Jazz Traveler

Jazz Traveler is a quartet of Albuquerque-based musicians who came together in 2021. Its members have been travelers in life and in music, and the group’s repertoire reflects wide influences from the US and abroad. From traditional jazz to Brazilian and Latin sounds to fusion and funk, the group embraces the many styles that shaped jazz, broadly-defined. Among their selections are standards by Duk

e Ellington, Thelonius Monk, Horace Silver and Freddie Hubbard as well as compositions by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Ivan Lins, Pat Metheny, Bob James, John Scofield, Herbie Hancock, Wes Montgomery, Chick Corea and Joe Zavinul. Chris Livingston, guitar, is a multi-instrumentalist who graduated from University of New Mexico with a degree in music. He is a respected musician and teacher now based in Placitas. David McCreary studied trombone at the University of North Texas, and since switching to bass he has traveled through the US and Canada playing jazz, rock, pop, soul and funk, eventually cycling back home to Albuquerque. Wayne Johnson is a drummer and percussionist who grew up in New York but has been based in Albuquerque for the past 20 years. He has worked with John Lewis, the New York Louie and most recently with The Art of Jazz featuring Tracey Whitney. The group was assembled by George Kapalka, keyboards, who moved to New Mexico in 2017. A graduate with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Manhattan School of Music, he previously worked with Ron Carter, Billy Hart, Andy Snitzer, Michal Urbaniak, Tony Cimorosi, Brian Lynch and Bill Warfield.