RAVI ABCARIAN, Executive Director

Bay Area based composer and jazz bassist, Ravi Abcarian, started learning guitar at the age of seven and began playing bass when his high school jazz band director challenged him to switch from electric guitar to upright bass.

Ravi went on to join the house band for a weekly jam session at famed jazz venue, Yoshi’s Oakland. There, he met and began working with many of the Bay Area’s great musicians, including Faye Carol, Edwin Kelly, and Smiley Winters. By his mid-twenties he was performing in clubs, cafés, and  jazz festivals throughout the region. On bass, Ravi has accompanied artists ranging from legendary tap dancer Fayard Nicholas (of the Nicholas Brothers) and vocal group Sweet Honey in the Rock, to tenor saxophonists Chico Freeman, Joshua Redman, and Sonny Simmons.

Ravi has extensive experience within the nonprofit arts arena through his former role as the Artistic Director of “The Richmond Jazz Collective,” a resident company at The East Bay Center for Performing Arts (EBCPA) where he taught from 1993 to 2013, successfully re-oriented the jazz program toward youth, and developed and launched the first EBCPA Jazz Summer Day Camp. Ravi has also implemented music curricula in both public and private schools for grades K through 12 and has worked for the San Francisco Symphony’s Adventures In Music Program.

In 1997 Ravi was asked to join OJW as the bass teacher by Founding Director, Khalil Shaheed. Shortly after, Ravi was promoted to the position of Educational Director. In 2011, he was appointed Executive Director of OJW by Mr. Shaheed and the OJW Board of Directors. As Executive Director, Ravi works directly with the young musicians of OJW in weekly classes and workshops, and collaborates with the board and staff to develop new ways to strengthen the organization.

RICHARD HOWELL (tenor and soprano saxophone) Instructor/Performer

Accomplished international saxophonist, vocalist, composer, educator Richard Howell has explored a vast spectrum of music. His powerful, melodic saxophone playing has been heard with artists as diverse and definitive as blues/jazz/soul legends Etta James, Chaka Khan, Maurice White, Carlos Santana, Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry, Billy Higgins, Charlie Haden, Hilton Ruiz, Bernard Purdie, Buddy Guy, Bobby Watson, Regina Carter, Jimmy Smith, Charlie Musselwhite, Joe Louis Walker, Ledisi, Taj Mahal, Christian Scott, Azar Lawrence, and Latin/Afro/rhythmic pioneers Willie Bobo, Bill Summers and Pete Escovedo. Richard has performed at the Mali Music Conservatory with Fra Fra Sound and Toumani Diabate in Bamako, Mali and has also been a special guest of Salif Keita known as “the Golden Voice of Africa.”

“Birds Eye View,” a Gregory Dawson-Richard Howell collaboration of Modern Ballet and Jazz music performance had its debut in 2013 at the Black Choreographer Festival, and was performed “Live” by the Richard Howell Quintet (RHQ) and awarded the 2014 Isadora Duncan Award for Outstanding Achievement in music/sound/text.

As an educator and Jazz emissary Richard contributed to many Jazz education programs including the SFJazz program “Jazz In The Middle,” James Henry’s “Samba Samba Workshops,” San Francisco Symphony “Adventures In Music” and The Oakland Public Conservatory. He has found his home as an instructor with Oaktown Jazz Workshops. In addition he is the founder of the “JazzTree Education Workshop,” a successful international Jazz History Lecture Series.

MARK LEE (drums) Instructor/Performer

Mark Lee has a wealth of experience performing on the San Francisco/BayArea instrumental music and musical theater scene.  He has backed vocalist Ernestine Anderson, Freda Payne, Charles Brown, Mary Lou Henner, Stephanie Powers, The Pointer Sisters and many more.

RON MARABUTO (drums) Instructor/Performer

Ron Marabuto is the son of pianist/arranger John Marabuto and was raised in the East Bay. After graduating from UC Berkeley, he spent over a decade in New York City working with jazz greats such as Pepper Adams, Tommy Flanagan and Roland Hanna. Upon returning to San Francisco, Ron continued to work with many notable musicians including, Buddy Montgomery, Bruce Forman and Mark Levine. Ron has taught at Stanford Jazz Workshop, JazzCamp West and Monterey Jazz Festival Education Program.

ANTHONY MILLS-BRANCH (bass) Instructor/Performer

Anthony Mills-Branch first learned to play alto saxophone at the age of 8 and by the time he was in middle school was playing baritone, tenor and soprano sax with his school band while also teaching himself bass guitar at home.

At age 14 Anthony became involved in the after-school music program at Oakland’s Allen Temple Baptist Church where he was a member and it was at their summer music program that he first met Oaktown Jazz Workshops’ Founding Director, Khalil Shaheed. Later that year, Educational Director, Ravi Abcarian invited him to join OJW’s performance Ensemble where also began playing upright bass. 

