The Grove Music Festival presents the Walter Blanding Quartet on Saturday, January 11, 2025 at 7:00pm, at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 405 N. Saginaw Road.  Featured artists will be Walter Blanding, saxophone, Maria Marmarou, drums, Reuben Stump, bass, and Cormac Avila, piano.

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Walter Blanding (Tenor and Soprano Saxophones, Clarinet) was born on August 14, 1971 in Cleveland, Ohio to a musical family and began playing the saxophone at age six. In 1981, he moved with his family to New York City, and by age 16, he was performing regularly with his parents at the Village Gate. Mr. Blanding attended LaGuardia High School for Music & Art and the Performing Arts and continued his studies at the New School for Social Research. Mr. Blanding lived in Israel for 4 years, where he had a major impact on the music scene, inviting great artists such as Louis Hayes, Eric Reed and others to perform. He also taught in several Israeli schools and toured the country with his ensemble. During this period, Newsweek described him as "Jazz's Ambassador to Israel." His first recording, Tough Young Tenors, was acclaimed as one of the best jazz albums of 1991. Since then, he has performed or recorded with many artists, including Cab Calloway, the Wynton Marsalis Septet, Marcus Roberts, Illinois Jacquet, Eric Reed, Roy Hargrove and others. His latest release, The Olive Tree, features fellow members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

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Maria Marmarou is a graduate of Temple University, where she studied with Justin Faulkner and Steve Fidyk, earning her undergraduate and graduate degrees along with a professional studies certificate. Maria has shared the stage with notable artists such as Dick Oatts, Tim Warfield, Catherine Russell, Michael Dease, Orrin Evans, Greg Osby, Terell Stafford, Carmen Bradford and the Count Basie Orchestra, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, among others. Her performances have taken her to prestigious venues and festivals both locally and internationally. She is endorsed by Sabian cymbals.

 

Reuben Stump is a vocalist and bassist from Lansing, Michigan. Reuben grew up with a love for all styles of jazz and the great American songbook. In college, Reuben was nurtured by a vibrant Michigan music scene as well as a council of distinguished mentors. Reuben received his bachelor’s degree in jazz bass at the University of Michigan under the mentorship of Robert Hurst, and went on to complete his master’s degree as a graduate assistant at Michigan State University under the guidance of Rodney Whitaker. Since then, Reuben has rediscovered his love for singing and has been honing his sound by singing and playing the bass, and currently is studying with vocalist Carmen Bradford at Michigan State. Reuben plays music across the Great Lakes region and has performed at festivals such as the East Lansing Summer Solstice Jazz festival, the Detroit Jazz festival, the Kimmie Horne Jazz festival, and has performed with the Reuben Stump Trio at the Lansing Jazz festival for several years in a row. He has performed with artists such as Walter Blanding Jr., Randy Napoleon, Michael Dease, and Melissa Morgan. He completed a tour in Japan with the Michigan State University Jazz Orchestra in 2024.  

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Cormac Avila is a senior majoring in Psychology and Jazz Studies, and minoring in Cognitive Science. Upon graduation, he hopes to pursue a graduate degree in neuroscience while continuing to play piano in the music industry. His hobbies include reading philosophy and spending time with family.

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The program will also feature the All Star Jazz Band, comprised of high school students from Midland Public Schools District. Directed by Walter Blanding.