Tapping into the current Hammond organ revival, join us as this exciting trio brings swing & soulful energy in BLU debut! Featuring Chris Hovan, Bob Niederriter, Robert Mason.
A respected photographer, journalist, and musician, Chris Hovan has been involved with music since starting piano lessons at the tender young age of five. Adding clarinet to his studies while in middle school, Hovan ultimately devoted his full attention to drums and percussion while a freshman in high school. He attended the prestigious music conservatory at Baldwin-Wallace College where he studied classical percussion with George Kiteley. It was at this time that he began expanding his sphere of influence by studying Latin and Brazilian percussion styles and collecting instruments. Hovan also studied drum set for a year at the Berklee College of Music in Boston with Skip Hadden, John Ramsey, and Tommy Campbell. Upon his return to Cleveland, he honed his big band and chart reading skills with the legendary Harry Damas.
Over the past 25 years, Hovan has played in a variety of Northeast Ohio venues with many of the city’s finest players including Rich Holsworth, Josh Smith, Francois Roland, Larry Ross, Jackie Warren, Jeremy Poparad, and Bobby Selvaggio. He has also shared the stage with such national artists as Arturo O’Farrill, Brian Lynch, Tony Monaco, Alex Harding, and Frank Lacy. Hovan presently works as percussionist with the horn-based ensemble Funkology and plays drums in Bob Niederriter’s trio which regularly features Columbus organ greats Jon Eshelman and Robert Mason.
Bob Niederriter was strongly influenced by Wes Montgomery’s thumb technique, his tone and his compositional style. As a guitar stylist, Bob Niederriter has shunned the temptations of gratuitous speed and technique for a more considered and mature approach, particularly with respect to soloing. His lines are thoughtfully conceived and cleanly executed statements which are more reflective of melodic acuity than empty dexterity.
Niederriter’s most deeply felt musical impulses, however, are expressed in his composing and arranging. He has absorbed the music of the modern jazz masters, most notably Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, whose dissonances and use of space and distended rhythm captivated him. At the New School, Niederriter studied and played under Ed Neumeister and Bill Kirschner as well as Reggie Workman, Junior Mance, Arnie Lawrence and Jim Hall. Since leaving the New School, Niederriter has continued to compose and perform around Northeast Ohio, working regularly with Greg Bandy, Marty Block, and Jon Eshelman.
Robert Mason is a pianist, teacher, and arranger from Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from OSU with a BM in Jazz Studies and a minor in Music, Media and Enterprise. He performed with The Ohio State Jazz Ensemble and did an extensive tour in China. Robert has studied privately with legends Mark Flugge, Dave Powers, and Bobby Floyd and apprenticed with local greats such as Shawn Wallace, Cedric Easton, Chris Brown, Milton Ruffin, James Gaiters, Jerry Powell, and Gregory Pearson.
Robert has won numerous awards for jazz performance including the Louis Armstrong Award for outstanding musicians while still in high school. He also received several scholarships at OSU including the Atkin Jazz Scholarship, Tom Battenberg Jazz Scholarship, and the George and Janice Scantland Jazz Scholarship.
Robert currently performs with a number of groups in Columbus including Mojoflo, and his personal jazz ensemble The Robert Mason Trio. He also leads worship every Sunday at Flintridge Community Baptist Church.