Milwaukee native Sam Neufeld brings his jazz quartet home for a gig at VIA Downer, 2625 N. Downer Ave., on Monday, Jan. 14 from 7:30 until 10 p.m.
Neufeld currently lives in Greenpoint, in Brooklyn, and studies jazz at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.
"Every time I come back home," he says, "I set up some shows and fly a couple of my buddies into town to play. This winter we are going to be playing at VIA Downer, as well as (doing) a couple clinics."
In addition to trumpeter Neufeld, the group includes bassist Devin Starks, drummer Devin Drobka and alto saxophonist Albert Baliwas.
Neufeld and company will perform a mix of originals tunes and their own arrangements of jazz standards.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
