The TRINITY Jazz Ensemble is affiliated with OLD MISSION United Methodist Church in Fairway, Kansas. TRINITY fully supports the church’s music ministry and outreach to Metropolitan Kansas City.
Old Mission United Methodist Church 5519 State Park Rd, Fairway, KS 66205 913.262.1040 https://www.oldmission.org/ |
TRINITY Jazz EnsembleJazz is music of the Spirit! Founded in 1991, the TRINITY JAZZ ENSEMBLE is a group of Kansas City musicians dedicated to presenting jazz in church related settings. TRINITY proclaims the joy of God’s many gifts through uplifting hymns, Christian spirituals and gospel music with congregational singing. TRINITY also performs works by artists such as Dave Brubeck, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Freddie Hubbard, and McCoy Tyner, and ensemble members. TRINITY is an ecumenical faith-based group with members from various Christian denominations, active as performers, educators, arrangers/composers, and technical specialists. An ensemble-in-residence at Old Mission UMC in Fairway, KS, TRINITY supports the church’s music ministry and outreach.
TRINITY’s repertoire includes hymns with congregational singing, spirituals and gospel music, works by artists such as John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Freddie Hubbard, and McCoy Tyner, and pieces by ensemble members. TRINITY is an ecumenical ensemble, with members drawn from various denominations, all leading careers as performers, music educators, or technical specialists. Br. John Anderson , voice; Michael Pagán, keyboards; Mark Olson, drums; Tim Brewer, bass; Earlie Braggs, trombone/voice; Mike Parkinson, trumpet/flugelhorn; and Doug Talley, woodwinds. Brochure: About the TJE - 2024 Facebook: Facebook.com/trinityjazzensemble YouTube: youtube.com/@trinityjazzensemble |
Trinity Jazz Ensemble Members
BR. JOHN ANDERSON – voice
John 'Br. John' Anderson is a four-time Kansas City Fringe Festival "Best Of Venue Award" winner for presentations of vocal artists from Cab Calloway to Smokey Robinson. He is a member of The Jazz Storytellers, affiliated with the Kansas City chapter of Young Audiences, and lead vocalist with Brass Rewind, Kansas City’s premier jazz-rock horn band, and leads his own group. For more than 25 years, Br. John has engaged audiences with his highly enthusiastic storytelling and oral history showcases that promote motivational skills and intra-personal communications. Br. John's personal life motto: "I Live to Learn, to Know and Share."
EARLIE BRAGGS – trombone & voice
A member of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra (KCJO), Earlie Braggs is widely acknowledged as an outstanding jazz trombonist but is equally proficient as a vocalist and bassist. In addition to his first CD as a leader, the Earlie Braggs Quartet - It’s About Time, he has recorded with the Kerry Strayer Septet, the New Kansas City Seven, the KCJO, and the Jazz Heritage Orchestra. Earlie has also performed with famed artists including Claude “Fiddler” Williams, Clark Terry, Richie Cole, and Jay McShann, and toured Europe for several years with the Illinois Jacquet Big Band. A former artist at Cleveland State University, Earlie received the Master of Music from Western Michigan University.
TIM BREWER – bass
UMKC Conservatory of Music alumnus Tim Brewer has been a mainstay on the Kansas City jazz scene for 45 years and has appeared with artists including Oleta Adams, Ray Charles, Herb Ellis, Eddie Harris and Bobby Watson. He performs with the Doug Talley Quartet, Boulevard Big Band, Medical Arts Symphony and the Civic Orchestra. Tim’s works Carolyn and Transcending have been recorded by the Doug Talley Quartet. His new works for jazz ensemble, Blues for Owen, So Many Gone, and For Bob Brookmeyer, are published by Ijazzmusic.com. Tim’s wife Carolyn is the author of Beneath the Missouri Skies, a biography of guitarist Pat Metheny’s early years in Kansas City, Missouri.
MARK OLSON - drums
A Northern Ohio native, Mark Olson started playing drums in the 6th grade. After graduation
from Bowling Green State University, he moved to Kansas City in 1984 and performed with Paul Gray’s band at the Vista International Hotel. Mark later taught math and computer studies at Louisburg High School and web design at Olathe Northwest High School. He has performed with area bands including Shining Light with Tom Pender & Lori Tucker, Blackwater, Retro, JT & The Beercookies, Reviver. He currently performs with Brass Rewind (KC’s top 70s horn-band), several church bands, and for Theater in the Park.
from Bowling Green State University, he moved to Kansas City in 1984 and performed with Paul Gray’s band at the Vista International Hotel. Mark later taught math and computer studies at Louisburg High School and web design at Olathe Northwest High School. He has performed with area bands including Shining Light with Tom Pender & Lori Tucker, Blackwater, Retro, JT & The Beercookies, Reviver. He currently performs with Brass Rewind (KC’s top 70s horn-band), several church bands, and for Theater in the Park.
MICHAEL PAGÁN – piano
Ohio native Michael Pagán was born to a musical family and is a graduate of Kent State University and Northwestern. He has performed internationally with orchestras, jazz ensembles and concert bands. Mike has produced acclaimed albums of his works, received First Prize from the New Music for Young Ensembles, and commissions from the American Jazz Museum, Michigan Music Teachers Association, and others. He has taught at UMKC, the University of Colorado, the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and Ottawa University, where the Ottawa BRAVO! Jazz Singers under his direction won multiple awards. Visit https://www.michaelpaganmusic.com/
MIKE PARKINSON – trumpet
Tennessee native Mike Parkinson is a KHS America Education Artist and XO Trumpet Artist, a Kansas Touring Arts performer, and clinician for Nottelmann Music. He served as Director of the Middle Tennessee State University School of Music and Director of Jazz Studies at UMKC, and worked with artists Bob Brookmeyer, Gary Foster, and Dominik Wania, and composers Robert Cooper, Donald Erb, and Mark Phillips. He was named Amicus Poloniae by the Republic of Poland and received the Jess Cole Award from the Missouri Jazz Educators. He has led concerts in China and Poland and numerous national and state conferences. Mike holds degrees from Cincinnati, Kent State, and North Texas.
DOUG TALLEY – woodwinds
Kansas City native Doug Talley is an educator for the Shawnee Mission District, a member of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, and a graduate of the University of Kansas and the University of North Texas. He received the Kansas Governor's Arts Award and Johnson County Library Pinnacle Award. His discography includes albums with the Boulevard and Trilogy Big Bands, the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, and his quartet. He has performed with artists including Jay McShann, Clark Terry, Bob Mintzer, Randy Brecker and Gary Foster. A Selmer saxophone artist, he has performed with his quartet at schools and festivals across the Midwest. Visit: https://dougtalley.com/