Shekinah Rodz
Shekinah Rodz, a singer and multi-instrumentalist was born in Springfield (Massachusetts.) Her father, a minister, and her mother, both originally from Ponce, came back with the family in the late 80’s to Puerto Rico, subsequently Shekinah was raised in Caguas. There she studied music at the famous Escuela Libre de Música de Caguas. At the age of 17th Rodz entered to the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music completing a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance.
In 2005 Shekinah Rodz moved to Atlanta, GA to pursue her Master Degree at Georgia State University (GSU ) completing her Masters in Jazz Studies graduating on May 2008. Meanwhile Shekinah worked in different churches of the Atlanta, Metro Area in GA, Franklin Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina giving master classes, teaching and also performing with the Praise team. The Southern Gospel in GA became one of her favorite scene, she performed in the church of Bishop Eddie Long, the New Birth Baptist Church in Lithonia, GA. Mount Parant Church of God in Atlanta and the Maranatha Koinonia in Franklin, Tennessee with whom she went on tour in Israel to celebrate the Sukkot with famous Boston Violinist Paul Johnian.
Nowadays, in order to make a change in her musical career and expand her knowledge, Shekinah has moved to France with the opportunity to study, play and tour with musicians of the European scene. Rodz has performed within jazz festivals and special concerts in England with Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church of Houston, Romania, Switzerland, Israel, France, Greece, United States, Spain and Puerto Rico. She has performed with Nicholas Payton, Bill Stewart, Vincent Archer, The Afro-Borikén Jazz Ensemble a.o.
Olivier Gatto
Bassist, arranger, composer, educator & jazz coach.
Gatto, was born January 22nd, 1963 in Manosque, Provence, France. He started to play piano at seven year old and switch to upright bass when he was 21. A jazz fan since his childhood, he went to see Benny Goodman when he was 5 in Italy, he was mainly an autodidact until he enrolled the Berklee College of Music in Boston to study Jazz Composition & arranging, though he remains self taught on bass.
Gatto has recorded with Salif Keita & Cesaria Evora (Grammy Awards Nomination 2003), Billy Cobham, John Stubblefield, Mark Turner, Sam Newsome, Ravi Coltrane, George Cables, Craig Bailey, Derrick Gardner, Keith
Copeland, Giorgos Kontrafouris….
He is the bassist/musical director/composer of The Spiritual Warriors Ochestra, the leader/composer/arranger of Alma Caribe and the leader/composer /arranger of the Afro-Borikén Jazz Ensemble.
Gatto is also a teacher who has given various master classes in Europe, USA, Japan & Korea. He also writes music and collaborates with dancers and choreographers in various creations.
Olivier Gatto is also working on “The Lost Art of Playing Acoustic Music” an essay on how to play with acoustic laws while performing live Music.