modern jazz quartet
LEANDRO LOPEZ VARADY - PIANO
Leandro López Várady was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He graduated from the Catholic University of Argentina (UCA) in 1992 as Licentiate in Music, majoring in Composition with a Gold Medal and Awards.
He traveled Asia (Singapore-South Korea-China) from 1997 to 2000 with the Eldeé Young Quartet (former bassist of the Ramsey Lewis trio) and has lived in Chicago since 2000. López Várady worked in Saint Martin’s Episcopal Church as Music Director from 2001 to 2011. He currently teaches Piano and Latin Jazz Ensemble at Lewis University in Romeoville, IL.
Active in the Chicago music scene, he has performed at the Green Mill, Jazz Showcase, Andy’s Jazz Club among others as well as in several major performance halls: Symphony Center, Harris Theater at Millennium Park, Auditorium Theater at Roosevelt University and the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, IL among others.
López Várady has performed at festivals around the world, including the Chicago Jazz Festival; Taste of Chicago; South Shore Jazz Festival; Hyde Park Jazz Festival; Detroit Jazz Festival; Made in Chicago Festival in Poznan, Poland; Havana Jazz Festival in Havana, Cuba; Jazz y Pop Festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina and the 57th International Festival
in Ruse, Bulgaria.
Leandro received a Gold Record Award for his participation in Mietek Szcześniak’s “Nierówmi” album.
Currently, López Várady is the pianist for the Orbert Davis’ Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. He also is a member of Doug Lofstrom & New Quartet, Steve Hashimoto's "Sueños", Juli Wood's "Chicago Calling" and the Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre Music Ensemble.
Leandro lives with his wife Natalia and their daughter Helena Lucía in Oak Park, Illinois.
Leandro López Várady was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He graduated from the Catholic University of Argentina (UCA) in 1992 as Licentiate in Music, majoring in Composition with a Gold Medal and Awards.
He traveled Asia (Singapore-South Korea-China) from 1997 to 2000 with the Eldeé Young Quartet (former bassist of the Ramsey Lewis trio) and has lived in Chicago since 2000. López Várady worked in Saint Martin’s Episcopal Church as Music Director from 2001 to 2011. He currently teaches Piano and Latin Jazz Ensemble at Lewis University in Romeoville, IL.
Active in the Chicago music scene, he has performed at the Green Mill, Jazz Showcase, Andy’s Jazz Club among others as well as in several major performance halls: Symphony Center, Harris Theater at Millennium Park, Auditorium Theater at Roosevelt University and the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, IL among others.
López Várady has performed at festivals around the world, including the Chicago Jazz Festival; Taste of Chicago; South Shore Jazz Festival; Hyde Park Jazz Festival; Detroit Jazz Festival; Made in Chicago Festival in Poznan, Poland; Havana Jazz Festival in Havana, Cuba; Jazz y Pop Festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina and the 57th International Festival
in Ruse, Bulgaria.
Leandro received a Gold Record Award for his participation in Mietek Szcześniak’s “Nierówmi” album.
Currently, López Várady is the pianist for the Orbert Davis’ Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. He also is a member of Doug Lofstrom & New Quartet, Steve Hashimoto's "Sueños", Juli Wood's "Chicago Calling" and the Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre Music Ensemble.
Leandro lives with his wife Natalia and their daughter Helena Lucía in Oak Park, Illinois.
cory Biggerstaff - Bass
B.M.E., University of Nebraska, M.M., De Paul University. Cory Biggerstaff received a Bachelors degree in Music Education from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. After teaching in Lincoln Public Schools for a year, he moved to Chicago to attend DePaul University where he received a Masters Degree in Jazz Performance in 2004. He studied with many DePaul faculty members including bassist Kelly Sill, pianist Larry Novak and guitarist Bob Palmeri. Cory now teaches privately at the Laughlin School and is the bass instructor at Harold Washington College. He works with wedding bands covering a wide variety of musical styles and also performs as a freelance musician on both acoustic and electric basses around the Chicago area.
