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E.S.P. is a high energy, contemporary jazz group featuring original music. Their recordings are part jazz, part funk and part world music. Its real jazz, you just won't need your GPS to follow it!.

 

This exciting jazz quartet's 2009 album Time’s Up! (SPIDER RECORDS) was featured in JAZZIZ magazine. In 2010, the record won a Syracuse Area Music Award (Sammy) for best jazz Recording and continues to receive airplay in more than 120 cities worldwide. In 2012, E.S.P. was voted “Best Jazz Group” in the Syracuse New Times annual reader’s poll.

Their 2011 release, Reach (SPIDER RECORDS), was produced by the Grammy Award-winning bassist of The Yellowjackets, Jimmy Haslip, and features three tracks with legendary keyboardist Jeff Lorber. This year, E.S.P. released Zero Gravity to critical acclaim winning the band its third consecutive SAMMY award.

E.S.P. has opened for many big jazz names including Chris Boti, The Rippingtons and Jeff Kashiwa’s Sax Pack among others. Members have also backed jazz greats including The New York Voices, Joey DeFrancisco and Martha Reeves.

JAZZIZ MAGAZINE SAYS:

“Clearly inspired by the tradition of true jazz improvisation, yet Time’s Up! glistens with a modern sound.”

John Magnante

 

John graduated from Oswego State with a minor in music performance. While at Oswego, he studied with guitarist Rick Balestra and was a featured soloist in the school's highly acclaimed "Solid State Jazz Ensemble." He also studied guitar at the musicians Institute of Technology in Los Angeles.  Most recently he has studied with Johnathan Kriesberg and is an avid follower of the new school of modern jazz guitar playing.

 

John is a co-founder of ESP as well as a major contributor of the groups original compositions. In addition to his responsibilities with ESP, he has performed with such bands as Atlas and Soft Spoken.

Evan Duchene

 

Drummer Evan DuChene graduated from Syracuse University's school of music with a dual degree in music education and music performance. After college he toured the U. S. for several years with Inner city Recording Artist Dry Jack, backing up artists such as McCoy Tyner and Freddie Hubbard.

Since that time Evan settled in the Central New York area. He has played with many Central New York greats such as Ronnie Leigh, Larry Arlotta, Rick Montalbano and Rick Ballestra to name a few. He also has performed with national artists such as Leslie Gore, Santos and Johnnie, The Four Aces, as well as jazz greats Chuck Lamb, Nick Brignola and Dizzy Gillespie. 

Most recently Evan toured with Corporate entertainer Philip Myers. While with Myers, he crisscrossed the US playing many of the countries finest Five Diamond resorts. Out of country gigs took him to, Cancun, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and Beijing China. 

Matthew Vacanti

 

A highly accomplished bass player, Matt's training in classical bass has helped him become a first-call bassist in Central New York for string,  fretless and fretted bass.  He can bow a beautiful solo on an upright,  then turn around and slap a funky backbeat on electric. Over the years he has worked with Joey DeFrancisco, Ron Jackson, Kevin Mahagony, Willie and Lobo and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas to name a few.

 

Matt is a skilled recording engineer and record producer as well.  He started Spider Records back in 1990 and has produced many Sammy (Syracuse Area Music) award-winning records for CNY musicians.  In this respect, Matt is the driving force behind all the E.S.P. records since the creation of the band.

 

As a composer and arranger, Matt has penned a sizable catalogue of music for jazz as well as educational compositions for school orchestras.

 

Matt is a 20 year veteran public school educator, clinician and orchestra conductor with experience teaching orchestra and jazz ensembles from beginners to college level.

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Tony grew up in Frederick Maryland, and got his undergraduate degree at James Madison in Virginia.  In the 1980s, he moved to Syracuse to attend Syracuse University and immediately became one of the hardest working musicians in the city.  The list of regional bands he has toured with is extensive and includes all the bigges bands including Sold Out, Prime Time, the Stan Collela Big Band, Classified Horns, The Ripcords, The Legendary Dukes, Salt City Jazz Collective, and the DeSantis Orchestra to name a few.

One of his proudest moments was as a featured soloist in the 2015 and 2016 Vinyl’s Live Performances at the Landmark Theater in Syracuse.

 

When he is in Nashville, he attends national saxophone clinics, where he has jammed with legends like Victor Wooton, the legendary Bob Reynolds from Snarky Puppy and other Nashville studio musicians.

 

Tony is also a respected music educator both home as a band director in the Jamesville/Dewitt school district and around the country as the host of a popular YouTube channel devoted to teaching and demonstrating saxophone technique and tips.

Kirsten Tegtmeyer
 

Kirsten first realized her love of voice while singing in her hometown church in Cazenovia, NY.  It wasn't long before she started writing songs and performing them in High School which led to her attending Onondaga Community College for music and studying with central New York legend, Ronnie Leigh. In 2011 she was drawn to Manhattan where she performed regularly with the group KTQ.  These days she lives in Syracuse and performs with E.S.P. at clubs and festivals around Central NY.  

 

Kirsten has performed with Bob Piorum, Ronnie Leigh, Melissa Gardiner, Rawn Randall, Chris Derosa and Jamie Cullum to name a few.  

Friends

 

Some of the regular musicians that are often found on the bandstand with ESP are Tony Greene on sax, Melissa Gardiner on Trombone, Joe Zarr on Sax, Dave Solazzo on piano and Bill D'Agostino on drums.

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Awards

Three SAMMY Awards for best Jazz CD. 2009, 2011, 2017

 

Voted "Best in CIty" by Syracuse New TImes

Jazziz Magazine

Clearly inspired by the tradition of true jazz improvisation, yet “Time’s Up!” glistens with a modern sound.

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