THE GABRIEL HERRERA QUARTET
September 3rd, 7:30 PM in Esber Rehearsal Hall
THE GABRIEL HERRERA QUARTET (GH4TET) is a Harlem-based jazz quartet that performs in the straight-ahead jazz, Latin jazz, jazz fusion, and funk traditions to combine the sounds of Fats Navarro, Stan Getz, and Janek Gwizdala to create a forward-looking musical experience with a firm footing in the rich history of the idiom. The ensemble was first formed as a quartet coached by David Gibson in the Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance Program at Columbia University and has since gone on to perform independently at jazz venues in New York City such as Fiction, Rockwood Music Hall, and Silvana in addition to at private events.
Setlist:
RIVERBED - Gabriel Herrera
APHELION - Janek Gwizdala
SUNLIGHT - Gabriel Herrera
VIOLETS - Jerry van Rooyen
LEGACY - Gabriel Herrera
CHIEF DISTORTION - David Gibson
GABRIEL HERRERA is a trombonist based in the New York City and Central Pennsylvania areas. After Carl Fontana ignited his passion for the trombone, Herrera performed at venues such as the Montreux Jazz Festival and learned about the jazz idiom through programs including the Eastman and Litchfield jazz camps as a high schooler. After moving to New York to study at Columbia University, Herrera studied with David Gibson and led his own jazz quartet and big band while also performing with orchestral, funk, and pop groups. Since graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Jazz Studies this past spring, he has started his Master of Music at Penn State, where he is a graduate teaching assistant for the jazz department. Herrera’s compositions and big band arrangements are being published by Second Floor Music.
Photo taken by https://jazzjoint.info
RAPHAEL SILVERMAN is a guitarist based in New York City. Growing up in White Plains, New York, Silverman attended the University of Chicago before transferring to Columbia University to study music. He has quickly become a rising star in the New York jazz scene, winning awards from Downbeat Magazine and the Jarek Śmietana International Jazz Guitar Competition and performing with greats such as Philip Harper, Eric Alexander, Akiko Tsuruga, and Jeb Patton. This fall, he will return to Columbia to start his senior year while actively gigging as a sideman and bandleader throughout New York City.
JONATHAN BLOCK is an electric bassist based in New York City. After developing his sound through the year-round Kimmel Center Creative Music Program and attending the Gerald Veasley Bass Boot Camp, he began playing and leading gigs in the Philadelphia area when he was in high school. In 2019, he moved to New York City to study environmental science at Columbia University while still pursuing the electric bass. This fall, Block will return to Columbia to begin a master’s in Climate and Society. Aside from bass, Jonathan also produces EDM and dance-pop under the name Elitrax on streaming services.
MICHAEL MANASSEH is a drummer and percussionist based in the New York City and Boston areas. Throughout high school, he refined his craft at prestigious jazz camps including the NEC Jazz Lab, Berklee Five-Week Jazz Workshop, and the Vail Jazz Workshop and studied with Berklee faculty such as John Ramsay and Bob Gullotti. After moving to New York City to study economics and mathematics at Columbia, Manasseh delved into the world of musical theatre and developed his playing further by studying under Vince Cherico. After graduating in 2023, Manasseh was the drum chair holder with New London Barn Playhouse in New Hampshire.
