BIOGRAPHY
Riccardo
To start off with some intros for you fine people, here is our Italian Stallion jazz pianist, Riccardo De Maria!
Ricky is new to FA this year but has put in an impressive amount of work and passion to this group ever since our first rehearsal. This combo would not be the same without his dedication.
Riccardo is seventeen years old and has been playing the piano since the young age of four. In his solos, he tends to have a bebop influence and is inspired by artists Charlie Parker, Thelonius Monk, Errol Garner, and Oscar Peterson.
Brendan
Brendan is originally from Bridgton, Maine but joined our Fryeburg family back in 2013. Out of our entire combo, he has improved the most since first playing with us back in 2017. He has made it into multiple honors level bands and his improvisation has been better than ever!
Brendan is seventeen years old and has been playing the trumpet since age nine! He is heavily influenced by 1950s hard bop and is inspired by artists Chet Baker, Miles Davis, and Lee Morgan.
Matthew
Up next is percussionist Matt Gunther!
Matt is an FA alumnus on a gap year and is planning on moving to the University of New Hampshire in the Fall of 2021. We’re so glad to have him playing with us, as he plays a remarkable role in controlling and sculpting the energy of each of our tunes.
Matt is nineteen years old and first started playing drums in third grade! At age 13 he was introduced to Jazz and Latin styles and has been rockin' with his own tasteful style ever since. Over the years he has been inspired by artists Les Harris Jr., Peter Erskine, and most of all Buddy Rich.
SIMON
Hence fourth, we now introduce our famous saxophonist, the one and only Simon St. Pierre!
Simon has been playing with Fryeburg ever since the first day he wrapped fingers around a horn. He has also been the face of the FA Music program for quite some time, as he has been one of the most dedicated members in our four years of FA Music.
Simon is eighteen years old and is inspired by musicians Mike Sakash, Paul Jones, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Paquito D'rivera. He would also like to give many thanks to Mr. Michael Sakash for truly inspiring his musicianship throughout the years.
Jaden
Last and far from least, the creator and face of The Fierman’s Five, bass player Jaden Fierman!
Jaden has been working towards an art certificate through FA for quite some time now, and has brought us together for his final capstone project. At first, it was strictly a project, but as we continued to play together, we realized how much fun we were having while sounding better each time we met. His idea has united us all and created something great that will be even greater in time to come.
Jaden is eighteen years old and has been playing bass since his freshman year of high school. Originally from Dallas, Pennsylvania, he had some guitar experience before learning the bass, leading to his rapid succession in FA Music. He would say his influences, despite them being mainly double bassists, would be Ron Carter, Ray Brown, and Charles Mingus. For more classic electric bass playing, he would have to go with Geddy Lee and David Brown.