David Newsam's Guitar Night: David Newsam Organ Trio with Guest Guitarists at The Press Room (5PM Show)

Description

Three standout guitarists, a Hammond organ, and a night built around the rich tradition of jazz guitar.

David Newsam's Guitar Night
Featuring the David Newsam Organ Trio
with Special Guest Guitarists
sponsored by the Seacoast Jazz Society

Special Guest Guitarists:
5 PM Show: Jim Dozet and Nick Grondin
7:45 PM Show: Bryan Killough and Phil Sargent

Join us on Sunday, November 1, as we bring back an evening of great guitar performances called "Jazz Guitar Night" with the David Newsam Organ Trio and Special Guests!

The event will be held at Portsmouth, New Hampshire’s legendary jazz venue, The Press Room, founded in 1976, located at 77 Daniel Street.

The David Newsam Trio, comprised of Michael Beling on Hammond organ, Gary Gemmiti on drums, and David Newsam on guitar, will lead two back-to-back jazz guitar shows, each featuring guest guitarists chosen from among New England's very best! Dave will open the show performing as a trio with Gary and Michael. Throughout the show, the featured guest guitarists will perform with the rhythm section as a trio, and all three guitarists will team up to play in various combinations with each other. The show will conclude with all the musicians playing together for a final song that will pack the stage and rattle the walls of the Press Room. The music for both shows will be a mix of original compositions, classic organ trio arrangements, and tunes from the Great American Songbook.

Reserve seats in advance. Ticket costs are: $23 (pre-sale), $30 (day of show). A discounted Two-Show Ticket can be purchased for $37 (pre-sale) for those who wish to attend both shows. 

This event is sponsored by the Seacoast Jazz Society, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in New Hampshire with a threefold mission to foster a love of jazz in the community, support local and regional musicians, and provide scholarships for young artists.
 

About the Musicians: 5 PM Show Guest Guitarists: Jim Dozet and Nick Grondin

Jim Dozet
Jim is a guitarist, sought-after sideman, and session player active throughout the Seacoast region and beyond. He performs regularly with Soggy Po' Boys and Foxglove, and leads his own project, Tourist Attraction. Performances have taken him to venues throughout New England and across the country. Jim has been an active member of the vibrant Seacoast music scene for the past 25 years, moving fluidly across genres including funk, blues, jazz, hip hop, rock, and acoustic/singer-songwriter music. Jim has a degree in Jazz Guitar Performance from the University of New Hampshire, where he studied under David Newsam, and studied privately with renowned Berklee professor Bruce Bartlett in Boston. He has taught for 25 years including the past 15 years at the Portsmouth Music and Arts Center (PMAC). He has also led master classes in funk guitar styles and has been a guest lecturer at UNH.

Nick Grondin
Guitarist and award-winning composer, Nick Grondin has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe, including France, Italy, Germany and at the Panama Jazz Festival. He leads the Nick Grondin Group in the Boston area and New York. His music is inspired by rock, folk and contemporary jazz styles. Nick also composes works for large and small jazz ensembles. His pieces for jazz orchestra have received awards such as 2008, 2009 and 2011 ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards, the 2008 DownBeat Magazine Student Music Award for Best Arrangement of “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and the 2007 DownBeat Award for Best Extended Jazz Composition. In 2008, Grondin launched the Nick Grondin Jazz Orchestra and released his debut CD, “SongTeller—The Jazz Orchestra Project" in summer 2009 at the Regattabar in Cambridge. He is Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music and Resident Artist in Guitar at the University of New Hampshire. He completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Jazz Performance and a Master of Music in Jazz Composition from the New England Conservatory. He has studied with Miguel Zenon, Billy Hart, Donny McCaslin, Jerry Bergonzi, Frank Carlberg, Allan Chase, Dominique Eade, Dave Holland, and Ken Schaphorst. During this time, he had the opportunity to perform with vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant, pianist Jason Moran and bassist Dave Holland. Before coming to Boston, Nick attended the EDIM School of Modern Music in Paris.
 

