2021 Artists

Nadia Washington

Nadia Washington rises to any occasion as a songwriter, producer, and educator, and vocalist. Nadia has performed with renowned artists in Jazz and R&B including Esperanza Spalding, Lalah Hathaway, Dianne Reeves, Terri Lynn Carrington, and the late George Duke- as well as making an impact with movers and shakers in the Hip Hop World including Ray Angry of the Root, Georgia Anne Muldrow, and Dj Mark De Clive-Lowe. Her music- a blend of Jazz, Soul, R&B, and World Music has been performed in Russia, Eastern Europe, South America, and Africa. The native of Dallas, TX, and alumna of Booker T.Washington HSPVA, began showing signs of an entertainer at the age of 3. While in High School, she won 2 DownBeat Student Music Awards and the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts. In 2006, she received The Monterey Jazz Festival Outstanding Jazz Vocalist Award and participated in the Grammy Jazz Ensemble, and was then accepted to Berklee College of Music on the Bill Cosby Presidential Scholarship. A few years after graduating, the Berklee Alumna is now a faculty member in the Ear Training and Voice Department and Berklee Global Jazz Institute. She is in the process of recording her highly anticipated album that is set to be released in the future. “Nadia Washington is among the prominent artists that connect the lines between music’s heart and soul.” -Coffee Talk Jazz Radio 

Anastassiya Petrova Trio

Anastassiya Petrova is a jazz pianist/organist from Kazakhstan currently based in Boston, MA. Her musical journey started at the age of 4. At the age of 5 she had her first one-hour long recital that took place in a musical school in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Her music material varies from original jazz music to rock covers involving Hammond organ as well as piano. Her influences include contemporary jazz pianists Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and Brad Mehldau, and jazz organists such as Larry Goldings, Jack McDuff, and Joey DeFrancesco. She considers herself a jazz player with a strong classical background. She recently completed a master’s degree in Global Jazz Performance at Berklee Global Jazz Institute where she was mentored by renowned musicians such as John Patitucci, Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ben Street, George Garzone, and others. In 2019 She was awarded with a DownBeat Student Music Award for the best Graduate Arrangement and received a grand-prix at the International Jazz Bridge Competition as a pianist, composer, and arranger in 2020. 

Throughout her musical career, she has been a side woman to Noah Preminger, Allan Chase, Patricia Perez, Ben Street, Adam Cruz, Marco Pignataro, Ellis Hall, Catherine Russell, Dave Liebman and others. She participated in international festivals such as Umbria Jazz Festival 2013 (Italy), Wave of Ideas 2015 (Bulgaria), Panama Jazz Festival 2020, 2021 (Panama), Beantown Jazz Festival 2018 (Boston, MA), Monterey Jazz Festival 2018 (Monterey, CA), and appeared at “The Voice” TV show in Kazakhstan and TEDx Talks at Suffolk University. In the future she plans to release her debut album, conduct workshops, perform all over the world, and potentially open an online music school.

Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, Tyson Jackson first discovered his love for music at the ripe age of 3. He distinctly remembers discovering his passion for music and the drums at New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church; beating on hymnals during church services was his forte`.

Throughout his academic career, Tyson has attended performing arts institutions dedicated to music—these institutions further peaked his interest and allowed his love for music to grow. Throughout his musical career, Jackson has been afforded many opportunities to study and be mentored by world-renowned artists including Dee Dee Bridgewater, Terence Blanchard, Darren Barrett, AJ Wright, Terri Lynn Carrington, Ralph Peterson, Tia Fuller, Sean Jones, Nona Hendryx, etc. Tyson feels that these experiences are invaluable and have truly helped to propel him in his professional career. “As an artist, I realize that I serve as a vessel for music to flow through. It is my duty to continue to pay homage to the masters who have come before me, while incorporating an innovative approach to my artistry, personal brand, and musical endeavors as I develop".

Eli Heath is an emerging American bassist, composer, and bandleader. Currently located in Boston, Massachusetts, he has appeared at major festivals and venues across North America, Europe, and Brazil with artists including Charles Neville, Dominick Farinacci, Nicole Henry, Frisson, Erik Lawrence, and Jamey Haddad. He recently completed a master’s degree in Contemporary Global Jazz Performance on a full-tuition scholarship at Berklee College of Music and is moving to NYC this September.

The Gringo Kings

The Gringo Kings crush the world of Salsa and Jazz music into an amalgam of sometimes fiery, sometimes irreverent originals and covers penned by the group’s leader and tenor saxophonist, Ed Harlow.
Originally inspired by the great Salsa groups of Cuba, The Gringo Kings has evolved a style of music that takes the swinging creativity of Jazz and broils it under the heat of Latin rhythms.