Jeff Antoniuk - Saxophone, Artistic Director

Saxophonist Jeff Antoniuk is artistic director and co-founder of Maryland Summer Jazz. Internationally respected as a jazz composer and musician, he appears on numerous recordings and packs many club and concert dates. His 2007 CD Here Today, with the Jazz Update, received extensive airplay in the US and his native Canada. In performing his many popular and masterful theme concerts, he merges his talents as an artist and educator.

Jeff has taught and performed at numerous clinics and jazz festivals including the Edmonton International Jazz Festival. A beloved and gifted teacher, he directs the Jazz Band Masterclass and In-Depth Jazz programs. Long associated with Washington Performing Arts Society (WPAS), he also teaches at Towson University. Teaches both workshop sessions.
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Tom Baldwin - Bass

Bassist Tom Baldwin backs many modern jazz greats like James Moody, George Garzone, Eartha Kitt and Eric Alexander. A member of the Jazz Update band, he has performed in countless venues, including the Wolftrap Jazz and Blues Festival and the Princeton JazzFeast. Tom helps select and prepare the music played in Maryland Summer Jazz workshops. Highly respected as a tasteful, articulate and inspired bassist, he teaches in the jazz department at University of Maryland. Teaches Session 2.
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Wade Beach - Piano

Phenomenal pianist Wade Beach is widely respected for his harmonic sophistication and superb technique, which knows no stylistic limitations. After classical training (a master’s degree in piano performance from the University of Maryland) he entered the world of jazz, becoming a protégé of Sir Roland Hanna. A 20-year veteran of the Air Force, he played with the Airmen of Note and toured the world many times over. He teaches at George Mason University and performs with the Jazz Update. Teaches Session 2.

Alison Crockett – Vocals

Nu-Jazz singer and pianist Alison Crockett honed her craft at Temple University before earning a masters degree from the Manhattan School of Music. Best known for her work with DJ/producer King Kritt and as a former vocalist with the acid jazz group Us3, she has made music with Greg Osby, Terreon Gully and Orrin Evans as well. As an educator, she worked with the Highbridge Voices choral program in the Bronx and has been an instructor at Temple, George Washington Univ. and Fillmore Arts Center. Teaches electives both sessions.
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Zaccai Curtis - Piano

Zaccai Curtis is the leader of the New York based band, Insight. He began a meteoric rise in the Latin Jazz genre even before graduating from the New England Conservatory in 2005. Winning numerous awards and commissions, he received a Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism Artist Fellowship for original composition in 2007. He has performed with Ralph Peterson, Ray Vega and Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band. With his brother Luques and other Insight band members, he has toured in the American Music Abroad (Jazz Ambassadors) program. Teaches Session 1.
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Pepe Gonzalez – Bass

Born in Spain and now living in Washington, DC, Pepe Gonzalez is a performer, producer, arranger, and teacher. He has performed primarily in the Jazz, Afro-Caribbean and Brazilian idioms, appearing on many recordings and at many festivals in Europe and the Caribbean. He has had the pleasure of working with Maria Rodriquez and her Latin Jazz Orchestra, Jeannie Bryson, Pepper Adams, Dorothy Donegan, Clifford Jordan, Horacio Icasto, Pedro Iturralde, Hilton Ruiz, Slide Hampton, Dave Valentin and many others. Teaches Session 2.

Steve Herberman - Guitar

Steve Herberman is respected as one of the true voices of the modern jazz guitar. His 2008 CD Ideals met with rave reviews, as did his 2006 CD Action: Reaction. Featuring his original music, the latter was chosen as one of the top CD's of 2007 by Jazz Improv magazine. Said Jazz Times, “ Steve Herberman exhibits a vast harmonic palette involving uncommon stretches on the fretboard along with a real capacity to burn on fluent single note lines…” He has written instructional material for Downbeat and Mel Bay’s Guitar Sessions and writes a monthly column for Modern Guitars webzine. He teaches at Towson University. Teaches Session 1.
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One of the foremost women in jazz, Sherrie Maricle is a percussionist, educator, composer and arranger. From her drum set she leads The DIVA Jazz Orchestra; her quintet, FIVE PLAY and The DIVA Jazz Trio. She performs with The New York Pops and is the director of education. She is on the jazz faculty of The New York State Summer Music Festival and is a busy clinician for Yamaha Drums, Sabian Cymbals and Vic Firth Drum Sticks. She has appeared at many prestigious music festivals and venues. Among them: Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Tanglewood and the Kennedy Center. Teaches Session 1.
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Tony Martucci - Drums

Drummer Tony Martucci has played and recorded with giants from almost every period of jazz, including Mose Allison, Joe Henderson and Sonny Stitt. A regular at Blues Alley and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, he has acquired too many accolades to list. He shines on numerous recordings with many artists including Here Today with Jeff Antoniuk and The Jazz Update. A dedicated and deeply knowledgeable musician, Tony teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Maryland. Teaches Session 2.
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Jim McFalls - Trombone

After 17 years with the Jazz Ambassadors, versatile trombonist Jim McFalls launched a new phase in his career. He became involved in instrument model development and is now a Buffet Crampon/Antoine Courtois performer and education specialist. He has played with DC’s “Godfather of Go-Go” Chuck Brown and on well-received recordings with Denis DiBlasio and The Capitol Bones. Jim has worked with many other jazz luminaries including Dave Liebman, Geoff Keezer, Ingrid Jensen, Clark Terry and Dave Samuels.

