Eric Despard-Michelle Labieniec Duo
Jazz pianist Michelle Labieniec and I perform a variety of background and foreground jazz music. Listen here:
Now’s the Time-Charlie Parker
Live at the Bennington Museum
Never Thought I’d Lose You-Michelle Labieniec
Eric Despard Quartet:
The Eric Despard Quartet features guitarist Eric Despard, drummer Jeff McRae of the Jeff McRae Band, bassist David Cuite of the Leah Carrol Quintet, and pianist Michelle Labieniec Despard.
The program highlights selections from the jazz repertoire with a focus on the 1960’s, including songs by Wes Montgomery, John Coltrane, and Wayne Shorter.
ERIC DESPARD began studying jazz guitar in High School with Hartford, CT teacher Jamie Sherwood. He studied briefly at the Hartt School of Music (BM) with renowned guitarist Randy Johnston, and studied Jazz History with Frank Tiro and Jazz Arranging with Willie Ruff at the Yale School of Music (MM).
Eric is an Affiliate Artist of classical guitar at Middlebury College, and Instructor of Guitar at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and is the Music Director and Part-Time faculty at Southern Vermont College where he directs a concert band and choir. He performs locally as a sideman with the Jeff McRae Band and the Bennington Jazz Group- a favorite at the annual Kenneth Cottrell benefit concert.
JEFF McRAE is a writer and drummer and plays with a variety of groups in the tri-state area including the Sage City Six, Sage City Symphony, and with Bernice Lewis. He holds an M.F.A. in poetry from Washington University (St. Louis) and an M.A. from the University of New Hampshire.
DAVID CUITE studied art history and music at Manhattanville College.
From 1990-2005 he lived in NYC. At the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music he played bass for the jazz ensemble classes taught by Scott Napoli. He studied with Maryanne McSweeney and Ben Allison and played with a free jazz orchestra taught by Ornette Coleman sidemen Jim Nolet and Bern Nix.
Currently living in Cambridge, NY, he plays in the Leah Carrol Quintet and works in multiple ensembles playing jazz, bluegrass and free improvisation. He has taught a jazz ensemble class at Hubbard Hall and has played bass for the theater company there. Dave is an established bassist in Southern Vermont and the bordering region of New York.
MICHELLE LABIENIEC DESPARD began playing the piano at age seven, and was classically trained. She lived most of her life in Connecticut and attended the Hartt School at the University of Hartford, where she earned her B.M degree. In 1995, she attended Rutgers University in New Jersey, where she studied piano and composition with Kenny Barron and Sumi Tunooka. She then earned her M.A. from Lewis Porter’s jazz history and research program, and focused on women in jazz, and jazz education.
Over the past 20 years, Michelle has taught all ages, and founded the Kindermusik program at the Rutgers Community Music Program in New Jersey. She has taught privately, at the college level, and currently teaches general music at Pine Cobble School in Williamstown, MA.