The Midiri Brothers Sextet

Photo by Lynn Redmile

The Midiri Brothers Sextet 
Sunday, July 11, 2021 at 2pm

CONCERT INDOORS
& LIVE STREAM

Community Arts Center
414 Plush Mill Road
Wallingford, PA 19086

The Midiri Brothers bring their sextet to Wallingford. The Midiris have delighted swing dancers and been acclaimed by critics at jazz festivals throughout the country for many years. They have recorded with groups ranging from trios to big bands – featuring the arrangements of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and the Dorsey Brothers – as well as Paul’s original arrangements and compositions.

Background

Joe and Paul Midiri have made both jazz and classical music the focus of their lives since they graduated from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) in the mid-1980s. With Joe on clarinet and saxophone, and Paul on vibraphone, xylophone, marimba, drums and trombone, they have recorded with everything from trios to big bands featuring the arrangements of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and the Dorsey Brothers, as well as Paul’s original arrangements and compositions. After nearly a decade of Philadelphia, New York and Atlantic City gigs, the Midiris made their west coast debut in 2002 and have since been featured at many California festivals including the Mammoth Lakes Jazz Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Pismo Jubilee By The Sea Jazz Fest, the Redwood Coast Music Fest, and the Sun Valley Swing-n-Dixie Jazz Jubilee. They have also performed at the Great Connecticut Jazz Festival and the North Carolina Jazz Festival, as well as at countless jazz clubs coast-to-coast. They are crowd favorites at the Bickford Theater in Morristown, at Ocean County College and at TSJS venues throughout the Philadelphia area. In March of 2016, Paul appeared at TSJS in a triple-threat mode (vibes, trombone, and drums) with trumpeter Danny Tobias, who returned as a member of the Midiris’ own sextet the following November.

Best known for his imaginative improvisations and a joy of performing, pianist Joe Holt is another TSJS favorite, employing his artistry for the connections that music makes and a shared experience with his audiences. Joe's performances reflect the influences of both the classical and jazz worlds and the joy in the moment. He performs extensively in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. as a soloist, as well as with established vocalists and jazz groups, and his own trio.

Banjoist/guitarist Pat Mercuri is one of the area's most active freelance jazz musicians. As a member of Jerry Rife’s Rhythm Kings, the Midiri Brothers’ and Ed Wise’s bands, he plays for TSJS frequently.

Jack Hegyi's career on both electric and upright acoustic bass has taken him throughout the globe and included three decades on the Atlantic City scene. He has also been a member of pianist Eric Mintel’s quartet for the last decade.

Jim Lawlor began playing drums after moving from Philadelphia to Atlantic City in 1979, just as the town was beginning its rise as the East Coast gambling mecca. His primary teacher was Chris Columbo, former drummer with Louis Jordan's Tympani Five and father of Count Basie drumming legend Sonny Payne. Jim spent eight years in the Chris Sooy Swing Band, a very popular group that pre-dated the Neo-Swing movement by a decade. He was then hired by Joe and Paul Midiri to play and sing in their small groups and big band. In 2000, the Midiri ensemble landed on the festival circuit and gave Jim a chance to travel and perform around the USA.
Recently, Jim has played both with the Midiris and independently for Jazzdagen Cruises, enjoying trans-Atlantic crossings, the Sea of Cortez, as well as a river cruise in the Netherlands

Visit The Midiri Brothers website