At 22-years-young, Lucas Kadish is taking large strides in the world of jazz and improvised music. He has performed alongside artists such as Les McCann, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Javon Jackson, JD Allen, Dominick Faranacci, and many more. He’s led four 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), Tri-C Jazz Festival (Cleveland), and at Beit Haamudim (Tel Aviv, Israel).
Lucas was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. There he spent his formative years discovering a deep love for many types 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 his final year at the New School for Jazz, he is leading 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. Lucas’ original music grows out of jazz and blues, with big influences from European classical and freely improvised music. 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 many types 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 his final year at the New School for Jazz, he is leading 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. Lucas’ original music grows out of jazz and blues, with big influences from European classical and freely improvised music. 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.