After graduating high school Anthony became OJW’s first “Youth Mentor” and he now teaches private lessons and workshops as a bass instructor.

Anthony has recorded and performed with Elujay, The Futurelics and Frequencyexclusive while also co-leading his own group the 3-Elements.”

MARY NGUYEN (piano) Guest Instructor/Performer

Mary Nguyen is a pianist, composer, and instructor from Oakland experienced in jazz, improvised music, and musical theatre. She started as a classically trained pianist, but moved into playing jazz at an early age. She is a double major in Music and Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, where she has studied with Myra Melford, Dann Zinn, Erika Oba, Marty Wehner and Ted Moore.

ANDY OSTWALD (piano) Instructor/Performer

 Andy’s book/CD series, “Play Jazz, Blues, Rock Piano by Ear,” has received high praise in Keyboard Magazine, American Music Teacher Journal, and California Music Teacher, and is currently sold world-wide. He’s been teaching at OJW since 2002, and providing private piano instruction since 1985. Andy has performed/recorded with the Peck Almond Group, Jacqui Naylor, and the Cartoon Jazz Septet, and has toured extensively with Diane Witherspoon. He received his Bachelor’s degree in piano performance from San Jose State University, and later studied in New York with renowned jazz pianist, Harold Mabern.

GEECHI TAYLOR (trumpet) Guest Instructor/Performer

 Geechi Taylor, premiere trumpeter, instructor, and educator, was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Since the age of 13 Geechi has been immersed in playing music and, as a teen, he was recruited to participate in various music camps.  After being accepted into the University of California at Berkeley’s Young Musicians Program, where he received his most extensive training, Geechi was accepted on a full tuition scholarship to the New England Conservatory.  After completing his degree, Geechi performed shows with musical greats, Patrice Rushen, Ndugu Chancler, Rodney Whitaker and Herlin Riley.  He has toured with a range of hip-hop, jazz,and blues artists including Lauryn Hill, Dr. Anthony Brown’s Asian American Orchestra, and blues legend Jackie Payne.

DAVID UDOLF (piano) Instructor/Performer

David Udolf – Professional pianist and music teacher, Certified teacher of the Alexander Technique, American Society for the Alexander Technique (AmSat), University of Edinburgh, Scotland MSc, Hofstra University, New York BA

David moved to the Bay Area in early 1991 after touring the world for several years as a musical director for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. He toured for six years with San Francisco’s own legendary New Pickle Circus and in addition has played with Terri Bryant of the Fifth Dimension, singer Mary Stallings, saxophonist Herb Geller, Joe Piscopo and R&B legend Bo Diddley. Other Bay Area artists he has worked with include: Jules Broussard, Opie Bellas, Sherri Roberts, Kenny Washington, Jennifer Lee, Clairdee, Denise Perrier, Lavay Smith, Shanna Carlson, Cathi Walkup, Vicki Burns, the Chuck Metcalf quartet, Warren Gale, Graham Bruce, Noel Jewkes, Hal Stein, Pete Yellin, the Donald Bailey trio, the Jules Rowell Quintet, Dmitri Matheny, and a host of other rich talent.

CHARLES “CJ” JOHNSON, House Manager

As an OJW parent, CJ is wholeheartedly committed to the vision and goals of OJW. CJ regularly volunteers to provide operations support for the musicians and staff of OJW during public concerts.  He brings years of experience managing live music events from his previous role managing gospel groups in the Bay Area.  CJ is retired after 45 years as an Information Technology Data Center Manager, including 24 years as the Data Center Manager for Alameda County.

AMY OCHI, Finance Manager

Amy conducts payroll and bookkeeping services for OJW. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Amy was excited to discover Oaktown Jazz Workshops for her 9-year-old daughter. That was fifteen years ago when she was transitioning from working in a corporate environment to volunteering for various non-profit educational programs. Oaktown Jazz Workshops was of special interest to Amy who strongly believes that an arts education is deeply critical to a child’s success in school. A graduate of UC Berkeley (Sociology), Amy is convinced that bookkeeping to live jazz music has got to be one of the best jobs in the world.

AUDREY SIDES, Administrative Assistant

Audrey was born and raised in Oakland, CA and does bookkeeping and administrative work to support her dance career. She grew up following her sister to OJW and has been in and around the Oaktown Jazz© community for over 10 years.

AMY KISER, Development Consultant

Amy supports OJW’s development efforts which include securing funding from individual donors, foundations, and public agencies. Previously, Amy served as Development Director and Director of Education and Engagement for Berkeley’s Ecology Center. Amy loves to write about youth and the creative process for OJW; it harkens back to when she worked in the Creative Writing Department at the Denver School of the Arts and wrote music articles for Denver’s alternative weekly, Westword.