Josh Feldstein

Verve Jazz Ensemble leader Josh Feldstein has been a jazz drummer for more than 30 years. A native New Yorker who grew up on the NYC jazz scene, Josh formed the VJE in 2006 as a local performing group in the Danbury, CT area. The straight-ahead jazz unit  – which paid homage to the legendary music of the famed Verve record label – soon took off with a large local following. After many years, at the prompting of its fans, Josh agreed to record the VJE's first album, aptly titled “It’s About Time,” which unexpectedly hit #5 on the national JazzWeek radio chart in 2013. Fans and radio alike asked for more, and so, as an encore, Josh guided the band through the recording of its second album, “East End Sojourn” (2014) with guest guitarist Peter Bernstein joining the studio date. To the band’s surprise, this album also achieved significant status with jazz radio, reaching #8 on the national JazzWeek chart and propelling the VJE to its second consecutive top 10 radio album. From there, Josh happily embraced the band’s emerging studio recording pathway, initiating the group's third and fourth albums, “Perimeter” (2016) and “Swing-A-Nova” (2017), which resulted in another top 10 JazzWeek chart performance as well as a top 100 Album of the year placement.

Looking to advance the band’s sound and approach, in 2018 Josh expanded the VJE from its original 5 pieces — originally with Jon Blanck on tenor and Tatum Greenblatt on trumpet — to 7 instruments, adding Alexa Tarantino on alto / flute and Willie Applewhite on trombone, which served to round out the rhythm section of Steve Einerson on piano and Elias Bailey on bass.  Its septet album "Connect The Dots” proved to be a turning point for the VJE, the album hitting #1 on the JazzWeek chart in September 2018 for two consecutive weeks, and staying in the JazzWeek top 10 nearly 3 months.

"Night Mode" (2019) expanded the VJE’s wide US and European footprint further, again placing top 10 on the JazzWeek charts to much critical acclaim.  In January 2021, Josh and the VJE released “The VJE: Very Live!” — the Verve Jazz Ensemble’s first live album, recorded at a benefit concert in Hadley, MA just prior to the pandemic lockdown.  And in 2023, the band released in 8th album, “All In,” which placed #29 among the top 100 jazz albums of the year on JazzWeek.

As VJE leader, drummer and occasional writer and arranger, Josh selects the band’s music. He works closely with Tatum Greenblatt, Jon Blanck, Willie Applewhite, and other VJE musicians to craft the group's broad portfolio of arrangements, and oversees the band’s steady recording and production schedule. A jazz musician through and through, Josh has studied extensively with drumming legends John Riley and was privileged to study with the late Joe Morello.  Josh was born in Manhattan and received his degree from Queens College, City University of New York.

Tatum Greenblatt

Tatum Greenblatt has recorded 8 albums with The Verve Jazz Ensemble since 2012, in addition to joining the VJE for performances nationwide. Recognized by The New York Times as “a trumpeter of versatility and poise,” Tatum is highly regarded as one of New York City’s most in-demand trumpet players across a broad range of styles and genres. A Bach Brass Artist and faculty member at The Juilliard School, Tatum appears frequently with The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in performances at Rose Hall, touring domestically, in recordings on The 50’s: a Prism, Big Band Holidays Vol 2, Ted Nash and Glenn Close’s Transformation, and as a featured Guest Soloist for Wynton Marsalis’ 60th Birthday Celebration. He has been a member of the Grammy-Award winning Mingus Big Band for over fifteen years, performing regularly in New York, touring internationally, and recording on the Grammy nominated album, The Centennial Sessions. From 2010-16, Tatum toured extensively with the legendary bassist and singer Richard Bona, traveling to over sixty countries across six continents. He has also performed and/or recorded with Blood Sweat & Tears, George Gruntz, Dr. John, Christian McBride’s Big Band, Jimmy Heath, Sachal Vasandani, Helen Sung, Christian Sands, Ulysses Owens, Emmet Cohen, Macklemore, Bastille, Grizzly Bear, Shaina Taub, Orrin Evans, Roy Hargrove’s Big Band, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, among many others. Tatum is active on Broadway, having played on more than twenty productions, including holding the trumpet chair for three years on Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. As a bandleader, he has released three albums to critical acclaim. His most recent, Imprints, was awarded “Critic’s Pick” by DownBeat Magazine. In addition to his performance career, Tatum is a dedicated educator. He has served on faculty in the Jazz Department at Juilliard since 2017, spent five years on faculty at Rutgers University, and performs numerous roles within the Education Department at Jazz at Lincoln Center, including as Director of the award-winning Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Orchestra. As a conductor, Tatum has lead The Juilliard Jazz Orchestra in multiple concerts at Peter J. Sharpe Theater and Alice Tully Hall, the 2023 Arizona All-State Jazz Orchestra, the 2024 Connecticut All-State Jazz Orchestra, and the Future of Jazz Orchestra in collaboration with Alvin Ailey Dance Theater at New York City Center in 2022 and 2023.

