The Mark Kellogg Quintet will perform a wide-ranging set at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 8, as part of SUNY Oswego’s Ke-Nekt Chamber Music Series.
A renowned performer, teacher and administrator for the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, Kellogg will perform on trombone and euphonium. The rest of the ace combo includes Amy Azzara on vocals, Chris Azzara on piano, Kyle Vock on bass and SUNY Oswego music faculty member Eric Schmitz on drums.
The group’s nucleus began with long-time friends and colleagues Kellogg and Chris Azzara –- who have played together for 20 years –- bringing aboard noted performers/educators Vock and Schmitz for a solid rhythm section. They added award-winning vocalist Amy Azzara –- Chris’ daughter –- two years ago to expand into a quintet.
The Nov. 8 program will include such standards as “It Could Happen to You,” “I’m Through with Love,” “Skylark” and “Love You Madly,” as well as originals written by Kellogg (“FLHF”) and Chris Azzara (“Autumn”).
Accomplished bandleader
In addition to holding the position of professor of trombone at the Eastman School of Music, Kellogg is chair of the Winds, Brass and Percussion Department and an affiliate faculty member in the school’s departments of Jazz and Contemporary Media and Music Teaching and Learning. Co-director of the Eastman Trombone Choir and director of the Eastman Brass Guild, he also leads the school’s faculty mentoring program in his position as director of faculty development.
Kellogg performed for 28 years as a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Prior to his appointment in the Rochester Philharmonic, Kellogg performed as a member of the San Francisco Symphony and the National Repertory Orchestra. In recent seasons, he has also played with the Oregon Symphony, the Florida Orchestra, the Charleston Symphony, the Naples Philharmonic and Symphoria.
Active as a jazz and chamber musician, Kellogg was a founding member of the brass and percussion ensemble Rhythm & Brass, touring the United States and Japan and making four recordings during his two years in the group. He has also performed with Clark Terry, Chris Vadala, Wynton Marsalis, Eddie Daniels and Mel Tormé. Jazz and commercial recordings include collaborations with Jeff Tyzik, Gene Bertoncini, Allen Vizzutti, Steve Gadd, Gap Mangione and as a member of the Dave Rivello Ensemble.
His jazz recording with Eastman School faculty colleague pianist Tony Caramia, “Upstate Standards,” celebrates the music of upstate New York composers Harold Arlen, Alec Wilder and Jimmy Van Heusen. Kellogg’s most recent CD, “Impressions,” is a collection of French music for trombone and piano, featuring pianists Joseph Werner and Christopher Azzara.
The Ke-Nekt series is sponsored by the SUNY Oswego Music Department and ARTSwego.
Tickets are free for SUNY Oswego students;$5 for non-SUNY Oswego students, $12 for faculty/staff/alumni and $15 for the general public, available via tickets.oswego.edu or any campus box office.
For more information on performing and visual arts events on the SUNY Oswego campus, visit the ARTSwego website.