Appearing at Jazz in Media! on Wednesday, April 18th, for National Jazz Appreciation Month will be guitarist Jerry Topinka and his band at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Media, PA. Topinka's last CD Summer Nights was released to critical acclaim in September 2009 and critics were captivated by his melodic and intricate playing style, the project's stellar array of musicians, and the songs' masterful arrangements. Jerry Topinka began playing guitar in 1954 and eventually studied with two of the top guitarists of the time - Al Caiola and Joe Cinderella. At the age of 16, Jerry began playing professionally as a featured jazz guitarist in a Bergen County nightclub. Legendary guitarist, the late Les Paul would often stop by to hear Topinka play. Not a bad start! Jerry Topinka's appearances have ranged from intimate jazz clubs to major US tours with noted artists, plus his special guest appearances with Les Paul at the Iridium in NYC. In the 1970s, Topinka toured the country playing alongside stars such as Buddy Rich and Gloria Gaynor. Topinka appears prominently on the album Wind by Tchin and Yovani, which was nominated in 2000 for a GRAMMY Award in the Native American category, and he played the 2000 U.S. and Canadian tour of A.R. Rahman, the acclaimed Indian performer and composer, who won a 2009 Golden Globe and three Academy Awards for his music in Slum Dog Millionaire. ****

Appearing at Jazz at the Playhouse series on Thursday April 19th at the Society Hill Playhouse will be trumpeter Josh Lawrence and his band, featuring pianist Luke Carlos O'Reilly, bassist Leon Boykins and Anwar Marshall on drums. Lawrence is an internationally acclaimed musician, composer, bandleader and educator living in Philadelphia where he is on faculty at the University of the Arts. He is a prominent jazz artist with two records to his name, leads his own NEW Quartet featuring rising talents from New York City and Philadelphia, performs regularly with the Captain Black Big Band and has become a popular sideman on the neo-soul and jazz scenes. Early in his career,he moved to the historic Sugar Hill neighborhood in Harlem where he co-founded the Uptown Brass at the Church of the Intercession in Washington Heights, worked as musical director for the band Harlem Psychedelic and taught on faculty as brass instructor at Bronx Arts and Bronx Lab. Josh Lawrence's second studio album Roots is an autobiographical song-cycle featuring nine original compositions  -  an individual story of the streets and sounds of New York City and Philadelphia - as told through a new, unique and soulful voice.Atane Ofiaja from Elements of Jazz wrote, "The sound is pure, unadulterated New York City and Philadelphia jazz... ROOTS is one of the freshest albums I've heard... All nine cuts can stand on their own merit. Collectively, it makes it a fantastic album."