Instrumentalist Archives - MiddlesexCreates.com

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Edward Biegaj

Music: Instrumentalist, Vocalist

Eddie is a trained opera tenor by University of Toledo Professor Tom East. He is also a trained drummer and self-taught accordionist and concertina player. He has been in several short operas. He has also played the role of Moonface Martin in the musical Anything Goes and the Zigfield Tenor in Funny Girl. He currently lives in Belvidere, NJ with his son “Edziu”. His daughter Krystal Rose Biegaj-Romanowski is married to Danny and they have a baby girl Sadie, while 2nd daughter Keszia Lorraine Biegaj-Perez lives with her husband JJ, daughter Jaiden, with one on the way, in Hawaii. Eddie has spent almost 40 years performing polka and a large variety of music styles. His voice led two Toledo based groups, Crusade and Toledo’s Polka Motion, to the pinnacle of polka music. A trained opera tenor, Eddie has been called upon to utilize his powerful voice in musicals, jazz combos, operas, rock, pop, church cantor and, of course, polka. Starting on drums, Eddie won his school’s talent contest in the 4th grade. His professional career began the following year in his home town of Toledo, Ohio. As his love for polka grew, so too did his musical tastes. In the 8th grade, he asked his father for an accordion (the Giulietti he still plays on stage) for Christmas. Concertina followed. Performing with several bands he eventually landed his first recording gig at the age of 18 with the Troubadours. Next it was move to accordion and two years with The Holy Toledo Polka Stars. Eddie was a founding member of TPM. His voice and arrangement on “Red Berries” helped TPM receive a Grammy nomination. In 1996, Eddie joined forces with his long time friend, Randy Krajewski, and Crusade was born. Eddie turned down an opportunity to sing opera in Germany to stay with his first love…..polka. He has won Male Vocalist of the Year from both the USPA and IPA and has received numerous other band award. In 2007, Eddie left Toledo and moved to Belvidere, New Jersey for steady employment. He folded Crusade that same year. Currently, Eddie is a cantor at two churches in Northwest New Jersey and is an active member at the Bayway Polish Club in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He has two daughters, Krystal and Keszia and one son, Edziu

Gaston "Bonga" Jean Baptiste

Folklorist; Music: Instrumentalist

Gaston Jean-Baptiste, known as “Bonga”, is a musical virtuoso who has been performing and studying traditional Haitian drum, dance and song since the age of seven. He began playing drums in his family’s peristil in his hometown of Croix-des-Mission in La Plaine, an area of Haiti known for culture and history. Bonga is regarded as a master of the Afro Haitian drum, sought-after for his extensive repertoire of pan-African rhythms. A dynamic performer, accompanist, session player and educator, Bonga works on stage, in the recording studio, and in educational settings. He is one of the few drum experts and craftsmen outside of Haiti who continues to build traditional drums using techniques that are centuries old. As a core member of the seminal Haitian roots bands, Boukman Eksperyans and Foulà, Bonga was invited to the U.S. in the ’90s when musicians were becoming a strong voice for the Haitian people. Since then, Bonga has continued to play solo and in ensemble and at numerous worldwide venues. He is a featured performer with Peter Yarrow, Grace Jones, Dan Zanes and Urban Tap, to mention a few. His drums opened the NY premiere of the Rolling Stones “Voodoo Lounge” tour and he is prominently featured on recordings by Wyclef Jean and Salif Keita.

Jeff Lopez

Lecturer; Music: Composition, Instrumentalist, Music Educator

“Lopez writes melodic songs that stay with you long after the recording has finished. That doesn’t happen every day. It’s one of those criticisms that pops up every time we compare Pop Music to Jazz. Surprisingly, for a debut album, Lopez’ debut belongs on this year’s top ten list.” – Cadence Magazine Jeff was born and raised in New York City, He has been playing bass for 40 years. Jeff is a bandleader, composer, and arranger. This is evident on his first two CD releases, Sun And The Rain 1998 and Jeff Lopez-Jazz Composer, as well as numerous US Army Jazz Ambassador recordings. Jeff’s compositions have appeared in various film and network TV productions. Jeff’s professional career has included performing and touring that have taken him around the globe, including a 20-year tenure as the bass player of the U.S. Army Jazz Ambassadors, He has toured in 35 countries and all of 50 states in the USA. Some performance highlights were his two orchestral appearances at New York City’s legendary Carnegie Hall. Jeff has performed with Toots Thielemans, Kenny Werner, Joe Lovano, Jon Hendricks, Phil Woods as well as many other jazz luminaries. He has recorded with John Scofield, and Joe Lovano. Jeff Lopez’ debut solo recording,The Sun and the Rain, featured Joel Frahm, Craig Handy, Tom Guarna, Rodney Holmes and Uri Caine. Jeff Lopez-Jazz Composer is comprised of musicians from the Jazz Ambassadors. Jeff teaches jazz combos for aspiring adult musicians. More info at www.jerseyshorejazzworkshop.com

Victor Marshall

Music: Instrumentalist

Victor Marshall is the founder and director of Marshall Hand & Drum Ensemble, a multi-percussion instrumental group that brings the musical African Diaspora drumming aspects to life. Victor Marshall’s life long dedication to the study and education of West African percussion began at the age of sixteen. Marshall continues to study new forms of music such as the balafon, a Malinke (a West African ethnic group) instrument that is the original xylophone through a New Jersey State Council of the Arts Folk Arts grant. Marshall has taught West African drumming through a variety of different educational programs; including the continuing education programs at Middlesex College and Rutgers University. He has also taught workshops at the American Repertory Ballet Company as well as numerous middle schools and colleges in New York and New Jersey. Victor has also held teaching residencies at NJPAC, and continues to hold weekly classes at the Neighborhood Playhouse in Plainfield, NJ. One of his projects also includes the interactive/musical play “Sunjata Kamalenya” in partnership with the City of Princeton and New Jersey’s McCarter Theater, which toured throughout the tri-state area in 2011. In addition to his solo career as a percussionist, Victor Marshall is the musical director of Iwa L’ewa Heritage Dance Ensemble. Iwa L’ewa is a New Jersey based group that explores dance, music and the story of Africa and the Caribbean.

