Greg Satterthwaite Quartet

Greg Satterthwaite Quartet
Dacula, GA
Grant amount: $14,880

About the Artist

Greg Satterthwaite (Piano): Melodic, soulful and smooth, Dr. Greg Satterthwaite brings an energy and touch to the piano that has become his signature sound. As a jazz artist, Satterthwaite brings forth improvisational music that speaks to who he is as a performer and composer. His performances are rooted in his passion to continue to uphold the legacy and rich tradition of jazz music and the pioneers and innovators that created such a phenomenal art form. Graduating from some of the nations most prestigious jazz programs, Satterthwaite earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas in Jazz Piano Performance, a Master of Arts in Commercial Music from Florida Atlantic University and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Miami. Satterthwaite is an Assistant Professor of Jazz Piano and African American Studies at the University of Georgia. His educational experiences have impacted his teaching philosophy as he brings forth the knowledge, observations, and backgrounds of the educators, artists and creative makers that he has interacted with and learned from over the years. As a scholarly contribution to the field, Satterthwaite presented “Beyond Fourths and Pentatonics: A Critical Analysis of Selected Recordings of McCoy Tyner 1962 to 1963” at the national 2021 Jazz Education Network Conference. Satterthwaite has performed at festivals and venues including the Swan City Piano Festival, Denton Arts and Jazz Festival, SunFest, the Velvet Note, Good Times Jazz Bar & Restaurant, the University of South Carolina, and the Murchison Performing Arts Center to name a few. In 2022, he performed with the Marcus Lewis Big Band: Brass and Boujee during the 2022 Jazz Education Network national conference. Additionally, he has either performed or recorded with Grammy winning and nominated artists including Terreon Gully, Quentin Baxter, Rodney Whitaker, Curtis Lundy, and Delbert Felix. Satterthwaite arranged and composed all songs on his debut album “Who I Am,” which can be heard on major music streaming platforms, and he is currently recording his sophomore album “Savannah Blue,” which is to be released in 2023.He is the co-founder of JazzSpire, a platform that inspires, lifts, and brightens everyday life through the arts.

Quentin Baxter (Drums): Grammy Award winning Drummer/Producer/Composer/Educator. Currently touring world-wide with GRAMMY Award winning Gullah sensation RANKY TANKY and multi-Grammy-nominated vocalist/composer René Marie, Baxter regularly performs many of the most prestigious venues and festivals, i.e., The Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), Jazz at Lincoln Center (New York), SFJazz (San Francisco, CA), Joy of Jazz Festival (South Africa), Toulouse Jazz Festival (France), Umbria Jazz Festival and Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi (Italy), Savannah Jazz Festival, Savannah Music Festival, and, of course, Spoleto Festival USA (Charleston).

Delbert Felix (Bass): Grammy Award winning Felix was involved in eleven recording sessions between 1980 and 2005, including the Branford-Marsalis albums Random Abstract (1988) and Trio Jeepy (1989), as well as recordings with Billy Cobham, Freddy Cole, Courtney Pine.  and Chris Potter.

Derrick James (Sax): Blues and Jazz music in his early years. At the age of 8, he began his first experiment on the alto saxophone. He discovered his predilection for Jazz and Blues soon and at age 17, he became a student at the famous Berklee College of Music. Also during the time when Derrick was a GI in the U.S. Army, he had the possibilities to prove his experiences, which he collected at Berklee. This, of course also helped his professional career as a saxophonist. “Think Positive“ is the debut album from the 26 year old New Yorker and at this young age, his music career so far is extraordinary. He has performed with Chaka Khan, Frankie Beverly & Maze, Klaus Doldinger, Billy Cobham, and Bireli Lagrene. Being born as the son of a gospel singer, Derrick James was already confronted with Soul, Gospel, Gino Vannelli and Acoustic Alchemy. His roots lie deeply in Jazz, Blues and Gospel. This album was produced by his friend, the piano player and keyboarder Christoph Spendel, who discovered Derrick in New York.