THE MUSIC OF CHICK COREA & GARY BURTON

Joshua Bowlus – piano

Jerry Weir – vibraphone

Pianist Joshua Bowlus and vibraphonist Jerry Weir come together for a special evening celebrating the electrifying

and deeply influential music of Chick Corea and Gary Burton. Featuring favorites like “Armando’s Rhumba,”

“Crystal Silence,” “Love Castle,” “No Mystery,” “Bud Powell,” and more, the duo will bring this iconic repertoire to

life with virtuosic interplay, infectious rhythms, and plenty of room for improvisation. Lifelong admirers of Corea

and Burton, Bowlus and Weir have long dreamed of performing this music together—making this intimate Blue Jay

performance a night of music they, and jazz lovers, won’t want to miss.

About JOSHUA BOWLUS

Joshua Bowlus is a Jacksonville-based jazz pianist, bandleader, and sideman whose musical journey began with

classical piano studies at age five. His passion for jazz developed during high school through the mentorship of

Andrew Kidd and pianist Harold Blanchard, leading him to study at the University of North Florida under Kevin

Bales, Keith Javors, and legendary saxophonist and educator Bunky Green. Since graduating in 2006, Bowlus has

performed throughout the Southeast and across the country, with appearances at the Jacksonville and Savannah

Jazz Festivals, The Blue Jay in Jacksonville, Iridium in New York City, The Jazz Corner in Hilton Head, and other

prominent venues. He has also performed internationally in France, Spain, and China, including a two-week tour of

China that featured a performance on the Great Wall.

A versatile and sought-after sideman, Bowlus has shared the stage with artists including Bunky Green, Jazzmeia

Horn, Ulysses Owens Jr., Benny Benack III, Gene Perla, Delfeayo Marsalis, Patrick Bartley, John Lumpkin II,

Charanee Wade, Chantae Cann, and Lisa Fischer. He is also a co-leader of the Jax Jazz Collective, a modern jazz

sextet that has released two albums and collaborates with the Jacksonville Symphony on performances featuring a

17-piece big band.

Bowlus has recorded with numerous artists and projects, including vocalist Linda Cole, with whom he released

What a Wonderful World, and his own Christmas album Sleigh Ride. In recent years, his performances have

focused on tributes to influential jazz masters including Ahmad Jamal, Ray Brown, and Chick Corea. He is currently

developing new projects featuring original music and arrangements of Disney melodies, while continuing to

perform throughout the region.

About JERRY WEIR

Jerry Weir was born in Omaha, Nebraska. Jerry began his musical journey when a traveling accordion salesman

sold his parents on accordion lessons. In his senior year of high school he began to play the vibraphone in jazz

band. Jerry attended the University of Iowa and studied vibraphone with Thomas Davis. After 2 years of university

he returned to Omaha where he became a full-time musician playing with the Omaha Symphony, recording jingles,

playing dinner theaters, shows, musical tours and jazz gigs. He decided to finish his college degree and head to the

Manhattan School of Music. At MSM he studied classical percussion but soon dropped out of school. Outside of

school Jerry took mallet lessons with Ian Finkel, David Friedman, Joe Locke, and Dave Samuels, as well as jazz piano

with Garry Dial.

In NYC Jerry began playing jazz gigs as a drummer, off-broadway shows, musical tours, and orchestra and new

music concerts. Eventually he joined Mauricio De Souza's Bossa Brasil, a gig that lasted for 10 years and four CD's.

Also, during that time Jerry worked at Trumpet's Jazz club with many artists including Ted Curson, Dave Stryker,

Dave Morrish, and others. Jerry has performed at The Blue Note, Trumpet's, Birdland, Carnegie Hall, Merkin

Concert Hall, and several jazz festivals. Jerry and his family now live in Ponte Vedra, Florida. Having arrived in

Florida just before the covid-19 pandemic he unintentionally began eight years of not performing and worked on

his recently published music book, "A Piazzolla Portfolio. 5 Nuevo Tango Pieces for Solo Vibraphone." The book is

enjoying international sales.