Biographies of the Players
Murray Low
Murray Low is a veteran pianist of the Bay Area jazz scene and has been playing, composing, arranging, recording and teaching professionally for over thirty years. His fluency in all forms of jazz and its blending with other idioms has led to a multi-faceted career spanning a wide variety of musical contexts.
Murray is perhaps best known for his contributions to Latin Jazz, Salsa and Afro-Cuban musical landscape. In his twenty-two years of involvement he has established himself as one of the premier pianists in that genre, being nominated as 2008 Pianist of the Year by the Latin Jazz Corner and for a Grammy in 2004 as part of Machete Ensemble. He is or has been the regular pianist/collaborator with several top Bay Area ensembles including Wayne Wallace’s Quintet, John Calloway’s Diaspora, Jesus Diaz y su QBA, Pete Escovedo Orchestra, and John Santos’ Machete Ensemble. He has also collaborated with Latin Jazz giants Ray Vega, Tito Puente, Poncho Sanchez, Nestor Torres, and Andrea Brachfeld. In 2008 he also performed with famous Cuban flautist Orlando Valle at the Monterey Jazz Festival as part of a specially commissioned project including Jon Benitez, David Sanchez, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, and Giovanni Hildalgo.
Mr. Low is also actively involved in many first-call Bay Area projects in other jazz idioms including “straight ahead”, fusion and free-form styles. His career has included both local and international performances with Bob Mintzer, Clark Terry, Benny Golson, John Patitucci, George Duke, Bob Sheppard, and John Handy. He has performed at major jazz festivals all over the world, including multiple engagements at the Playboy, Monterey, Russian River and San Jose, San Francisco, Mt. Hood, Juan Les Pins and Vienne Jazz festivals, and has appeared on the Vibe and Magic Hour late-night television shows as well. Closer to home, he is the regular pianist/keyboardist for diverse projects such as drummer Wally Schnalle’s Jazz Fusion Project, trumpeter John Worley’s jazz group Worlview (which recently did a Freddie Hubbard and Birth of the Cool tribute), and many others.
As an educator, Mr. Low currently teaches Jazz Piano and Ensemble performance at Stanford University, taught Jazz Theory and Improvisation at UC Santa Cruz from 2007- 2009, and is also was Artist-In-Residence for the renowned Kuumbwa Jazz Center for 2008-2009. He has been a guest lecturer and clinician at several colleges, universities
and high schools throughout the state. He also teaches privately and is an active consultant for several musicians in the area, and previously held positions at UC Berkeley and the Jazzschool.
Mr. Low is also actively sought out as a first-rate accompanist, particularly for vocalists. He is the musical director for world jazz vocalists Kat Parra and Alexa Weber Morales. He has successfully collaborated with several notable singers including Kitty Margolis, Judy Wexler, Ellen Robinson, Jamie Davis, Lichi Fuentes and Anna Estrada.
“In order to combine styles in a meaningful way,” Murray states, “each tradition must be respected and studied in earnest. One must seek to understand the essence of the music, rather than resort to simple motifs and idiomatic devices. It is only then that a fresh, exciting blend is able to emerge.”
Murray is perhaps best known for his contributions to Latin Jazz, Salsa and Afro-Cuban musical landscape. In his twenty-two years of involvement he has established himself as one of the premier pianists in that genre, being nominated as 2008 Pianist of the Year by the Latin Jazz Corner and for a Grammy in 2004 as part of Machete Ensemble. He is or has been the regular pianist/collaborator with several top Bay Area ensembles including Wayne Wallace’s Quintet, John Calloway’s Diaspora, Jesus Diaz y su QBA, Pete Escovedo Orchestra, and John Santos’ Machete Ensemble. He has also collaborated with Latin Jazz giants Ray Vega, Tito Puente, Poncho Sanchez, Nestor Torres, and Andrea Brachfeld. In 2008 he also performed with famous Cuban flautist Orlando Valle at the Monterey Jazz Festival as part of a specially commissioned project including Jon Benitez, David Sanchez, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, and Giovanni Hildalgo.