7:45 PM Show Guest Guitarists: Bryan Killough and Phil Sargent

Bryan Killough
Bryan is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and a 30-year veteran of the New England music scene, with a lifelong passion for jazz. He is a founding member of Groove Child and The Hot Club of Portland. He brings a dynamic, Django-inspired energy and leadership to his ensemble. His musical versatility and deep roots in both jazz and rock make him a magnetic force on stage. Bryan teaches “The History of Jazz” at the University of New England and is the music teacher at the East Kingston and Newfields Elementary Schools. Bryan performs frequently as a solo artist, with jazz and rock bands, and with the Seacoast Big Band.

Phil Sargent
Phil has worked with numerous prominent musicians including Dave Liebman, Jerry Bergonzi, John Lockwood, Fernando Huergo, Bruno Raberg, Bob Moses, Matt Wilson, Phil Grenadier, Yosuke Inoue, Thomson Kneeland and others. He studied at the University of New Hampshire and with critically acclaimed guitarists Ben Monder, and Brad Shepik. Phil leads his own group whose compositions draw from a variety of influences, most prominently the odd meters and eastern tonalities of ethnic Balkan music and modern jazz improvisation. Phil released his first recording (For Carl) in 2002. His 2010 release (A New Day) has received critical acclaim. In addition to writing for his own group he composes and has released recordings with the genre bending groups Iskar and The Industrious Noise Trio and many others. Phil also performs nationally as a sideman in the Sonic Explorers, Bruno Raberg Nonet, Rick DiMuzio Quintet, Mehmet Ali Sanlikol Jazz Orchestra, Brooke Sofferman Perspective, John Funkhouser quartet, and a variety of other ensembles ranging from straight ahead jazz to the avant-garde. He studied Jazz Performance and Composition at the University of New Hampshire. In addition to performing, he teaches privately in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and also teaches improvisation and performance master classes at various colleges and high schools throughout New England.

About the David Newsam Organ Trio:

Michael Beling (organ)
Michael performs regularly with some of the best jazz musicians in Maine and New Hampshire including Bronek Suchanek, Les Harris, Jr., Taylor O’Donnell, Chris Klaxton and John Hunter. He has played at numerous venues including the State Theatre, Merrill Auditorium, and Port City Music Hall. Michael graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Piano Performance (Jazz Concentration), from the University of Southern Maine, where he was named Presser Scholar. He studied with many acclaimed musicians including Thomas Snow, Laura Kargul, Ben Waltzer, and Vardan Ovsepian. Michael has extensive experience as a church musician, including serving as the music director of West Kennebunk United Methodist Church from 2013-2015 and temporary organist at the Bridgton Congregational Church in 2022. He is particularly drawn to African American gospel music. He has also served as a faculty member of Bates College from 2016-2022. As an instructor, Michael has enjoyed teaching a variety of students since 2008. He specializes in teaching jazz/blues, pop/rock and classical music to students aged 11 and up.

Gary Gemmiti (drums)
Mentored by the late Alan Dawson, world-renowned drummer and educator, Gary has spent 40 years behind the kit, touring and recording across the U.S. and abroad, including work with blues great Sam McClain. He currently records and tours with The Rustic Overtones, the reggae band Royal Hammer, and Dub producer “Scientist.” Gary also holds an ongoing jazz residency at the Pressroom in Portsmouth, NH, which began with the late Larry Garland, along with freelance work throughout New England.

David Newsam (guitar)
David has performed in concerts and clinics with many noted musicians, among them guitarists Jim Hall, Bucky Pizzarelli, Gene Bertoncini, Peter Bernstein, and Howard Alden; pianists Dave McKenna and James Williams; drummers Ed Shaugnessy, Louis Bellson, Bob Moses, and Alan Dawson; and jazz legends Clark Terry, Phil Wilson, Joe Williams, and Milt Jackson. He has been teaching at Berklee College of Music since 1989 in the Guitar and Professional Music departments. He teaches private lessons and classes on classical, flamenco and jazz guitar. Newsam is also the former artistic director of the Boston Classical Guitar Society and is a member of the Back Bay Guitar Trio. He grew up in Connecticut, where he was a student of Robert Shaw, and is a graduate of Berklee, where he studied with Jim Kelly, Larry Baione, and William Leavitt. David is a former Lecturing in guitar at Dartmouth College and also directed the Jazz Guitar Program at the University of New Hampshire from 1993-2024.