Julian Shore / Billy Buss at the Red Room @ Caf? 939

The Ottowa Citizen calls Julian Shore “a pianist/composer who, beyond the obvious elegance of his playing, has a clear sense of the bigger artistic picture.” Shore was awarded a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music and began his studies in the fall of 2005. Under the mentorship of Danilo Perez, he performed in a young musicians ensemble at the Panama Jazz Festival, learning alongside Wayne Shorter, Brian Blade, and many others. He graduated in 2009 and toured with singer Gretchen Parlato’s band in early 2010, including a performance at the Stockholm Jazz Festival later that year. Since then, Shore has continued to appear as both leader and sideman in New York, where he is based, and across the globe. He is currently celebrating the release of his new record, Which Way Now.

California native Billy Buss, who has played trumpet and piano since the age of nine, is emerging as an on-demand artist and educator. After graduating from both Berklee College of Music in 2009 and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at Loyola University of New Orleans in 2011, Buss transplanted his performing and teaching endeavors to the Manhattan and Boston areas. He has received numerous prestigious awards from places including DownBeat, the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts (NFAA), and the White House. His talents and dedication have allowed him the opportunity to perform around the world at venues such as the New Orleans Jazz Fest and the Monterey, Umbria, Montreux, and JVC Jazz Festivals.