Mr. Low is also actively involved in many first-call Bay Area projects in other jazz idioms including “straight ahead”, fusion and free-form styles. His career has included both local and international performances with Bob Mintzer, Clark Terry, Benny Golson, John Patitucci, George Duke, Bob Sheppard, and John Handy. He has performed at major jazz festivals all over the world, including multiple engagements at the Playboy, Monterey, Russian River and San Jose, San Francisco, Mt. Hood, Juan Les Pins and Vienne Jazz festivals, and has appeared on the Vibe and Magic Hour late-night television shows as well. Closer to home, he is the regular pianist/keyboardist for diverse projects such as drummer Wally Schnalle’s Jazz Fusion Project, trumpeter John Worley’s jazz group Worlview (which recently did a Freddie Hubbard and Birth of the Cool tribute), and many others.
As an educator, Mr. Low currently teaches Jazz Piano and Ensemble performance at Stanford University, taught Jazz Theory and Improvisation at UC Santa Cruz from 2007- 2009, and is also was Artist-In-Residence for the renowned Kuumbwa Jazz Center for 2008-2009. He has been a guest lecturer and clinician at several colleges, universities
and high schools throughout the state. He also teaches privately and is an active consultant for several musicians in the area, and previously held positions at UC Berkeley and the Jazzschool.
Mr. Low is also actively sought out as a first-rate accompanist, particularly for vocalists. He is the musical director for world jazz vocalists Kat Parra and Alexa Weber Morales. He has successfully collaborated with several notable singers including Kitty Margolis, Judy Wexler, Ellen Robinson, Jamie Davis, Lichi Fuentes and Anna Estrada.
“In order to combine styles in a meaningful way,” Murray states, “each tradition must be respected and studied in earnest. One must seek to understand the essence of the music, rather than resort to simple motifs and idiomatic devices. It is only then that a fresh, exciting blend is able to emerge.”
Jason Muscat
Jason Muscat was born in the Bay Area and has lived in San Francisco since he was 11 years old. Jason started playing bass when he was 14. He saved his pennies from a part-time job to buy his first bass from a JC Penny catalog. It didnt take long for him to develop a passion for the bass and an awareness that he needed a better axe!!!
Jason developed his skills in band class, where he won the school music award two years in a row. He graduated from Sacred Heart Cathedral College Preparatory and attended SF State University. Excited to explore a career in music, Jason studied for 2 years with Rick Giovinatso, student of Jeff Berlin. He then studied for 6 months with Michael Wilcox.
Jason has been playing professionally since 1990. During those 16 years, he has performed and recorded with Tim Herb Alexander (Primus), Alex Skolnick (Michael Manring, Testament), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Atma Anur (Journey), Will Bernard (Motherbug, T.J. Kirk), Roy Thomas Baker (producer for Queen & The Cars).
Jason spends most his time teaching bass in the city and co-leading a jazz trio with Brandon Robinson on guitar and Brandon Etzler on drums. He also performs with local greats, Diz Dismore, Jeff Massanari, Wally Schanlle, Ray Sayre, Jimmy Sage, Cory Combs, Drew Waters, Lorn Leber, Russ Gold, Julie Homi, Jeff Marrs, Wil Blades and Adam Shulman. Also a member of one of the most in demand Bay Area R&B groups Pure Ecstasy and can be found playing for the popular musical comedy Menopause the Musical. Jason is also the bassist for City Church in San Francisco under the direction of Karl Digerness.
Visit his website!
Jason developed his skills in band class, where he won the school music award two years in a row. He graduated from Sacred Heart Cathedral College Preparatory and attended SF State University. Excited to explore a career in music, Jason studied for 2 years with Rick Giovinatso, student of Jeff Berlin. He then studied for 6 months with Michael Wilcox.
Jason has been playing professionally since 1990. During those 16 years, he has performed and recorded with Tim Herb Alexander (Primus), Alex Skolnick (Michael Manring, Testament), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Atma Anur (Journey), Will Bernard (Motherbug, T.J. Kirk), Roy Thomas Baker (producer for Queen & The Cars).
Jason spends most his time teaching bass in the city and co-leading a jazz trio with Brandon Robinson on guitar and Brandon Etzler on drums. He also performs with local greats, Diz Dismore, Jeff Massanari, Wally Schanlle, Ray Sayre, Jimmy Sage, Cory Combs, Drew Waters, Lorn Leber, Russ Gold, Julie Homi, Jeff Marrs, Wil Blades and Adam Shulman. Also a member of one of the most in demand Bay Area R&B groups Pure Ecstasy and can be found playing for the popular musical comedy Menopause the Musical. Jason is also the bassist for City Church in San Francisco under the direction of Karl Digerness.
