BML Teachers by Instrument & Topics

Click a teacher's name to read more.

Aya Nishina


Primary Instrument: 
Composition, Music Theory, Ear Training, Child Education
Studio Neighborhood: 
Park Slope
Convenient Subway Lines: 
F train
G train
M train
R train
Influences: 
Sounds of the earth, Breaths, Lullabies and chants from around the world, Bhagavad Gita, Gamalan Music from Indonesia and Bali, Gagaku (Japanese Imperial court music from Heian period), Guillaume de Machaut, Josquin Desprez, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Carlo Gesualdo, Arcangelo Corelli, Heinrich Ignaz Biber, Jean-Philippe Rameau, J.S.Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, W.A.Mozart, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, P.I. Tchaikovsky, Gustav Mahler, Claude Debussy, Alexander Scriabin, Maurice Ravel, Anton Webern, Alban Berg, Bela Bartok, Igor Stravinsky, Nadia Boulanger, Alfred Cortot, Andrés Segovia, Dmitri Schostakovich, Herbert von Karajan, Olivier Messian, Akira Kurosawa, John Cage, Michelangelo Antonioni, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Luciano Berio, George Crumb, Gyorgy Ligeti, Luigi Nono, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Toru Takemitsu, Andrei Arsenyevich, Glenn Gould, Terry Riley, Martin Scorsese, Evan Parker, Bernard Woma, Cyro Baptista, Kaija Saariaho, John Zorn, Akira Nishimura, The Beatles, Ned Rothenberg, Brad Mehldau, Björk, Radiohead... (approximately in historical order).

Brandon Terzic

Primary Instrument: 
Electric and Nylon String Guitar / Oud / Saz
Studio Neighborhood: 
East Village, Manhattan
Convenient Subway Lines: 
F train
V train
L train
Influences: 

Paco De Lucia, Jimi Hendrix, Ali Farke Toure, Ry Cooder, Salif Kaita, Lionel Loueke, Kora Music, Oud Music, Gnawan

Christopher Tordini

Primary Instrument: 
Bass
Studio Neighborhood: 
Crown Heights
Convenient Subway Lines: 
3 train
A train
C train
S train
Influences: 

the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Gillian Welch, Liquid Tension Experiment, John Coltrane, Jimmy Garrison, Bill Evans, Scott Lofaro, Charles Mingus, Bjork, Radiohead, Meshuggah, At The Drive-In, Morton Feldman, Steve Reich, the Jackson 5, Arcade Fire, the Police, J.S. Bach, Joanna Newsom, Jim Black, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Brad Mehldau, Thomas Morgan, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Keith Jarrett, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Duke Ellington, David Lynch, Andy Kaufman, chess, food

Clynt Yerkes

Primary Instrument: 
Trumpet
Studio Neighborhood: 
Ditmas Park
Convenient Subway Lines: 
B train
F train
Q train
Influences: 

Miles Davis, Radiohead, Tower of Power, Parliament, Willie Nelson, Maceo Parker, John Coltrane, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Prince, Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Squarepusher, MMW, Johnny Cash, Joanna Newsom, Freddie Hubbard, Jeff Beck, Bjork, Aphex Twin, Mingus, Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, Hector Lavoe, Celia Cruz, Wille Colon, Count Basie, Brian Lynch, Harry James, Kenny Wheeler, Roy Hargrove, Duke Ellington, Woody Shaw, Kool & the Gang, Red Garland, Cannonball Adderley, George Coleman, Joe Henderson, Elvin Jones, Christian Scott, Chick Corea.

Curtis Macdonald

Primary Instrument: 
Saxophone
Studio Neighborhood: 
South Slope
Convenient Subway Lines: 
F train
M train
R train
Influences: 

Art Pepper, Paul Desmond, Lee Konitz, Stan Getz, Ben Webster, Greg Osby, Steve Lehman, Vijay Iyer, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Joe Lovano, Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny, Bela Bartok, Steve Reich, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Jaga Jazzist, The Books, Prefuse 73, Boards of Canada, The Foreign Exchange, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Nino Rota, Alexandre Desplat, Frank Sinatra

Derek VanScoten

Primary Instrument: 
Guitar, Mandolin, Electric Bass, Tenor Banjo, Bouzouki, Ableton Live, DJ, Pro Tools
Studio Neighborhood: 
Park Slope
Convenient Subway Lines: 
2 train
3 train
B train
F train
G train
M train
Q train
R train
Influences: 

Any great rock guitarist / group, acoustic bands like the David Grisman Quintet and Solas, beat producers like The Roots and Flying Lotus, the beauty of classical music, the depth of jazz guitar, breathtaking song writing like James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Sufjan Stevens, the groove and tone of any Motown or Staxx era artists, the attitude of punk rock, the sensation of group improvisation and the voice of my wife.

