William Brian Hogg
saxophones
William Brian Hogg is an international performer, recording artist and Conn-Selmer and Harry Hartmann Fiberreed Endorsing artist known for his fierce and moving performances. Hogg boasts over 25 years of playing and teaching experience in the United Kingdom, Canada, Morocco North Africa, France, South Africa, Mexico, and several states across the United States. Hogg’s passionate approach to music touches the lives of thousands of people yearly on the stage and in the classroom.
Hogg has performed with or accompanied a wide array of artists including the Temptations, the Coasters, the Dells, Josh Groban, the Cab Calloway Orchestra, the Drifters, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, the Blue Wisp Big Band, Scott Hamilton, Mahmoud Guinia, Brad Goode, John Von Ohlen, Manhattan Transfer, Lonnie Mack, Steve Turre, the Gypsy Kings, Carl Weathersby, Jeff Coffin, Rick Margitza, and Little Anthony and the Imperials to name a few.
photo by Lisa Duesing
As a recording artist William Hogg can be found playing on over 50 professional recordings with such artists as Fred Wesley, Bootsy Collins, The Goshorn Brothers, and over an additional 50 number of radio, television, motion picture, and commercial recordings. Notable recordings include “Christmas 4 You” and “Tha Funk Capital of the World” with Bootsy Collins, “Death by Stereo” with Umphrey’s McGee, “Town and Country” with Magnolia Mountain, the award-winning release of “Character Flaws” by KingSonic and “Cincinnati” by King of the World. His own group “The Voyager Quartet” released a debut album in 2014 titled “Rencontre” recorded in Marseille France to international critical acclaim. Hogg is currently working on a second recording project with the newly formed Voyager Sextet. He consulted, co-arranged and performed on “Late Last Night – Elixir of Sarah Martin” with Laurie Jane and the 45s. A finalist in the recording division of the International Blues Challenge and a regular presence at the top of the Classic Blues Album Chart in 2019, the recording has received international acclaim and radio play.
William Hogg is a noted instrumental composer and arranger who brings a fresh approach to writing for the jazz ensemble and chamber jazz experience. Over 10 of William’s compositions and arrangements are published by EJazzLines Publishing Company and Walrus Publishing, available for purchase at most popular sheet music websites.
Theatre performances include the Off Broadway hit Love, Janis at Actor’s Theatre, Louisville Kentucky and the Cincinnati Playhouse, Cincinnati Ohio. He has also served as a consultant for the Cincinnati Playhouse and other local and regional performing businesses. He has performed with the Cincinnati Pops, Richmond Symphony and has been a featured soloist with the Kentucky Symphony, the Springfield Symphony and the Blue Ash Symphony.
Hogg is the co-founder of the Voyager Jazz Ensemble, a group that has performed national and internationally at a variety of festivals and venues. The newest formation of the group has just released its latest recording “Rites of Passage” and features an eclectic presentation of musical styles from Columbian national music to hard rock. Hogg penned 5 of the compositions on the album and spotlights his diverse musical palette. The incredibly challenging music has been well received by both jazz lovers and people that do not listen to jazz.
William Hogg is the Associate Professor of Saxophone at Northern Kentucky University. He teaches a variety of jazz courses including pedagogy, performance ensembles, improvisation, jazz appreciation and jazz styles and analysis. Finally, Hogg has worked over many years with a number of community service organizations in the United States, Morocco, and South Africa.
When not busy with his performance or pedagogical career, Hogg can be found enjoying a good bourbon next to his long time lady friend Lisa Duesing and their cat, Oliver.
Zachary Granger
trombone
photo by Lisa Duesing
Zachary Granger was born in Columbus, Ohio, and began playing the trombone in the ninth grade as part of his public school jazz program. After taking trombone lessons with local guitarist and former trombonist, Jim Pelz, Zachary was changed forever by recordings of Frank Rosolino and J.J. Johnson. Zachary decided at the age of 14 that making music everyday of his life was top priority and has since evolved into a renowned trombone soloist and freelance musician. Zachary's trademark as a trombonist is the beauty of his sound, stellar technique, and deep emotional connection to the music. With an ever growing mastery of the instrument and extensive knowledge of jazz harmony, Zachary has distinguished himself as one of the pre-eminent musicians in Cincinnati, Ohio and the surrounding tristate area, not only in the realm of jazz and improvisation, but performing some of the more difficult music in the commercial music world as well.
