SCJO: SOUTH CAROLINA JAZZ ORCHESTRA

The SCJO, led by trumpeter Mark Rapp, is a world-class big band comprised of the best jazz artists in the Carolinas. Many of its band members have toured the world, recorded CDs, played in notable venues and hugely popular festivals. From the classic Count Basie and Duke Ellington sounds to contemporary arrangements, the SCJO delivers a full, rich and swinging repertoire. Welcome to South Carolina’s finest, real-deal big band – the South Carolina Jazz Orchestra!

BAND LEADERS

MARK RAPP | TRUMPET
Mark Rapp is a trumpeter, composer, arranger, didgeridoo player, recording and touring artist. He grew up in South Carolina and has lived in New Orleans, New York City and Europe. He has performed with such distinct artists as Branford Marsalis to Hootie and the Blowfish. Mark has released 4 diverse recordings, which include leading and playing the closing track of Disney’s “Everybody Wants to be a Cat” CD. Artists such as Roy Hargrove, Dave Brubeck, Esperanza Spalding, The Bad Plus, Joshua Redman and more are also featured on this CD. His celebrated 2009 debut release “Token Tales” (Paved Earth Music), earned Mark a spot as a “Top Emerging Trumpeter” in Downbeat Magazine. His release “Good Eats” (Dinemec Jazz), a tribute to Lou Donaldson, had critics saying, “Rapp is quickly developing a reputation as a superb interpreter and great stylist, willing to tackle the history of this music with his eyes on the past and his mind on the present and future of this music.” – AllAboutJazz.com His “Braden-Rapp: The Strayhorn Project” CD features GRAMMY-nominee Gerald Clayton, Sachal Vasandani and saxophone great Don Braden. Mark is a featured artist in Mellen Press’ “How Jazz Trumpeters Understand Their Music” among a prestigious list including Terence Blanchard, Lew Soloff, Freddie Hubbard, Tim Hagans, Dave Douglas and more.

ROBERT GARDINER | TENOR SAXOPHONE
Robert Gardiner has shared the stage with a number of well-known artists such as Aretha Franklin, The Four Tops, Tommy Dorsey, and the Charleston Symphony and is currently the Associate Professor of instrumental music at Lander University. Robert has served as a clinician and adjudicator in South Carolina and Georgia and throughout the Midwest as a member of the Air Force Air Mobility Command Band in St. Louis. In 1999 he received a grant to create a comprehensive jazz program for Richland School District Two where he served as the program director and the district’s jazz coordinator. As a performer, Robert Gardiner has worked with a wide array of ensembles over the past 20 years encompassing many different styles of music, including jazz, classical, top-40, R&B, and salsa. Gardiner completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in saxophone performance at the University of South Carolina in 2008. He recently released his first recording “Soul of Confidence,” a CD of original compositions.

RHYTHM SECTION

REGGIE SULLIVAN | BASS
Reggie Sullivan received his Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies from the University of South Carolina in 2006 and has since become one of the most-requested musicians in Columbia, SC. He has performed with musical legends such as Marian McPartland, Olivia Newton-John, Wycliffe Gordon, Herlin Riley, Chris Potter, Yuseef Latif, Ron McCurdy, Howard Hewitt, Randy Crawford, Joe Sample, and the Jazz Crusaders. Reggie has appeared in several local ETV broadcasts and national television series, most recently as a band member for Wynona Judd. He has also toured internationally with well-recognized jazz artists and legends.

NICK BREWER | PIANO
Nick Brewer, proudly endorsed by PRS Guitars and D’addario Guitar Strings, surprisingly is a formidable and highly accomplished pianist. He is a multi-instrumentalist with 20 plus years of experience. Brewer attended The Berklee College of Music where he studied composition, piano, and guitar. He has played piano in many of the top jazz groups around the country including SC more popular The Skipp Pearson Jazz Quartet and The Robert Gardener Quartet. He played guitar/keys in Charleston rock quartet The Specs, as well as, guitar in the Boston metal band Sabai with whom he recorded two albums. He has written and recorded two albums and toured the States as the lead guitarist for the progressive rock band The Memorials, led by GRAMMY Award recipient drummer Thomas Pridgen. Brewer was also a featured pianist for country rock group John Wesley Satterfield and His Damn Fine Band.

