Thursday Night Live: Convergence Trio ft. Wanda Houston

Originally from Chicago, Wanda Houston grew up singing gospel music in church and with her family’s theater group.  She has led an active career as an actress, performing on the grand stages of Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Broadway; she toured Europe as the wicked stepsister in “Sisterella” (for which she won “Best Supporting Actress in a Musical” by the NAACP) and has held lead roles in “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “Hello Dolly” and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.”  Houston was part of the gospel group, Broadway Inspirational Voices (BIV) with whom she performed on PBS’s Great Performances and earned a Grammy nomination. She has shared the stage with Oleta Adams, Patti Austin, Eartha Kitt, Liza Minelli, Pattie Labelle, Joe Cocker, Celine Dion and Barbara Streisand. Wanda sings jazz with authenticity and passion; she is a great story-teller, too - coloring the spaces between her songs with fascinating stories of her youth and the trials and tribulations of life on the road.

Pianist, Eugene Uman is the director of the Vermont Jazz Center where he has produced hundreds of concerts of world-famous artists and supervised its educational programs since 1997. Uman received an MA from Queens College in Jazz Performance in 1990 where he was a recipient of a Eubie Blake Scholarship; he is also aMacDowell Colony Fellow. He has written over 250 compositions including commissioned works for the Big Band de Medellín, Juno Orchestra and Windham Orchestra. He has recorded three CDs as a leader and has also recorded with the Bob Stabach Quartet, Derrik Jordan’s Braziliance, the Julian Gerstin Sextet, Jill Connolly, The Ambassadors of Light, Los Estados Alterados and numerous others; he served as a record producer many times over. Uman has performed with Sheila Jordan, Donald Byrd, Jerry Bergonzi, Freddie Bryant, Francisco Mela, Carlos Averhoff (of Irakere), Howard Brofsky, the Vermont Jazz Ensemble, Rhiannon, Karrin Allyson, Wanda Houston and many others. Three of Uman’s original compositions were recorded by Latin Jazz star Sammy Figueroa on his 2005 Grammy Nominated CD: In Walked Sammy.

David Picchi has been performing and teaching music throughout the Pioneer Valley since 2001. As an electric and double bass player skilled in multiple genres he has been called to play on many diverse recording and performance projects. Picchi is the Administrative Director for the UMass Jazz in July Summer Music Programs, teaches at Amherst College and Mt. Holyoke College and contributes to the production, performance and educational programs at the HCC Jazz Festival, Northampton Jazz Festival, and the Vermont Jazz Center. David has performed or recorded with Karrin Allyson, Chocolate Peach, FlavaEvolution, The Leah Randozzo Group, Evelyn Harris, Chuck Langford, Yusef Lateef, Kevin Mahogany, Rebecca Holtz, Samirah Evans, Charles Neville, Dick Oatts, Arturo O'Farrill, Beau Sasser, Miro Sprague and many others.

Drummer Jon Fisher is a member of the Green Street Trio with whom he has had the opportunity to perform with myriad Jazz luminaries including Charles Neville, Houston Person, Grant Stewart, Wayne Escoffery, Chris Cheek, Jay Hoggard, Steve Davis, Sheila Jordan, Karrin Allyson, Nat Reeves, John Lockwood, Gary Smulyan, Ralph Lalama, and many others.  Notable performances include The Burlington Discover Jazz Festival (2009-2014), The Northampton Jazz Festival (2010-2014) and The Blue Note Jazz Club (2009) with the late, great guitarist, Melvin Sparks.

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