Zachary is a fixture in the recording studios, the big band music scene and is highly sought after by many musical groups in Cincinnati and with touring acts. Zachary studied under Marc Fields, a trombonist who worked with the great Ray Charles Orchestra, for nearly 8 years. Zachary has performed and recorded with Craig Bailey, Steve Allee, Bobby Broom, William Menefield, Brian Newman, Sam Blakeslee, Steve Kortyka, Rufus Ried, Jeff Hamilton, The Legends Show and John Von Ohlen up until his recent passing.
Zachary received his Bachelor's and Master's in Music from Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music in 2019 after a short tour in Brazil with CCM's Jazz Ambassadors Orchestra and The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis.
Jacob Hagedorn
guitar
Jacob Hagedorn is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University with a double major: Bachelor of Music – Jazz Studies and Bachelor of the Arts – Music Technology/Audio Production. Jacob is the guitarist in the Voyager Jazz Ensemble and also composes and arranges music for the group.
Jacob is a frequent performer in the greater Cincinnati area as a guitarist and is currently producing his first EP for his group “Mount Echo”.
In addition to his performing career, Jacob is the live sound reinforcement engineer for Josh McIntosh and Company and is on staff with La Formula Productions.
Hagedorn has studied guitar privately with Max Gise and Nick Fryer.He also has attended master classes with a variety of jazz legends including Rufus Reid, Darmon Meader, Brad Goode and Tim Hagans.
Jacob has studied privately and worked on a variety of projects with two mainstays in the recording industry, Rich Hordinski and Ashley Shepherd.
photo by Lisa Duesing
Sean Herzig
MalletKat -
synthesizers
photo by Lisa Duesing
Sean Herzig (Zig) began his musical journey at age 9, years after begging his parents for a drum set. Coming from a musical family with his father being a guitar player, they finally caved and Sean began his studies. He took lessons with Cincinnati drummers, Shawn Elsbernd and Jason Smart, throughout his youth and into the college years. With an early interest in classic rock and prog rock, eventually he was led to sounds of fusion and then to traditional jazz. After highschool, Sean attended Northern Kentucky University and completed his degree in Jazz Studies in order to explore his interest in Jazz. There he studied with many members of the local Cincinnati jazz scene including William Brian Hogg, John Zappa, Phil Burkhead and Dan Dorff.
In 2008 he founded the progressive rock/jam band, Don't Fear the Satellites along with bassist, Matt Wiles, and continued to lead the group through many local and regional tours. The band was gaining recognition in the Midwest festival circuit until 2015 when the band disbanded. During this time, Zig was invited to play with many renown members of the festival circuit including sharing the stage with members of The String Cheese Incident, Papadosio, Aqueous, Turkuaz, The Werks, Joe Marcinek, Peridoni and more.
Following the breakup of DFTS, Sean founded ZiG and the Live Sequence in 2015, which later shortened it's name to Live Sequence in 2019. Zig began experimenting with electronic music and live improvised looping, and eventually brought this style to what has become the rotating band, Live Sequence.
In late 2008, Sean met with a trio, JKT, which includes pianist Jon Kohne and bassist Chris Barlow. Still an active group today, JKT released their debut record in 2019, Jupiter, which is a blends electric jazz with the use of synthesizers and other styles. The record also featured Cincinnati multi-instrumentalist Gene Marquis on clarinet.
In 2017, Zig was invited by William Brian Hogg to play mallet percussion, a skill he learned in college, in The Voyager Jazz Ensemble. With all of the experimenting Sean had already done with synthesizers and electronic music he combined that with the mallet instrument, The Malletkat, to play what the band calls, the space ship.
Ryan Jones
piano
photo by Lisa Duesing
Ryan Jones is a pianist and pedagogue from Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. He attributes his diverse tastes in music to his upbringing in the beautiful countryside of southwestern Kentucky. Being a musically rich area, Jones was introduced to a wide array of genres from Bluegrass to the Allman Brothers. You could find Ryan performing in the area at a very early age.
