MUSIC

Discovery Green offers Sundays in the Park, every Sunday afternoon from 3pm-5pm. At the Anheuser-Busch Stage or Transier Bandstand, depending on weather.

Great music, idyllic surroundings. Check out www.discoverygreen.com for band listings. Sundays in the Park!

Sunday, October 11: Sebastian Whittaker Trio.  Sebastian Whittaker Trio Houston’s preeminent jazz drummer.

Sebastian Whittaker - Precussion. Sebastian Whittaker, Houston's critically acclaimed drummer extraordinaire, is showing us the rich tradition of fiery jazz drumming and high caliber jazz composition with his band the Creators. The study of the jazz forefathers has been a lifelong pursuit for Sebastian. Born 1966 in Houston, Texas and blinded at the age of one by retinal cancer, "Bash" began playing drums at age three.

After attending Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA), he continued his musical studies at the University of Texas and at William Patterson College in New Jersey. Besides drums, Whittaker made it a point to acquire a working knowledge of piano and to pursue his interest in composing.

Mr. Whittaker has performed with many jazz greats including the late great Joe Henderson, and the astounding Freddie Hubbard as well as opening performances for the late great Tony Williams, Roy Haynes, and Wynton Marsalis. His band continually performs in top concert halls and night clubs as well as implementing a strong master class and jazz education component. 

Pamela York - Piano Pamela York is a jazz pianist/vocalist/composer who hails from Nanaimo, British Columbia. A new voice on the music scene, Pamela is quickly becoming a favorite with jazz audiences. Scott Yanow (All Music Guide to Jazz) says, "Expanding the jazz tradition by adding her own personal voice and coming up with fresh ways to swing, Pamela York clearly has an important future ahead of her, one well worth watching."

With the release of her debut CD Blue York (Audiophoric), Pamela's career has reached a new level. Joined by renowned jazz artists, bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton, the trio plays a set of original compositions along with standards from the Great American Songbook. Pamela also stretches out on several solo pieces. Her style ranges from hard swinging, blues-based tunes to intimate, understated ballads.

Pamela began her formal training at the age of eight. She studied classical music throughout her childhood and eventually obtained an Associate Degree in Piano Performance from the prestigious Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. In 1990 she was awarded a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts which enabled her to study jazz at Berklee College of Music in Boston. She earned a Bachelor's Degree from Berklee in 1991. In 1995 she completed her Master's Degree in Jazz from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where she held a graduate teaching assistantship. She has studied privately with jazz greats Hugh Fraser, Diana Krall, Jerry Coker, Donald Brown and Ray Santisi. She was a finalist in the Great American Jazz Piano Competition in Jacksonville Florida in 1998 and 2002. During the summer of 2000 she attended the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz, Aspen on a full scholarship. Pamela was also a finalist in the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Piano Competition held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in 2006.  

Shelley Carrol - Saxophone. Saxophonist, Shelley Carrol hails from family of gospel singers and musicians in Houston, Texas. It was there that the music bug bit him at an early age and landed him in the famed Boys Choir of Houston. After picking up the saxophone, he was able to study with the legendary Texas Tenor greats Arnett Cobb and Don Wilkerson. At the time he didn't know how revered these gentlemen were around the globe. They simply lived in his neighborhood. Shelley attended the city's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and was a standout in the city's Summer Jazz Workshop Program. This is where he developed a true flair for the stage.

While attending the University of North Texas, Shelley earned a spot in the Grammy Nominated One O'clock Lab Band. There he recorded two critically acclaimed CD's in 1990 - 91. During the same period, Mr. Carrol was invited to join the Duke Ellington Orchestra by trumpeter Barry Lee Hall. This would prove to be an enormous musical opportunity with worldwide exposure. Since joining the band, he has toured the U.S. and over 30 foreign countries. He has also recorded and or performed with Maureen McGovern, Tony Bennet, Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams and a host of others.

Shelley evolved to record as a leader in 1997. He was able to feature members of the Duke Ellington Orchestra on his debut CD for Leaning House Records. His second CD, A Distant Star was released in the fall of 2001. The new disc features pianist Bernard Wright, bassist Curtis Lundy, and drummer Sebastian Whittaker. This sophomore effort is sure to get the critics and fans excited.