The John Priddy Quartet

About the Players:

John Priddy is a Boise native, drummer, and composer. He has spent over 10 years dedicating himself to music. John began his journey at a small private school formerly known as “Arts West” created by musician Justin Nielsen. Arts West was a breeding ground for artists and musicians alike. It was there that John studied under Grammy award-winning bassist, Clark Sommers, and American drummer and percussionist, Kobie Watkins, who is well known in the jazz world for playing and recording with names such as Sonny Rollins, Branford Marsalis, Kurt Elling, Terence Blanchard, Christian McBride, and many more. John received a scholarship at the California Institute of The Arts where he studied under jazz drummer, Joe LaBarbera, for 2 years. John spends most of his days composing, continuing his musical education, and plans on moving to New York or LA within the next year to pursue his career in music.

Justin Nielsen is a performer, composer, recording artist, and teacher residing in Boise, Idaho. Though he has lived his life in the mountain west, he has had a dynamic career that has made it possible for him to play and teach with some of the greatest musicians in the world. He is a charter member of the Kobie Watkins Grouptet, which he performs and tours frequently. The group's last recording was named one of the top 10 jazz records of 2018 by the Chicago Tribune. His arrangements and compositions have been performed at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and many other distinguished music halls in the U.S. and abroad. He also performs, tours, and records regularly with his trio, The Kindness. 

Though Justin loves performing, his greatest passion comes from teaching and inspiring people to play and love music. He was a founder of ArtsWest/Fresco Arts Academy, a private school for young performing artists in Eagle, ID, where he worked and taught for 7 years. His students have literally won hundreds of national honors, including recognition from Downbeat magazine, the national Grammy organization, and the Monterey Next Generation competition. His students have also garnered over $5 Million in scholarship offers to the finest music schools in the country including Calarts, Manhattan School of Music, Berklee College of Music, USC, and many many others. Many of his former students are now professional musicians. He is a founder/owner of Sing Music Academy: the culmination of Justin's last 20 years of mentoring creative musicians. Sing Music Academy is a community of parents, teachers, and peers who rally around young musicians. Justin has released two albums as a leader, Divine Colors and Prayer for Peace.

Tim Green is a pianist, upright bassist, and composer based in Boise since 2020. Originally from central Illinois, Tim was a part of Chicago’s vibrant and historic jazz scene for nearly twenty years. There, he learned from countless musicians and was afforded opportunities to record and perform across a wide variety of genres.

Though known mostly as a jazz musician, Tim has played Viva Chicago with both Latin Jazz and Salsa bands and has recorded across genres including modern pop, Latin, and Jazz. He has been a recording artist for Origin/OA2 Records since 2002.

His most recent recording, Lake Effect, features Bill Carrothers on piano and Makaya McCraven on drums.

Prior to performing music, Tim earned a degree in Philosophy from Eastern Illinois University.

Ben Britton: A tenacious jazz musician from the northwest United States, saxophonist Ben Britton is an exceptional performer, composer, and educator. Britton's performance career has included recording four albums as a leader and recording and performing alongside world-class jazz musicians such as Chris Potter, Harold Danko, and Sullivan Fortner among others.

Britton has won or placed as a finalist in multiple competitions including the Detroit Jazz Festival International Saxophone Competition and Kansas City's Charlie Parker Cutting Contest. In the academic world, Ben completed his graduate work in jazz studies at the Eastman and Manhattan schools, and he currently teaches jazz and woodwinds at the College of Southern Idaho

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Category: Community | Recreation