Kathy Olson is a jazz baritone saxophonist based in the Boston area but originally from Charleston, West Virginia. On the baritone saxophone, alto saxophone, flute, clarinet, or bass clarinet Kathy has performed and/or recorded a variety of styles from contemporary big band to indie rock. In addition to co-leading the Olson Pingrey Quartet, Ms. Olson also leads Achilles Heal Saxophone Quartet which performs new music by Boston-based jazz composers including Ms. Olson, Randy Pingrey, Rick Stone, Danny Fratina, Ayn Inserto, Brian Friedland and others. In addition to leading her own groups she also performs regularly as a freelance musician with groups throughout New England including among others the Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra, Conical Cacophony, The Two Bari Band, and Pete Kenagy’s Monkfish Jazz Orchestra. She is currently an assistant professor at Berklee College of Music teaching theory classes for the Harmony Department.
Randy Pingrey is a jazz trombonist based in Boston. He is originally from Wisconsin and his career got kick-started by the exciting indie-rock scene in Eau Claire, where he was an early member of the Grammy-award winning band Bon Iver. Since moving to the East Coast he has performed and recorded with jazz musicians like Frank Carlberg, Bill McHenry, Anthony Coleman, and Jerry Bergonzi, with indie rock bands like Akron Family, Land of Talk, and Mega Faun, and with classical musicians like Norman Bolter, John Faieta, and Doug Wright. He can be heard on CDs for the Tzadik, Saddle Creek, Red Piano, and Jagjaguwar labels. He is also a regular performer with the latin band Ritmo Masacote, the Beantown Swing Orchestra, and the Metal and Glass Ensemble. Randy’s other projects include a trombone duo with Tom Plsek, the Randy Pingrey Trio which is a group that explores the boundaries between improvised and experimental music, and a solo trombone project.
Randy also teaches harmony and music theory. He is an assistant professor at Berklee College of Music teaching theory classes in the Harmony Dept.
The Olson Pingrey Quartet 