Jones moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2018 as a Master Degree candidate at the highly touted University of Cincinnati - College Conservatory of Music. Noted for his ability to play a wide variety of musical styles with ease Ryan quickly became a mainstay in the professional music scene. You can find Ryan playing with many of the most respected groups and musicians in the Greater Cincinnati Area. Ryan has performed jazz with the unconquerable Hal Melia and Mike Sharfe, swing music with Mickey James and The Queen City Crew, latin music with El Ritmo Del Mañana, country music with Roadtrip, and many others.
Throughout his academic and professional career, Jones has performed alongside world renowned musicians such as: John Schneider, Jimmy Walker, Bill Huber, John Fedchock, Vince DiMartino, Chris Vadala, Tia Fuller, Christian Tamburr, and many more.
As an arranger, Ryan was approached by the president of the Kentucky Blues Society and asked to arrange and perform several Ragtime pieces by Ernest Hogan. Jones performed these arrangements in concert at the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center (SKyPAC) in 2017. In attendance was the great Sam Bush, widely recognized as the creator of Progressive Bluegrass. The concert was a celebration of the lives and influences of both Hogan and Bush who are natives of Bowling Green, Kentucky. The concert received rave reviews and was a highlight in the performance season at SKyPAC.
Jones received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Western KentuckyUniversity where he studied classical piano with Dr. Zachary Lopes. He recently completed a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Cincinnati - College Conservatory of Music. There he studied with jazz pianist and pedagogue, Steve Allee.
Jones is happily married to his wife of 3 years Kristen and enjoys biking, cooking, and their dog Memphis.
To read Oscar's bio in Spanish click here
Óscar Salamanca Alarcón
bass - congas
photo by Lisa Duesing
Óscar Salamanca Alarcón was born in 1987 in Bogotá, Colombia. At just 7 years old he began developing multiple skills in a wide array of disciplines within the arts. These skills continue to flourish in a prosperous career in music, visual arts, and digital media.
Óscar attended the Technical Central Institute of LaSalle where he studied technical drawing and design. It was also during this time that he began musical instruction in classical guitar and music theory. A talented vocalist, Óscar also participated in the highly regarded vocal ensemble at the OSJC in conjunction with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Colombia.
As he continued his studies in design, Óscar’s musical artistry was quickly recognized by the professional community. In 2003, Óscar appeared on his first album with the band Llacta Huambra. The group is well-known for its commitment to the traditions and performance of Andean music from Latin America.
Óscar graduated the institute in 2006 and began his collegiate career at the National Pedagogical University, Bogotá, Colombia. At the university, he entered the bachelor’s degree programs in both Music Education and Music Performance. Although the demanding core music curriculum and studies on his primary instrument the electric bass required a great deal of time and effort, Óscar also managed to obtain micro credentials in media, radio and television.
It did not take long for Óscar to become a sought-after musician in the greater Bogotá area. While pursuing his college education, he began an active touring schedule throughout Columbia with several performing artists. Óscar also performed on several recordings in a variety of musical settings. As a prominent musician in the arena circuit, he also participated in several national festivals of popular music, traditional music, and Jazz. Finally, it was during this time he was led to another of his passions and artistic outlets, the theater.
Once completing both degree programs and continuing his professional career as a musician in Columbia, Óscar began to look for other opportunities abroad. That search led him to the United States in 2013 when he arrived in Cincinnati, Ohio as part of an educational program for the foreign communities in the city. His primary responsibility was working with people from different countries of Central America. Immediately recognized for his breadth of musical knowledge and skills, Óscar resumed his professional career as a musician with several groups in the greater Cincinnati area. Although electric bass has remained his instrument of choice, Óscar can also be seen performing on piano, guitar, woodwinds, and percussion.
2016 was an active and artistically significant year for Óscar. Early in the year he formed his own production project, La Fórmula Music Productions. The primary focus for La Fórmula Music Productions is to promote and educate the public on Latin American culture throughout the United States. Currently the project boasts more than 30 of the most accomplished artists in the region and perform regularly throughout the year.
