is not playing music, you can find him listening to recordings, enjoying time with his family and friends, and reading.

The South Jersey Jazz Society is looking for young jazz musicians to participate in our “YOUNG LIONS of JAZZ” series.

A one hour performance/interview presentation that will showcase the next generation of jazz giants in South Jersey. If you are a young and talented jazz player or vocalist, or a teacher of a student that would like to participate, please contact us. We’d love to feature you in this dynamic series.

Contact us at tuohytours@comcast.net. if you’re interested or for more information.