John Nasshan's "Quintessence": News

You’re invited to this annual City of Henderson holiday musical celebration!

The Henderson Symphony Orchestra’s 23rd Season (2009-2010)
"Sounds of the Season"
Guest Conductor: Geoff Neumann
Thursday, December 10, 2009 – 7PM
Henderson Convention Center – 240 S. Water St
FREE TO THE PUBLIC

Guest conductor Geoff Neumann will lead the Henderson Symphony Orchestra in this musical celebration of the season. This year’s concert features orchestral performances of Copeland’s An Outdoor Overture and Gershwin’s An American in Paris. An annual audience favorite, this winter concert, includes holiday classics showcasing choirs from Foothill, Green Valley and Silverado high schools. Give yourself and your loved ones the free gift of a beautiful musical experience this holiday season.

This Sounds of the Season Concert is part of the Henderson Symphony Orchestra’s 23rd season and is free to the public. Seating is on a first come first-served basis. The City of Henderson Cultural Arts and the Henderson Symphony Orchestra are sponsoring this performance. For information regarding this event, please contact the City of Henderson Cultural Arts Office at 702-267-2171 or visit the Henderson Symphony Orchestra’s website at http://www.hendersonsymphony.org (Note: Programs are subject to change)

HSO friends, please share this message with your friends, family and others. Thank you, John...

By Jerry Fink
Las Vegas Sun
Mon, May 11, 2009

John Nasshan’s heart pumps music. Beats and tempos flow through his veins.

You might find the 53-year-old drummer performing with the Henderson Symphony Orchestra or with one of his three bands — Quintessence, The Monuments Trio and Coalition.

When he isn’t performing, he’s playing jazz and talking about it on KUNV 91.5-FM or interviewing local artists for his “Arts Alive” radio program.

“I knew I was going to be a professional musician from the time I was a little kid,” he says. “I never thought of doing anything but playing drums.”

Music was his destiny.

His grandfather was legendary percussionist Bobby Christian, who performed with Paul Whiteman, Sophie Tucker, the NBC and ABC radio orchestras and the Chicago Symphony. Nasshan sometimes would watch him rehearse on Sundays and learn.

But his grandfather never gave him lessons.

“He didn’t have the patience for it,” Nasshan says. “He was a perfectionist.” He sent Nasshan to study with his teacher, Roy Knapp, who also tutored Gene Krupa.

“My grandfather gave me one of his favorite snare drums and when I was in the second grade I was going to play a solo at a Christmas concert,” says Nasshan, who was born in Jamaica, N.Y., but later moved with his family to Chicago to live with his grandfather. “He lived in Chicago but happened to be in New York working at the time. Our house was a block and a half from school and he carried the drum and walked with me to the school and stayed for the concert.”

It was one of many defining musical moments in his life.

Nasshan got his first professional gig when he was 12 years old and joined the musicians union.

“I hooked up with a music act that played county fairs around the Midwest,” he says. “My grandfather had been writing their music for years. I went to correspondence school for the whole year.”

In high school Nasshan’s band director was a bass player who had worked with his grandfather’s band when Nasshan was a child. “He started using me at weddings and parties,” Nasshan recalls. “I wasn’t even driving yet, so my dad would drive me to the gig ... then he’d swing around and pick me up afterward.”

Before he was out of high school he was working in clubs in the Chicago area and doing recording sessions. He went to DePaul University and got a call to go on the road with “Gene Kelly’s Salute to Broadway,” starring Howard Keel, Ken Berry and Mimi Hines. “We did 75 cities in 84 days.”

After the tour he moved to Las Vegas in 1975 and transferred his union membership from Chicago. He was 20 years old. “Times were good,” he says.

His first couple of years he played in a lounge at the Sahara, backing up Penny France and Anne Sidney in an act called Penny and Annie.

“About that time I really got into jazz,” he says. “Vegas was full of jazz musicians. This was the jumping-off place for guys that had grown tired of being on the road with Woody Herman and Stan Kenton and Count Basie and Buddy Rich.”

After three years Nasshan quit the lounge scene to become a showroom player.

