Bach’s Lunch: James Fernando Ensemble

James Fernando and his Philly-based jazz ensemble masterfully present a refreshing take on the piano trio format. Featuring Sam Harris on bass and Kyon Williams on drums, this band invites audiences to enjoy a joyful, sensitive, and exciting journey steeped in the tradition of jazz greats while standing firmly in the present.

James Fernando, Piano
Hailed as a “prodigiously gifted composer and virtuoso pianist,” James Fernando creates music that lies at the intersection of jazz, classical, and electronic music. He relies on his genre-expanding original compositions to deliver thought provoking and exciting performances on some of the world’s most renowned stages. The Berklee College of Music graduate has five albums to his name and has collaborated with award winning artists internationally. James is on faculty at Levine Music in Washington, D.C. and has served as a Strathmore Artist in Residence.

Kyon Williams – Drums
K Y O N,  a multifaceted artist who combines elements of instrumental music, music production, and DJing all into the music that he creates. A Philadelphia native who started off playing the drums in the gospel scene, later attending Temple University studying Jazz Performance. Then finally took off on his own journey to learning music production and Djing. K Y O N’s sound spans the spectrum of Afrofuturist Jazz to progressive R&B and envelope-stretching dance music. He has performed at various venues and festivals in the local area such as The Kimmel Center, Lincoln Financial Field, The Philadelphia Flower Show, and at local clubs and bars. He is on the rise in the Philadelphia music scene and plans one day to open up his own venue.

Sam Harris – Bass
High levels of musical awareness, a deep understanding of his instrument, and an unyielding groove have marked Samuel Harris as one of the premiere musicians and bass players of his generation. Originally born in Toledo, Ohio, Samuel’s artistry is the culmination of mentorship and training under musicians from Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Santiago de Cuba. He holds two degrees from Temple University; an undergraduate degree in Jazz Performance, earned in 2016, and a master’s degree in Classical Performance, earned in 2019. His presence onstage is immediately recognizable; not only does he demonstrate the fundamentals and nuances of bass playing that were taught to him by his musical forbearers, he also blends in his unique experiences with Cuban music and culture to create an approach to the bass that is rich with tradition, rhythmically liberated, and spiritually saturated. Samuel has shared the stage with some of the most important names in music, including Roger Humphries, James Johnson III, George Heid III, Byron Landham, Justin Faulkner, Raudelis Quiala Cisneros, David Throckmorton, Anwar Marshall, Craig McIver, Arturo Stable, Wayne Smith Jr., Thomas Wendt, Steve Fidyk, Aaron Graves, George Burton, Dave Posmontier, Ariacne Trujillo Durand, Therron Brown, Tom Lawton, Larry McKenna, Terell Stafford, Tim Warfield, James Stewart, Jerry Weldon, Sean Jones, Dick Oatts, James Moore, John Swana and many others.

This event is part of our 40th Anniversary Year celebration and will be held in our historic Recital Hall. It is free of charge and open to the public, thanks to the generosity of the Walker Fund. (And yes, people sometimes really DO bring their lunches to enjoy while listening…) Donations are appreciated.