Medford Jazz Fest 2026 - Farayi Malek Quintet

Farayi Malek (vocals, acoustic guitar), Greyson Hillin (vocals, electric guitar), Jacob Means (vocals, mandolin), Max Ridley (vocals, upright bass), Héctor Falu Guzmán (drums) Farayi Malek is a jazz and contemporary vocalist, composer, and educator. She received her bachelor’s degree in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory of Music in 2017, where she studied with vocalist and composer Dominique Eade. Upon completion, she went on to receive a master’s degree in Contemporary Performance at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute in 2018, under the tutelage of world-renowned pianist and composer, Danilo Pérez. Since 2018, Malek has been a member of Danilo Pérez’s Global Messengers. Their 2022 album Crisálida was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album. In addition to her performance ventures, Malek is a passionate music educator. In January 2020, she founded Allegro Virtual Preparatory Instruction, an online learning platform that strives to provide students with access to the highest possible level of preparation for the study of music in higher education, in order to maximize the chance of admittance and scholarship funding and to build foundational skills for success and heightened creativity. Malek now teaches at both Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory in multiple capacities. www.farayimusic.com