Elena Izquierdo and The Stu Weissman Trio

Elena Izquierdo, the 2025 JazzBuffalo Poll Rising Star is joined by the Stu Weissman Trio,

featuring Stu Weissman (winner of 2023 & 2025 JazzBuffalo Jazz Guitarist Poll), Avery

Weissman (bass), and David T. Phillips on drums.

Elena and the trio have been entertaining appreciative audiences at Pausa since 2025.

Elena Izquierdo attributes her musical exposure to her father Guillermo, who introduced her to

music from birth. By age five, she was playing piano and writing songs, exploring musical

theatre, jazz, and pop. In 2015, she performed an original composition by Ben Toth at Kleinhan’s

Music Hall. She was later chosen as the solo vocalist for the Legends of Jazz series at

Williamsville East High School, performing with Grammy winners Bill Charlap, Regina Carter,

Ernie Watts, and Veronica Swift. In 2017, she was honored as Outstanding Jazz Vocalist at the

Essentially Ellington High School Competition at Lincoln Center.

Elena, a Loyola University New Orleans graduate in Popular and Commercial Music, writes and

records music. She won the Outstanding Female Filmmaker award at the 2024 Bowery Film

Festival for her latest music video. Her recent releases include the EP “Hard To Love,” singles

“Drugs” and “Red Lights,” and she featured as a vocalist on Gorilla T’s EDM track “Ascend.”

Stu and Avery have appeared at Pausa numerous times as either featured artists or accompanists

to chanteuses such as Mary Ramsey, Saranaide, and DeeAnn Dimeo. Working in the latter

capacity highlights Stu’s skills in supporting vocalists as the sole chordal instrument in an

intimate ambiance that only Pausa provides.