Comienzos
Rosewood, reeds, strings and percussion join together in the unique group “Comienzos.” With Jamie Sunshine on marimba and percussion, Jeremy Spindler on accordion, Brian DeJesus on upright bass, and Brian McKenna on percussion. Formed in Buffalo, NY in 2022, Comienzos interpret a rich repertoire of Central American, Brazilian and world music spanning from traditional folk to modern pop in a cross over jazz format. The trio brings to audiences colorful bubbles of temporal pauses and voyages, hip moving rhythms and energetic and playful improvisations. Comienzos embodies the celebration of three very distinct instruments and their broad ranges of expressive voices to evoke to audiences a wide spectrum of emotion.
Biographies
Jamie Sunshine
Jamie Sunshine, percussionist and educator from Buffalo, New York, holds a Masters degree from West Virginia University and a Bachelors degree from The State University of New York at Fredonia. She is currently completing another Bachelors in Music Therapy at SUNY Fredonia. Graduating with percussion performance degrees, Jamie has studied Western percussion extensively, and performs with various percussion ensembles, orchestras, jazz ensembles, classic rock groups and children’s groups throughout Western New York.Her interest in travel and culture has influenced her to study different musical styles from around the world including West African drumming and xylophone, and Mexican marimba.In addition to performing, Jamie teaches as an adjunct lecturer at SUNY Fredonia as well as private lessons in her Buffalo studio.
Jeremy Spindler
Jeremy Spindler is a French-American self-taught accordionist who grew up in Brazil and now lives in Western New York. Charismatic and playful, his love of Brazilian and French musette music is evident in his melodic style. His improvisational approach reveals his deep love of jazz. Whether in the studio or in performance, his blending of different styles, including Balkan and other traditional musical forms, and willingness to go beyond conventional boundaries strike listeners as instinctive and unique. He has performed with French Manouche guitarist Stephane Wrembel (author of “Bistro Fada” featured in Woody Allen’s 2011 Oscar-winning film “Midnight in Paris”), worked with Grammy Award winning violinist, singer, actor and composer Lisa Gutkin (member of Klezmatics) and Flamenco cross over international singer songwriter Mar Salá. Jeremy is quickly becoming recognized as an upcoming artist, whose disposition to break genre boundaries and whose intuitive approach allows him to bring a multi-faceted, creative brilliance to his performances and recordings.
Brian DeJesus
Brian DeJesus is a musician based in Buffalo, NY who plays electric and upright bass. A versatile musician, Brian has quickly become a ubiquitous presence on the thriving Buffalo music scene and beyond, and can be found playing in groups that span a variety of sounds and styles from around the world. Current groups include Comienzos, Fredtown Stompers, Baczkowski/Padmanabha/DeJesus, Guabaza, & John Victor Divi Romi. DeJesus has also performed with Cages, Buffalo Jazz Octet, Western New York Chamber Orchestra, El Batey of Buffalo, NY, Carol McLaughlin, and many more.
Brian Mckenna
A little bit from here, a little bit from there, Brian Mckenna is a percussionist based in Buffalo, NY. He did most of his growing up in a town called Pleasantville, NY; it was pleasant. With close proximity to NYC, Brian studied percussion with broadway's Glenn Rhian and drum-kit with Sean Cameron. He atended SUNY Fredonia studying percussion with Dr. Kay Stonefelt and Tiffany Nicely. For the last decade, Brian has been happy to call Buffalo, NY home, where he has been fortunate to play with many talented artists across many genres. Current projects are The Fredtown Stompers, Pine Fever, Tiny the Dream, and Comienzos.
Videos
Racenika (Trad. Bulgarian)
Chat Pitre (R. Galliano)
Photos