DEREK LEE BRONSTON | GUITAR
Derek Lee Bronston an experienced, multi-genre New York based musician, has 7 records as a leader and co-leader with sideman appearances on many more. This Detroit native has played with Cecil Taylor, Tom Harrel, Billy Bang, Branford Marsalis, The Hush, Mostley, Jerry Gonzalez and Dave Binney, to name a few. He tours and records internationally as a singer/songwriter/guitarist.

BRENDAN BULL | DRUMS
Brendan Bull is one of the hardest working and most in-demand drummers in the Southeast. He is a staple amongst the SC jazz scene, tours regularly throughout the USA and is found on many recordings. His encounters have brought him alongside such greats as Stanton Moore to Joe Sample.

BAND MEMBERS

CHARLIE POLK | LEAD TRUMPET
Mr. Polk is an active clinician as well as an active performer on trumpet. He has performed at the Spoleto Festival in both the legit and jazz areas. He is a member of the Dick Goodwin Big Band, South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra, and has played lead trumpet with many performers including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, Darius Rucker, Johnny Mathis, Rich Little, The Temptations, Andy Williams, Barbara Eden, Cab Calloway, Natalie Cole, Lou Rawls, Louie Bellson, Manheim Steamroller, Nancy Wilson, Olivia Newton John, Sandy Duncan, Guy and Ralna, Lee Greenwood, Disney On Ice, and The Ringling Brothers.

BRYSON BORGSTEDT | ALTO SAXOPHONE
Born in Charleston, South Carolina and growing up in Columbia, SC; Bryson Borgstedt has performed for over forty five years and taught for more than forty. He left the state in 1983 for New York where he was a member of the United States Military Academy Band Jazz Knights at West Point and busy free-lance musician. Since his return to his native state in 2003, Bryson served as director of jazz and saxophone instructor at Claflin University in Orangeburg, SC for five years and taught at Presbyterian College for three years. He is currently instructor of jazz studies at the University of South Carolina, maintains a private teaching studio and a select performance schedule. Bryson has performed with Natalie Cole, Michael Feinstein, The Manhattan Transfer, The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Josh Groban, Aretha Franklin and many more

PATRICK BROWN | BARITONE SAXOPHONE
Patrick Brown holds a B.M. in saxophone performance with a certification in jazz studies from Appalachian State University and a M.M. in Multiple Woodwind Performance from Winthrop University. He is currently instructor of saxophone at Davidson College where he also directs the jazz combo and saxophone quartet. In addition to his duties at Davidson, Patrick is also an adjunct faculty member at Lenoir-Rhyne University where he directs the jazz ensemble. Patrick has shared the stage with notable acts such as Aretha Franklin and the North Carolina Symphony, among others. He has also performed at various jazz festivals throughout the country and has been a featured performer for Regent Cruise Lines.

BRAD JEPSON | TROMBONE
Brad Jepson is one of the most exciting young horn players in the Southeast. Living in Greenville, SC, he can be seen playing regularly with such bands as the Brad Jepson Quintet, the Gypsy Souls, the Shannon Hoover Quartet, and the Craig Sorrells Project. Growing up in Kansas City, Brad picked up the trombone at the age of 11 and never looked back. Brad earned a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies as well as a Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biological Engineering at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, where he studied with Mike Kocour, Andy Baker, Joel Spencer, and Charlie Vernon. During this time, his musical tastes expanded dramatically to include everything from Freddie Hubbard and Chris Potter to Steve Reich and Philip Glass. Brad produced and directed his first album, Jazz On The Brane, in 2008.

DAN TEGEL | TROMBONE
After growing up with the trombone near Detroit, Dan attended Michigan Technological University where he played with the MTU Jazz Lab Band for 6 years, including annual Jamaican tours. After locating to Connecticut in 1984, Dan played with a number of groups including Bill Hind’s Top Brass, the Chick Chicetti Big Band, Al Gentile’s Big Band, and principal trombone with the Manchester Symphony and Trombone Quartet. A career move with GE Energy brought Dan to Greenville back in 1994, where he played with the Spartanburg Jazz Ensemble, Vern Weyandt’s Low Blow, and is now playing with Dale Burke’s St. Louis Jazz.