Joe Manis Quartet plays at the Jazz Station in Eugene

• Joe Manis saxophone
• Paul Krueger trumpet
• Keith Brown organ
• Charlie Doggett drums

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.

Paul Krueger is an Assistant Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Oregon where he teaches jazz trumpet and jazz composition lessons, Jazz History, Advanced Jazz Arranging, Jazz Pedagogy, and the program’s premier small group, JazzArts Oregon. He is also the director of the Oregon Jazz Festival, which takes place each January in Eugene, OR, and the University of Oregon Jazz Improvisation Summer Jazz Camp, which takes place each July. Krueger's compositions and arrangements have been programmed by university ensembles around the country, and have been performed by artists such as Kendrick Scott, Dave Pietro, Steve Wilson, and Dan Tepfer. In May 2012, Krueger's arrangement of Steve Wilson's "Wish You Were Here" received a Downbeat Magazine Student Music Award for Best Jazz Arrangement, and Krueger was named one of ASCAP's Young Jazz Composer Award winners for original compositions in 2012, 2013, and 2014. He is published by UNC Jazz Press and Walrus Music Publishing. Also a skilled trumpet player and improviser, Krueger is known for his broad sound, lyrical style, and his musical sensitivity on the bandstand. His first album, The Wayward Traveler , was released independently in December 2011, and features eight of his original compositions performed by his quartet. Before his appointment at the University of Oregon, Krueger served as the Director of Bands at Lane Community College in Eugene, OR. Under his direction, the Lane Jazz Ensemble was named the community college winner in the large jazz ensemble category of the 2015 Downbeat Magazine Student Music Awards. Previously, Krueger served as the Assistant Band Director at Washington High School in Sioux Falls, SD, where he taught concert bands, jazz ensembles, chamber ensembles, jazz combos, marching band and pep band. Krueger remains a highly sought-after clinician/presenter at universities, high schools, festivals, and music camps around the country. A native of Lincoln, NE, Krueger earned his Bachelors Degree in Music Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in May 2009, and his Masters Degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Oregon in June 2011.

Keith L. Brown is an accomplished composer, educator, and pianist, who has established himself as one of the most sought-after pianists in contemporary jazz. He was born in Memphis, TN, and raised in Knoxville, TN, where he began playing piano and bass at a young age. Keith grew up in a musically inclined family, where both his parents were musicians, and many of his aunts and uncles possessed exceptional musical talent. His father, Donald Brown, is a world-renowned jazz pianist, composer, and educator who was a part of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and has performed with many greats. His mother Dorothy is also a pianist who plays various woodwind instruments. Keith is currently the Assistant Professor of Jazz and Contemporary Piano at The University of Oregon. Keith's musical journey began by learning to play the songs of R&B artists like Stevie Wonder by ear. He then started taking classical piano lessons at the age of eight. His father played a pivotal role in nurturing Keith's musical ambitions by teaching him how to play his original compositions and jazz standards. Keith and his brothers, Kenneth and Donald Jr., were deeply into hip-hop music during their formative years. However, Keith began to study jazz seriously after graduating from high school. It was during this time that he was significantly influenced by other great Memphis pianists such as Phineas Newborn Jr., James Williams, and Mulgrew Miller. Since he began seriously playing at the age of 18, Brown has performed and recorded with a who’s-who of jazz luminaries. He currently tours as the pianist for Kenny Garrett. His tours and performances with artists such as Stefon Harris, Russell Gunn, Jazzmeia Horn, George Coleman, Greg Tardy, Camille Thurman, Terreon Gully, Willie Jones III, Endea Owens, Charles Tolliver, Buster Williams, Lenny White, Steve Turre, John Clayton, and more have captivated audiences worldwide. Drawing on his roots in R&B, Funk, Classical, Jazz, and Hip-Hop, Brown's unique composition and piano style seamlessly integrates these influences. He possesses an exceptional understanding of the language of jazz piano masters and can effortlessly transition between hard swing, funk, and free styles, while also showcasing his own distinct voice. With his innovative approach to jazz piano and his ability to seamlessly blend different musical styles, Keith L. Brown is a true standout in the world of contemporary jazz.

Charlie Doggett began violin lessons at the age of eight and later switched to the drum set. As a teenager he played in Rock and Pop cover bands earning his first paid gig at the age of 15 and later received formal instruction, through scholarship, at the University of Oregon, School of Music and Dance. He has been a contributing member of the Portland music scene for over two decades performing regionally as well as throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. He is a longstanding member of “Upper Left Trio”, David Friesen's “Circle 3 Trio”, Tim Willcox's “Superjazzers” and others. Doggett has had the privilege of performing and or recording with artists including Dave Frishberg, John Gross, Pancho Sanchez, Obo Addy, Nancy King, Esperanza Spalding, Damian Erskine, Ethan Iverson, Joe Manis, George Colligan, Randy Porter, Titos Sompa, and many others. He maintains an active teaching schedule as adjunct faculty instructor at Lewis & Clark College, and Clackamas Community College. “Doggett, a drummer of imagination and curiosity, propels each tune with cunningness and unrelenting swing.” -John Barron/All About Jazz.com