Bernhard Haaks Quintet

On Friday, April 3^rd The Bernhard Haaks Quartet, featuring Dutch Jazz Diva and trumpeter Saskia Laroo and pianist Warren Byrd, returns to Roscoe’s Room to present works by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Antonio Carlos Jobim and others, plus originals. Two sets 7:30 and 9 pm: $15 cover for one set, $20 for both.

Dutch Jazz Great, Saskia Laroo is regarded to be one of the top female horn players in the international jazz world and has worked with such Masters as Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, David Murray, Billy Higgins, Slide Hampton, Roy Hargrove and many others. Saskia can be heard worldwide at all major music festival, including the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival; she is frequently invited by Dutch Ambassadors to perform at state, cultural or private events.

Pianist Warren Byrd has roots in the traditional, swinging and colorful sounds of the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, establishing a good background for Saskia’s lyrical style. In the last twenty years he has lent his musicianship to many groups and performers in the jazz, R&B, world, Latin, and genres as well as dance and theater. A short list of performers he has played with would include Archie Shepp, Eddie Henderson, Frank Lacey, Steve Davis, David Chevan, Mixashawn, Kenny Hamber and Nita Zarif .

Bassist Cliff Schmitt will be playing with Saskia and Warren for the first time. He is at home in the world of jazz, blues and pop music. Cliff has worked with Art Garfunkel, Nora Jones, Michael Bolton, Martha Reeves, Dave Liebman, Von Freeman, Paula West, Billy Hart and many others. These days, you can find him either playing with the house band at Terra Blues in Manhattan or on tour with Curtis Stigers, performing at Ronnie Scott’s in London as well as major Jazz festivals in Europe, South and North America and Asia.

Drummer Bernhard Haaks has worked extensively with Master Guitarist Al DeFino ( Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. ) and has performed with jazz greats Pete Levin, Lew Soloff, Charles Ellerbee ( Ornette Coleman ), Bill Crow, Roswell Rudd, James Cammack ( Ahmad Jamal ) and a variety of other international Jazz performers including Ken Gioffre, Saskia Laroo, Warren Byrd, Sam Newsome, Ron Blake etc. He has also performed with a collection of singers, including Ann Ross and John Hendricks for UN General Secretary-General Mr.Kofi Annan and the full assembly of the United Nations. In 2014, the Bernhard Haaks Quintet was invited to perform at a UN Gala event, held at the Essex House in NYC. Bernhard is leading his nine piece Blue Moon Ensemble, a New York State Council on the Arts Grant recipient , merging jazz, classical and New Music in New York City.