Bios
I'm thankful to surround Myself with the great musicians you'll find here and to meet that challenge! - Kim Peralta, founder/drummer..
Performances: Dizzy Gillespie, Joanne Brackeen, Lee Konitz, Gil Goldstein, Bucky Pizzarelli and has played for conductors Leonard Bernstein, Lalo Schifrin and John Williams, Renee Rosnes, Vic Juris, Ken Peplowski, Dennis Mackrel, Lewis Nash, Larry Goldings, european tour with David Krakauer’s "Klezmer Madness" and five-time Tony award winning vocalist Audra McDonald, the White House with the Eli Yamin Quintet, the Kennedy Center with Clayton/Hamilton Orchestra. musical director/arranger for three shows at Birdland, appearances on more than 45 Broadway shows.
Big Band credits: "Maiden Voyage", "Diva", her own quintet at the Seixal Jazz Festival in Portugal and the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center.
Orchestrator Chita Rivera’s CD “Now I Swing”, arranger “Avenue Q Swings”, available on iTunes.
original music can be heard on the documentary Film “From Allegiance to Broadway. "
Performances: Blue Note, CIVEBRA music conference in Brazil, Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, The Whitney Museum of American Art, Brooklyn’s Ethical Cultural Society, the Metrotech concert series, Urban League of Cincinnati Gala, Club Infinu, Clube do Choro, Gates Pub in Brasilia, and many New York jazz venues.
Berklee graduate, recipient of multiple honors including 2023 "Performance Plus" grant from Chamber Music America, National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Studies grant with Joe Lovano, the 2023 Arts Alive grant from Westchester Arts Council.
winner of the JAZZIZ Woodwinds On Fire competition and the Lennie Johnson Outstanding Musician scholarship from Berklee College.
bandleader "Liquid horn" with 5 Cd releases: "Floating," "Groove Garden," "The Chill Factor," "Planet Sax" and "Liquid Horn. "
GRAMMY nominee for Virtual Birdland (2021) with Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. three ADISQ nominations (Mi Hogar (2023), production work on Noé Lira’s Latiendo la Tierra (2022) and VENA (2021)). three JUNO nominations (for VENA (2021) and The Ostara Project (2022)).
Winner of the TD Grand Prize Jazz Award at the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the Stingray Rising Star Award. recording sessions in Montreal, Toronto and New York City with 25 world-class musicians. internationally acclaimed eighth album "Mi Hogar II" released 2025.
performanes throughout the United States, Latin America Europe. appearances alongside jazz legends Phil Woods, Randy Brecker, Arturo Sandoval, Slide Hampton, Joe Lovano, Marquis Hill, Delfeayo Marsalis, Bob Dorough, Orrin Evans and Motown icons The Temptations and The Four Tops.
Other notable credits: country singer-songwriter Morgan Myles, R&B/gospel vocalist Barbara Walker, polka king Jimmy Sturr, actress/vocalist Linda Purl and the producer of The Band, John Simon.
graduate of Penn State University in Music Performance, Masters in Music Jazz Studies from Northern Illinois University.
teacher of masterclasses and workshops and pursues an active performance schedule.
Performanes:Kennedy Center, Birdland, Blue Note, Dizzy’s at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Small’s, Mezzrow, Seattle Earshot, Rochester Jazz Festival. International engagements: Japan, Czechoslovakia, Austria, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Ukraine, Spain. Lionel Hampton, Benny Golson, Rufus Reid, David Liebman, Mickey Roker, Eliot Zigmund, Ted Curson, Valery Ponomarev, Juini Booth, Jeannie Bryson, Urszula Dudziak, Frank London, Leo Johnson, Virginia Mayhew, Victor Jones and Broadway/television legend Ben Vereen. finalist lonious Monk Composers Competition, three-time featured guest on NPR’s Piano Jazz. Original WOrks: big band compositions. master class teacher Eastman School of Music, Rutgers University, Cal Arts, Duke University, Northwestern University Composers’ Colloquium, Litchfield Jazz Camp, Vermont Jazz Center. winner of the Downbeat Critics Poll “Rising Star" Organ category. .
performances: Kennedy Center. Blue Note, DC Jazz Festival, Bahrain International Jazz Festival, sold out Dizzy’s Club, Birdland Theater, Timucua Arts Center, Rich Perry, Steve Wilson, Scott Robinson, Christian McBride, George Coleman, Billy Hart with additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation..
international tours: Slovenia, Czechia, Croatia, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Greece, many appearances throughout the U.S.
2025 recipient of the South Arts/Jazz Roads Touring Grant, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable FoundatioN.
performing, accompanying and teaching since her early teens. Credits include Buddy Rich Big Band, slide Hampton, Billy Higgins, Ray Drummond and countless others.
graduated with honors in jazz studies from Indiana University, toured with the Woody Herman Orchestra. an established New York city jazz pianist who has performed in many famed jazz clubs and establishments with a non-stop busy schedule throughout the year.
Maria Lazarro/tenor saxophone
Graduate of New England Conservatory and Berklee College of Music, studied under sax greats Joe Allard, Joe Viola, Jerry Bergonzi, Bill Pierce, George Garzone.
recipient of National Endowment for the Arts grant. performs in a wide variety of genres and maintains an active schedule. has shared the stage with Pianist/composer Bruce Barth, guitarist James Chirillo, trumpeter/arranger Bill Mobley and singer/songwriter Jon Davis. performances with many of the artists in the WomenJazz collective.
Educator, music director. full vocal album,“Lazy Afternoon” released on Summit Records, various original Gospel tracks on Spotify, two instrumental CD’s of original material and three recordings for Apria Records.
studied in NYC under Richie Beirach and Sal Mosca. teaching artist in NYC schools for over 20 years. music director at various churches of different faiths since 1999. currently music director/organist at Presbyterian Church in Teaneck, New Jersey.
