An Evening of Jazz for Haiti: About the Artists

Cécile McLorin Salvant (vocals)

Born in Miami to French and Haitian parents, Cécile recorded her first album in 2009 in France, and has quickly become one of the most compelling and sought-after young voices in jazz today. She won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 2010, and earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album for WomanChild, her first U.S. recording, in 2014. Singing in French, English, and Spanish, and combining classical training with a modern sensibility, Cécile is already captivating audiences worldwide at the dawn of her career, including frequent collaborator Wynton Marsalis, who says of Cécile: “She has poise, elegance, soul, humor, sensuality, power, virtuosity, range, insight, intelligence, depth and grace.”

Aaron Goldberg (piano)

With his trio and as part of various co-led projects, Aaron has spent the past 15 years composing, performing, and recording, as well as touring internationally alongside many jazz luminaries. He maintains an active interest in education and in the role of music in society, serving as an invited clinician at jazz workshops, universities, and conservatories worldwide, as well as a member of the instrumental faculty at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. A longtime friend of HELP and Haiti, Aaron has dedicated his time and talents to support a variety of recovery efforts since the 2010 earthquake, and inspired many of his peers in the jazz community to do the same.

Jean Caze (trumpet)

Born in Haiti, Jean began playing at age nine, and today he is hailed as a world-class improviser, winning the 2004 National Trumpet Jazz Competition and the International Trumpet Guild Jazz Competition in 2006.

Godwin Louis (alto saxophone)

A graduate of the Thelonious Monk Institute for Jazz Performance (2011) and winner of third place in the 2013 Thelonious Monk Saxophone Competition, Haitian-American Godwin has performed, recorded, and taught music around the world.

Jonathan Michel (bass)

A noted performer, recording artist, composer, and producer born and raised in Waterbury, CT, Jonathan is also a teaching artist at the Litchfield Jazz Camp, where he first met fellow Haitian-American Obed Calvaire.

Obed Calvaire (drums)

Obed is a native of Miami and of Haitian descent, a member of the San Francisco Jazz Collective, a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, and a frequent performer at international jazz festivals.