U.S. Consulate Kolkata presents Native Jazz Quartet in Kolkata

The  Native Jazz Quartet is a hard-swinging and high energy performance act based on the swing/bebop tradition, using only native/folk melodies in their arrangements.

The goal of this new quartet is to grow the Native Jazz movement and to attract a national and international audience of all ages. The Native Jazz Quartet is a band with members from diverse origin and an exciting new message that turns performances into cultural stories and standing ovations. The members are Delbert Dale Anderson (Trumpet Artist), Edward William Littledield II (Percussionist ), Michael Bartholomew Glynn (Double Bass Player) and Reuel Vallester Lubag (Pianist/ Drummer).

BAND MEMBERS

Michael Glynn:

Born in Seattle, bassist Michael Glynn began performing professionally at the age of 16.  While living in the Pacific Northwest, New Mexico, and the Bay Area he has performed with such jazz luminaries as Eric Alexander, Peter Bernstein, Seamus Blake, Conte Candoli, Eddie Daniels, Dave Grusin, Louis Hayes, Geoffrey Keezer, Don Lanphere, Mark Levine, Harold Mabern, Lewis Nash, William Parker, Aaron Parks, Bud Shank, Bobby Shew, Gary Smulyan, and Terell Stafford. In addition to his jazz work, Michael has performed in a variety of other genres, including classical concerts with the New Mexico Philharmonic, the New Mexico Symphony, Opera Southwest, and Canticum Novum Santa Fe, calypso with Trinidadian steel drum legend Ray Holman, and Arab/European music with Iraqi-American oud virtuoso Rahim Al Haj.

Delbert Anderson:

DELBERT ANDERSON, a Diné jazz trumpet artist, composer, and educator, stands at the forefront of a vibrant Native American jazz scene. His work, deeply rooted in his Diné heritage, seamlessly integrates Navajo “spinning songs” of love, healing, and courtship with jazz and funk, thus marking him as a community-minded Indigenous individualist. Through his DELBERT ANDERSON QUARTET, Anderson revives the improvised sounds of the Diné circle, blending them with jazz, funk, and hip-hop.

His compositions are inspired by Navajo Nation landscapes, historical events, and the desire to preserve and educate about Diné history. Anderson’s notable projects include “The Long Walk: 1,674 Days,” a poignant composition reflecting on a critical period in Navajo history, and “Manitou,” which fuses ancient Native American melodies with jazz and funk. The Delbert Anderson Trio (DAT) showcases DAT jazz standards and original tunes, capturing the essence of his musical beginnings.

His commitment to community and education is evident through his “Build A Band” educational program, which teaches jazz improvisation to young students through a Diné and family curriculum, wellness programs, and community outreach initiatives aimed at evoking change for the well-being of all humans. Anderson’s achievements have garnered recognition, including multiple awards from Chamber Music America, the Cultural Capital Fellowship from the First Peoples Fund, and the Jazz Road Program at South Arts. His contributions to music and culture have been featured in prominent outlets like The New York Times, JazzTimes, Grammy.com, and NPR.

Reuel Lubag:

Reuel Lubag is one of the well established jazz artists in the Pacific Northwest jazz scene. He wears a lot of hats as a pianist, drummer, bassist, arranger, recording engineer, producer, and videographer. Reuel is a graduate of Central Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts(Theory & Composition) degree in Music.

He has toured with several of the great 'ghost' big bands of the swing era, such as Glenn Miller, Cab Calloway, and Tommy Dorsey Bands. Reuel has served as an educator and clinician and has worked at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, Port Townsend Jazz Festival, LA Hot Jazz Festival, among others. Reuel also served as a Jazz Ambassador for the US Department of State in 2014 in the American Music Abroad program as part of the Native Jazz Quartet. During the Covid Pandemic Reuel and NJQ founder Ed Littlefield prepared a special Earth Day video for American Music Abroad with an original duo composition
In the time since the pandemic ended, Reuel has resumed his occasional touring with the Native Jazz Trio with Ed, and Seattle’s premier bassist, Michael Glynn.

They have done several festivals and performances over the last couple years and are putting together new music all the time. Reuel is greatly involved as a regular performer at the non-profit Jazz Clubs NW performance space in North Bend, Boxley’s. He presents special tributes to the legends of jazz and also works as a clinician and coach hosting special student jam sessions several times a month as well. Reuel is also playing around the Pacific Northwest and has done some special performances in Tucson, and has been seen playing with locals on occasion in Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. Reuel is also performing about half of the time on drums as well.

His resume of performances over the years have included: John Birks(Dizzy) Gillespie, Joe Williams, Doc Severinsen, Pete Barbutti, Steve Allen, Bud Shank, Glenn Miller Orchestra. Terry Gibbs, Mills Brothers, Buddy Greco, Barbara McNair, Fran Jeffries, Peanuts Hucko, Louise Tobin, Herb Jeffries, Ernestine Anderson, Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Cab Calloway Orchestra, Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, Wayne Newton, Bruce Forman, Steve Lippia, Dee Daniels, Ron Eschete, Native Jazz Quartet, Winard Harper, Jason Marsalis, Edward Littlefield , Michael Glynn, Julian MacDonough, Christian Fabian, Floyd Standifer, Buddy Catlett, Kelley Johnson, Kelly Eisenhour, John Hansen, Jay Thomas, Bill Ramsay, Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, Clarence Acox, Greg Williamson, Danny Kolke, and many others.

Ed Littlefield:

Ed Littlefield / Shaakindustóow - Lingít

Ed is a freelance percussionist, educator, and composer based out of Seattle, WA. He is Lingít from Sitka, Alaska and has released three albums featuring traditional native melodies, which he also arranged into the jazz idiom with the Native Jazz Quartet. This quartet also represented the United States in South America as “Jazz Ambassadors” through the American Music Abroad program. For film he composed a song for the 2009 Disney movie The Proposal for Betty White’s character and played the percussion score and consulted on indigenous music for the 2022 documentary Exposing Muybridge.

Ed has played K’alyaan in the world-premiere of Battles of Fire and Water by Dave Hunsaker and written and performed an original musical score for Eurydice by Sara Ruhl for Perseverance Theater in Juneau, Alaska. He has done sound design and composition for the world premieres of Our Voices Will Be Heard by Vera Starbard, and was the composer and cultural advisor for They Don’t Talk Back by Frank Katasse at Native voices at the Autry, La Jolla Playhouse and Perseverance Theater. He also did sound design for Off the Rails by Randy Reinholz at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Sovereignty by Mary Kathryn Nagle at Arena Stage. Most recently he composed the songs for a new play produced by the University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign called The Neverland by Madeline Sayet.

Currently he is working on a three-year project to create the first ever Lingít opera. This project will combine traditional contemporary Lingít melodies inside the western opera genre and will also include an all-indigenous cast.
Ed is also an active educator around the country facilitating artist residencies for students and teachers to help them learn more about Lingít culture and music and traditional ways of knowing.

(Photo courtesy: PR Team)