Stamps Jazz Quintet Class of 2013

Dan Andrews, alto saxophone, majored in Studio Music and Jazz Instrumental Performance at the Frost School of Music where he was a Stamps Distinguished Ensemble Scholar and a member of the inaugural Stamps Jazz Quintet, 2013. A high achiever both academically and musically, he studied saxophone with Dale Underwood and Gary Keller, and is a proficient woodwind doubler (flute, clarinet, soprano sax). Originally from Finksburg, Maryland, Andrews had been playing alto saxophone for over ten years before attending Frost. Dan Andrews was named an “Outstanding Soloist” at the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival (2010), and also the “Jazz Soloist” winner in DownBeat magazine’s 34th Annual Student Music Awards in the Undergraduate Outstanding College Performances category (2011). The Stamps Jazz Quintet was also chosen by DownBeat as the Jazz Group winner in the same year and category.

Nick Hetko, piano, majored in Music Engineering Technology at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where he was a Stamps Distinguished Ensemble Scholar and a member of the Stamps Jazz Quintet, Class of 2013. He studied piano privately with Shelly Berg, Martin Bejerano and Daniel Strange. Hetko also performed in a variety of jazz ensembles at Frost including the New Music Ensemble, Monk/Mingus Ensemble, the DownBeat collegiate award winning Funk/Fusion Ensemble, and others. Originally from Cambridge, New York, Nick Hetko has performed with James Moody, Matt Wilson, Chris Potter, Buddy Guy, and Kenny Burrell. He won second place in the prestigious Jacksonville Jazz Festival Piano Competition in May 2013 and was part of the final four in the Nottingham Jazz Piano Competition in 2012, where he received a special commendation for improvisation. Hetko was the pianist for the Gibson/Baldwin 2010 Grammy Jazz Ensemble and received a DownBeat student award as outstanding soloist. He also received a Young Jazz Composer award for his composition Snowflakes from the American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) and was selected into the Brubeck Jazz Colony.

As a music engineering technology major, Hetko was involved with research and development of new music technologies, the development of mobile phone apps, and is active in audio engineering projects in the Weeks Music Studio and other recording facilities of the Frost School of Music.

Michael Piolet, drums, majored in Studio Music and Jazz Instrumental Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where he was a Stamps Distinguished Ensemble Scholar and a member of the inaugural Stamps Jazz Quintet, Class of 2013. He studied drum-set and jazz percussion privately with Steve Rucker and John Yarling. As a member of the Stamps Jazz Quintet at the Frost School of Music, he performed at the Monterey Next Generation Festival in California and the 2011 and 2012 JEN conferences in New Orleans and Louisville.  He was also featured on the Stamps Jazz Quintet’s self-titled debut album on Summit Records. The Stamps Jazz Quintet was chosen as the “Jazz Group” winner in DownBeat magazine’s 34th Annual Student Music Awards in the Undergraduate Outstanding College Performances category (2011). Michael Piolet performed in a variety of other jazz groups at Frost, including the award-winning Frost Concert Jazz Band at the Coconut Grove Arts Festival in Florida with flautist Nestor Torres and at Festival Miami with saxophonist Dave Liebman, both in 2012.

Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Piolet is regularly performing with local pros throughout South Florida and he often returns to Chicago to perform professionally. He recently performed in a program sponsored by the Steans Music Institute in Chicago honoring Diane Dorn, with Rufus Reid coaching.

James Suter, bass, majored in Studio Music and Jazz Instrumental Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where he was a Stamps Distinguished Ensemble Scholar and a member of the inaugural Stamps Jazz Quintet, Class of 2013. He studied acoustic and electric bass privately and performed in a variety of other jazz groups at Frost ranging from the Funk/Fusion Ensemble to the R&B Ensemble.  Originally from Hollywood, Florida, James Suter has performed professionally throughout South Florida for nearly a decade.

As a member of the Stamps Jazz Quintet at the Frost School of Music, Suter has performed in concert with saxophonist Chris Potter, as well as with Gary Burton at Festival Miami, and also with the Matt Wilson Quartet. The Stamps Jazz Quintet was chosen as the “Jazz Group” winner in DownBeat magazine’s 34th Annual Student Music Awards in the Undergraduate Outstanding College Performances category (2011). Suter is featured on the Stamps Jazz Quintet’s self-titled debut album on Summit Records. He has presented workshops and concerts with the quintet while on tour to Colorado in 2010, and performed with the Stamps Jazz Quintet at the 2011 Jazz Education Network (JEN) conference in New Orleans. The group also shared the stage in 2011 with legendary blues guitarist Buddy Guy at a private event.

Stephen Szabadi, trombone, majored in Studio Music and Jazz Instrumental Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where he was a Stamps Distinguished Ensemble Scholar and a member of the Stamps Jazz Quintet, Class of 2013. He studied trombone privately with Dante Luciani and performed in the Frost Concert Jazz Band and the Frost R&B Ensemble. He also studied pharmacology and history while at the University of Miami.

Originally from Los Angeles, he has played at Playboy Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, Lincoln Center, Disney Concert Hall, and various venues around Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Miami and the Netherlands.

In 2011, Stephen Szabadi performed with the Frost School’s Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra in a JazzRoot concert in tribute to George Gershwin presented by Larry Rosen at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, sharing the stage with music pros Dave Grusin, Michael Feinstein, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Mark O’Connor, and others. In 2012 he performed in a Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra concert with multi-Grammy award winning vocal group Take 6, in 2012, featuring arrangements by Gordon Goodwin. Szabadi has also concertized and recorded with other top jazz groups while at Frost.