Sam Blakeslee Large Group
at the 2025 Jazz Education Network Conference
Saturday, January 11th
4-4:50pm
Atlanta Conference Center - Visions/Regency Ballroom
Hyatt Regency Hotel
Atlanta, GA
Featuring:
Sam Blakeslee - compositions/conductor
Mike Tomaro, Jon De Lucia, Chris Coles, Lucas Pino, Ryan Middagh - woodwinds
John Lake, Brad Goode, David Smith, Jonathan Saraga - trumpets
John Fedchock, Javier Nero, Reggie Watkins, Jennifer Wharton - trombones
Corey Christiansen- guitar
Carolina Calvache - piano
Seth Lewis - bass
Andy Wheelock - drums
About the Sam Blakeslee Large Group
Founded in 2013, the Sam Blakeslee Large Group is an 18-piece jazz orchestra directed by award-winning, NYC-based trombonist and composer Sam Blakeslee. The Large Group has performed extensively across the Midwest and East Coast, including performances at Birdland, Tri-C JazzFest, and Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival, among others. Over the years, the Large Group has also featured guest artists and collaborations with GRAMMY Award-winning vocalist Nicole Zuraitis and drummer/composer Dan Pugach, GRAMMY Award-nominated Dan Wilson, as well as Dominick Farinacci, Bill Dobbins, and David Smith. As a composer, Sam has been commissioned by the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers, the University of Akron, The Bop Stop at the Music Settlement, Cuyahoga Community College, and was the recipient of the 2018 David Baker Prize in Composition from Ravinia Steans Music Institute. In May 2023, the Large Group recorded 2 albums of Blakeslee's original music in NYC. This batch of music was produced by GRAMMY-nominated trombonist/composer Alan Ferber and GRAMMY Award-winning recording engineer Brian Montgomery. More recently, the Large Group has been performing music from Flowers For Rubber City, which is an 8-movement suite that was commissioned by the University of Akron in 2023 and is dedicated to Akron's past and present jazz luminaries, with more movements, dedications, and performances forthcoming. The Large Group will also be performing this January at the 2025 Jazz Education Network Conference in Atlanta, GA.