Mark Usvolk Septet

Mark Usvolk Septet — September 19 @ 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Bassist, composer and Lydia’s Café owner Mark Usvolk has the rare privilege of featuring some of the finest musicians in New York in this annual performance of his original works written over the past 30 years.

Jazz, Latin, R&B and Classical styles with memorable melodies and rich harmonies.

Lineup:
- Mark Usvolk – bass/composer
- Ron Horton – trumpet/flugelhorn
- Tim Armacost – sax/flute
- Mark Dziuba – guitar
- Tim Regusis – keys
- Jeff Siegel – drums
- Amir Halfon – percussion

Mark Usvolk received his Bachelor of Music from The University of North Texas eons ago as a guitarist, majoring in composition and theory. He then spent about 20 years making a living playing guitar and bass in a variety of groups performing Jazz, R&B, Salsa, Funk, along with shows, recording dates and performances with the Tucson Symphony. Usvolk started designing and building homes in Ulster County in 1986 and, along with his wife Roni, bought the Country Deli in 2006 from Roni’s mom, Lydia, turning it into the cafe and music venue of today. Which is how he got this gig.

Since 1982, trumpeter Ron Horton has been an integral part of New York’s jazz scene and stands out as both an exemplary instrumentalist and a progressive composer/arranger. He has had long associations with leaders such as Jane Ira Bloom (1983–2000) and pianist Andrew Hill (member of Hill’s sextet 1998–2003). Horton appears on Hill’s albums Dusk (Palmetto 2000) and A Beautiful Day (Palmetto 2002). Born in 1960 in Bethesda, Maryland, he has been called on as a sideman to perform and/or record with many artists, including Lee Konitz, Rez Abbasi, Matt Wilson, Bill Mays, Peggy Stern, Ted Nash, Mario Pavone, Kris Davis, Darcy James Argue and others.

Saxophonist Tim Armacost’s music is known for its balance of lyrical invention, harmonic sophistication and exciting interplay among top-tier band mates. Touring regularly around the world as a sideman and leader, he has worked with Al Foster, Jimmy Cobb, Kenny Barron, Tom Harrell, Billy Hart, Victor Lewis, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Peter Erskine, Ray Drummond, Roy Hargrove, Don Friedman and Randy Brecker. Armacost has recorded 14 albums as a leader, performed on more than 60 as a sideman, and has recorded over 100 original songs and arrangements. His leader outing Time Being, featuring Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts and Bob Hurst, received 4 stars in DownBeat.

Tim Regusis is a Hudson Valley–based pianist active in the NYC-region jazz scene as well as R&B, Latin and various world musics. He has played and/or recorded with Patti Austin, Ruben Blades, David Byrne, Celia Cruz, Chuck Mangione, Johnny Pacheco, Daniel Ponce, Rick Margitza, Cindy Blackman, Jeff Williams, Akira Ohmori, Najee, Donna Summer, Chaka Khan, Jonathan Butler, Ofra Haza and others.

Mark Dziuba has been a guitarist, improviser and composer for most of his life. He has performed with a who’s who of jazz, blues, rock and bluegrass musicians and has taught and performed at workshops and festivals internationally for over 40 years. Mark is a tenured professor of music at the State University of New York at New Paltz where he directs the Jazz Studies program. He was part of the National Guitar Workshop for 25 years and the Crown of the Continent International Guitar Festival since its inception. He is a published author and a featured soloist and composer on numerous recordings. (dziubam@newpaltz.edu)

JEFF “SIEGE” SIEGEL — Drummer/Composer Jeff “Siege” Siegel is a veteran of the New York jazz scene. A member of the Sir Roland Hanna Trio from 1994–1999, Siegel has performed and/or recorded with Ron Carter, Kenny Burrell, Jack DeJohnette, Benny Golson, Sheila Jordan, Helen Merrill, Mose Allison, John Medeski, Dave Douglas, Stefon Harris, Pat Metheny, Kurt Elling, Ravi Coltrane and many others. He has worked in the avant-garde world with Wadada Leo Smith and Baikida Carroll. Siegel has performed over 30 European tours (including four as leader), and the Jeff “Siege” Siegel Sextet did a three-week tour of Africa in summer 2019. Recent tours include work with the Levin Brothers in Japan, Mexico, Canada and the U.S.; his 2017 CD King of Xhosa (featuring South African trumpeter Feya Faku) is on the ARC label. Recent releases include London Live (2018) and When You Were There (2019) with Hetko, Syracuse & Siegel.