At 22-years-old, Lucas Kadish is taking large strides in the world of jazz and improvised music. Born and raised in northeast Ohio, he fell in love with the guitar at a very young age. Lucas’ original music grows out of jazz and blues, with big influences from European classical and freely improvised music. He has performed alongside artists such as Les McCann, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Javon Jackson, JD Allen, George Kontrafouris, Dominick Faranacci, and many more. He’s led five tours of his own music nationally and internationally. He has performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Bern Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Winnipeg TD Jazz Festival (Manitoba, Canada), Kennedy Center Millennium Stage (D.C.), Tri-C Jazz Festival (Cleveland), at Beit Ha'amudim (Tel Aviv, Israel), and at Κεραμειο (Athens, Greece).
Lucas was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. There he spent his formative years discovering a deep love for all sorts of music. In his late teens he began studying and playing with Theron Brown, Dan Wilson, Bobby Selvaggio, and many other staples of the scene. By graduation he had already been named a National YoungArts finalist and a semi-finalist in the United States Presidential Scholars of the Arts for jazz guitar. He was admitted to The New School for Jazz on the President’s Scholarship and moved to NYC. In his first year of college, Lucas was selected for the international Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead Residency for composition. There he worked and studied alongside Jason Moran, Eric Harland, Carmen Lundy, JD Allen, Andre Hayward, Cyrus Chesnut, and Eric Revis.
As Lucas approaches the conclusion of his time at the New School for Jazz, he leads his own two bands. His main quartet is TUNDRA which features Theo Walentiny on piano, Nick Dunston at the bass, and Connor Parks on drums. His second band is On the Brazen Trail, or for short: Brazen. The trio consists of Devon Gillingham on bass and Kweku Sumbry on drums. This band features another side of his compositional and improvisatory personality.
Lucas was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. There he spent his formative years discovering a deep love for all sorts of music. In his late teens he began studying and playing with Theron Brown, Dan Wilson, Bobby Selvaggio, and many other staples of the scene. By graduation he had already been named a National YoungArts finalist and a semi-finalist in the United States Presidential Scholars of the Arts for jazz guitar. He was admitted to The New School for Jazz on the President’s Scholarship and moved to NYC. In his first year of college, Lucas was selected for the international Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead Residency for composition. There he worked and studied alongside Jason Moran, Eric Harland, Carmen Lundy, JD Allen, Andre Hayward, Cyrus Chesnut, and Eric Revis.
As Lucas approaches the conclusion of his time at the New School for Jazz, he leads his own two bands. His main quartet is TUNDRA which features Theo Walentiny on piano, Nick Dunston at the bass, and Connor Parks on drums. His second band is On the Brazen Trail, or for short: Brazen. The trio consists of Devon Gillingham on bass and Kweku Sumbry on drums. This band features another side of his compositional and improvisatory personality.
