Faculty Jazz Trio
New Hampshire bassist and educator Steve Cady has enjoyed performances with Joan Rivers, Tony/Emmy winner Lillias White, Lorraine Bracco, The Scott Mullett Trio, Gray Sargent, Frank Greene, Rick Stepton, with “The Rat Pack is Back”, the cast of “The Sopranos”, and at Ryles Jazz Club, The Press Room, The Opera Theater of Weston, and the Montreal Jazz Festival. Steve holds an MM in Jazz Studies from Rowan University, a BM, and BA from Keene State College, and is a student of Scott Mullett, Bruce Gertz, Douglass Mapp, and Don Baldini. Steve is an arranger/composer of jazz and popular music for all levels and creates electronic music employing instruments of his own design and construction. Steve is the director of the Keene Jazz Orchestra, teaches Jazz Ensembles, harmony, Double Bass, and improvisation at Keene State College, where he has been NAfME faculty of the year, and chairs Performing Arts at Vermont Academy, where he has been granted the Brodine award for excellence in teaching. Steve adores his remarkable and beautiful wife, Deanna Zilske, and holds respect for their endearing but tyrannical cat Ender.
George Robinson is a drummer and music educator in Keene, NH. He serves as the Director of Athletic Bands at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, NH, where he directs the marching band, pep band, & drumline, and is a member of the music faculty. George also teaches music at Keene Middle School and Keene State College. George earned his bachelor's of music education degree from Keene State College in 2012 and earned his master's of music degree from UMass Amherst in 2018. Over the course of his career, George has had the pleasure of performing with world-class musicians including Sheila Jordan, Gordon Goodwin, Chris Potter, Steve Davis, Frank Greene, Avery Sharpe & Gary Smulyan. He has also studied drums with Joe Farnsworth, Clarence Penn, Francisco Mela, Billy Drummond, and Bob Gullotti. George has been the drummer with the Keene Jazz Orchestra since 2009. When not performing or teaching, George spends as much time as possible with his wife Katie, their son Teddy, and their golden retriever Gussie.
James Walker teaches percussion and directs the Percussion Ensemble at Keene State College. A graduate of Ithaca College and Northern Illinois University, James has also presented clinics at various colleges and universities, as well as Percussive Arts Society “Day of Percussion” events for the Connecticut and New Hampshire/Maine PAS chapters. His writings have appeared in Percussive Notes Magazine, and from 1999-2001 he authored the "Expressive Jazz Techniques" column for Jazz Player Magazine.
From George Robinson: As a KSC music student, I definitely felt there was tremendous value in seeing my professors perform on their instrument. It confirmed my belief that I was in the right place and studying with the right people. With KSC's current economic condition and continued low enrollment in the music department, I think it is very important to show the students and the community that KSC is an important contributor to the Keene musical community, with a long history of sending their graduates off to success as educators and performers alike.
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