Pepe Santana

Music: Instrument Artisan, Instrumentalist, Music Educator; Storyteller

Pepe Santana – Music of the Andes A WINDOW TO ANDEAN TRADITIONS Music and Instruments from the Andes Mountains Presenter:PEPE SANTANA Pepe is an Ecuadorian-born musician who incessantly continues to spread his life long passion, which not only resides in the realm of architecture, but also in the sacred world of the musical traditions of the Andes Mountains. Pepe plays over two dozen of native wind instruments (flutes, pan-pipes and whistles) and a variety of string instruments (charangos, mandolins, bandurria, tiple, guitars). His emphasis in ancient sounds and rhythms has defined him as a true spokesperson of traditional Andean Music. He has participated in major folk festivals in the United States and Canada. Frequently lectures at Music Schools and Folk Societies in this country and abroad. In the New York Metropolitan Area, he is very active in the school system with his lecture-demonstrations. For twelve years, he participated as an artist in residence at the National Museum of the American Indian – Smithsonian Institution in New York, and has delivered numerous workshops on wind instrument making. These workshops have been well received at the New York Museum of Natural History and Hostos Community College. In addition, he has produced and directed several Andean Festivals at New York’s Lincoln Center, Town Hall and Symphony Space. In New Jersey, he performs regularly at correctional facilities and rehabilitation centers. These performances are organized by the organization “Music for All Seasons”. Pepe has also established and directed the Festival of the Andes at Waterloo Village in New Jersey. In 1995, he participated in the Apprenticeship Program of the NJSCA as a master folk musician. Pepe is the founder and director of Group INKHAY (Quechua verb meaning, “to tend the fire”). Its members are the interpreters of the traditional music from the Andes Mountains of Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. In the year 2000, Pepe Santana was the recipient of the National Merit and Title of Great Gentleman by the Ecuadorian Government. This recognition was for the outstanding and silent task of promulgating Andean Culture in the United States. In fact, he was also the first recipient out of his native country to have received the “Benjamin Carrión” medal. Pepe has also appeared in several Television shows such as the Shining Time Station (Ch. 13), Where in the World is Carmen San Diego (Ch. 13), Visiones (NBC TV), New York Ahora (Ch. 41), and many others. Radio shows such as New York Kids (WNYC-FM), Around New York (WNYC-FM), and several talk shows for radio and television. As a lover of his Culture and Folklore, investigator, architect, technical illustrator, and musical instrument-maker, Pepe works out of his home-studio in Stanhope, New Jersey.

Brian Szura

Music: Instrumentalist

Brian has been playing Uilleann (Irish) Pipes since 1999. He first “caught the bug” and fell in love with the sound of the pipes as a child in Rutherford, having found an old album of the great piper Finbar Furey in the stacks of the public library. Brian first learned to play uilleann pipes from fiddler Willie Kelly in Boonton, NJ and is now furthering his skills under the guidance of internationally renowned piper Ivan Goff who resides in Brooklyn, NY. Brian is a regular Irish session leader and attendee and has performed with various musical groups including his current traditional Irish group, Daoine. He was also Musical Director for a piece performed by the Lustig Dance Theatre entitled “Invisible Fields” and played to audiences in Princeton, Philadelphia and other venues throughout New Jersey.

Miguel "Miguelo" Valdes

Author; Educator; Music: Composition, Instrumentalist, Music Educator, Songwriter, Vocalist

Miguel Valdes (Miguelo) – Leader and Percussion and choirs. Was born in the Havana province of Cuba, comes from a highly musical family, including a father who was one of the top percussionists of the esteemed Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba. Is a percussionist graduate from the Havana National School of Art Instructors (ENIA). After extensive training, Valdes soon found himself with a flourishing career, and was performing all over Cuba with many great musicians of different styles Richard Egues, Tropicana, La Ley. Valdes has collaborated with many talented musicians and groups, including Orquesta Filarmonica de Mexico, Gonzalo Romeu, Grupo Bandula, Elvis Crespo, Celia Cruz Albita Rodriguez, Lena Burke, Emmanuel, Natalia Jimenez, Yomira John, Dennis D’ Kalaff, Ricardo Montaner, Miky Tavera, Yuri. He also toured and worked regularly with Juan De Marcos Afro Cuban All Stars (Buena Vista). In 2010 Valdes left Mexico to come to US where he now resides permanently, since his arrival he has collaborated with many American and Latino Artists like McCoy Tyner All Stars, Francisco Mela, Rachel Ferrer, Tony Perez, Kambalache, Steve Turre, Matt Dillon, Fellove, Patato Valdes, Elio Villafranca, Mac Gollehon, Vince Herring, Dion Person, Sexteto NY, Itai Kriss, Abdou M’boup, Alex Matos, Nachito Herrera, Michel RoosWomen & New Yoruba’s, Los Hacheros, Cotton Club Big Band, Willy Chirino, Sister Sledge-Debbie Sledge, Frank Owens, Ty Stephens, John Faddis, Terell Stafford. He has three of his own CD’s and has recorded in more than forty different artists.

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