TRIAD

TRIAD, composed of Dominick Farinacci on trumpet, Michael Ward-Bergeman on accordion, and Christian Tamburr on marimba, is a musical trio that came together in London to workshop a new show for the West End. Despite the physical distance between their instruments, the musicians immediately felt a strong sense of camaraderie and shared humor. With some guard rails in place at the sessions, the three explorers got a sense that they had something - a new sound that could go far if they could just get out on the open road.

TRIAD's members draw from a wide range of influences but find common ground in their appreciation for melodic compositions. While rooted in a classical approach, TRIAD infuses their music with various styles from South America, Argentina, Brazil, and New Orleans, presenting them in a fresh and innovative manner. Their repertoire spans from Kurt Weill to Screaming Jay Hawkins to John Mayer, with each song chosen for its melodic content and integrated into the overarching TRIAD concept. The result is a musical journey that tells a story of the world, taking listeners on a captivating ride from beginning to end.

‘To define the TRIAD sound, I think of how we build these beautiful and lyrical melodies and a sound around them - a new environment for them to live in.’ (Dominick Farinacci)

‘From inception TRIAD was steeped in a classical approach, blending virtuosity with the free spirit of Jazz improvisation, we breathe some fresh air and joy into each genre we touch. (Christian Tamburr)

Throughout their performances, TRIAD embraces humor and joy, allowing their music to disarm critical faculties and transport the audience to a place of healing. These three friends have discovered happiness, laughter, and excitement in  a world of constant challenge. By simply having fun and inviting others to share in the joy of music, TRIAD creates a memorable and uplifting experience for all.

‘For me, it’s about the low end, specifically with the accordion and marimba. Those frequencies are not only heard but felt by the audience, creating a resonance between the ensemble and the listeners’ (Michael Ward-Bergeman)

TRIAD presents their self-titled debut in the spring of 2024. A carefully collected set of tunes cover a broad range of influences, all capturing the fresh sound of the ensemble.

Tracklist:

01 Libertango (Astor Piazzolla)

02 Federal (Michael Ward-Bergeman)

03 Je Ne T'aime Pas (Kurt Weill)

04 Domingando (Yamandu Costa)

05 Interlude (Dominick Farinacci)

06 I Put a Spell on You (Jalacy J. Hawkins)

07 A Prayer for You (Dominick Farinacci)

08 St. James Infirmary Blues (Traditional)

Dominick Farinacci | trumpet

Christian Tamburr | vibraphone & marimba

Michael Ward-Bergeman | accordion

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Jamey Haddad | percussion (tracks 2,4,6,8-10)

Shenel Johns | vocal (tracks 6,8,10)

PRODUCTION

Executive Producers: Amy Haines and Richard Marks

Associate Producers: Marty and Al Sikes

Produced by TRIAD

Recorded by Michael Seifert and David Alan Shaw at Suma Recording 

Mixed by Michael Seifert

Mastered by David Alan Shaw

Art Director: Christopher Kornmann | Spit + Image

New York City-based trumpeter Dominick Farinacci served as ambassador to Jazz at Lincoln from 2013-2015 in Doha, Qatar, working to further integrate music into communities around the world in culturally collaborative ways. He is a 2022 recipient of the Cleveland Arts Prize, an honor previously awarded to author Toni Morrison, and Cleveland Orchestra conductors George Szell and Franz Welser-Möst. Dominick graduated from The Juilliard School in 2005 launching his career in Japan with a prolific run of eight albums, later releasing four more globally. He has performed around the world and has been recognized by The New York Times as “a trumpeter of abundant poise.” He was a featured guest on ABC’s Good Morning America and is a TED Speaker. Dominick has been profiled in Vanity Fair, and music icon Quincy Jones says of Dominick’s accomplishments in performance, recording, education & advocacy, “This kid is 360 degrees!” 

Dominick has been successful in his personal endeavors on bringing music into the community through Arts and Wellness & Education. He was invited by TED to be a TED Speaker at the 2014 TED MED conference at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He is co-founder of Modern Warrior LIVE, an immersive musical and narrative experience detailing a U.S. Veteran’s story of combat in Afghanistan, highlighting the mental trauma of war and potential growth that can come through experiencing trauma. Modern Warrior LIVE has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the 26th U.S. Secretary of Defense – General James Mattis – and has been showcased at Amazon Headquarters and at the National Council for Behavioral Health Conference opening for Brené Brown.