Also in 2016, Óscar became the music director and pianist for the worship team at the River of Life Church, Cincinnati OH. He has also assumed the role as technical director for the church for all streaming and social media services offered by the church.
The move to Cincinnati has also provided the opportunity to foster his love for the theater. In 2017 he participated in the first theater project in the history of the city, a performance spoken only in Spanish. The following year, Óscar reached a milestone in his acting career as he donned the stage in his first theatrical performance speaking only in English in the classic "Man of La Mancha, Don Quixote". More recently Óscar performed regularly as part of the Know Theater, a highly respected amateur theater ensemble in the area.
In 2019, Óscar was contracted as one of the main character actors in "La Fauna del Poder" or "The fauna of power" for the Catarsis Teatro, Cincinnati OH. He also composed, engineered, performed and produced the soundtrack for the company performances. During this time Óscar remained a pioneer in the music scene when he formed the first Mariachi band and the first Colombian-Venezuelan band of Cincinnati. Currently he is producing a documentary about the music of Latin America in association with Campbell County Public Library.
Óscar joined the Voyager Jazz Ensemble in 2017 and quickly became a critical part of the signature sound of the group. Óscar makes his United States recording debut as composer and performer on the Voyager Jazz Ensemble’s latest album, “Rites of Passage”. One of the most challenging compositions that the group performs, Óscar’s Mapalé, is a tour de force and a fierce reminder of his Columbian roots and heritage.
When not busy with his exhausting schedule as an musician, actor, composer and director, Óscar enjoys quiet evenings with his lovely fiancé Nadide and their cat, Nicholas.
"Art, as a powerful tool of education, brings communities together. Let's do art together, we'll realize it's more what we have in common that what separate us"
Nick Hach
drums
Nick Hach (b. 1994) is professional drummer and background vocalist based in Cincinnati, Ohio. He regularly performs many genres of music, including jazz, funk, reggae, country, salsa, afro-beat, and even punk rock. Nick’s musical influences include, but are not limited to Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rush, Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Bob Marley, Anderson .Paak, Erykah Badu, Vulfpeck, Bill Withers, Sublime, James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, and Louis Armstrong. Notable drummers who have influenced Nick’s playing include Mark Guiliana, Roy Haynes, Elvin Jones, Art Blakey, Chad Smith, Neil Peart, Chris Fryar, Nate Smith, Tony Allen, Bernard Purdie, and Chris “Daddy” Dave.
Nick was born and raised in and around Cincinnati, Ohio. His family moved around the greater area a lot until settling down in Liberty Township, where Nick would enroll in the Lakota Local School District. Lakota had a reputation for its music programs, and at age 11, Nick decided to try school band, choosing percussion as his instrument. After just a year, he knew he had found an activity that he truly enjoyed had some talent for, and wanted to partake in on a daily basis. In his junior high and high school years, Nick participated in every band he could, including jazz ensemble, wind ensemble, and marching band. He also auditioned for and performed with Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) honor bands and the 2012 OMEA All-State Jazz Ensemble. In Nick’s senior year of high school, the Lakota East “Eastside” Jazz Ensemble was invited to compete in the Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival in New York City, where he got to work with Wynton Marsalis and Jeff Hamilton, receiving an “outstanding soloist” award from Hamilton.
After high school, Nick went to the University of Louisville to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. A year into his studies, he realized it was not for him and he needed to get back to the thing that really set him on fire. Nick then auditioned for the music program at Northern Kentucky University and was welcomed with open arms by the director of jazz studies, William Brian Hogg. Nick spent four years at NKU, where he had the opportunity to learn about the history of jazz, sharpen his understanding of music theory, reshape his approach to the drum set, and otherwise prepare himself for a career in music performance. His time at NKU included a trip to Europe with the other jazz majors, in which they toured the French Alps, teaching young musicians about the American art-form and performing in several towns in the mountains.
In the years since NKU, Nick has supported himself by performing and teaching private lessons. He has played with dozens of bands, in all genres of music, from Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Nashville. Nick has had the opportunity to gain some modest tour experience with Cincinnati-based pop-funk group “Matt Waters and The Recipe” and a Nashville-based country band called “Midnight Noon.” He has been recorded playing drums on countless demos, as well as three full length albums: “Lonesome Miles” by Root Cellar Xtract (2019), “Rites of Passage” by The Voyager Jazz Ensemble (2020), and “Dusty Roads” by Root Cellar Xtract, set to be released at the end of 2020.
