The Sunday Jazz Brunch Presents

Kim Nazarian: Three Bands

Air Date: 9/14/2025 on 90.5 WICN 9am-12pm ET

Kim Nazarian
Three bands: The New York Voices, El Eco, and Gabriel Espinosa's band. What do they have in common? Vocalist Kim Nazarian.

Members of all three bands appeared together recently at the Jazz Forum in Tarrytown New York. Featured on the date, besides Ms. Nazarian, were Darmon Meader voice, tenor sax (NY Voices); Guillermo Nojechowicz drums (El Eco); Gabriel Espinosa bass, composer, and Misha Tsiganov piano (Gabriel Espinosa's band). 

New York Voices 

Let's start with the New York Voices. This is probably Ms. Nazarian's most visible and well-known project. She is a founding member of the group, which formed in 1987. Ms Nazarian was nominated for a Grammy award in 2008 for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists, for the song In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning. The band itself has won two Grammy awards, and continues to receive accolades for their work to this day.

Darmon Meader
Darmon Meader is also a founding member of the New York Voices. He is a talented vocalist and saxophonist, and writes many songs for the group. He is the musical director and chief arranger. 

In 2023 Mr. Meader released his second album as lead, Losing My Mind. We'll hear a song from this CD during the second hour.

El Eco 

Drummer Guillermo Nojechowicz is the founder of the band El Eco. Born in Argentina, his music is heavily influenced by Tango, a traditional music and dance of his native country. As with many musicians (I'm thinking of Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd), Mr. Nojechowicz visited Brazil and became enamored of the musical forms he found in Brazilian jazz. He refined his talents in the 80s with a stop at Boston's Berklee College of Music.
 
In 1987 he formed El Eco, featuring Helio Alves, a superb Brazilian pianist, bassist Fernando Huergo, saxophonist Dino Govoni, and a bit later, vocalist Kim Nazarian.
 
I recall when we received his CD Two Worlds at the WICN studio. My colleague Joe Zupan handed me the disc and remarked that it was really great, with many excellent tunes He wasn't wrong. Even now, for this show, I had trouble whittling down the songs into the few that I could fit into the show without playing the entire CD. 
 
Guillermo Nojechowicz
The CD includes two brilliant Brazilian artists as guests, the guitarist Romero Lubambo, and the late trumpeter Claudio Roditi. (Oh how I miss Mr. Roditi, such a fine artist and gentleman.) And of course, to the point of this essay, Kim Nazarian is superb on this recording. 

The Gabriel Espinosa Band 

I have featured Mr. Espinosa previously, here and here. Composing and arranging are his forte, and he plays a solid bass. And, it must be said, he is a warm and generous man. I recall that when I last saw him live, there were members of his family in the audience, making the event feel particularly intimate and personal. 
 
Appearing with Mr. Espinosa is his regular pianist, Misha Tsiganov. In 2024 Mr. Tsiganov released Painter of Dreams. During the final hour of the show, we'll hear Seeley Street Song, an original tune from the CD.
 
Both sets on August 31, 2025 were packed with enthusiastic crowds. Given the level of talent, nothing less could be expected. These photos capture a taste of the feeling produced when great talent meets great songs, at a fine jazz establishment.
 

Marty

Gabriel Espinosa, Guillermo Nojechowicz, and Darmon Meader
 
Misha Tsiganov

Gabriel Espinosa

The Band Performing at The Jazz Forum in Tarrytown, N.Y.

All photos by Mitch Bleier, mb626rsd@gmail.com or @mitch.bleier on Instagram.


HOUR ONE: Contemplative Morning

New York Voices-A Day Like This-05 For All We Know 2007 feat Kim Nazarian v.
Pasquale Grasso-Pasquale Plays Duke 2021-03 Prelude to a Kiss
Gabriel Espinosa-From Yucatan to Rio 2009-06 Morning Breeze 
Gail Pettis-May I Come In-04 Moonlight in Vermont 2007

New York Voices-What's Inside-08 Open Invitation 1993 feat Kim Nazarian v.
Gabriel Espinosa\Bossas and Boleros 2023\First Responders feat Kim Nazarian v.
Ensemble Nova-Look to the Sky-05-Look to the Sky
Ellis Marsalis-Heart of Gold-07 Heart of Gold 1992

Guillermo Nojechowicz-EL ECO TWO WORLDS-11 Buenos Aires-2002 feat Kim Nazarian v.
Gregoire Maret-Gregoire Maret-09 Prayer (feat. Mark Kibble & Alvin Chea) 2012
Ed Cherry-Soul Tree-10 Peace 2016

HOUR TWO: New For You

Kelly Green\Corner of My Dreams 2025\Corner of My Dreams
Milan Verbist Trio\Time Change 2025\Brigitte's Waltz
Gabriel Espinosa\Bossas and Boleros 2023\Amelia feat Kim Nazarian v.

Darmon Meader\Losing My Mind 2023\Losing My Mind
Alberto Pibiri Trio\A New World 2025\What The World Needs Now
Michael Mayo\Fly 2025\I Didn't Know What Time It Was
Josh Lawrence\Still We Dream 2025\Pure Imagination

Kelly Green\Seems 2024\Try Your Wings
Randy Napoleon\Waking Dream 2025\Waking Dream
Mark Winkler-Sings Bobby Troup-02 You're Looking at Me 2003
Kieran Brown\Loving You 2025\Loving You

HOUR THREE: Brazil/World/Groove

Guillermo Nojechowicz-EL ECO TWO WORLDS-04 Samba de Maya-2002 feat Kim Nazarian v.
Eric Byrd Trio\Echoes of Arrival 2025\Shade of the Cedar Tree
Paul Brown-So Much To Say 2025-06 Take Me As I Am
Gino Amato\Latin Crossroads 2 2025\02 I Only Have Eyes For You (feat. Kandace Springs)

Misha Tsiganov\Painter of Dreams 2024\Seeley Street Song feat HISKE OOSTERWIJK v.
Guillermo Nojechowicz-EL ECO TWO WORLDS-06 La Bossa Nova de Claudio-2002
Jazz Funk Soul-Simpatico 2025-04 Rekindle
Gabriel Espinosa-Songs of Bacharach & Manzanero 2016-07 Somos Novios

Jason Forsythe\It's About Time 2025\Simple Samba
Michael Mayo\Fly 2025\I Wish
New York Voices-A Day Like This-12 Stoned Soul Picnic 2007
Brian Simpson-Midnight Groove 2025-08 Story of Love

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