Dominick is the director of the Tri-C JazzFest Academy, a year-round pre-college program of Cuyahoga Community College, housed at the Gill and Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts in Cleveland, Ohio. His 2016 recording “Short Stories” was produced by four-time Grammy Award winning producer Tommy LiPuma, and features Jacob Collier, Christian McBride and Steve Gadd.  Dominick’s latest double EP “Reflections” features a series of duo performances with acclaimed pianists such as Aaron Diehl, Dan Tepfer, Adam Birnbaum and Jonathan Thomas, and the lead track on “Reflections” has received more than 1 million streams on Spotify in recent months.

Michael Ward-Bergeman is a passionate performer, songwriter and composer. He has performed extensively throughout the United States, South America and Europe.

On accordion, Mr. Ward-Bergeman has performed as a soloist alongside Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, and many of the major orchestras of the United States. He has performed at the international TED conference and has been a visiting artist at Harvard University, Oberlin Conservatory, Berklee College of Music and numerous other institutions. Mr. Ward-Bergeman has been featured on the PBS television program Live from Lincoln Center with the NY Philharmonic.

His compositions have been commissioned by Carnegie Hall, Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble and others. He has performed on dozens of recordings and soundtracks to movies by Francis Ford Coppola and others. His arrangement and performance of St. James Infirmary with

Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble appeared on their 2016 Grammy award winning album, Sing Me Home. 

Over the past five years Mr. Ward-Bergeman has focused on working closely with senior musicians of the New Orleans jazz and brass band traditions.  A concert recording and film documenting this work entitled “The Saints and Sinners of Jackson Square” were released in 2020. The documentary toured the international film festival circuit in 2021. 

Christian Tamburr is an internationally renowned vibraphonist, pianist, composer and arranger with touring and performances in over 71 countries around the world. Downbeat Magazine recognized him with the “Outstanding Solo Jazz Performance” award and is a multiple time “Critics Choice Top Rising Star” award recipient on vibraphone. He leads his own critically acclaimed touring ensemble with highlighted performances at the Kennedy Center, The Newport Jazz Festival, and Lincoln Center, where he recently premiered his newest project “Sounds For Sculpture”, a multi-sensory project featuring originally composed music inspired by the iconic bronze sculptures of famed sculptor Seward Johnson. As a creative director and producer, Christian has been responsible for the development of multiple headline shows and touring projects around the world, including Between the Lines (Palazzo Hotel, Las Vegas), Modern Warrior LIVE (On Tour), Soundtrack (The Westgate, Las Vegas) and collaborations with Cirque du Soleil, Spiegelworld Productions and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. In addition to his public performances, Christian is CEO and facilitator of Sonic Leadership, a musically inspired program on leadership and inclusion with clients such as GOOGLE, Cisco Systems, Amazon and Starwood Hotels. Christian is currently the musical director/pianist for 2018 Grammy nominated vocalist Clint Holmes and renowned singer-songwriter Shana Tucker.

 Christian has worked as musical director and pianist for Latin vocal legend Julio Iglesias, Cirque du Soleil in Macau China and Penn & Teller. He has performed private concerts for NBA basketball legend Michael Jordan, and was hired to entertain at the highly publicized surprise birthday party for actress Julia Roberts, in New York City. Christian’s first album “Move” sold over eighty-thousand copies and was released as a part of a Starbucks Gift Set available nationally. From 2013 to 2016 Christian toured on behalf of Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC as a Global Ambassador to Arts and Education in the U.A.E. and Asia.

Christian first started performing jazz at the age of 14, and has had the opportunity to tour and perform with many jazz legends including Dave Brubeck, Clark Terry, James Moody, Kenny Barron, Milt Hinton, Bucky Pizarelli, Tal Farlow, Nicolas Payton, Eric Marienthal, Marcus Printup, Tierney Sutton, Mark Murphy, Ann Hampton Calaway and Rene Marie.