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I'd like to give credit to the wonderful musicians that contribute so much of their time and talent to the content that appears on this site.
In the days to come, I'll be adding others to this list, as well as itemizing the individual contributions made by these wonderful individuals.
These are the people that have made this site what it is today. I certainly appreciate all of their contributions.
Paul Tomashefsky has been on the
faculty of the Westborough Public Schools Fine Arts
Department since 1989. His teaching responsibilities have
included; grade five general music, chorus and band. He was
the director of the Bentley College Jazz Ensemble in
Waltham, MA from 1985 until 1995. He has also worked as an
administrator for the College Gate/College Academy
Summer school program for gifted and talented children, based
in Stoughton, MA. Originally from Long Island, New York, he
received his Bachelors Degree in Music Education from the
Berklee College of Music, in Boston,
Massachusetts. While at Berklee, he received the
Art Farmer Jazz Performance
Scholarship . Before moving to central Massachusetts, he held teaching positions in Boston, Newton, Malden, Duxbury, and Dedham, MA.
Presently
dividing his teaching skills between the Mill Pond
Intermediate School Instrumental program and the WHS Jazz
Ensemble, Mr. Tomashefsky was the recipient of two Westborough
Education Foundation Teaching Grants: “Music
Notation in the next Millenium” in 1996 and more
recently, “Journey into Jazz”
which encourages grade five students to explore and perform music in a jazz ensemble setting.
As a performer,
he currently plays Trumpet with the Westborough based Classic
Rhythm & Blues group TailSpin. Past performing
groups have included: Quintessential Brass, Bobby Rydell ,
The Four Tops, Urban Renewal, Jacques D’Ambroise and the
National Dance Institute (Under the Direction of Peter
Mansfield) and his own Spectrum Jazz Quintet. In
1979 he won national recognition for his visual art skills in
DownBeat Magazine for “best album design concept” on
Chuck Mangione’s recording: Children of Sanchez. He
also has several book covers published through Charles
Colin Music in New York City. Mr. Tomashefsky resides in Shrewsbury with his wife Ann, their son Jonathan, daughter Kathryn, and their two “Jazz Cats”
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Mark A. Russo is a freelance trumpet player/teacher/composer/arranger in the greater Cleveland area. He currently holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance in Jazz Studies from Bowling Green State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education (Magna cum laude) from Kent State University.
As a performer, Mr. Russo has worked for Carnival Cruise Lines and has performed extensively with such local groups as The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, The Hermit Club Jazz Orchestra, The Hermit Club Jazz Masters, and various groups affiliated with Jerry Bruno Productions. He has performed with the Bowling Green State University Jazz Lab Band 1and Kent State University Jazz Ensemble 1 where he played the “Jazz Chair” in both groups. Mr. Russo has also been a guest soloist with the Garfield Heights Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Michael Shively. In 2001 and 2002, Mr. Russo received recognition as an “Outstanding Soloist” at the Elmhurst Community College Jazz Festival in Chicago, Illinois.
Mr. Russo has been teaching privately in the Greater Cleveland area for over 5 years. His studios consist of over 55 students at venues such as Educator’s Music, Brecksville Music, The Music Workshop, The Aurora School of Music, The Beck Center For The Performing Arts, and Garfield Heights High School where he has conducted clinics on jazz improvisation and jazz history.
As a Composer/Arranger, he has written and arranged music for the Bowling Green State University Jazz Ensemble 1, Bowling Green State University’s Jazz combos, Kent State Jazz Ensemble 1, The Hermit Club Jazz Orchestra and, The Hermit Club Jazz Masters. His arrangement of Woody Shaw’s “Katrina Ballerina” written for the Bowling Green State University Jazz Combos won “Outstanding Jazz Arrangement” at the 1998 Aquinas College Jazz Festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Mr. Russo has received recognition for his achievements in jazz winning Kent State University’s Walter Watson Jazz Achievement Award (2001,2002) and the Bowling Green State University Jazz Achievement Award (1998). He has also studied trumpet and arranging with Todd W. Davidson, Jeffery O. Halsey and with local artists such as Jack Shantz, Michael W. Chunn, Dennis Bradley Reynolds, Chas Baker, and Paul Ferguson. Mr. Russo is also an active member of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE), Ohio Music Educators Association (OMEA), and the International Trumpet Guild (ITG).
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