As a teacher he uses enthusiasm, motivation, inspiration and humor to create an environment where students are eager to learn and unafraid to take chances. Enjoying a national reputation as an educator, he is full time professor at Towson University and the head of faculty at the Mason/Dixon Summer Jazz Camp. Jim has taught at Maryland Summer Jazz since its inception. Teaches Session 1.
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Trumpet player Alexander Pope Norris has played with legends Betty Carter and the Village Vanguard Band and modernists Joshua Redman and Marvin Smitty Smith. He began his Latin Jazz exploration with Baltimore based Rumba Club, going on to work Afro-Cuban jazz artists Andy and Jerry Gonzalez, Giovanni Hildago and Monguito Santamaria. He appears on over 60 CDs including Alex Norris Quintet, "A New Beginning" on the Fresh Sounds Label. Tours with Steve Winwood and Miami Sound Machine show the pop side of his career. He graduated from the Peabody Conservatory in 1990, received a master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music in 1995 and earned a doctor of musical arts degree from the University of Miami's Frost School of Music in 2007. He taught there and at the Manhattan School, the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and Towson University. Living in NYC, he remains a busy artist and clinician. Teaches Session 2.
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Kenny Rittenhouse - Trumpet

Trumpeter Kenny Rittenhouse is a professor of jazz trumpet at George Mason University. He leads his own jazz quartet and performs with them as well as the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and Army Blues Jazz Ensemble. He has appeared with drummer Ralph Peterson; saxophonists Don Braden, Buck Hill and Steve Wilson; bassists James King, Dwayne Dolphin, and Butch Warren, and with The Cannonball Adderly Tribute Big Band. He holds a master’s degree in jazz performance from the University of Maryland and has given clinics and master classes with jazz educator Jamey Aebersold. Teaches Session 1.
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Steve Rochinski - Guitar

Self-taught guitarist Steve Rochinski was born in Washington, D.C. He has worked and performed with a host of top players such as Tal Farlow, Attila Zoller, Tim Hagans, Joe Lovano, Joe Hunt, Chuck Redd, Bob Freedman and Tony Tillman; He has made numerous club, concert, recording and clinic appearances. In 1984 he left the road to teach at Berklee College of Music. He teaches all levels of harmony and has written a numerous books for jazz study. Steve currently records for Jardis Records, Germany’s leading jazz guitar label. His books and recordings are sold internationally and students come from all over the world to study with him. Teaches Session 2.

Amy Shook - Acoustic Bass

Perhaps the working-est bassist in town, Amy Shook is known for her down to earth humor and her talent as both an educator and performer. Her two groups, the Shook/Russo Quartet and the FAB Trio both record for Summit Records, and she is a constant in the region’s jazz scene. Amy has shared her talents over the years with the likes of Lionel Hampton, Paquito D’Rivera and Al Grey.  Teaches Session 1.
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Walt Weiskopf - Saxophone

Saxophonist, composer and author Walt Weiskopf began his New York career performing with the Buddy Rich Big Band in 1981 and has since made an impressive mark as a leader and sideman with 12 critically-acclaimed CDs and many more credits as a sideman. He has worked with Frank Sinatra, Steely Dan, Donald Fagen and Steve Smith's Jazz Legacy. In 1983, he began a 14-year association with jazz pianist and arranger Toshiko Akiyoshi, making seven recordings and touring the United States, Japan and Europe several times with her orchestra. A dynamic player with enormous technical prowess, he is well-regarded as a composer. His five books on advanced topics in improvisation are among the most respected in the field. He is an associate professor at the Eastman School of Music. Teaches Session 2.
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Paula Phillips - Administrative Director

Paula Phillips is the Administrative Director of Maryland Summer Jazz. The co-founder of the MSJ, Paula is the powerhouse behind the scenes. She has set high standards in developing curriculum and faculty for jazz students and continues to expand public concerts for jazz patrons. She has also found ways to nurture young talent by instituting scholarship and intern programs.

Paula received national awards for developing county arts programs, and continued to be an innovator working on television and radio programs and developing a voice as a feature writer. With years of experience in public relations, arts administration and meeting management, she also runs The Phillips Agency, a PR firm that represents The Jazz Update and other award winning arts-based clients. Both workshop sessions.