Contact michael@jazz-impact.com
The Musicians
World Class Musicians
Jazz Impact ensembles are comprised of the finest jazz musicians working on the global jazz scene today. Musicians are drawn from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. When performing in Europe and Asia we engage musicians from Germany, Switzerland, and Holland.
-
Larry Ham
New York. Pianist for the Lionel Hampton Orchestra. Recent appearances include Earl May Quintet, Illinois Jacquet Big Band, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The Blue Note, and The Village Vanguard.
-
Nathanael Su
Zürich. He has performed worldwide with Franco Ambrosetti, Lee Konitz, Jack Walrath, The International Hashva Orchestra with Jorge Rossi, Mark Turner, Mike Kanan and Joe Martin.
-
Michael Kanan
New York. Pianist and arranger for Jane Monheit. Performed and recorded with renowned jazz figures Jimmy Scott, Tal Farlow, Lee Konitz, Al Cohn, Alan Dawson, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Mark Turner.
-
Dave Glasser
New York. Sax player with Clark Terry’s Quintet since 1995. Works with the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Star Big Band, Bob Mintzer Big Band, Earl May Quartet and the Count Basie Orchestra.
-
Dee Alexander
As one of Chicago’s most gifted female vocalists, Dee’s heart and soul belong to jazz. She has performed with David Sanborn, Earl Klugh, Gerald Albright, Roy Ayers, Joshua Redman, and the O’Jays.
-
Drori Mondlak
Cologne, Germany. Jazz greats like Joe Williams, Ernestine Anderson, Frank Foster, Don Friedman and Lynn Seaton have employed Drori for his exceptional skills as a creative accompanist and soloist.
-
Mark Colby
Chicago. Recorded with Dr. John, Wilson Pickett, Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones, and the Bee Gees. Played with Maynard Ferguson, The James Gang, Frank Sinatra, Jaco Pastorius, Mose Allison, Joe Williams and Charlie Haden.
-
Don Stille
Chicago. Don has performed internationally with Clark Terry, Red Holloway, Roy Hargrove, Terry Gibbs, Ira Sullivan, Eddie Daniels, Doc Severinsen, Lou Solof, The New York Voices and Peter Erskine.
-
Jerome Jennings
New York. Jerome has recorded and toured with Sonny Rollins, Hank Jones, The Count Basie Orchestra, Mike Philips and The Tim Reis Rolling Stones Project.
-
Tim Pleasant
Los Angeles. Tim has performed with Warne Marsh, Sal Mosca, Lee Konitz, Al Cohn, Jakie Byard, Johnny Ray, Charles McPherson, George Coleman and Larry Coryell.
-
Korlina Strassmayer
Cologne, Germany. Has performed with McCoy Tyner, Joe Zawinul, Joe Lovano, Toots Thielemans, Randy Brecker, Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, Diane Schuur, Slide Hampton, Chico Hamilton, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Vienna Art Orchestra, Phil Woods and Clark Terry.
About The Principal
Michael Gold, Ph.D.
Founder and Principal
Michael Gold is the founder and principal of Jazz Impact. Gold’s extensive background in music, academia and business has been essential in developing Jazz Impact. He held various senior management positions in the real estate and financial services industries, holds a Ph.D. in music and created and ran Vassar College’s first jazz program. He has spent nearly two decades as a jazz bassist in New York having performed with such greats as Lee Konitz, Al Cohn, Tal Farlow, Sheila Jordan, Jon Hendricks and Warne Marsh. In 1995, Gold received a grant from The National Endowment for the Arts to teach the skills of jazz improvisation to professional orchestral musicians, a first step towards forming Jazz Impact.
Gold has lectured at the University Of Chicago Graduate School of Business and is currently working on the development of arts-based learning modules for The Executive MBA and Leadership Development Programs at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He was recently selected as a Paul D. Fleck Fellow by The Banff Centre for Leadership for his outstanding work in the field of Arts Based Learning for Business. Gold is currently completing his first authored book detailing the work he has been conducting with Jazz Impact in keynotes and seminars nationally and internationally since 1999.
Gold received a Bachelor of Arts from Bard College, a Master’s of Arts in African American Studies from The New England Conservatory of Music, and a Ph.D. in Performance from the School of Education at New York University. He resides with his family in Minneapolis.