Trio opens area music series

Each summer, residents look forward to the schedule of free concerts offered by Florida, Greenwood Lake, and Warwick. Last weekend, the Hudson Valley Jazz Experience Trio performed under the Kosuga Bandshell at Stanley Deming Park in the Village of Warwick.

Hudson Valley Jazz Experience - which includes leader Steve Rubin on drums, Rave Tesar on keyboards, and J. Brunka on bass - performed several jazz standards on June 13, starting with Charlie Parker’s “Billy’s Bounce,” Freddie Hubbard’s “Little Sunflower,” and an unusual arrangement of Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man.” They delivered interpretations and improvisations of melodies loaded with mellifluous riffs, each more engaging than the first.

Rubin, the founder of the Hudson Valley Jazz Festival, has been a drummer and musician for over 37 years. He leads The Skye Jazz Trio, an open ensemble of players available as quartet, quintet and with voice. Most recently, the trio completed a two-year run in N.Y.C. featuring Joe Vincent Tranchina on keyboards.

Tesar is known as a keyboardist, composer, producer and engineer. Growing up in a musical household, he began playing piano at an early age and developed an affinity for all styles of music. He began his career working on the jazz scene in and around New York with numerous groups and leaders. His reputation soon led to national and international tours as a sideman with singer Frankie Randal, Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famers The Shirells, and the minimalist pop group “Tirez Tirez” led by Mikel Rouse. Rave is perhaps best know for his long-standing collaboration with singer Annie Haslam and her progressive rock band Renaissance. In addition to his work in jazz and pop music, Rave has written and recorded numerous works for film and television. He is also an educator featured in the public television series “Exploring the World of Music.”

Originally from Brooklyn, Brunka is a dynamic bass player and band leader. He leads several exciting ensembles from duos to septets performing music of all different styles: Intimate duos exploring music of the Great American Songbook or sultry R&B, trios and quartets performing exciting jazz standards, or instrumental covers of favorite rock and pop songs.

The group can be heard regularly throughout New York City and in Orange County where Rubin resides.

The group performed several jazz standards, starting with Charlie Parker’s Billy’s Bounce, Freddie Hubbard’s Little Sunflower, and an unusual arrangement of Herbie Hancock’s famous Watermelon Man. They went on to deliver wondrous interpretations and improvisations of melodies loaded with mellifluous riffs, each one more engaging than the first. The choices of this year’s scheduled artists are not to be missed. For the complete Village of Warwick concert schedule, log onto villageofwarwickny.gov/summer-concert-series/.