Jazz Bands and Groups for hire from Peneplain Music|Wonavaqind Quintet Bios

Wonavaqind Quintet

Ojinga Blackwell

Ojinga Blackwell (trumpet) - was born and raised in Chicago,IL. At age nine, he began private lessons with one of Chicago's most sought after jazz trumpeter, Orbert Davis. At age seventeen, Ojinga studied under a grant at Rocky Ridge Music Center, played in multiple ensembles at the Merit Music conservatory and was co-principal Chicago Youth Concert Orchestra. He completed his BM at the Lamont School of music where he studied with Daryl White, Steven Dunn, and Alan Hood. Ojinga has played with a wide variety of bands including: The Fabulous Soulshakers and Ray, O-tone Brass Band, Mistura Fina, Peneplain Jazz Project, the Mood Express, and more.

Matt White (sax) - has been playing saxophone for 16 years. A graduate of the Lamont School of Music, Matt has been on the Denver music scene for the last five years. In addition to Wonavaqind, Matt has played with The Basckstreet band, the Otone Brass Band, The Denver Municipal Band and Jazz Orchestra, Irie Still, the Funky Babylonians, Fina Dupa, The Peneplain Jazz Project, and The Buckner Funken Jazz Band. Matt's main influences on the saxophone include Dexter Gordon, Michael Brecker, Kenny Garret and Skerik. His overall musical influences range from Miles Davis and Charlie Mingus, to Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, to Karl Denson, Lettuce and Soulive, to Critters Buggin and Garage A Trios. In the coarse of his relatively short career Matt has had the privilege to play with such notable performers as Mark Whitfield, Jerry Bergonzie, Terrell Stafford, Keter Betts, and Buck Hill.

Allen Burki

Allen Burki (Bass) -

Paul Mullikin (drums) - Paul Mullikin has been playing music since he was 10 years old, playing drums in the elementary school band. He attended Denver School of the Arts, where he majored in percussion and Denver University's Lamont School of Music,where he won the prestigious Downbeat Magazine award for. In addition to drumset and percussion, he loves to play the guitar and piano. He has performed with numerous jazz groups throughout the Denver area, and has also worked with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.

Jerry Weiss (Keys) - has been into music since his grandmother gave him a 78 rpm record at age 6. His musical interests are wide ranging - playing just about anything he could get his hands on over the years including piano, clarinet, sax, flute, digeridoo, bass guitar, and guitar – with jazz piano being his favorite expressive medium. He counts Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, and Bill Evans as his primary jazz-piano influences. Jerry has a Bachelor of Music degree from the Lamont School of Music where, under a scholarship grant, he studied jazz piano with Eric Gunnison and jazz composition and arranging with Dave Hanson. His compositions have been recognized by concert-selection and awards. Jerry is an in-demand freelance musician and has played with many local groups including : Colorado Jazz Workshop, Pau Brazil, Flatirons Jazz, The Usual Suspects, Ron Ivory's One on One, Balance, Donna Wickham Trio, the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, Linda Styles Band, Coal'd Fusion, and the John Hines Quartet; He is the leader of the Peneplain Jazz Project, and has worked with internationally know artists Greg Abate and Marguerritte Jeunemann (of Rare Silk) and opened for Maynard Ferguson and Eddie Palmieri.