As part of our Student Jazz Performance Series, we present The Perrilles Project. This concert made possible, in part, with support from the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County's ArtsEverywhere initiative, from their grant for our Student Jazz Performance Series. 

Using his sticks and his imagination, Paul Perrilles is able to blend together a variety of musical genres to fit into any style he is playing in the moment. Born in Peoria, Paul found his passion for drums at a very young age. The drums have been his family for 3 generations, and he picked up the drumsticks just like his father and grandfather did before him. He has played with many bands playing several different genres from jazz, folk, rock, funk, and R&B. Paul has also shared the stage with Lenard Simpson, Adam Larson, Reggie Thomas, Geof Bradfield, Art Davis, Victor Garcia, Tanya Darby, and Fareed Haque. 

Paul is now pursuing a new musical endeavor called The Perrilles Project with some of the best musicians in Chicago. The purpose of this group is to produce emotional genuineness within each listener. The band features Paul Perrilles on drums, Sam Dando on bass, Eli Wynn on saxophone, and Cesar Martinez on guitar. This band released their first EP in July 2018, which can be found on bandcamp:  https://theperrillesproject.bandcamp.com/releases

“The first duty of love is to listen.” Paul Tillich

Eli Wynn (saxophone): 

Eli Wynn is a rising star in the Midwest jazz community that is respected for his dedication to artistic integrity and fresh approach to the tradition. He has toured both domestically and internationally as a leader and sideman with projects including Analog Dialogue, Disconnect Reconnect, The Perrilles Project, and the Northern Illinois University Faculty-Student Engagement Program. An avid composer, he plans to release his debut album consisting of a five-movement suite on the topic of mental health in modern society this year.

Cesar Martinez (guitar): 

Cesar Martinez is a guitarist born in Leon GTO, Mexico and raised in Chicago, IL. His music and guitar playing has been described as authentic and energetic. Cesar was a student at Chicago High School for the Arts where his love of music grew. During his time at Chi-arts he was offered many opportunities such as studying with jazz greats, performing on 98.7 WFMT, Chicago's classical radio station with his classical guitar trio, and sharing the stage with world famous guitarist Earl Klugh. After graduating from Chi-arts, Cesar decided to stay in Chicago and study jazz and contemporary music at Roosevelt University. During this time, he was given the opportunities to play in legendary venues such as the Jazz Showcase, Room 43, Andy's Jazz Club, and the famous Auditorium Theatre. His time at Roosevelt opened his ears to music outside of jazz and classical, where he played in Afro-Cuban, Fusion, Brazilian, R&B and even Avant-Garde groups. All of which has contributed to Cesar's eclectic style.

Sam Dando (bass):

Sam Dando was born and raised in the small town of Villa Park, IL and started his bass career at the age of 13. Studying both classical and jazz on the Upright and Electric Bass. He went on to be a part of the NIU Jazz Studies program studying with Kelly Sill, Marlene Rosenberg, Fareed Haque, Reggie Thomas and many more. After receiving his Bachelors, he continued his studies at NIU to acquire his Master’s degree and began focusing more on his development in world musics such as Flamenco, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Brazilian music. Playing and educating all throughout the Midwest at various schools and venues, he is well versed and experienced to handle many different musical situations. Known for his aggressive and highly energetic playing style, you can see Sam playing in groups ranging from straight ahead swing to electronic and metal. He has worked with various artists such as Keith “Legendmane” Winford, The Dillon Mansour Trio, The Perrilles Project, Larry Brown Jr., Ingenuity, Rodrigo Villanueva and more.

www.paulperrilles.com