He’d go down to the union hall and play with “kicks” bands. Back then the union hall was at Tropicana Avenue and what is now Duke Ellington Way. It housed the union, a credit union and a private club where musicians played.

“They would start at 10 in the morning and play till 6 the next morning — all different bands, all day and night,” Nasshan says.

He started performing with the 10 a.m. band and eventually “graduated” to the 2 a.m. slot, when the hipper bands performed. He played there for eight months, selling musical instruments and giving lessons during the day.

Then he started getting calls to play showrooms of casinos such as the Sahara, Desert Inn and Golden Nugget. For about 15 years, he backed up vocalist and impressionist Bob Anderson.

“The funny thing about it is, all the work I was doing and I never had a permanent job in a house band,” he says. “I was running around town like a hired gun.”

He joined the announcing staff at KUNV nine years ago as a volunteer after surgery to remove a parotid tumor.

“They took it out and it upset my facial nerves. There was numbness and things and a bit of atrophy here and there,” Nasshan says.

Brian Sanders, who was the station’s programming director at the time, suggested he volunteer as an announcer because it would force him to speak clearly and help him to recover.

“I saw that as a chance to learn more about jazz while playing music for people,” he says.

About five years ago general manager David Reese made Nasshan a paid employee.

He never stopped working as a musician, performing with the likes of Jack Jones and Rich Little.

He is principal percussionist and timpanist with the Henderson Symphony Orchestra and plays with his own groups at local clubs and sometimes in elementary schools.

"Coalition" is appearing "in concert" on Saturday, May 9th at 12noon at The ArtFest of Henderson on Water Street in Downtown Henderson, NV. "Coalition" will share a mix of Traditional Jazz, Standards, and Contemporary Jazz with you.

Please check out the "Calendar" page of this website for complete details of this event....

"Coalition" is:
Tony Branco - piano
Jeff Davis - bass
John Nasshan - drums

I am excitied to announce that "Coalition" will be the trio backing Pete Christlieb and Linda Small-Christlieb in concert at The Bootlegger Bistro on Thursday May 14th!

Pete and Linda are looking forward to playing with "Coalition"...and we are excited about this concert.

Please check out the "Calendar" page of this website for details.....

Pete and Linda Christlieb + Coalition + The Bootlegger Bistro = ONE GREAT NIGHT OF JAZZ!

"Coalition" is:
Tony Branco - piano
Jeff Davis - bass
John Nasshan - drums

Come join us for a GREAT evening at The Bootlegger on May 14th!

On April 18, 2009, The Monuments Trio is performing at Borders Books Music Movies & Cafe in Phoenix, AZ at 7pm! The Borders we will be performing in is in the Biltmore Fashion Park at 2402 E. Camelback Rd. This is the first road appearance for The Monuments Trio, and we want you to hear us!

For more info on this please go to the "Calendar" page of this website.

Finally, you can listen to KUNV no matter where you are, as long as you have internet access! Boot up your computer...open your browser...go to www.kunv.org ... and you can hear the Best in Jazz on KUNV radio from Las Vegas, Nevada.

I am on KUNV Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2pm to 6pm...every Friday from 10am to 2pm... and every Monday from 6pm to 7pm.

Whether you listen at 91.5FM OR online at www.kunv.org you are listening to the Best in Jazz on KUNV, your Jazz source in Southern Nevada!

Sonic stewardship

Different genres find devoted caretakers at Black Label Bar and Lounge

It's 4 p.m. on Saturday and local jazz aficionado Marsha Ross has just greeted me at the door to Black Label Bar and Lounge -- a much tidier place than I'd expected from what was, until about a year-and-a-half ago, the Emergency Room Lounge. Not that that rock venue was such a complete mess, but it had started veering into disrepair by the end. It's a trend that's reversed itself under new management, and it's this weekend I'll find out just how lovingly the space is being used by those who need a home for whatever music they're making it their business to preserve.

