2009-2010 Stamps Jazz Quintet

Daniel Andrews, saxophone (hometown Finksburg, MD)
Gabe Medd, trumpet (Coralville, IA)
James Suter, bass (Hollywood, FL)
Sam Yulsman, piano (Niwok, Colorado)
Michael Piolet, drums/percussion (Chicago, IL)
Chuck Bergeron, faculty mentor

The Stamps Jazz Quintet is comprised of stellar young jazz musicians from across the nation who, after auditioning for the Frost School of Music, were each offered a full four-year scholarship, including room and board, provided by the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation.  In addition to their regular music studies, the group is provided special opportunities to perform at festivals and venues of distinction and to create a cohesive group over a four-year period.

The Stamps Jazz Quintet enjoyed a tremendously successful debut school year in 2009-2010, beginning with a great performance at Festival Miami with Gary Burton, and continuing with a host of concert performances and audio and video recordings throughout the school year. The group was visited by many other artists and clinicians, including producing legend Phil Ramone and acclaimed violinist Mark O’Connor, and were asked to perform for the MEIEA Convention, a national event hosted by the Frost School of Music.

In February 2010 the group traveled to Denver to do a series of clinics and masterclasses, including a performance at The University of Denver, a live radio broadcast on KUVO, and a night at Jazz club Dazzle. The culmination of their first year was an invitation to perform at the prestigious Monterey Next Generation Festival in California, where the group won two out of three Outstanding Soloist Awards – the trophies going to Dan Andrews and Sam Yulsman.

The Stamps Jazz Quintet has just completed work on their debut CD – a collection of their original compositions that will be released on Summit Records shortly.