Gregory Groover Quintet

Mandorla Music and Greater Ashmont Main Street are excited to kick off our 2023 Dot Jazz Series with the wonderful tenor saxophonist Gregory Groover and his group, which will also feature Jason Palmer on trumpet, Santiago Bosch on piano, Max Ridley on bass and Tyson Jackson on drums.

Playing for a higher purpose has been saxophonist Gregory Groover’s modus operandi since he was a teenager. The son of a pastor, Groover picked up the saxophone after hanging around worship band rehearsals at church.

His love and pursuit of music directed him to the Boston Arts Academy, and upon graduation he earned a full tuition scholarship to Berklee College of Music. He received both his Bachelors and Masters in Music Performance Studies through the Global Jazz Institute, headed by world-renowned artistic director, pianist, and UNESCO Artist for Peace Danilo Perez. Groover now serves as Assistant Chair of Berklee’s Ensembles Department.

Groover’s musical upbringing in the church is reflected in his two ‘Negro Spiritual Songbook’ releases, featuring modern explorations of music with deep roots in African American religious tradition. Groover says, "Negro Spirituals are at the bedrock of the African American musical experience, providing the foundation upon which many genres that are enjoyed now were built. Although the composers of these spirituals are largely anonymous and nameless, their music named the non-anonymous tragedy of slavery, while also naming a steadfast hope for a better tomorrow."

Gregory has had the honor to share the stage with prestigious musicians such as Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind, and Fire), Patrice Rushen, Terri Lyne Carrington, Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, Brian Blade, and Esperanza Spalding. As a bandleader and a sideman, he has performed in music festivals in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Africa.

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