From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. every Saturday, Black Label is the domain of "Jazz Conversation," a three-hour session of unspoken word shared among practiced local musicians who rotate in and out of the gig. Today the stage is owned by drummer John Nasshan's Quintessence -- five guys who combine to make a languid Thelonius Monk-ish sound from piano, upright bass and the saxophone stylings of Dave Stambaugh who, at this moment, solos in a Sonny Rollins vein while standing in front of a mural of, um, Henry Rollins -- one-third of a massive, paint-on-brick pop art piece that also features John Lennon (his 1980 incarnation) on the left and, right in the middle, Jimi Hendrix in all his afro-explosive glory.

"I've been in Las Vegas for 15 years," says Ross, the promoter and producer behind this weekly event. "The jazz they used to have at Four Queens, the Riviera ... it's all stopped. We just wanted to keep all this alive."

She gestures back toward the band, where burly, mustached Nasshan just went double-time on the skins, accommodating a Tony Branco keyboard solo that had been asking for it. That's what Ross means by calling this thing a "conversation." This is how jazz players get eloquent. And for any fan who's witnessed the jazzy Friday night goings-on farther north up Decatur at Pogo's Tavern, this is a similar scene, but in an afternoon time slot that may be the answer to those post-work-week Fridays when going out is just too draining a proposition.

"Coalition is appearing in the "Saturday Jazz Conversation Series" at Black Label on Saturday, February 21, 2009 from 2pm to 5pm. Join us for an afternoon of great Jazz ... Jazz with the unique "Coalition" signature.

"Coalition" is:
Tony Branco - piano
Jeff Davis - bass
John Nasshan - drums

There is a $10 cover charge for this series, and all the proceeds go to pay the band.

Check this out....Our debut CD "Monuments" is available at itunes, as tunes, the whole CD, OR ringtones! I think this is COOL!

I actually heard us as a ringtone on someone's cell phone in Philadelphia...that made my day!

I am the Timpanist for The Henderson Symphony Orchestra's Master Series III performance at The Valley View Rec Center. This performance will feature guest vocalist Stephanie Thorpe on Barber's nostalgic Knoxville Summer of 1915. The concert will also include Ives' The Unanswered Question. Highlighting the performance will be the premiere of UNLV professor Virko Baley's original work Dances Without Words commissioned exclusively for the Henderson Symphony Orchestra in recognition of Virko's 70th birthday. The concert finale will be the heroic musical journey of Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. The concert is on Sunday, February 8th at 2:00pm....complete details are available at the "calendar" page of this website...I'll see you there!

I will be in Palm Springs, CA at The Annenberg Theater on 2/14/09 and 2/15/09, playing Drums and Conducting the orchestra for the show "Fever: The Music of Miss Peggy Lee". If you are going to be in the Palm Springs area for Valentine's Day weekend...come see the show and say "Hi" to the Drummer!

"Coalition" has been asked to perform as part of the "Saturday Jazz Conversation Series" at Black Label Bar and Lounge in Las Vegas, NV. Black Label Bar and Lounge is fast becoming "the place" for happening Jazz in Las Vegas, and we are proud to be part of the Black Label scene! See the calendar section of this website for all the details...

"Quintessence" has been asked to perform as part of the "Saturday Jazz Conversation Series" at Black Label Bar and Lounge in Las Vegas, NV. Black Label Bar and Lounge is fast becoming "the place" for happening Jazz in Las Vegas, and we are proud to be part of the Black Label scene! See the calendar section of this website for all the details.....

I will be in Philadelphia, Pa at The Prince Music Theater from 1/15/09 through 1/18/09, playing Drums and Conducting the orchestra for the show "Fever: The Music of Miss Peggy Lee". If you are going to be in the Philly area at that time...come see the show and say "Hi" to the Drummer!

Our debut CD "Monuments" has begun receiving air play and sales in Australia, New Zealand, and Crotia. We are excitied about the popularity of this CD!

The Monuments Trio's debut CD "Monuments" is on a major display in the very front of the Virgin Megastore in New York City's Times Square!!!!!
Thanks to Darren Denman for providing this great news! Hey Darren...tear it up in New York man!

Visit The Monuments Trio's brand new MySpace page...it's been up since 08-01-08
go to: www.myspace.com/monumentstrio

Join Walt Blanton, Tony Branco and I for an evening of Music. The Monuments Trio has been formed with the sole purpose of creating spontaneous music, three musicians of like minds and souls, sharing their love for music and their sense of musical adventure. When The Monuments Trio takes the stage, the excitement of spontaneous creativity will take you along on their adventure.