Visit his website!
Jon Krosnick
Jon Krosnick began playing piano at age 6 and drums at age 9. The bulk of his formal musical training took place during ten summers spent at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, MI. There, he studied classical percussion and jazz drumming, and he performed with orchestras, concert bands, percussion ensembles, jazz bands, and back-up bands for musical theater performances. Recognizing his accomplishments during those years, Jon was awarded the NMC Jazz Scholarship, and he won the High School Division's Concerto Competition. At Interlochen, Jon studied classcial percussion with many noted instructors, including Niel DePonte (Oregon Symphony) and Scott Stevens (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra).
While in college at Harvard, Jon played with the Harvard Orchestra and the Bach Society Orchestra, and he was the percussion section leader of the M.I.T. Symphony Orchestra. He traveled with the Harvard Orchestra to Germany to perform in the Herbert von Karajan Orchestra Competition. With the M.I.T. Symphony, he toured the east coast and performed on their recordings of contemporary classical works.
Also during his high school and college years, Jon led a parallel career as a jazz drummer. He studied with Dixieland expert Hy Frank, as well as with Peter Erskine, one of the most celebrated drummers on the contemporary international jazz scene. He performed in small jazz groups, as well as with the Harvard Jazz Ensemble, Bob Hope, and Doc Severinson.
During his graduate school years in Ann Arbor, MI, Jon played with the University of Michigan Jazz Ensemble, as well as small pop, rock, and jazz ensembles. Most notable has been his ten-year membership in the Lunar Octet, an award-winning latin/jazz ensemble that has appeared on numerous TV and radio broadcasts, and has released four recordings.
While in Columbus, Ohio, Jon freelanced with a number of groups and appeared regularly with pianist Geoff Tyus, saxophonist Flip Jackson's Variations, and the jazz-fusion group State of Mind. His playing is also featured on the 1993 CD release by Columbus pianist Bradley Sowash, Out West.
Jon's playing in Charged Particles reflects his primary influences on the drums: Peter Erskine, Dave Weckl, and Steve Gadd. His drumming style blends incredible technique (developed through his classical training) and a sensitivity to his fellow players with an explosive energy that propels the trio to electrifying velocities. The mixing of Murray's and Jason's harmonic and melodic talents with Jon's rhythmic vitality sparks many exciting moments during an evening with Charged Particles.
While in college at Harvard, Jon played with the Harvard Orchestra and the Bach Society Orchestra, and he was the percussion section leader of the M.I.T. Symphony Orchestra. He traveled with the Harvard Orchestra to Germany to perform in the Herbert von Karajan Orchestra Competition. With the M.I.T. Symphony, he toured the east coast and performed on their recordings of contemporary classical works.
Also during his high school and college years, Jon led a parallel career as a jazz drummer. He studied with Dixieland expert Hy Frank, as well as with Peter Erskine, one of the most celebrated drummers on the contemporary international jazz scene. He performed in small jazz groups, as well as with the Harvard Jazz Ensemble, Bob Hope, and Doc Severinson.
During his graduate school years in Ann Arbor, MI, Jon played with the University of Michigan Jazz Ensemble, as well as small pop, rock, and jazz ensembles. Most notable has been his ten-year membership in the Lunar Octet, an award-winning latin/jazz ensemble that has appeared on numerous TV and radio broadcasts, and has released four recordings.
While in Columbus, Ohio, Jon freelanced with a number of groups and appeared regularly with pianist Geoff Tyus, saxophonist Flip Jackson's Variations, and the jazz-fusion group State of Mind. His playing is also featured on the 1993 CD release by Columbus pianist Bradley Sowash, Out West.
Jon's playing in Charged Particles reflects his primary influences on the drums: Peter Erskine, Dave Weckl, and Steve Gadd. His drumming style blends incredible technique (developed through his classical training) and a sensitivity to his fellow players with an explosive energy that propels the trio to electrifying velocities. The mixing of Murray's and Jason's harmonic and melodic talents with Jon's rhythmic vitality sparks many exciting moments during an evening with Charged Particles.
