Oh Hey,
Welcome back to It’s Like A Newsletter! It feels like I’ve been seeing a lot of you guys here recently, but no worries — I’m resetting the post schedule back to once a month starting riiiight now!
Upcoming performances are at the top, and you can scroll on for other announcements and what-not!
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Where am I playing next? Good question!
Here are some public performances you can check out this month. Keep in mind that my schedule is subject to change as other performances come up. To check for updates on gigs throughout the month, you can look at my calendar at wyattambrosemusic.com/calendar, follow me on instagram and facebook, or contact me directly at wyattambrosemusic@gmail.com.
Thursday 6/5, noon-1:30pm — Dylan Canterbury Quintet, Jazz on Jay, Jay Square Park, Schenectady NY. Free Concert! Featuring Dylan Canterbury (Tpt, compositions), Tyler Giroux (piano), Wyatt (gtr), David Shoudy (bass), Matt Niedbalski (drums).
Friday 6/6, 6-8pm - Yana King Trio, The Gatehouse, Morris NY. Featuring Yana King (vocals/gtr), Evan Jagels (bass), and Wyatt (gtr). Vocal Jazz Standards, Pop and more. Free Admission, donations strongly encouraged.
Sunday 6/8, 1-3pm — Duo with Brad Monkell at The Tasting Lab, Greenville NY. Free Admission, music to eat burgers and drink to.
Wednesday 6/11, 5:30-8pm — Jeanine Ouderkirk Trio at the Palazzo Ristorante, Schenectady NY. Jazz at the Lounge featuring Jeanine (vocals), Lou Smaldone (bass), Wyatt (gtr). Free admission, food/drink purchase required
Saturday 6/14, 8pm-? — Killdeer Trio at the B Side Ballroom, Oneonta NY. $10 Cover
Sunday 6/15, 6-8pm — Yolanda Bush Trio, The Walton Theater Coffeehouse, Walton NY. Free concert! Featuring Yolanda Bush, Evan Jagels, and Wyatt Ambrose
Tuesday 6/17, 8-10pm est — Jazz Night at Jive Hive Live, Albany NY. In Person and Live-streamed at the Jive Hive Youtube Channel — Great opportunity for long distance fans to check out!
Saturday 6/28, 7:30-9pm — Killdeer Trio at Mojo’s, Troy NY. $15 admission
What’s going on?
Summer is officially in full swing starting this week. I’ll admit, I am a little less busy than I was last summer with just about 20 dates on the books over the next 3 months (compared to 30+ last year). However I’m looking forward to having the extra time to put more concentrated effort into guitar practice, as well as some other projects that have been on the back burner.
Jazz on Jay: Dylan Canterbury & Jeanine Ouderkirk
Last year I played my first concert at Jazz on Jay in Schenectady — a staple of summer Jazz programing in the Capital Region. This year I’m looking forward to two appearances with two different, but equally exciting artists.
Tomorrow I’ll be playing with Trumpeter/composer/educator Dylan Canterbury, along with a excellent rhythm section. Dylan is a fellow SUNY Purchase Jazz Studies Alum, and has worked with many jazz greats including Jon Faddis, Terrell Stafford, Eric Alexander, Jimmy Greene, Bob Mintzer, Ralph Lalama, Conrad Herwig, John Fedchock, Renee Rosnes, David Hazeltine, Bill Cunliffe, and John Riley.
Here’s a tune off of Dylan’s latest album that we’ll be playing tomorrow!
Next month I’ll be performing the music of Joni Mitchell with vocalist Jeanine Ouderkirk’s quartet featuring bassist Evan Jagels, and drummer Matt Niedbalski. Stay tuned for more details on that!
Collective Music Workshop
For the past two years I’ve curated a multi-week course called the Young Improvisers Collective, serving aspiring musicians in the greater Oneonta area. Although these groups have been small, most of the students have gone on to successfully audition for and/or attend music programs at Union College, Berklee College of Music, and USC Thornton (and more).
This year I’ve decided to revamp the course, shifting the focus to exploring the many ways musicians collaborate—including but not limited to improvisation. Over the four classes students will build a repertoire of original compositions and covers, arranging the music for the instrumentation of the group. Along the way we’ll develop skills in music theory, ear training, improvisation, and ensemble playing that are essential to creative musicianship.
Another exciting development is that the final concert will be presented through the Stamford NY Summer Concert Series. This series features a mix of professional local musicians, and I’m so grateful to Bobby Kennedy for giving these students the opportunity to play for a public audience.
If you know any students in the greater Oneonta area who may be interested, please feel free to send them my way, or refer them to the Workshop website with all the pertinent info — wyattambrosemusic.com/collective-music-workshop
May Recap - Assorted Clips
Last month was pretty busy…
Soloists in the Round in Stamford was a real high point for that project. Luckily, our drummer Blake Fleming recorded the whole thing so I’ll be slowly doling out some highlights. There was so much good stuff to choose from, I decided to spare myself the time and just share this whole recording of my final solo guitar improvised “round” as an unlisted youtube video.
Organ Party with Brian Reynolds subbing on Drums! The tune is Concussion by Delvon Lamarr! Thanks Andrew Carrington (B-Side)
Another amazing night in Utica at The Other Side! Here’s my guitar solo from the opening tune of the night — Brothers Grim by Evan Jagels.
Trevor, Bella, and Baby Hazel
I’m going to take a moment to share some non-musical news with you all. I generally try to separate my “work-life” from my personal life, but I feel if there was ever a moment to break that rule, now would be the time.
On May 20th my brother Trevor and his wife Bella welcomed their daughter Hazel into the world. Hazel was born with several rare medical conditions, and within a week has undergone open heart surgery. She is currently recovering in the PICU at a hospital over an hour away from home where she is expected to stay for at least several more weeks. Although recovery is going very well, her health conditions are extremely rare and there are still some unknown’s she’ll be facing once she is home.
Bella and Trevor have been exceedingly resilient throughout this unexpected challenge, supporting both each other and baby Hazel with all the love and strength they have. My wife Katie has set up a Gofundme to help offset the significant costs of an extended PICU stay, allowing them to focus fully on caring for Hazel and themselves.
Bella and Trevor are not just my family, but two of my oldest and closest friends. Although I haven’t known her long, Hazel is also pretty great too. Any support you can provide (financially, or otherwise) is greatly appreciated.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-bella-and-trevor-care-for-baby-hazel
The End!
That’s it for this month! If you enjoyed this newsletter and aren’t subscribed, feel free to subscribe with button below or by contacting me at wyattambrosemusic@gmail.com.
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