Jazz with the Widlowski Quintet

The Widlowski Quintet is a jazz group that plays music ranging from the 50s to what’s coming out today,. Styles include swing, hard bop, Latin jazz, blues, and funk. The group was put together by Brian Widlowski, a drummer from Charleston SC who has been performing for the past 30 years. Widlowski attended The College of Charleston, and graduated with a degree in Jazz Performance in 2002. That year, Brian opened for Ray Charles at the North Charleston Coliseum with The Erin Kelly Quartet. Currently living in Brevard, Brian enjoys the access to 3 cities within an hours drive: Greenville, Hendersonville, and Asheville. They each have their own scene, and they all have excellent jazz musicians. The members of the Widlowski Quintet come from Columbia, Greenville, Asheville, and Brevard. Monty Craig is a guitarist who has dedicated his life to music and is an active performer, teacher, composer, and producer. Monty is an engineering and production professional with 20 years of experience running live sound and producing music. As an instructor, Monty’s method to learning music is different because it teaches you to master the fundamentals of music first, so that you can truly build on that foundation for life. Tyler Kittle has been fortunate to live a life of music. He has performed all over the country and Europe with luminaries like Erykah Badu, Kalakuta Moziak (Fela Kuti), and countless Jazz greats. His lyrical style and big tenor sound attract both seasoned jazz aficionados and new listeners, alike. Bob Songster began performing and studying music at a young age, starting with piano, violin and clarinet; later he developed a love for the guitar, and then the bass. He received his Masters of Music Performance Degree from the University Denver’s Lamont School of Music, and his undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Colorado. As a versatile performer he has had the opportunity to play with many of Asheville’s finest musicians, including Michael Jefry Stevens, Billy Cardine, William Bares, Alan Hall and many others. Before moving to Asheville, Bob has performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Five Points Jazz Festival, the Salida Jazz Festival and many of Denver’s finest festivals and clubs. As an active educator Bob has taught lessons, ensembles, clinics and classes to a wide range of ages and abilities. Nick Vlandis is a jazz pianist, composer, and teacher currently residing in Columbia, SC. He has been active in South Carolina’s music scene for the past decade, performing with various artists and ensembles across the Southeast. Vlandis earned his B.M. in Jazz Piano Performance from the University of South Carolina, where he is currently working on his Master’s of Music in Jazz Composition.