Charlie Ballantine

BlueStem Jazz.

media release: Charlie Ballantine Named as one of the top 200 living guitarists by All About Jazz Magazine, Charlie Ballantine is acclaimed as one of the finest and most versatile  young guitarists on the scene today. JAZZ TIMES MAGAZINE hails his playing as “teeming with intricate grooves and maniacal precision his guitar work is both beautiful and complex” and VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE described his style by stating “Jazz, rock, and folk music peacefully coexist in Charlie Ballantine’s world”.  Equipped with an impressive body of original compositions on albums like “Vonnegut” and “Cold Coffee”, Ballantine also displays a great reverence for the jazz tradition through the inclusion of standards like ‘My One and Only Love’, ‘East of the Sun’ and an entire double album dedicated to the music of Thelonious Monk released September 2021.  “In the vein of fellow guitarists like John Scofield, Bill Frisell and Julian Lage, Ballantine reconciles his educational background in jazz with the stylistic background of his instrument. He approaches the gratifying tonal and harmonic language of rock/roots with the groove, ambition and improvisational focus of a jazz musician” - (JAZZIZ MAGAZINE) After graduating from the Jacobs School of Music under the direction of David Baker, Ballantine relocated to Indianapolis and quickly developed a name for himself with a string of high energy performances at clubs like the Jazz Kitchen and Chatterbox Jazz Club. After releasing two solo albums Ballantine was able to attain global recognition with his award winning third album “Life is Brief: The Music of Bob Dylan” which ALL ABOUT JAZZ named in their top ten jazz albums of the year. “From the opening bars of "The Times They Are a-Changin'" it is clear that something special is happening” - (ALL ABOUT JAZZ) 

Quinn Sternberg is an Asheville bassist, composer and bandleader recently relocated from New Orleans and originally from Bloomington, Indiana. His four albums “Weird World,” “Mind Beach,” “Cicada Songs,” and 2023’s “Walking On Eggshells” draw influence from Quinn’s Midwest musical upbringing, his decade performing in New Orleans, and contemporary musical elements. The result is a fresh perspective on the Jazz tradition that is simultaneously melodic and groovy, “complex but digestible” (DownBeat Magazine), and soulful while highly interactive. Quinn’s band has wowed audiences at venues ranging from listening rooms, to rock clubs, to festival stages with their intense live energy.

Paul Wells began playing drums at the age of ten in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. He moved to the New York area to attend the renowned jazz studies program at William Paterson University, and has studied privately with John Riley, Kenny Washington, and Bill Stewart. Paul is currently touring internationally with Curtis Stigers, and is a member of Vince Giordano's Nighthawks. He has also performed and/or recorded with Deborah Harry, Joe Williams, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Randy Brecker, Mark Murphy, Nellie McKay, Marion Raven, Kristin Chenoweth, Ann Hampton Callaway, Norman Simmons, and Houston Person. He was also featured on the soundtracks of Killers Of The Flower Moon, The Irishman, Joker, Boardwalk Empire, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Paul is a Professor of Jazz Drums at The Juilliard School, a contributing writer for Modern Drummer magazine, and endorses Yamaha Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Remo drumheads, Vic Firth drumsticks, and Audeze headphones. You can also see Paul featured in a pivotal scene alongside Robert DeNiro in the 2017 HBO film "The Wizard Of Lies."