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Charlie Porter Quartet (New York, NY) has a fiery and intelligent approach to jazz that is both forward-thinking and steeped in tradition. Formed in 2005, the quartet interprets standards and original music with boundless creativity and imagination. Its governing elements and influences include expressive music that communicates with audiences, in addition to various aesthetic concepts found in visual art and dance. The legacy of such original jazz ambassadors as Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie and their contributions to jazz music and cultural diplomacy are especially influential. Throughout their travels, they have gained experience in communicating their music to a wide variety of communities and fostering cultural exchange with local musicians and audiences.
Charlie Porter (trumpet) is a trumpeter and composer who has an all-encompassing approach to music that incorporates many genres. His sound is warm and evocative. He has worked with renowned musicians such as Paquito D’Rivera, Peter Erskine, and Joe Zawinul. Chamber Music America recently commissioned Porter to compose the “Buddy Bolden Suite” for his jazz septet. Porter came to New York City in 1996 to study at The Julliard School and continued his studies as a Fulbright Scholar at The Paris Conservatory and at the Manhattan School of Music where he received his master’s of music. Porter has traveled to Western Africa under the auspices of The Rhythm Road in 2007 with the Charlie Porter Quartet, and later performed with the Rhythm Road All-Star tour to India, China, and Mali.
Adam Birnbaum (piano) is emerging as one of the top young voices in jazz piano. Since arriving on the New York scene in 2003, he has worked with artists as diverse as Greg Osby, Al Foster, and Wynton Marsalis, and has frequented jazz clubs such as the Village Vanguard and the Blue Note. Birnbaum studied music at the New England Conservatory of Music and The Julliard School, and received a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Boston College. He has been a member of Greg Osby’s ensemble since 2007 and toured internationally with the Al Foster Quartet since March 2009. He participated in a Rhythm Road tour to West Africa in 2007 with the Charlie Porter Quartet.
Scott Ritchie (bass) lives in New York City. He has brought his strong, swinging, and subtle sound to venues throughout the United States and Europe. A versatile musician, Ritchie has performed with the Sarasota Opera Orchestra, Ebony Ensemble and Jazz Mandolin Project, among others. Ritchie attended the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and completed graduate work at the University of Southern California.
Jon Wikan (drums) is a jazz drummer rapidly gaining acclaim on the international music scene. Originally from Petersburg, Alaska, Wikan brings his life experience to the bandstand. He produces modern, mainstream jazz that is energetic, dynamic, and swinging. His influences include Jimmy Cobb, Tony Williams, and Mel Lewis, and he has worked with Geoffrey Keezer’s trio, the Mills Brothers, and The Maria Schneider Orchestra. Wikan is an active clinician/instructor who teaches at The New School and privately in Queens, New York.
