Jonathan Corona's Tribute to Michael Brecker is at the Jazz Station in Eugene

Jonathan Corona leads a quintet that will exclusively play the music of Michael Brecker.

• Jonathan Corona saxophone
• Avery Scanlon guitar
• Torrey Newhart piano
• Robert Lassila bass
• Ken Mastrogiovanni drums

Jonathan Corona is a performing jazz saxophonist and licensed music educator who resides in Eugene, Oregon. He holds a B.M. and M.M. in Jazz Studies from the University of Oregon, received in 2017 and 2019 respectively. In addition, he obtained a second Master's in Teaching with a Music Endorsement from Western Oregon University in 2021.

Jonathan is an active and in-demand jazz saxophonist with over a decade of professional experience. His connections and performing skills are highly regarded within Oregon's music community, as well as other parts of the country where globally renowned musicians have taken notice to his playing.

In addition to a performing career, Jonathan has spent many years as a saxophone instructor and music educator, catering to any aspiring musician wanting to hone their craft. Jonathan takes great pride in giving high quality instruction and ensures that all his students achieve great heights with their playing skills and goals.

Jonathan dedicated himself to a career of teaching music at a public school level, where his teachings and love of music influence a younger generation. Currently, he is the Music Director at Prairie Mountain School located in Eugene, OR.

Born and raised in Thousand Oaks, California, a suburban city approximately thirty miles north of Los Angeles, Avery Scanlon is a guitarist, composer, and arranger. Son of reputable Los Angeles woodwind player Brian Scanlon, Avery found his way to the guitar at the early age of five and began studying seriously at the age of ten. At the age of twelve, Avery began studying privately with legendary Los Angeles session guitarist Mitch Holder.

Avery prides himself as an exceptionally versatile guitarist, being able to sound comfortable and expressive in a number of different music genres and styles. Avery has played with or performed in masterclasses with noteworthy musicians such as Bennie Maupin, Myka Nyne, Dave Liebman, Steve Lehman, Gordon Goodwin, Alan Ferber, Tim Hagans, Katisse Buckingham and many others. Additionally, he has had the opportunity to study with notable guitarists such as Gilad Hekselman, Julian Lage, Peter Bernstein, and Andrew Synowiec. In conjunction with his work as a performer, Avery is also an avid composer/arranger who often puts groups together to play his music. His compositional work spans from personal projects to commissioned pieces.

In 2016, Avery began his collegiate studies at Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, where he studied with guitarist Bob Sneider. In 2018, upon completion of his sophomore year, Avery transferred to California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California, where he studied with guitarist Larry Koonse and graduated with a BFA in Jazz Guitar (2020). Avery also attended the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, where he concurrently pursued a MM in Jazz Studies (2022) and taught as a graduate teaching assistant in the Jazz Studies and Popular Music areas. Avery is now a Pro-Tempore Instructor of Music at the University of Oregon and splits his time between the Eugene, OR and Los Angeles, CA areas.

Torrey Newhart is a keyboardist located in Eugene, OR. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2014 with a Masters Degree in Music and was awarded "Most Outstanding Performer In Jazz Studies" the same year. Newhart performs well over a hundred shows, annually, with regional musicians in many configurations. He has recorded and released records with Steve Vacchi, Tony Glausi’s Funk Nonet, Joshua Hettwer, Mastrogiovanni Ska Project, Tony Glausi, Jessika Smith, Inner Limits, Michael Radliff, Paul Krueger, The Long Shots and Kevin McDonald in addition to his own album Marmara. Newhart's most recent jazz project Obsidian Animals released their debut double-LP vinyl Sound In-Sight in November of 2016 and Inner Limit’s debut blues album Hit the Highway was released in January, 2019 along with an album of cover tunes called Rewrites Vol. 1.

In addition to his performing career, Newhart is a choral director at the Academy of Arts and Academics (A3) as well as an adjunct instructor of jazz piano at the University of Oregon. He also has a growing number of private students. Newhart believes that a vibrant jazz scene is possible in Oregon and volunteers his time as the president of the board of directors of the Willamette Jazz Society which operates The Jazz Station in Eugene, Oregon.

Robert Lassila is a composer, acoustic and electric bassist, and educator. Raised in Bend, Oregon, Robert found a love for music at a very young age starting with the guitar. Experimenting with many instruments in the early years of his life, a real passion was found when he started playing electric bass in high school. Through high school, he tenaciously studied both electric bass and bass clarinet, taking every opportunity he could to play with school and community bands.

Upon arriving at the University of Oregon, Robert began studying acoustic bass in both classical and jazz settings. Developing ability on the instrument very quickly, he soon became an in demand bassist in the Eugene area. It was also during this time that he started to develop strong composition practices, writing pieces for both small and large ensembles. Before finishing his undergraduate degree, Robert had arrangements and compositions performed by the Oregon Jazz Ensemble and JazzArts Oregon, as well as performing a recital of all original compositions and arrangements.

Recently, Robert has had experience performing in a diverse array of ensembles. As an electric bassist, he has performed with finalist from The Voice, Thunderstorm Artis, and Grammy nominated artist from the Freestyle Fellowship, Myka9. As a classical bassist, he has performed with the Eugene Ballet, and is a substitute player for the Eugene Symphony. Additionally, he maintains a full schedule playing jazz as a sideman for many different groups in the area, and has performed with guest artists at the University such as Adam Larson, Roxy Coss, and Ulysses Owens Jr. As a recording artist, he recently played on multiple albums, including The Nutcracker with OrchestraNEXT, and We Three Kings with the Willamette Valley Jazz Trio, which also featured his own arrangements.

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, 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.