Out of the archives
Current Body of Work
Explore the gallery for related photos and visit the Music & Video page for additional project media.
The Arrhythmias
In grad school, Jason missed the a cappella work he had done over the previous 4 years, so he founded another a cappella group, The Arrhythmias. Patterned after the Dutch Pipers, this was a co-ed a cappella group. Jason was again adept at vocal arrangements, and the group went on to perform locally in the New York City and Westchester areas.
Jason was even able to secure a permit to allow the group to perform at Grand Central Station, something that is very difficult to get authorized (and the group, since Jason’s departure, has not been able to do since). Jason again got the group to the studio, and their albums were sold for charity- one for Pediatric Aids, one for the National Cancer Society. The group gained significant notoriety, and even received a letter from David Letterman’s staff about their efforts. Perhaps Jason’s crowning vocal achievement was arranging a 5-part harmony of the national anthem which he and his classmates sang at Carnegie Hall for graduation.
Though this was at a time before iPhones, click here to see a rare video of the Arrhythmias at NYU, with Jason singing lead on “Is She Really Going Out With Him”
The Dutch Pipers
Besides Jason’s piano and keyboard skills, Jason is an accomplished singer and vocal arranger.
Having sung large-scale performances in choirs, including Handel’s Messiah and Jason’s personal favorite, Mozart’s Requiem at the West Point Chapel with a professional orchestra, Jason wanted to get into smaller singing groups that featured contemporary music- especially a cappella renditions of songs currently being played on the radio. In college, Jason auditioned for the all-men’s group, The Dutch Pipers, and after quick acceptance, went on to be the arranger and director of the group.
Jason was involved with several recordings, as well as live radio broadcasts of performances. The live performances were full of energy and humor, leading to an always-packed house.
The Groovy Buddhas
In college, Jason took a departure from the pop/rock sound of TDM. Jason, as a music major, co-founded the reggae/ska/funk group, “The Groovy Buddhas” in the Schenectady/Albany area. Their James Brown-inspired song “Shake Your Butt” earned them significant local college airplay, and before long the group was playing extensively in Albany, Saratoga Springs, and NYC. Taking a team approach to song writing, the band’s originals were well received, which were always looking to do something a little different than simple mainstream music.
The band also had well-received funk remakes of several cover songs, including the Beatles’ “Drive My Car”, Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer”, and Falco’s “Der Kommissar”. Besides Jason’s synth and piano abilities, Jason used organ sounds often for this style of music, even experimenting with running his keyboards through a wah pedal for solos. Word of the band made it to NYC, where the band was invited to play at The Underground and CBGB’s- all by a cassette demo!
TDM
Briefly leaving the NYC area, Jason went on to co-found the Buffalo-based rock/pop band “TDM”. Insisting on original music, the female-fronted quintet quickly garnered local attention, appearing on local radio and television’s Eyewitness News.
After their studio debut, TDM went on to perform extensively in the western NY area, and opened for Helen Reddy, The Scintas, and Ronnie Milsap, among others.
Here’s a track co-written by Jason called “When Love Slips Away.”