
Help Fund a Brand New Jazz Concept Album!
Hello all! We are a team of four Jazz musicians based in New York, Baltimore, and Ann Arbor, MI. We are looking for funding for an all new Jazz concept album, which tells the story of two people meeting, falling in love, and drifting apart over the course of 13 tracks. The album includes all new arrangements of classics by Hoagie Carmichael, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and more, all written by local Jazz masters Cole Abod and Mohan Ritsema, and sung by Miles Eichenhorn and Samantha Buyers.
Cole P. Abod is a professional freelance music director, orchestrator, and pianist. With well-rounded professional credits in both jazz and musical theatre, he has worked professionally at Farmers Alley Theatre (Kalamazoo, MI) and played at jazz venues across the country, including Twins Jazz, the Blue LLama, and Germano’s. Cole has also orchestrated several full length musicals (SHEL, The Outs and Ins, Dynamite: A Wicked Sweet Musical), and has written arrangements that have appeared at the Feinstein’s/54 Below cabaret venue in New York City. Cole is currently based in Maryland.
Mohan Ritsema is a bassist, composer, and arranger based out of South East Michigan. He discovered his passion for music at a very young age, and in 2020, he received his BFA in Jazz Studies from the University of Michigan. His influences include everything from Miles Davis to Thad Jones to Maurice Ravel to Zakir Hussain.
Miles Eichenhorn is an actor, writer, and musician based in New York and Detroit. He has performed in countless musicals and plays around the world including Cabaret, The Late Wedding (New York University), and Macbeth at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. He has performed with the Michigan Opera Theatre, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and has appeared in The New York Times. Miles also works as a freelance musician, performing jazz vocals at private or charitable events. He was the recipient of the Traub Scholarship for Music in 2017.
Samantha Buyers is an actor, musician and vocalist based in the state of Michigan. A vocal performance major at the University of Michigan, Samantha has performed with several established organizations including the Ann Arbor and Detroit Symphonies. A seasoned vocalist and music producer, Samantha has arranged and produced music for her solo career as well as for the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. She lives with her dog Winnie in Ann Arbor.
This is a full-scale project involving multiple local musicians, artists, and sound engineers, to be recorded at the University of Michigan August 27th and 28th. By contributing to this fundraiser, you are helping an independent team create art for the masses. We hope that this album not only gives you new versions of the songs you love, but touches your soul and makes you want to fall in love. Whether you can give $5 or $500, we are grateful you have taken the time to support local artists and great music. We thank you for your support!