"Just the Beginning": My debut CD has been recorded and will be available soon. I was joined by a stellar band featuring Jeremy Pelt, Steve Davis, Jeb Patton, Vicente Archer, and Willie Jones III. Everybody played great and some of the band contributed tunes and arrangements. Have some excerpts on the MP3 page and will add a bonus track to website when the CD is out.

Another project I've been working on is a new group with Randy Napoleon, Jared Gold, and Pete VanNostrand called Julius Tolentino and Full Circle. Inspired by one of my musical heroes Illinois Jacquet this band will be tackling repertoire from the swing era and will allow me to feature my tenor playing. Check out MP3s >>

Julius Tolentino Trio at Cleopatra's Needle:
Cleo's has been a mainstay for me since I moved to NY in 1998. Started off by playing with and subbing for Philip Harper which eventually led to my own weekly gig. I'm still there, now every Sunday running the jam session. Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove and Frank Wes have made appearances in the past.

Jeremy Pelt's Quintet:
Pelt and I go back to our college days and were roommates when we first moved to NYC. I've had the pleasure of playing with him in many musical settings, but always look forward to his projects. I've gotten to play the Jazz Mobile and with the great Louis Hayes. More recently I made my Village Vanguard debut and will be back there in November with Pelt.

Illinois Jacquet's Big Band:
I'm proud to say I was in Illinois Jacquet's Big Band for 5 years. This was my first real introduction to playing in a big band and my first experiences with being on the road. Illinois' tough love way of teaching gave me and many others a sort of jazz soldier mentality, which will definetly be missed. Two projects I was lucky to be a part of will hopefully be out this year. The first is the last performance we did at Lincoln Center and the second is an educational DVD in honor of Illinois which contains some great interviews.

Kendrick Oliver's New Life Jazz Orchestra:
I've been a member of Ken's band since 2000 and it's one of the most swinginest bands in the land. Based in Boston the band can often be seen at Sculler's and the Regatta Bar, but are branching out to venues like the Newport Jazz Fest and Birdland. Lately we've been featuring Cyrus Chestnut, Kevin Mahogany, and Marleena Shaw.