National Boulevard
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National Boulevard

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Testimonials from our buyers"

Thank you, Karla! The music was beautiful. We were of course quite distracted with the company of all our guests, but we heard several songs from Kind of Blue, Joni Mitchell, your Doors song, and of course, Hava Nagila and the Tarantella. We thank you for playing those and others from our list as well as some of your own, and look forward to the CD! Good luck to you with future gigs. -- Laura and Lou
--Laura Cohen Romano
Manchester, Connecticut
9/20/2004 - Laura Cohen Romano


"Testimonials from our buyers"

Karla, the band was outstanding. Just as we had hoped listening to your samples on-line, the musicians were smooth, professional, and their chops were first-class. There were a couple of experienced musicians among our guests, and both were moved to tell me just how well the band swung! Thanks again, and we will certainly recommend the band at any and every opportunity.
--Doris Lipski
New York, NY
6/28/2004 - Doris Lipski


"Testimonials from our buyers"

Everyone had a wonderful time and your group sounded wonderful! Thanks, Karla!
--Nancy J. Motondo, Conference Program Manager
State Univ. of New York, Syracuse, NY
6/9/2004 - State Univ. of New York


Discography

Last Cigarette (Outcat Records, October 2004). See http://www.outcatrecords.com

To purchase individual songs, please visit Apple iTunes: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=53691449

Our CD has received radio airplay in Ontario Canada, California, Greece, France, Japan and New York to date, and has been featured on internet radio as well.

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

National Boulevard plays original music infused with rock, funk, Latin and reggae grooves as well as jazz and swing. This beyond jazz quartet features composer Jimi Durso on guitar and Karla Harby on flute, plus bass and drums. Their recent CD was released on the Outcat Records label.

The band performs regularly at night spots, festivals, universities, private parties and special events in the New York City metropolitan area and beyond. In November 2005 National Boulevard is again performing outdoors at the ING New York City Marathon, for the third year in a row.

The group's repertoire includes current pop-rock, jazz standards, classic rock, bossa novas, sambas, salsas, bluegrass tunes, Afro-cuban grooves, gentle new age pieces, folk songs and island music. Most of the songs in their sets are original compositions by Jimi Durso, winner of two composition awards from the Jazz Composers Alliance.

National Boulevard loves to perform, audiences love what they do, and they would love to hear from you! Call or send email anytime.

Contact:
Karla Harby, Manager
(917) 365-0876
info@nationalboulevard.com

For 2005-2006, National Boulevard was awarded a Residency Grant from New York City-based Chamber Music America, which promotes and assists small ensembles in the classical music and jazz genres. The quartet will present a series of jazz and blues performance workshops to students in the Roosevelt School District, Long Island, New York, in the fall of 2005. Funds for this residency have been provided by Chamber Music America with support from the JPMorgan Chase Residency Re-Grant Program, a program of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, and the Chamber Music America Residency Endowment Fund. National Boulevard is a member of Chamber Music America. For more information, visit http://www.chamber-music.org/newsrelease/06residencygrantees.htm.

:: :: Individual Performer Biographies :: ::

Flutist KARLA HARBY co-founded National Boulevard in February 2002. In addition to playing concert flute, alto flute and Native American flute, she gets around a bit on the drum kit and congas. She plays studio dates for other musicians, performs on flute with the Latin Pie Hats, a Latin jazz ensemble, plays drums with the jam band Walk Don't Walk, and plays flute and drums in off-Broadway theatre productions.

Her flute playing is featured in the independent film by director Steve Mallorca, Slow Jam King, which had its debut at the Asian American International Film Festival in New York City in July 2004. She also plays improvised flute on the new CD by singer-songwriter Russ Michaels, Blue Eyed Harvest.

Together with Jimi Durso, she is the editor of Jazz Improvisation: Advice From the Masters, a book of 16 interviews with famous jazz musicians. She is a graduate of Columbia University.

Composer, guitarist and co-founder JIMI DURSO (www.jimidurso.com) has performed with Ray Anderson, John Faddis and John Abercrombie, and recorded with Tim Berne.

A prolific songwriter and popular teacher of guitar, upright and electric bass and music theory, he was designated a Finalist in the Jazz Composers Alliance/Julius Hemphill Composition Awards in the Small Ensemble Category for two separate years. His transcription and analysis articles appear regularly in DownBeat magazine, and he conducted most of the interviews for Jazz Improvisation: Advice From the Masters. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Drummer MATT BARANELLO has played with such superstars as Norah Jones, Marc Anthony and George Benson, and such jazz greats as Ronny Jordan, Frank Lacy, Tim Berne and Dave Samuels. He performs on drumset, bata, congas, timbales, bongos and handheld percussion. He is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music.

JEHU GODER is a veteran of several North American tours, and has recordings on Alternative Tentacles and Virt records. He attended the Mannes College of Music and earned his degree from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He often performs with us on his electric upright bass, but also plays wooden acoustic upright bass and electric bass guitar.

Our splendid substitute drummer SEAN CAMERON has played Joe's Pub and with well-known hip hop bands, and is a wonderfully lyrical jazz and rock drummer.