Tatum Greenblatt

Tatum Greenblatt has recorded 7 albums with the Verve Jazz Ensemble since 2012, in addition to joining the VJE for numerous live performances. Named by Wynton Marsalis as one of his favorite young trumpet players, Tatum has established himself as one of the most in-demand and versatile music professionals in New York City.  He recently held the trumpet chair on the TONY Award-winning show, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical for three years; could be heard playing lead trumpet with the Grammy Award-winning Mingus Big Band on Monday nights at The Jazz Standard; and spent 6 years touring over 50 countries with the legendary bassist, Richard Bona.  Tatum has also performed and toured with The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Blood Sweat & Tears, Maria Schneider, Dr. John, Sachal Vasandani, Christian Sands, Ulysses Owens, Macklemore, Bastille, Shaina Taub, Orrin Evans, Roy Hargrove’s Big Band, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, among many others. Additional recording credits include The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Grizzly Bear, Captain Black Big Band, George Gruntz, and the soundtrack to the movie The Longest Week.  His latest album as a leader, Imprints, earned "Critic's Pick" from DownBeat Magazine.  Tatum also serves on faculty at The Juilliard School, Rutgers University, and is co-director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Orchestra.

Willie Applewhite

Willie Applewhite is a trombonist, composer, and arranger, and makes his debut with the Verve Jazz Ensemble on “Connect The Dots." Willie was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. He has performed with many great jazz artists including Slide Hampton, Wycliffe Gordon, Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, William Parker, Bobby Broom, and Junior Mance. Willie’s musical studies brought him to The Institute for Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School in New York City, where he earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees. A music educator, he went on to serve as Director of Jazz studies at Snow College in Utah from 2011 to 2014 before returning to New York. Working now as an in-demand sideman, Willie is a fixture in the New York music scene, and collaborates with James Burton and Brandon Lee as co-leaders on the Uptown Jazz Tentet, a big band featuring both original compositions and arrangements of jazz standards.

Alexa Tarantino

Alexa Tarantino is an award-winning jazz saxophonist and woodwind doubler, and made her debut with the Verve Jazz Ensemble on “Connect The Dots.” In her mid-twenties, Alexa's performance highlights already include such prestigious venues as the Umbria Jazz Festival (with Ryan Truesdell’s Gil Evans Project); the Charlotte Jazz Festival (with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra); the Kennedy Center; the Hollywood Bowl (with Sherrie Maricle & the DIVA Jazz Orchestra); the Rockport Jazz Festival; Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center; and the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival (with Earth, Wind & Fire). Alexa performs regularly in a wide variety of ensembles and genres including Sherrie Maricle & The DIVA Jazz Orchestra, Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, the Alexa Tarantino Quartet, and LSAT. Alexa Tarantino is on faculty for Jazz at Lincoln Center's Youth Programs, and previously served as Jazz Saxophone Instructor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Alexa grew up in West Hartford, CT, is now completing her Master's Degree in Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School, and earned her BM from the Eastman School of Music.

Jon Blanck 

Saxophonist, keyboardist, composer / arranger, recording artist, and educator, Jon Blanck is a founding member of the Verve Jazz Ensemble, having recorded 7 albums with the VJE in addition to performing in dozens of live Verve jazz Ensemble performances.  Jon graduated from Western Connecticut State University with a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies. His two decade career as a performer has spanned many genres, from recording jazz with artists like the VJE to funking it up on stage with the P-Funk All Stars, Rico Lewis and Sons of F.U.N.K. From classical music with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra to dance music with Charisma, Jon is always exploring a new genre of music. He has appeared on more than 50 albums and arranged / composed for artists and organizations such as The VJE, The Apollo Theater, PBS, Joan Jett, Joe Perry and Michael J. Fox, to name a just few

Matt Oestreicher

A founding member of the Verve Jazz Ensemble, pianist Matt Oestreicher has recorded on 3 VJE albums since 2012, including the band’s most recent release, “Night Mode.” For two decades, Matt has been a first-call professional musician. He is a well-known producer, arranger, performer, writer, bandleader, Podcaster, educator, and virtuoso on keyboards and guitars. In his career, he has traversed a wild array of genres, including funk, soul, jazz, R&B, rock, third stream, kirtan, and avant-garde. Prior to the pandemic shutdown, Matt served as the arranger / keyboardist / guitarist for the world famous Apollo Amateur Night Band, and was also Music Director for the New York revival of "Smokey Joe’s Cafe."  He has played lead guitar for "Beautiful the Musical: The Carole King Broadway Show," and was in the house band for several TV shows including Showtime At The Apollo on FOX.  Matt has also composed music for film and TV, and has appeared on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The ESPY Awards, and Comedy Central’s Night of Too Many Stars.

Elias Bailey

Bassist Elias Bailey has been playing professionally since the age of 15, and has recorded 4 albums with the Verve Jazz Ensemble in addition to joining the VJE for numerous live performances. By the time he graduated from high school, Elias had received numerous national awards including a level one scholarship from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts. By 18, he had already performed with many well-known artists including Larry Willis, Derek Gardner, Nathan Page, Jason Marsalis, Steve Wilson, and Sam Newsome, among many others. At age 19, Elias joined the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra conducted by Buddy Morrow and performed at prestigious venues in the United State, Europe, and the Caribbean. While with the Dorsey Orchestra he performed with Lynn Roberts, the Four Lads, the Mills Brothers, and Arthur Duncan. In addition to working with the Verve Jazz Ensemble, Elias is almost constantly on tour around the world with the legendary Freddie Cole quartet, as well as with Max Jazz recording artist Rene Marie. With Rene, Elias has performed at the many world-renowned clubs and festivals including the Blue Note in New York City and Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. Elias Baily has studied bass with jazz legend Milt Hinton, Todd Coolman, John Clayton, and Jeff Bradetich.