Stuart Mack, Peck Allmond, Matt Pavolka Vicki Burns & Thana Alexa

Teaches at New York Jazz Academy

Stuart Mack is an internationally award-winning trumpet player, composer, and educator based in New York City. Since moving to NYC in 2016, Mack has received a Masters degree from Manhattan School of Music and has done tours across the world. Most recently, Mack has been on the road with the David Liebman Big Band as well as Anat Cohen’s Tentet. Having played music for over fifteen years, Mack has received high honors, including being a featured soloist with singer Josh Groban on the Texas leg of his “Stages” tour, winning first place in the 2015 International Trumpet Guild Jazz competition, placing 2nd in the 2014 National Trumpet Competition (Jazz Division), being a finalist for the 2013 Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Competition, being selected to compete in the 2015 Keep An Eye International Jazz Award in Amsterdam, NE, and being recognized as a 2014 Yamaha Young Performing Artist. As well, Mack has acted as the guest artist for the 2016 Bryce Luty Jazz Festival (Hutchinson, KS) and Illinois Valley Central Community College Jazz Band (Olgsbey, IL).

After graduating from Washington Community High School, Mack received a scholarship to attend the University of North Texas’s world renowned jazz program. While there, Mack played in the six-time grammy-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band for two years. Through the One O’Clock, Mack was able to travel to and headline events such as the Next Generation Jazz Festival (Monterey, California), the 2014 Jazz Education Network Conference (Dallas, Texas), as well as the Frank Sinatra Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament (Palm Springs, California). Mack can be heard as a member and a featured soloist on Lab 2013 and Lab 2014.

Having played professionally for the past twelve years, Mack has built up playing experience with various groups throughout the New York City area and elsewhere throughout the United States. During the summer of 2012, Mack was the only freshman selected across the country to play in the Disney All-American College band. There, he was able to work with the great jazz educator Ron McCurdy as well as some of the best college musicians in the country.

Beyond maintaining a busy performing schedule, Mack is making a name as a teacher. Mack has run masterclasses and clinics at universities and high schools across the country and currently runs his own private studio. Mack teaches live lessons to students in the NYC area and Skype lessons to students across the world.


Peck Allmond is a multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Brooklyn, NY. His primary instruments are trumpet, flute, and tenor sax; and he doubles fluently on a long list of other brass and woodwinds including clarinet, bass clarinet, alto flute, piccolo, mellophone, peckhorn, euphonium, sousaphone, and soprano, alto, and baritone saxophones. He also plays the kalimba, a beautiful harplike thumb-piano related to the mbira, to which he brings an unusual degree of virtuosity. Peck has performed and/or recorded with Me’Shell NdegeOcello’s Spirit Music Sextet, Oliver Lake, Peter Apfelbaum, Don Cherry, Julius Hemphill, John Hicks, Rickie Lee Jones, Rufus Wainwright, Ray Lamontagne, Sean Lennon, Will Lee, Randy Newman, Lenny Kravitz, and James Brown; and leads his own units, the Peck Allmond Group and Kalimba Kollective.

His compositions were performed by the late jazz legend Jackie McLean in McLean’s quintet. Peck studied classical and jazz trumpet at New England Conservatory of Music with Robert Nagel and John McNeil from 1980-82, and earned his B.A. in Music from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1986. He has also studied trumpet and saxophone at intensive jazz workshops in Banff, Alberta, Canada; Naropa Institute, Boulder CO; and Creative Music Studios, Woodstock, NY; with Dave Liebman, Steve Coleman, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland, Cecil Taylor, Charlie Haden, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. He has taught privately, in schools, and at numerous jazz camps for close to three decades. Since 2005, Peck has been the trumpet clinician for the Monterey Jazz Festival’s “Traveling Clinician” program.


For twenty years bassist/composer Matt Pavolka has been a vital force in the New York Jazz and Creative Music scenes. A partial list of musicians and bands that he has performed with includes Lee Konitz, Paul Motian, Guillermo Klein, Chris Cheek, Kevin Hayes, Ben Monder, House of Illusion, Josh Roseman’s Extended Constellations, Dave Binney, The Ryan Scott Orchestra, Magalie Souriou, Elysian Fields, Joe Beck, J. Geils, Tony Malaby, Bill McHenry, Matt Renzi and Ohad Talmor’s Newsreel.

