Emerging Jazz Talents

Violet Mujica: The Trumpet Sensation

Rising jazz trumpeter and composer Violet Mujica is studying at William Paterson University and has been playing her horn since she was 8 years old. She was a long-time student at Jazz House Kids, where she had the opportunity to study under such powerhouse teachers as Mike Lee, Ingrid Jensen, Lakecia Benjamin, and Nathan Eklund-- as well as play at venues such as the Prudential Center, The Jazz Gallery, NJPAC, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Dizzy's Club, and The Montclair Jazz Festival.

She studies now under the great trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, and is a member of the William Paterson Jazz Orchestra. Violet also performs with her own group, The Violet Mujica Trio, which has performed at the New Jersey Jazz Society, Tavern on George, and the Franklin Showroom in Tribeca. She has an insatiable appetite for all types of music and considers Roy Hargrove to be her main inspiration on trumpet.

Being affiliated with TheHeart of Jazz Foundation has been a highlight of her young career.

The support and encouragement from the foundation has helped her grow as an artist and make incredible connections. Violet teaches privately to all ages, serves as a teaching assistant at Jazz House Kids and works each summer at a camp for children with type 1 diabetes.

James Ambrose: The Innovative Saxophonist

A student at William Paterson University, James Ambrose has been playing the sax since the 4th grade when he discovered John Coltrane.  He grew up in a jazz household. His father also plays tenor sax. However, it was in middle school where he played jazz in the school’s orchestra and found joy in playing with a larger ensemble.

Although he played the music, he did not fully connect to the experience. All that changed in 2021 when James started to play with other jazz musicians at clubs in the D.C area. 

Those experiences helped illuminate his path and made him realize that this music is his life’s passion. Amongst his influences are Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, Harold Vick and Joe Lovano.

James’ affiliation with The Heart of Jazz Foundation has been much more than a financial resource. It has given him a supportive community, enabling him to connect with mentors who can help him navigate his career.

James also enjoys playing classical music and is in the William Paterson University Wind Ensemble, giving him the opportunity to play at Carnegie Hall. Composing and performing his own music are among James’ goals, and his ambition is to tour the world. 

Marel Hidalgo: The Virtuoso Guitarist

At age 15, Marel Hidalgo might seem like any other youngster from Bradley Beach, N.J. But the guitarist and multi-instrumentalist is already the founder of "The Marel Hidalgo Band". He began learning music at age four, under the instruction of guitar teacher Jerry Franklin at Big Beat Music Studio in Neptune City and within a few months, he had his first presentation as a guest of renowned reggae artist Tim P-Dub (The Skalites, Damian Marley, Toots & The Maytals, The Wailers).

At age six, Marel formed his first band "Marel Hidalgo & Friends," a multi-generational project that explored a wide variety of genres, including classic rock, soul, blues, funk, reggae, country, bluegrass and Latin jazz. After his band’s debut in a packed local venue, Marel started building a name in the Jersey Shore music scene. He has performed in numerous festivals such as the South Orange Blues Festival, South Mountain International Blues Festival, and The Denver Day Of Rock as well as The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music in New York and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

During his 11-years as a musician, Marel has had the honor to be on stage with many talented musicians, such as drummer Roger Humphries (Dizzy Gillespie, Horace Silver, Grant Green, Lee Morgan, Coleman Hawkins, Lionel Hampton), bassist Dwayne Dolphin (Wynton Marsalis, Stanley Turrentine, Geri Allen, Nancy Wilson), alto saxophonist Tony Campbell (Roy Ayers, Dinah Washington, Sean Jones), Don Aliquo Sr. (Woody Herman, Joe Negri, Tony Bennett), bassist Mike Griot (Casey Benjamin, Donald Harrison, Bobbi Humphrey, Russell Gunn,  Lauryn Hill, Omar Lye-Fook). 

Marel mainly leads his own combos, as well as performing as a solo jazz guitarist in the style of jazz greats as Joe Pass, Ernest Ranglin, Johnny Smith, Tal Farlow, and Charlie Christian as well as playing Caribbean jazz.

Misha Mendelenko, The Genius Guitarist

Misha hails from war-torn Kyiv, Ukraine and is enrolled in William Paterson University’s Jazz Program. Growing up in Kyiv with a father who’s a professional jazz saxophone player, Misha was exposed to the sounds of jazz throughout his life. At 14 years old, he went to see a jazz guitarist perform at a club in Kyiv and the performance changed his life. At the end of the show, he held the artist’s archtop guitar and knew that guitar was an instrument he wanted to explore. At age 16, he started frequenting jazz clubs in Kyiv and quickly broke through, sitting in with musicians and eventually starting his own group. He counts Will Vinson, Joe Henderson, Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane among his influences. 

Misha decided that he needed to study jazz in the United States and began to research and find a school that was the right fit for him. Eventually, he was accepted to join the jazz program at William Paterson University and 12 months ago he left his family and came to the states to pursue his dreams.

Misha is not risk adverse in music and life and it all shows through in his playing. Music is the driving force that propels him, and he describes himself as being versatile, different and non-repetitive. He wants his audience to feel his emotion when he plays with artists such as Art Baden and Eric Wyatt.

Now 25 years old, Misha wants to create his own music and will work hard to become one of the greatest artists in the world  of jazz.