Greg Ruggiero

Primary Instrument: 
Guitar
Studio Neighborhood: 
Ditmas Park
Convenient Subway Lines: 
B train
Q train
Influences: 

Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Jim Hall, Pete Bernstein, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Pat Metheny, Stan Getz, Lennie Tristano, Chris Cheek, Jobim, Pantara, Megadeth, Metallica, Guns n Roses, The Police, Bach, Hildegard von Bingen, Ravel, Palestrina

Jason Arce

Primary Instrument: 
Saxophone
Studio Neighborhood: 
Brooklyn Heights
Convenient Subway Lines: 
2 train
3 train
4 train
5 train
A train
C train
M train
R train
Influences: 

Nat King Cole, Norah Jones, MF Doom, Soul For Real, MercyMe, Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo, Minus the Bear, Damien Rice, Ari Hest, White Buffalo, Jason Morant, Joseph Arthur, Sufjan Stevens, Frou Frou, Raul Midon, Circa Survive, Amos Lee, Soulive, India Arie, Kings of Convenience, Fundamentals, Buena Vista Social Club, Carmen McRae, Mae, Lee Morgan, Clifford Brown, Third Day, Cannonball, Ben Harper, Freddie Hubbard, Bill Evans, Joe Henderson, Joshua Redman, Nick Drake, Josh Kelley, Jeffrey Gaines, Joe Lovano, Duncan Sheik, Natalie Imbruglia, Seamus Blake, Count Basie, Agents of Good Roots, Marvin Gaye, Jeff Buckley, Black Eyed Peas, Aloha, Eva Cassidy, Mates of State, Medeski Martin & Wood, Of Montreal, Gilad Atzmon, Brian Jones, Ray LaMontagne, Vast, Chick Corea, Harry Connick Jr., Imogen Heap, Gipsy Kings, Ida, Brahms, Chris Potter, Nas, Wes Montgomery, Cross Movement, Seven Places, Richie Valens, Buddy Holly, Rooney, Beach Boys, Samuel Barber, Mars Volta, At the Drive In, John Coltrane, Jack Johnson, Duke Ellington, Sparta, Radiohead, Coldplay, Karl Denson, Roy Hargrove, Old No Doubt, Ella, Jesse Cook, Marc Anthony, Enrique, Mutemath, Jimmy Eat World, Copeland, Dave Holland, Guster, Bio Ritmo, Modern Groove Syndicate, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Mehldau, The Roots, Kanye, John Legend, Common, Mos Def, Talib, Sinatra, Bob Marley, Milton Nascimento, Louis Armstrong, Luce, Marvin Gaye, Nina Simone, Eisley, Michael Tolcher, McCoy Tyner, Hank Jones, Paul Motian, Benny Carter, Hank Mobley, Miles Davis, Animal Collective, Of Montreal, Robert Glasper, Anais Mitchell

Jeff Denson

It look's like you don't have Adobe Flash Player installed. Get it now.

Untitled by Jeff Denson & Claudio Puntin

Primary Instrument: 
Double Bass, Electric Bass
Studio Neighborhood: 
Clinton Hill
Convenient Subway Lines: 
C train
G train
Influences: 

Charles Mingus, Scott LaFaro, Ron Carter, Pablo Casals, Bach, The Beatles, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Miles Davis, Mark Dresser, Minsarah

Testimonials: 

Jeff is a bassist who digs deeply into the philosophical principles that define what jazz is and can be. In addition to being a very thorough student of the history of his instrument, he is an accomplished composer, teacher, and arranger.

—Marcus Roberts (jazz pianist)

NEW YORK TIMES:

...sparkling ....tantalizing...

WASHINGTON POST:

…richly textured and often wonderfully evocative, a celebration of cultural diversity and thematic exploration.

DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE:

...defies easy characterization...effective, evocative...

Neue Voralberger Tageszeitung (Germany):

Denson seems to be not only a bassist with a wide pallet of colors, but also prolific composer.

Jesse Elder

Primary Instrument: 
Piano
Studio Neighborhood: 
Fort Greene
Convenient Subway Lines: 
2 train
3 train
4 train
5 train
C train
B train
G train
M train
Q train
R train
Influences: 

I'm influenced by the earth, water, sound, ideas, history, visual images, visual arts, literature, music, dance, food, places, walks, exercise, family, relationships, etc...

I have never attempted a complete list of my musical influences.  I really have way too many to list and don't know where to start or stop, so I'll just write down some of them:

Gregorian chant, folk songs from all over the world, hymns, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Thad Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Billy Holiday, Ahmad Jamal, Wayne Shorter, Cecil Taylor, Muhal Richard Abrams, Keith Jarrett, Brad Mehldau, Chick Corea,  Jason Moran, Andrew Hill, Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes, Jack DeJohnette, Tony Williams, Art Blakey, Paul Motian, Nasheet Waits, Tyshawn Sorey, Steve Lehman, Pat Metheney, Henry Threadgill, Harry Partch, J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, R. Schuman, George Crumb,  Stockhausen, Debussy, Ravel, Takemitsu, Ayaka Nishina,  Joni Mitchel, the Beatles, Radiohead, Weezer, Green Day, Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine, Led Zeppelin, YES, R.E.M, etc...