New York City guitarist wunderkind & Ohio native makes a summer return appearance to BLU with a top-shelf band! Featuring Lucas Kadish, Theo Walentiny, Devon Gillingham, Adriel Vincent-Brown.
Raised in Hudson, Ohio, 20 year old jazz guitarist Lucas Kadish has been immersed in music since he can remember. Currently residing in New York City, Lucas has won various awards in his musical career thus far. He was named a National YoungArts finalist his senior year of high school where he was chosen as the one guitarist to be in the jazz combo that traveled to Miami for intensive master classes and performances. He was also named a semi-finalist in the United States Presidential Scholars of the Arts program along with two other jazz musicians in country. In 2015, Lucas was selected for the prestigious international Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead Residency for composition. There he studied with Jason Moran, JD Allen, Eric Revis, Cyrus Chestnut, Carmen Lundy, Eric Harland, and Andre Hayward.
Since Lucas received his first guitar at age 9 he’s had the privilege to study with many masters in the area. He studied with local Cleveland/Akron musicians, Bob Fraser, Theron Brown, Bobby Selvaggio, and Dan Wilson. They taught him what it meant to swing and introduced him to music that he had never heard before. It was only a matter of a couple years until he was gigging in Northeast Ohio area. Lucas has played with former Art Blakey’s Jazz Messenger Javon Jackson, R&B legend Les McCann, Bobby Selvaggio’s Grass Roots Movement band, Jazz at Lincoln Center Trumpeter Dominick Faranacci, Chicago Trumpeter Josh Rzepka, Barbara Barrett, Kamal Abdul Alim, Moustache Yourself, Roy King’s Court, The Joe Leaman Group, Sam Blakeslee, among many other musicians and groups.
Lucas has performed at many esteemed venues across the country so far such as Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room, the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, The New World Center in Miami, Akron’s E.J. Thomas Hall, Lexington’s Lyric Theatre, and the Kent Stage. He’s also played many clubs/restaurants such as Blu Jazz+, NightTown, the Bop Stop, Silvana, Somethin’ Jazz Club, Tomi Jazz, Harlem Tavern, and many, many more.
Lucas has his own band, the Spearhead Quintet. They put out an energetic, swinging, and gratifying sound playing Lucas’ original and arranged music. Lucas lives in New York City where he studies jazz at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music on the school’s President’s Scholarship and gigs around the city.
Join us as we welcome this exceptional guitarist back to BLU with an evening of spirited live jazz featuring some of New York City’s finest musicians – get your tickets today!