This M&T Second Friday Happy Hour features music by Joe Rozler and John Bacon.
"Joe Rozler is a Buffalo-based musician unaccustomed to referring to a himself in the third person. Grew up listening to jazz, Beatles and Stockhausen. Studied piano and voice at Fredonia School of Music. Inducted Buffalo Music Hall of Fame (several years ahead of Morton Feldman). Continues to be active as a recording artist and performer in jazz, rock and less classifiable music. In the last couple years, has created music for a soap opera, played a brief theremin solo with the BPO, and produced that ubiquitous "Healthy Changes Everything" song."
John Bacon, percussionist and composer, has performed with Lester Bowie, Roswell Rudd, Bobby Previte, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Bobby Militello and as featured soloist with the SUNY Fredonia percussion ensemble. He teaches percussion, and directs a Latin Jazz Ensemble at SUNY Fredonia. He also teaches at UB and Villa Maria College in Buffalo, NY. He holds a PhD. in Music Composition form SUNY at Buffalo and a Masters Degree in Music Performance from SUNY Fredonia. Equally skilled as a percussionist and trap drummer, he has been a member of (hatArt) recording artists The Maelstrom Percussion Ensemble, as well as leading his own ensembles. His music has been performed by a diverse collection of musicians, including The Amherst Saxophone Quartet , Leroy Jenkins, the New Jazz Orchestra of Buffalo, the New York New Music Ensemble, Amanda Deboer and the Colorfield Ensemble and Ensemble Laboratorium. He has toured in England, Italy, Canada, and the US. A 2004 CD release, "Jack Rabbitt", is an organ trio outing on the Cadence Jazz Records label featuring tenor saxophonist Don Menza and organist Bobby Jones. His recording entitled “Boxing Day” was released on Jazz Dimensions Records in May 2007 and features a series of improvisations with pianist Paul Bley. Recent creative projects include bacbaclove with Jonathan Golove (cello) and Steve Baczkowski (winds) and Improv Ork. You can find more information about John, at johnbaconjr.com.