Visit the "Press" section of this website to read Forrest Dylan Bryant's great review of The Monuments Trio's CD "Monuments".

Hey all you friends of KUNV!
KUNV is in the final day of our Spring Pledge Drive, where we ask for member support for our station. We rely on member support for a portion of our revenue, and is essential that we "reach out" twice a year with our Pledge Drives.

I am asking you to join our effort with a pledge of financial support. We ask that you call us at 702-739-5868 and join our effort by becoming a member.

It is simple...it is easy....

Call us at 702-739-5868...or...reach our website at www.kunv.org and do
whatever you can.

At the basic membership level of $50 you can be a full member of KUNV and support Jazz Radio!

The pledge drive ends Sunday evening...so....

DO IT NOW!

Take some pride in Jazz...take some pride in the abiltiy to support commercial free radio.......PLEDGE TO KUNV 91.5fm!

Again, the number to call is 702-739-5868....and...our website is...
www. kunv. org.

THANK YOU!

Music Peace and Happiness........John Nasshan

The Monuments Trio, Walt Blanton, Tony Branco and John Nasshan, are happy to announce that our CD "Monuments" is now being played on Jazz Radio Stations throughout the US with our newest major markets being Boston, MA and Winnepeg, Canada!

Join us on Saturday, March 22nd when we celebrate the release of our Origin Records CD... "Monuments"! That's right, our CD has been "picked up" by a major Jazz label, released internationally, and we want to celebrate! Walt Blanton, Tony Branco and I are very proud and excited about "Monuments", and we want to share the energy with you. The party is on... and it's at the E-String Grill and Poker Bar near the corner of W. Sunset Rd. and Valle Verde in Green Valley, and we're going to celebrate starting at 1pm on Marchh 22nd. We will have CDs available for purchase, and we will be improvising new music for you! See you there!

"Las Vegas isn't known for its jazz scene. That doesn't mean there aren't jazz players though. Origin dug up an excellent trumpeter at UNLV, and he brought a couple of musical comrades along. The trio plays through an entirely improvised session, covering a lot of musical ground. The album opens with a building trumpet line moving into a thumping piano/drum combination before the title track is over. The album develops in complexity as the trio moves on. "Song Without Words" is a bit exploratory, while "Suite for Lulu" almost sounds like something Miles' bands would have put together in their more free-form days. "Life Force" starts out frantic, then slows down into a bit of an Albert Ayler tone and a long trumpet solo. "Lester Rides Again" gyrates and thumps through a mass of sound, and the album ends on a relatively classic sound in "In and Out." Blanton's trumpet stays in the forefront for long periods, but drummer John Nasshan goes for extended solos lasting minutes from time to time, as does pianist Tony Branco. There's a lot going on in this album, with a lot of complexity and improvised collaborations throughout. The trio never drops the ball, however, and keeps the sound moving until the moment they've finished. Absolutely worth a listen."

Adam Greenberg - Allmusic.com (Feb 11, 2008)

John ,
Thank you! I had the good fortune of seeing Coalition perform at the Winchester on Sunday Feb. 3, 2008. What a pleasure. A brilliant reaffirmation of what delights me as a jazz listener. Compelling arrangements, inspired improvisation brightened with flourishes of whimsey, anchored by consummate musicianship. There is a dynamic at work between the three of you that is communicated directly to your audience. It became evident to me that you lead each other to places musically that you didn't necessarily expect to go, with remarkably fresh and entertaining results.The quote "the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts" came to mind. The only people enjoying themselves more than I were you three. Thanks for the ride.

Sincerely, Daniel Bushaw

The newest Origin Records release, "Monuments" has an official release date of February 19, 2008. "Monuments" features Walter Blanton on trumpet, Tony Branco on piano, and John Nasshan on drums, and is the very first Origin Records release by Henderson, NV Jazz Musicians, and the first Jazz label release recorded and produced at UNLV's recording studio. Check back with this site for announcements on the CD release party and where you can purchase your copy of "Monuments"!