Community Jazz Sessions at Heartwood Soundstage

Join us for an evening of live jazz, community, and creative collaboration at Heartwood Soundstage. This monthly Jazz Jam features a professional house rhythm section, spotlight performances by local jazz artists, and open opportunities for jazz musicians to sit in and play or sing.

Players with jazz experience at any level — from emerging improvisers to seasoned performers — are invited to bring their instrument and sign up for an opportunity to be featured with the house rhythm section on a tune or two of their choice. Jazz listeners are warmly invited to come enjoy the music, discover local talent, and be part of a growing Gainesville jazz community.

Whether you come to play or simply to listen, this evening is designed to be welcoming, lively, and full of the spontaneous energy that makes jazz such a powerful shared experience. Everyone is welcome!

June's Jazz Sessions feature:

Edward White

Edward White is an Assistant Professor of Music at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida. A 2022 Global Music® Award winner for Mixed-Genre Album, he is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Music Education at the University of Florida. Edward has appeared as a guest artist at the 2025 Tampa Jazz Festival, the 2024 Uptown Music & Arts Festival, and the Reilly Arts Center, and he maintains an active performance schedule in jazz and contemporary music. His academic work is published in the Open Journal of Music Education and the Media Journal in Music Education. Beyond academia, Edward collaborates with Paul Davids, a leading YouTube guitar educator with over 3.5 million subscribers, to design and manage Davids' online Guitar Coaching Club. He also operates a private studio, where he offers individual guitar instruction, recording, and music production services.

Marco Thomas

Marco Thomas is from Ellenwood, GA which a suburb of Atlanta. He is a bass trombone player that studied music education at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL. His principal teacher there was Brian Brink. Thomas earned his Bachelors of Music Education in 1999 and began teaching middle school band in Hardee County in January of 2000. He then entered the University of Florida in the summer of 2002 where he earned his Masters of Music Performance in trombone. His principal teacher there was Arthur Jennings. After graduation, he took a position at Hawthorne Middle/High School as Director of Bands. He was at Hawthorne from 2004-2007. He began his current position as the music teacher at Williams Elementary in Gainesville during the 2007-2008 school year. He has been a presenter at the 2006 International Arts and Humanities Conference in Hawaii and has published an article in the Instrumentalist magazine in the fall of 2008. He has also presented at the Florida Music Educators Association conference in January 2014 and January 2021. He has been the director of the Gainesville Big Band since 2007. In addition, he maintains a private trombone studio and is an active performer with various groups in the Gainesville area, ranging from classical to jazz.

Rhythm Section:

Ryan Hecker - Drums

Ryan Hecker is a new resident of Gainesville, Florida. Prior to the move, Ryan was an active drummer and percussionist in South Florida for over fifteen years. Ryan is a graduate of Florida International University with a B.A. in Jazz Performance and the University of Miami with a M.M. in Jazz Performance. Ryan can most often be heard in the theatre, with recent performances including In the Heights at the Arsht Center of Performing Arts and On Your Feet! at the Actors’ Playhouse. Ryan spent his pre-college career as a member of the Florida Youth Orchestra and continued playing with the Sunrise Symphonic Pops Orchestra throughout college. This experience combined with his schooling in jazz has shaped Ryan’s goal for his music career, which is to expand and redefine the definition of what a “Drummer” can and is expected to perform. Currently, Ryan is a Professor of Fine Arts at Santa Fe College teaching a variety of music courses and percussion lessons.

Cindy Mueller - Piano/Host

Cindy Mueller is a Gainesville-based jazz pianist and vocalist, with many years of experience as music educator, musical director and bandleader. A summa cum laude graduate of James Madison University in Music Education, she has worked as a performer, musical director/pianist, and teacher in the United States and internationally, including with the USO in Germany and Italy. With fellow jazz musician, John David Eriksen, she has released the jazz album Sixes and Sevens, available on major streaming platforms. After hosting jazz sessions in her own music studio for years, Cindy is happy to help bring this kind of welcoming musical gathering to Heartwood Soundstage as pianist and host of the Heartwood Jazz Sessions.

Instagram: @cindymuellerjazz

Album: Sixes and Sevens, streaming on all platforms

Rafael Abdalla - Bass

Rafael Abdalla is a Brazilian bass player and composer who has been a prominent figure in the Brazilian music scene for over two decades. As a leader, he has recorded four albums, while also contributing to more than 30 other instrumental records. His work as a sideman, composer, and arranger has led him to collaborate with some of Brazil’s most influential musicians, including Raul de Souza, Leo Gandelman, Paulo Moura, Rogério Bocatto, Vinicius Dorin, Andre Marques, Zé Renato, Vânia Bastos, Paulo Freire, Nenê, Michel Leme, Vittor Santos and Lupa Santiago, Big Band SamJazz, Banda Urbana-SP, Scott Wilson jazz Quintet among many others.

He holds a master’s degree in Jazz Performance from the Prince Claus Conservatory in the Netherlands and is currently completing his Ph.D. in Music Composition at the University of Florida.

In addition to leading his own projects, Rafael is also the bassist for Hercules Gomes Trio and Rodrigo Almonte Quintet.

Currently, he is writing material for his upcoming album, which will feature a string quartet and woodwinds, exploring strategies for merging contemporary classical music with jazz and Brazilian music.

Website: rafaelabdalla.com

Indoor Stage

All Ages

Free Entry

Bring an instrument

Everyone is welcome!

Thank you to Gainesville Big Band for sponsoring this event!

www.gainesvillebigband.com