He has toured extensively in the United States, Europe and Japan and can be heard on many recordings, including releases from Magalie Souriou, Guillermo Klein, Marlon Browdon, Andre Fernandes, Nate Radley, Noah Preminger and House of Illusion. He has released two albums as a leader, “Something People Can Use,” on Tone Of A Pitch Records and “The Horns Band” on the Fresh Sounds, New Talent label.

Pavolka grew up in Bloomington, Indiana. He began playing the trombone at an early age and studied with David Baker before heading to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship as a trombonist at age 18. He switched his major to bass in his first year there and was awarded an outstanding performance award on that instrument as well as the Charles Mingus Award for his work as a composer. He moved to New York in 1994. In addition to his work as a performing musician, composer and bandleader, he is active as a music educator. He is also the musical director for the Redeye Grill in Manhattan’s live performance series.


Vocalist Vicki Burns is a jazz singer who has been delighting audiences for years. A vocalist with a sure sense of rhythm and tone, she infuses each song with heartfelt expression, digging into the lyrics and melody for their richest interpretation. The great jazz drummer, Max Roach once described Vicki’s singing as “…a goldmine…!” Jazz critic Scott Yanow says, “Vicki Burns has a limitless future. Her very attractive voice, versatile style and infectious delivery combine to give her her own memorable sound.” John Gilbert of ejazz.com says: ”Vicki Burns does indeed ‘burn’ on this recording. The stars were aligned just right when she was blessed with a singing voice that was made for the jazz idiom.” Active in the New York City jazz scene, Vicki has recently performed for enthusiastic audiences at Birdland, The Iridium, Zinc Bar, North Square and the Metropolitan Room, among other venues.

Vicki has been teaching children and adults to sing in both private lessons and classes in school settings since 1984. Previously to teaching with New York Jazz Academy, Vicki enjoyed teaching at Blue Bear School of Music in San Francisco, which features American styles of music such as rock, blues and jazz, from 2003-2008. Vicki teaches a vocal technique which is based on the Classical technique of Bel Canto which she has adapted to popular styles and all ages, ranging from 3-90!


Thana Alexa
2016 and 2017 Downbeat Critic’s Poll Rising Female Vocalist, runner up in the 2014 Made in NY Jazz Competition, winner of the 2011 Jazzon Alpe-Adria International Competition and nominee in the category of Best Jazz Composition for the 2011 PORIN Awards – the Croatian Music Academy’s honor equivalent to the Grammy Awards in America. Thana Alexa released “Ode to Heroes”, herHarmonia Mundi Jazz Villagedebut in March 2015, an album of original compositions and vocal arrangements, which bring together elements of jazz, pop and world music.

On her upcoming album (set for release in 2018) Thana dives into the exploration of textural soundscapes, vocal effects and the importance of making a relevant statement about our time through art. This crossover album integrates elements of jazz with soul, electronica and pop, opening a door of accessibility and appeal to sophisticated music for wider audiences without diluting its complexity and depth. It makes a strong statement about the role women play in music and in the world – a role that makes female influence and strength undeniable. The album explores the vastness of humanity and our duty as people to be the change we want to see in the world.

Alexa is an active member of Antonio Sanchez’ touring ensemble Migration (Grammy winner for the Birdman film score as well as Pat Metheny’s drummer of 16 years) and has recorded two critically acclaimed albums with the group, New Life and The Meridian Suite, (Seamus Blake, John Escreet, Matt Brewer). Alexa also appears on three of guitarist Gene Ess’s albums. The first two records (Fractal Attraction and Eternal Monomyth) – for which Alexa contributed vocals, compositions and lyrics – won the SESAC Jazz Award in 2015 and 2016. The group’s third album Absurdist Theater (Manuel Valera, Yasushi Nakamura, Clarence Penn) – for which Alexa contributed lyrics – was released in September of 2016.