Ben LaTorraca Quartet plays at the Jazz Station in Eugene
- Ben LaTorraca piano
- Idit Shner saxophone
- Robert Lassila bass
- Ken Mastrogiovanni drums
An old soul in a young body, New Jersey born pianist Ben LaTorraca’s Hard swinging joyful sound draws deeply from his many heroes: Duke Ellington, Bobby Timmons, Erroll Garner, Jacki Byard, Wynton Kelly and Oscar Peterson. Beginning classical piano lessons at 5 , a copy of the LP “Louis Armstrong meets Duke Ellington” given to him for his 11th Birthday led him on his lifelong Pursuit of jazz. Growing up adjacent to both New York and Philadelphia provided Benjamin with countless opportunities to hear live jazz weekly and to study with such greats as Clark terry Mulgrew Miller and Jim McNeely. He began playing professionally at 14 , performing with local big bands as well as with his own trio and quintet around the New Jersey/New York area. In 2016 Benjamin completed his MA in jazz studies at the University of Oregon in Eugene where he currently resides and continues to perform regularly as an in demand sideman and bandleader. An active performer of both jazz and classical music, saxophonist Idit Shner has played in various distinguished venues in the United States and abroad, such as The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and Lincoln Center in New York. Idit’s most recent jazz release, Nine Short Stories, garnered a four star review in Downbeat Magazine. Her inaugural jazz project involved ancient melodies from the Jewish liturgy performed in a jazz setting. Her first jazz CD, Tuesday’s Blues, was released on OA2 Records and received great reviews from JazzTimes, All Music Guide, and Jazz Review. As a jazz saxophonist, Shner performed at the Diet Coke Woman in Jazz Festival (NY), Bellayre Festival (NY), and New-Trier Jazz Festival (IL); toured with pianist Jangun Bae in Korea and Japan; and continues to perform with her jazz quartet in the Pacific Northwest. Robert Lassila is a bassist and composer living in Eugene, Oregon. Being a versatile sideman, he finds himself playing many different genres of music. For his own projects the main focus is composing and performing original jazz. He recently graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor’s in jazz studies. During his time in school, he studied composition and arranging with Paul Krueger and Steve Owen, and bass performance with Tyler Abbott. He will be starting his Masters at the University of Oregon in the Fall, filling a teaching assistant position. Oregon-based drummer, Ken Mastrogiovanni, brings a unique sensibility and modern voice to the drums and music, making him a rising musician of his generation in his scene. The very early years of his music environment was shaped by his older brother’s j-pop, ska, and electronic bands, as well as listening to the latest jazz and avant-garde music his father played at home. This would subconsciously influence his musical interests and vocabulary going forward. Starting drum set at the age of eleven, his musical adventure was fueled by many important mentors, eventually leading him to recent performance opportunities as a sideman with such artists as Jaleel Shaw, George Colligan, Dick Oatts, Roxy Coss, Clay Jenkins, Bruce Williams, Geoffrey Keezer, John Raymond, Remy Le Boeuf and the Redshift Trio. He completed his M.M. in Jazz Studies at the University of Oregon, and is now the drum set instructor at his alma mater in addition to maintaining his own private lesson studio. Producing under the title, “kenthemaestro”, he creates beats that transcend genre, often collaborating with MCs and other creative musicians.
