Generation Y

Generation Y is a band concept conceived in 2019 with the goal of promoting the next generation of dynamic talent from top music conservatories in New York City and beyond. The ensemble is led by Ulysses Owens Jr., a multi-GRAMMY Award–winning drummer, producer, educator, author, and cultural entrepreneur.

Serving as Small Ensemble Director in the Jazz Department at The Juilliard School for the past eight years has given Ulysses a front-row seat to this generation’s top emerging talent. Throughout his career, Ulysses has been deeply influenced by and worked alongside artists such as Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride, Wynton Marsalis, Mulgrew Miller, Joey Alexander, and many others. Through these relationships, he absorbed the legacy of Art Blakey and Betty Carter—bandleaders whose ensembles functioned as educational institutions and launched the careers of many paradigm-shifting jazz musicians.

Generation Y serves as an updated model of the Jazz Messengers, with many of its members also performing in Ulysses’ Big Band.

The ensemble recorded its debut album, A New Beat, released on the Cellar Live label in January 2024. The material on the album reflects the repertoire and influence of Ulysses’ mentors and inspirations, including Mulgrew Miller, Roy Hargrove, George Cables, and Art Blakey.

The album also features original compositions by Benny Benack, Anthony Hervey, and Luther Allison, an emerging talent who performs as pianist for GRAMMY Award–winning vocalist Samara Joy. Additionally, the album includes the Louis Armstrong classic Heart Full of Rhythm, featuring Milton Suggs, which Ulysses learned during his time as an Armstrong Now Artist in Residence at the Louis Armstrong House Museum.

A New Beat represents a culmination of repertoire the band has performed internationally over the past four years. Adding an additional layer of historical resonance, the album was recorded at the legendary Rudy Van Gelder Studios in Englewood, New Jersey.

Generation Y has also recorded several viral videos for Musora on YouTube, highlighting the ensemble’s collaborative energy and dynamic interplay.

Ulysses Owens Jr.’s Generation Y features:

  • Anthony Hervey – Trumpet

  • Erena Terakubo – Alto Saxophone

  • Tyler Bullock – Piano

  • Thomas Milovac – Bass

UOJ Big Band

The Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band (UOJ Big Band) was voted Rising Star Large Ensemble of 2022 by DownBeat magazine. This high-octane ensemble is an expansion of the acclaimed New Century Jazz Quintet, which features five standout musicians from New York City and Japan: Ulysses Owens Jr., Tim Green, Benny Benack III, Takeshi Ohbayashi, and Yasushi Nakamura.

Over the past several years, the Quintet has performed to enthusiastic audiences in New York City at Dizzy’s Club and throughout Japan, firmly establishing its members as key voices in the future of jazz. The Big Band configuration expands the ensemble by adding eleven additional instrumentalists, creating a platform for even more emerging talent.

The band’s varied repertoire includes original compositions by Ulysses Owens Jr. alongside works by artists such as Michael Jackson, John Coltrane, and Mulgrew Miller, providing a strong foundation for improvisation and large-ensemble expression. The UOJ Big Band is also regularly contracted for high-profile artist projects, with Ulysses serving as Music Director and leading this exceptional group of musicians.

Selected Personnel

Trumpets

  • Nathaniel Williford – Lead Trumpet

  • Noah Halpern – Trumpet

  • David Sneider – Trumpet

  • Anthony Hervey – Trumpet

Trombones

  • Michael Dease – Lead Trombone

  • Pablo Mueller Santiago – Trombone

  • Nanami Haruta – Trombone

  • Altin Sencalar – Bass Trombone

Saxophones

  • Erena Terakubo – Lead Alto Saxophone

  • Markus Howell – Alto Saxophone

  • Diego Rivera – Lead Tenor Saxophone

  • Jason Hainsworth – Tenor Saxophone

  • Joshua Lee – Baritone Saxophone

Rhythm Section

  • Tyler Bullock – Piano

  • Thomas Milovac – Bass