Eric Snyder
trumpet - EWI
Eric Snyder is a jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer that performs regularly live and in the studio in the Nashville TN area. Originally from Cincinnati OH, Eric started out as a professional trumpeter in the greater Cincinnati area in 2013 and graduated from Northern Kentucky University in 2017. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Performance - Jazz Studies and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Audio Production.
Influenced by the fusion styles of Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis, Eric has performed extensively in the greater Cincinnati area as a sideman and band leader. His innovative approach to composition and performance has made him a highly sought after musician by some of the top artists in the region. Eric has shared the stage with a wide variety of artists including world renown drummer, John Von Ohlen and funk pioneer, Bootsy Collins.
Eric relocated to Nashville TN in 2017 to continue his academic career at Belmont University. Eric received a scholarship to enter the master's program at Belmont, one of the most well known and highly regarded universities in Music Business and Commercial Music in the country. Eric is currently working on projects with Craig Waters & The Flood, the Voyager Jazz Ensemble, and the Willies. A highly accomplished pianist, Eric is also active leading his own group, the Eric Snyder Organ Trio where he plays both organ and trumpet.
photo by Lisa Duesing
Óscar Salamanca Alarcón
Nacido en Bogotá, Colombia, en 1987. Comenzó a desarrollar diferentes actividades artísticas a la edad de 7 años
En 2003 graba su primer álbum de músicas andinas Latinoamericanas con el grupo Llacta Huambra.
Se graduó del Instituto Técnico Central La Salle como dibujante técnico y diseñador.
Al mismo tiempo, estudió guitarra clásica, teoría musical y ensamble vocal en la Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil de Colombia.
En 2006, después de graduarse de ambas instituciones, comenzó su carrera universitaria en la Universidad Pedagógica Nacional, UPN, en Bogotá, Colombia, como Educador musical y músico intérprete. Su énfasis fue en Bajo Eléctrico y medios de comunicación, radio y televisión.
Mientras estudiaba en la universidad, inició varias giras con diferentes bandas en todo el país, lo cual le abrió nuevas puertas en otros escenarios, como en teatro y televisión.
También participa en varias grabaciones con diferentes bandas de músicas populares y tradicionales.
2006 - 2013 Participa en varios festivales Nacionales de músicas populares y jazz.
Llegó a Cincinnati, Ohio en el año 2013, como parte de un programa educativo para comunidades extranjeras en la ciudad, trabajando, en su mayoría, con personas de diferentes países de América Central.
Ha participado como instrumentista para varias bandas en Cincinnati y otras ciudades alrededor (Bajo, Piano, Guitarra, Vientos de Madera y Percusión)
Se desempeña como líder y pianista del grupo de alabanza de la iglesia River of Life desde 2016. No solamente como músico sino también como director técnico de las transmisiones en directo para plataformas sociales.
En 2017, participa en el primer proyecto de teatro en español en la ciudad.
Así mismo, comienza su propio proyecto, una big band de más de 30 artistas en escena en búsqueda de ampliar el reconocimiento y entendimiento de la cultura Latinoamericana a través de los Estados Unidos.
En 2018, tiene una breve participación en "Man of la mancha, Don Quixote" haciendo teatro en inglés por primera vez.
En 2019, participó en el grupo de teatro amateur del Know Theater.
Así mismo, da inicio al primer Mariachi y el primer grupo de música Colombo-Venezolana de Cincinnati.
Para la producción de Catarsis teatro, participa como uno de los personajes y a la vez, compone e interpreta la banda sonora de la obra.
En 2020 participa en la grabación de "Ritos de paso," de Voyager Jazz Ensemble, siendo esta su primera grabación en los Estados Unidos.
Así mismo realiza un breve documental acerca de la música de Latinoamérica en asociación con la biblioteca pública del condado de Campbell en Kentucky.
"El arte como una poderosa herramienta educativa, reúne a las comunidades. Hagamos arte juntos, nos daremos cuenta que es más lo que tenemos en común, que lo que nos separa"