JEFF STITELY - DRUMS
...began his career as a jazz drummer in Chicago building a reputation by playing with such superb artists as Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, Randy Becker, Eddie Harris, Larry Coryell, “Groove” Holmes, Kathleen Battle, Zoot Sims, Patricia Barber, Von Freeman, Bobby Lewis, Brad Goode, the Grant Park Symphony and many others. Jeff won “Best Soloist” at the 9th International Jazz Competition of Belgium and has been awarded 2 National endowment for the Arts grants. The Jeff Stitely Quartet recorded three CDs. “Chameleon Eyes” won the distinguished award of “Top 10 CDs of the year” by WBEZ and the Sun Times. They toured both the U.S. an Europe and were finalists in the Hennessey National Jazz Competition.
...began his career as a jazz drummer in Chicago building a reputation by playing with such superb artists as Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, Randy Becker, Eddie Harris, Larry Coryell, “Groove” Holmes, Kathleen Battle, Zoot Sims, Patricia Barber, Von Freeman, Bobby Lewis, Brad Goode, the Grant Park Symphony and many others. Jeff won “Best Soloist” at the 9th International Jazz Competition of Belgium and has been awarded 2 National endowment for the Arts grants. The Jeff Stitely Quartet recorded three CDs. “Chameleon Eyes” won the distinguished award of “Top 10 CDs of the year” by WBEZ and the Sun Times. They toured both the U.S. an Europe and were finalists in the Hennessey National Jazz Competition.
DONOVAN MIXON - GUITAR
Ambidextrous crossover artist, guitarist, author, NEA fellow, former Berklee College of Music professor and self described citizen of the world, Donovan Mixon has lived in Chicago for the past 14 years performing in clubs, concert halls and festivals with his group Hybrid Project Chicago as well with the GBME - Great Black Music Ensemble of the AACM of which he became an inductee in January 2023.
“Donovan’s Garage,” a unique performance laboratory, is simply the latest innovation in his multifaceted career.
Before Chicago, he lived abroad for eighteen years as a freelance performing artist, clinician and college professor (Istanbul Bilgi University, University of Bologna), performer at major jazz festivals (Umbria, Monticello, Istanbul, Ankara) and as a clinician at educational institutions (B.A.U. - Istanbul, C.E.U. - Budapest, Shanghai American School – China, School of the Arts Singapore).
Perhaps the apex of his academic career occurred when Advance Music published his critically acclaimed music text Performance Ear Training.
In 2019, he released We Play When We Play, a compilation of tracks from two previous recordings, Look Ma, No Hands! recorded by his Boston band featuring saxophonist George Garzone and Language of the Emotions, his Milan quartet that featured Eddie Henderson on trumpet.
December of 2020 marked the release of his latest single, It’s Been Good, on bandcamp.com.
Mixon also appears on the CD recording Free With Lee with the great alto saxophonist Lee Konitz for Philology Records.
Donovan Mixon has penned several short stories and is the author of the award winning novel Ahgottahandleonit, published in 2017 by Cinco Puntos Press.
Ambidextrous crossover artist, guitarist, author, NEA fellow, former Berklee College of Music professor and self described citizen of the world, Donovan Mixon has lived in Chicago for the past 14 years performing in clubs, concert halls and festivals with his group Hybrid Project Chicago as well with the GBME - Great Black Music Ensemble of the AACM of which he became an inductee in January 2023.
“Donovan’s Garage,” a unique performance laboratory, is simply the latest innovation in his multifaceted career.
Before Chicago, he lived abroad for eighteen years as a freelance performing artist, clinician and college professor (Istanbul Bilgi University, University of Bologna), performer at major jazz festivals (Umbria, Monticello, Istanbul, Ankara) and as a clinician at educational institutions (B.A.U. - Istanbul, C.E.U. - Budapest, Shanghai American School – China, School of the Arts Singapore).
Perhaps the apex of his academic career occurred when Advance Music published his critically acclaimed music text Performance Ear Training.
In 2019, he released We Play When We Play, a compilation of tracks from two previous recordings, Look Ma, No Hands! recorded by his Boston band featuring saxophonist George Garzone and Language of the Emotions, his Milan quartet that featured Eddie Henderson on trumpet.
December of 2020 marked the release of his latest single, It’s Been Good, on bandcamp.com.
Mixon also appears on the CD recording Free With Lee with the great alto saxophonist Lee Konitz for Philology Records.
Donovan Mixon has penned several short stories and is the author of the award winning novel Ahgottahandleonit, published in 2017 by Cinco Puntos Press.