Neptune

Neptune is the latest musical endeavor from frequent collaborators Jon Gagan and Holly Mead. The group features both new and time-tested compositions by the two musicians and made its Unit B debut in June of 2026 in what was an exciting and lovely evening of composition-centric jazz. Rounding out the group are Jeremy Harris on tenor sax, and Robby Rothschild on percussion. Gagan and Rothschild are known collectively as the rhythm section not only for Ottmar Liebert, but for Round Mountain and the popular eccentric jazz funk trio What The What as well. Joining Neptune for this evening will be special guest J.Q. Whitcomb on trumpet!  J.Q. holds a BM in jazz performance from Oberlin University as well as a Master's in jazz performance from Julliard. While at Oberlin, he studied trumpet with Marcus Belgrave and Kenny Davis. After receiving his bachelor's degree, J.Q. relocated to Shanghai, China, where he worked steadily for 8 years as a jazz artist and educator. He was featured as a guest artist with internationally-acclaimed jazz artists Sinne Eeg and Martin Schack quartet on a tour of Denmark. He also performed at the Copenhagen Jazz festival in 2008 and 2011, as well as the 2011 Ribe Jazz festival. In 2016, J.Q. was commisioned by The New Mexico Jazz Workshop to compose a piece for their 40th anniversary. He has two albums as a leader: Airports, and Tales Of Enchantment. Jon Gagan is known for his 30+ year association with renowned guitarist Ottmar Liebert, playing bass on over 30 Liebert albums, including RIAA-certified gold and platinum and Grammy-nominated titles. Jon has also written numerous string and horn arrangements and scored a full-length string orchestra concert for Liebert. Gagan has performed with Milt Jackson, Eddie Harris, Dave Grusin, Christopher Cross, Big Al Anderson, Nat Adderley, Emily Remler, Mose Allison, and Warren Vaché, among many others. A prolific composer, Jon has also released a series of solo albums on Liebert's SSRI label, Transit 1-3. Among other side projects are "What The What" (2015), "Electric" (2018), and Still Life (2024). Recent recording work includes bass tracks featured on “Santa Fe Style” by Spanish virtuoso guitarist/singer Juan Jose Alba and “Alone” by the sister duo Carly and Martina. Holly Mead is a composer, pianist, and recording artist whose music flows from the heart of Santa Fe, NM. Holly’s work has been featured at Lincoln Center with Pop-Up Magazine, Pixar Animation Studios, the San Francisco International Film Festival, the Bay Area International Children's Film Festival, Aeolian Hall in London, the Taikang Cultural Center in Tainan, and National Taiwan University, among others. Holly holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from DePaul University and a Specialist Certificate in Producing Music for Film and Games from Berklee College of Music—and she recently completed a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Music Studies at Berklee in 2025. Jeremy Harris is originally from the South Island of New Zealand. Jeremy studied saxophone and composition and performed throughout New Zealand with local touring musicians before moving to the United States in 2015. He moved to New Mexico two years ago and is a rising star on the Santa Fe/Albuquerque scene. Robby Rothschild on percussion has studied many forms of music with teachers all over the world and earned a master's degree in composition from UNM. He performs regularly with Ottmar Liebert, What The What, and Round Mountain, the inimitable world/folk duo he formed with his brother Char. Dinner and cocktails starting at 5:30 pm. Showtime is 7:00 pm. Reservations highly recommended.