Willie Applewhite

Willie Applewhite is a trombonist, composer, and arranger, and made his debut with the Verve Jazz Ensemble on “Connect The Dots” in 2019. Willie was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. He has performed with many great jazz artists including Slide Hampton, Wycliffe Gordon, Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, William Parker, Bobby Broom, and Junior Mance. Willie’s musical studies brought him to The Institute for Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School in New York City, where he earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees. A music educator, he went on to serve as Director of Jazz studies at Snow College in Utah from 2011 to 2014 before returning to New York. Working now as an in demand sideman, Willie is a fixture in the New York music scene, and collaborates with James Burton and Brandon Lee as co-leaders on the Uptown Jazz Tentet, a big band featuring both original compositions and arrangements of jazz standards.

Langston Hughes II

Langston Hughes II joins the Verve Jazz Ensemble on alto saxophone and flute, having distinguished himself as an accomplished woodwind doubler, composer, and educator. Currently pursuing his master’s degree in jazz studies at The Juilliard School, Langston started playing saxophone in the Prince George County public school system in Maryland, refining his craft at Howard University under the mentorship of renowned saxophonist and educator Charlie Young Ill and pianist Cyrus Chestnut. In 2023, Langston entered Juilliard where he has worked with musical luminaries including Rufus Reed, Wynton Marsalis, Ulysses Owens, having toured with Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Langston has performed at Blues Alley, The Kennedy Center and many other leading venues in the US and Europe.

Daniel Cohen

Daniel Cohen joins the VJE on tenor saxophone as an award-winning Jazz woodwind doubler, composer, arranger and educator. Completing his master’s at The Juilliard School, Daniel has been awarded first place in several competitions including Vandoren Emerging Artist, Carinthia Saxophone Competition, Jim Wider Competition, Kfar Saba Wind Competition and Rostov International Jazz Competition. Some of the artists Cohen has had the chance to work with include Ted Nash, Herlin Riley and Eric Alexander at venues such as Carnegie Hall, NYC City Center, Rose Hall at Lincoln Center, Dizzy's Jazz club and the Red Sea Jazz Festival. His playing style is deeply rooted in the Jazz tradition and his compositions combine elements of Jazz and Classical music.

Pedro Sequeira

The VJE is happy to announce the addition of Pedro Sequeira on Vibrophone. Born in Porto, Portugal, Pedro embarked on his musical journey at age of 9 as a classical percussionist. During high school, however, he discovered jazz and began to hone his skills on the vibraphone. After completing his bachelor's degree at Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espetáculo, Pedro collaborated with many renowned musicians, including Demian Cabaud, Jeffery Davis, and Marcos Cavaleiro. In 2022, Pedro began his Master’s studies at The Juilliard School, studying under Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Washington, Gerald Cannon, Marc Cary, and Donald Vega. In addition to his performance and recording projects with the VJE, Pedro is focused on his own upcoming album of original Brazilian music on his project "Quatro."

Elias Bailey

Bassist Elias Bailey has been playing professionally since the age of 15, and has recorded 6 albums with the Verve Jazz Ensemble in addition to joining the VJE for numerous live performances nationally. By the time he graduated from high school, Elias had received numerous national awards including a level one scholarship from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts. By 18, he had already performed with many well-known artists including Larry Willis, Derek Gardner, Nathan Page, Jason Marsalis, Steve Wilson, and Sam Newsome, among many others. At age 19, Elias joined the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra conducted by Buddy Morrow and performed at prestigious venues in the United State, Europe, and the Caribbean. While with the Dorsey Orchestra he performed with Lynn Roberts, the Four Lads, the Mills Brothers, and Arthur Duncan. In addition to working with the Verve Jazz Ensemble, Elias is almost constantly on tour around the world. Currently Elias tours worldwide with Lakecia Benjamin. Prior to working with Lakecia, for more than a decade, he toured with the late Freddie Cole as well as Max Jazz recording artist Rene Marie, performing at many world-renowned clubs and festivals including the Blue Note in New York City and Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. Elias Baily has studied bass with jazz legend Milt Hinton, Todd Coolman, John Clayton, and Jeff Bradetich.