Featured Guest Artists
The Jazz Orgy features a guest artist every night.

Larry Herzberg’s obsession with music began in 1960 at the age of 6, when he began banging on his parents’ hardcover books with tablespoons. Trying to tame his unruly musical impulses, his parents enrolled him in piano lessons, but – for reasons now lost in the musty mists of memory – instead of becoming enamored with that venerable instrument, he gravitated toward a cheap little ukulele, and the rest, if not history, is at least a story. At 10 he graduated to the guitar.

At 12 he played his first gig. At 15, a couple of years after moving from down-home Gainesville FL to the more culturally diverse Honolulu HI, he began studying jazz with seasoned pro Bill Valdez. At 17 he began playing jazz gigs with fellow guitarist Charles “Icarus” Johnson and with pianist Ernie Washington (who had previously played with such luminaries as Charlie Parker and Miles Davis).

Immediately after graduating from Reed college in 1976, Larry moved to New York City, where he toured the East Coast with drummer Tony Williams (as a member of his Lifetime band). He moved shortly thereafter to L.A., where he joined Brazilian trombonist Raul De Souza’s band and played at the first Sao Paulo Jazz Festival before touring the United States. This kicked off a 15 year career working as a guitarist in L.A.’s recording studios and nightclubs, and as a musical director in Las Vegas and Atlantic City showrooms.

In 1993, he suspended his musical career to placate the jealous mistress he’d shacked up with at Reed: philosophy. In 2003 he earned a PhD in the subject from UCLA, and has ever since been contemplating fleeting shadows on the walls of a very large cave, introducing thousands of college students to this esoteric pursuit. However, every so often he rouses himself from that cave’s mesmerizing entrancement, picks up his guitar, and pays homage to his first love, le jazz hot!

Trumpeter Kurt Shipe recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He has had a very active musically throughout his high school and college years and was a member of the Wisconsin School Music Association’s State Honors Jazz Ensemble, the Fond du Lac Area All-Star Jazz Ensemble, the Fox Valley South Honor Band, the Fond du Lac Symphonic Band and the Lighthouse Big Band.

He has had the privilege of performing with such outstanding conductors, educators and performers as, Bob Mintzer and the Yellow Jackets, Tom “Bones” Malone, Maynard Ferguson, Mike Vax and the Stan Kenton Alumni Band, the Empire Brass, Bob Washut, Fred Sturm, Kenni Holman, Nicholas Payton, and Grammy award winning artist Nachito Herrera. Kurt’s private trumpet instructors include Dr. Randall Sorensen, Dr. Marty Robinson, and Mr. Robert Baca. During his senior year in high school, Mr. Shipe received the Outstanding Soloist Award at UW Green Bay’s annual Jazz Festival, and was the recipient of the Woody Herman Herman Scholarship, given by the Greater Milwaukee Area Foundation. He was the first person outside the greater Milwaukee area to have been awarded this scholarship.

In addition to his school and performance activities, Kurt is a member of the Wisconsin National Guard, 132nd Division Army Band, and is currently playing with the two time Grammy nominated, six time "Best College Big Band" in Downbeat Magazine, the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire’s Jazz 1 ensemble.

Amri Le Prince is a skilled and versatile percussionist that appeared rather suddenly on Wisconsin's Fox Valley music scene as a transplant from Tunisia, North Africa in the winter of 2012. Very little is known about Amri Le Prince, however, based on the few performances we have seen it can be assumed that he is adept with most hand drums. He is best known for his captivating performances on the darbuka drum.

His musical training and experience remain shrouded in mystery. He speaks in French, which is the primary language used in Tunisia, and he claims that his English is "not so good". Musicians in the region are hopeful that he can withstand the cold weather. Supporters of live, local music are encouraged give him a warm welcome!

"My name is Amri and I was born in 1981 in Bizerte, Tunisia. I started to like playing the rhythms of songs that I heard on the radio at a very young age. At the age of four, my mom bought my first darbouka made of clay. In 1987 I started primary school, where I had the chance to participate in our school's music club once a week. Since 1991, I have participated in many different music clubs like the “Club de Musique Arab” at the Youth Center of Bizerte and the “Club de Musique de la Maison de Culture Cheikh Driss” in Bizerte. In 1993, I became a member in the music club at my secondary school, and I was chosen to play with a group of the best musicians under the age of eighteen in the region of Bizerte called the “Selection Regional de Musique de Bizerte.” In the same year I started to play with bands at weddings and parties.In 1995, I started my formal studies of classical Arabic music at the Regional Music Conservatory of Bizerte, and I also became a member of the Conservatory's band. I discovered and practiced new music from around the world. In 2002 I passed the theoretical and practical exam for my instrument, and I receive my “professional musician” certificate. Then in 2005, I organized a group of percussionists that I named “Racine.” I composed six shows, and played in eight with this group until 2009. During this time I also played with many stars in Tunisia like Hossine el Afrit, Nabiha Karaouli, Ahmed Echrif, Fatma Turki, Saber Rebai... and different groups like The Garby's, Salsa Cubana, and with DJs...I played on live television many times with different artists like Slim Backouch, Mejed Khalifi, The Garby's... Additionally, I played at a lot of international festivals in my country like the Tabarka Jazz Festival, the International Music Festivals of Bizerte, Hammamet, Sousse, Djerba... I also participated in performances in Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco. Also, I played different musical styles including salsa, house, reggae, jazz..."

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