James Zeller Trio + 2 play at the Jazz Station in Eugene
A musical reunion twenty-five years in the making, with new friends, a homecoming, and creative reimaginings of old standards.
- James Zeller trombone
- Joe Manis tenor saxophone
- John Wood piano
- Zachary Wallmark bass
- Evan Furrow drums
As teenagers, James, John, and Joe played their first gigs together around Eugene. Now, a quarter century (and collectively thousands of gigs) later, the three long-lost band mates are proud to reunite with the help of Zach and Evan.
The story of James Zeller’s becoming a bandleader is the story of a life long love of music, and of songs. His Mom taught him piano from a young age, and he began playing trombone at the age of twelve. As a teenager he performed in clubs and venues around his hometown of Eugene, Oregon. Recordings of Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong checked out from the public library were an early inspiration for his singing, and a love of songs was also inherited from his Dad, who introduced him to Willie Nelson, Paul Simon and other storytelling songwriters. In the late summer of 2000, Zeller relocated to NYC, attended the New School, and worked for ten years with his main profession freelance trombone playing, while also leading bands on the side whenever possible. In his time freelancing he performed professionally with: The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Slide Hampton, Joe Chambers, The Jimmy Heath Orchestra, and Charli Persip to name a few. He has been a member of legendary drummer Billy Kaye’s Quintet and cornetist Don Hahn's Sextet. He has performed at the finest Jazz venues in NYC (and a few others) such as: The Village Vanguard, The Blue Note, The Jazz Standard, Smalls, Fat Cat, Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and concert halls like Flushing Town Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Avery Fischer Hall. He was a member of the house band at The Rainbow Room from 2006-2009. In between touring and playing swing dances with old-time Jazz groups such as The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn and Baby Soda Jazz from 2010 to 2012, James began to have success leading his own groups in a similar style. Blue Vipers vocalist Billy Nemec was an inspiration and an example of how to lead a band, in business and performance. James formed a partnership with Pat Brennan, a fantastic NYC based Jazz guitarist in 2012. Though both formally educated in music and with long professional resumes, they began working together as buskers in Central Park in 2010 and through hard work and dedication eventually found themselves performing regularly at the finest establishments in New York. The demands of busking forced them to develop a style and repertoire of music that would entice passers-by to stop and linger. As a performer James has never lost that uncanny ability to draw a crowd. The Trio's spent 2012-2107 performing for weddings, parties and special events, as well as a Friday night residency at the elegant ‘Bar Pleiades’, part of Café Boulud. Their repertoire grew to over 500 songs and they performed at many of New York City's finest establishments: The Wythe Hotel, The Strand Hotel, City Winery, The Lambs Club, Manhattan Penthouse, The James Burden Mansion, The St. Regis Hotel, DB Bistro Moderne, Bar Boulud, Rouge Tomate, Thalassa Restaurant to name a few. Zeller performs with his trio as well as larger bands, and travels often with Daniel Nickerson, playing all kinds of events and venues. They are based out of Arcata, CA, but really anywhere the two are playing music, as a duo or with their peers, is called home.
Originally from Dexter, Oregon, SteepleChase recording artist Joe Manis is a current faculty member at the University of Oregon and Lane Community College and is the Director of the Oregon Jazz Workshop. Recent Joe Manis Trio appearances include Fat Cat NYC, the Shedd Institute’s jazz series, Jimmy Mak's, Tula's, the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, and the Montavilla Jazz Festival. Manis has toured Europe as a duo and trio with David Friesen, where they recorded Structures, a live album. He also appears on Risky Notion (four stars & Best Albums of 2015, DownBeat Magazine) on Origin Records with George Colligan's Theoretical Planets. Manis has played with Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited, including a performance at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall, and appears on their album Rise Up! on Real World Records. He has also performed with the George Colligan Quartet, the Chuck Israels Jazz Orchestra, and the Ken Schaphorst Big Band. Manis’s live performance was recently featured on NPR’s Jazz Night in America, hosted by Christian McBride. The recipient of a 2013 Oregon Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship, Manis has been published in JazzEd magazine and has presented jazz masterclasses across the country. He received a Master of Music in Jazz Studies-Performance with Academic Honor from the New England Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Oregon. Additional studies were at the Eastman School of Music.
John C Wood is a performer, composer, and producer. He has collaborated with artists as diverse as Bill Frisell, the Calder Quartet, and the Black Keys, and has developed dozens of site-specific works for galleries and museums including MoMA and LACMA.
Bassist Zach Wallmark has performed in jazz, bluegrass, and other improvisatory and groove-based musical contexts around the US. Prior to moving to Eugene, he was active in the music scenes of New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Portland, including regular appearances at Fat Cat, Knitting Factory, Tonic, Birdland, Cotton Club, and CBGB (NYC); Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club (Miami); and Jimmy Mak’s and Blue Monk (Portland). He has performed with jazz luminaries such as guitarist Kenny Burrell and saxophonist George Garzone, and recorded with the Gian Tornatore Quartet (Fresh Sound Records) and Ben Darwish Trio (Diatic). He’s also a commercial music and award-winning string orchestra composer (Neil A. Kjos Music Publishers) with credits in regional (e.g., NYC NewFest 2019 film festival collaboration with Wanda Sykes) and national ad campaigns. Zach’s day job is Associate Professor of Musicology at the University of Oregon, with research and teaching on popular music history and music psychology.
In the bustling milieu of Eugene, Oregon, there emerged a young talent of jazz. From the inception of his musical journey at the age of 12, drummer Evan Furrow demonstrated an aptitude for the drums, progressing swiftly under the tutelage of revered mentors, both locally and internationally renowned. Guided by the luminaries of the jazz pantheon, including Dan Weiss, Ari Hoenig, John Riley, Kenny Washington, George Colligan, Roger Woods, Joe Freuen, and Joe Manis, Evan honed his craft with unwavering dedication and consummate precision. Recognized throughout the state of Oregon as an exceptional musician and soloist, his name became synonymous with excellence in musical performance. Now, standing on the cusp of a new chapter, Evan prepares to traverse the expanse to New York City—the epicenter of jazz innovation—where he’ll begin studying jazz at a conservatory. Armed with the accumulated wisdom of his mentors and fueled by an unyielding passion for his art, he embarks on this journey with resolve, poised to make an indelible mark upon the storied tapestry of jazz.
