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Press Release
January 31, 2001
Dwayne Walden
A native Arkansan, Walden started singing and playing trumpet in a big band setting with Westark Community College in Fort Smith, AR in the mid-80s. This led to more opportunities to perform in other big bands throughout Êthe western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma area in a variety of venues. Discovering the music of Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughan, Chet Baker and countless other icons, Walden became passionate about the more personal, communicative possibilities within the performers, as well as for the audience, of a smaller ensemble. Soon, he was blowing trumpet and singing throughout Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
Always considering himself a singer who also happens to hold a horn, Walden began developing his vocal skills through private studies with Elaine Cencel and Êyears later ÊJanice Yoes both of whom are Êfaculty members of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He then discovered the wonderful world of opera, lieder and theatre, Êwhile still performing jazz whenever possible. A winner of numerous classical vocal awards from such organizations as NATS, (National Assoc. of Teachers of Singing), MTNA (Music Teachers National Assoc.), Walden began performing professionally in opera and musical theater.
Some may ask, "Why such a diverse career path?". Walden's answer is simple:
"In my opinion, it's all about communicating to the audience. With music I take the material given, whether it's a composed melody or improvised, and do what I can to reach whoever is listening".
John Lindquist
John Lindquist was born and raised in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He is an honors graduate of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville where he studied music and pursued a Master's in English Literature. He also studied music with Dan Haerle, Jack Petersen, and Dr. Steve Harlos at North Texas State University; with Rusty Jones and Art Porter, Jr. at the Music Festival of Arkansas; and with New York classical/jazz composer Frank Stagnitta.
For the last twenty years of his professional career, Lindquist has been "playin' piano and payin' dues" extensively in his home state of Arkansas, in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, and has played from Los Angeles to New York. His trio has played the Fort Smith Riverfest, and several years at the Eureka Springs Jazz Festival. He has been a featured performer with the University of Arkansas', Westark Community College's, and North Texas State's jazz bands, and with Tommy Newsom, Red Buttons, and The New York Voices vocal ensemble. He spent two years as accompanist and arranger for the State Fair of Texas; and, along with Brave Combo's saxophonist Jeffrey Barnes, was co-founder of The Hyper-Moderns--an experimental improvisational group that performed a wide variety of "elegant music"--an event that became one of the longest standing weekly engagements in Denton, Texas.
His three year stint at St. Martins, one of Dallas' finest bistros on lower Greenville won him a large and dedicated following of listeners. He was also a charter member of "Jazz Poetry Night" at D'Jazz in Dallas where he shared the stage with some of the city's best jazz performers.
He has also played piano for three years at Fort Smith's Peking Palace where he has filled the room with some of the best improvisational stylings in the area, and performed with Malaysia's award-winning "Er-hu" player (Chinese violin), Swee Kheng Koh.
His various jazz ensembles (especially with local bassist Steve Myers) have woven in and around some of the finer clubs and social engagements in Ft. Smith, most recently and regularly at Hardscrabble Country Club.
Lindquist's writing talents have been recognized by awards from the Arkansas Songwriter's Association and the Billboard Songwriter's Contest.
He is co-writer and featured player on singer-songwriter Joe Hamilton's 1993 album One Man's Trash... , and has performed regionally with Hamilton as a duo and in the band Polka Salad.
He was musical director and co-author of the original musical comedy The Geriatric Blues for both its 1989 opening in Fayetteville, Arkansas and its 1990 run in Eureka Springs, Arkansas; was music director for the 1994 Fort Smith Gridiron; is beginning his sixth season as the music director and accompanist for Fort Smith's own dinner theater troup Miss Laura's Players; he owns and operates his own recording studio in Fort Smith; and is currently performing with the Fort Smith based Soul Merchants and the Fayetteville based salsa group Barrio Band.
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