Gary Burton is a five-time Grammy Award Winner, self-taught vibraphone virtuoso, professor of percussion at the Berklee School of Music, host of his own SIRIUS satellite radio program on the Pure Jazz station and true innovator and pioneer in the world of jazz. He is credited with inventing the four mallet playing style, introducing the electric guitar to the jazz... read full bio
Marion Meadows is an American Saxophonist, composer, and smooth jazz recording artist. Meadows has released a total of 9 albums to date. Meadows first hit the airwaves in 1991 with For Lovers Only, but his career really began one day in the late ‘80s at New York’s Grand Central Station. He had been a sideman with Connors for three years... read full bio
Ingvar Estrada is gifted Italian born singer-tenor with the ability to sing in several languages including French, Spanish and German. He was educated in the United States and has developed a passion for music of different styles and people. Ingvar has performed a wide array of styles, spanning from Classical, Pop, Blues and Jazz. Ingvar’s parents were both musically talented.... read full bio
Founded during the Louis Armstrong Centennial Celebration, the Louis Armstrong Society is dedicated to the promotion and preservation of New Orleans Style Jazz, and to honoring the most notable and influential individual of the genre: Louis Armstrong. The mission was simple: to share the spirit of Louis with people around the world. That spirit was based on Louis’s perspective of... read full bio
As the jazz world settles into the new millennium, it has become eminently apparent that Kenny Garrett is the most consistently scintillating and inspiring alto/soprano saxophone force in the genre. The multi-Grammy nominee brings a muscular yet lyrical eloquence to everything he lends his artistry - from collaborating with the New Jersey symphony on Adagio For Strings to mixing it... read full bio
Steve Wilson has become a studio and stage mainstay with the biggest jazz performers. Renowned and diverse musicians like Chick Corea, George Duke, Michael Brecker, Dave Holland, Dianne Reeves, Bill Bruford, Gerald Wilson, Maria Schneider, Joe Henderson, Charlie Byrd, Billy Childs, Karrin Allyson, Don Byron, Bill Stewart, James Williams, and Mulgrew Miller have collaborated with Wilson on over 100 recordings,... read full bio
"Musical composer and smooth jazz extraordinaire Nelson Rangell began his musical journey at a young age, as he was born into a family of musical children. Though his parents were not musically involved, his brother Andrew is a concert Pianist, Bobby is a woodwind player, and his sister Paula is a singer. Rangell studied classical and jazz at The Interlochen... read full bio
With his relaxing touch on the piano and natural vocal delivery, Tim Louis has set out to bring back ""the art of the song."" There's a timeless quality to his music that is both comforting and refreshing at the same time. The tunes Tim writes are undeniably infectious: jazz in its simplicity. Having played piano since he was five, Tim... read full bio
After four decades at the top of the charts (70s, 80s, 90s, 00s) starting as a band member and the lead guitarist, a principal songwriter, co-producer, and arranger with the legendary multi-platinum Jefferson Starship/Starship (1973-1990), Craig Chaquico was instrumental in making the Jefferson Airplane & Jefferson Starship/Starship combination among the TOP 10 most successful acts in history, receiving 20 gold... read full bio
Delfeayo Marsalis has made an impact as both a trombonist and a recording producer. While at Berklee College, he devoted the bulk of his studies to studio production, and was soon producing albums for his father and brothers as well as artists including Terence Blanchard, Harry Connick, Jr., Mingus Dynasty, Courtney Pine, Marcus Roberts and Jeff Tain Watts. His trombone... read full bio
His father and brothers will tell you that drummer Jason Marsalis is the most precociously talented member of the entire family. Jason received schooling from his father both at NOCCA and on the bandstand, where he has appeared for the past decade as a member of Ellis’ trio. Other important associations for Jason include his prominent role in the trio... read full bio
Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Cindy enjoyed a varied career in music starting from a very young age. Although her first instrument of choice was the piano, which she began playing at the age of six, she made the fateful choice to pick up the trumpet in her fourth grade band program. At the tender age of 12 she... read full bio
Over the past three decades, the voice of Janis Siegela nine-time Grammy winner and a seventeen-time Grammy nomineehas been an undeniable force in The Manhattan Transfers diverse musical catalog. Alongside her career as a member of this 30-year musical institution, Siegel has also sustained a solo career that has spawned a half dozen finely-crafted solo albums and numerous collaborative projects,... read full bio
Award Winner Humanitarian Key Note Motivational Speaker/Host/Actor Bruce E Johnson is known as a mainstay in many professions, but most of all- he's known for his altruistic work with the "yet to be privileged." Mr. Johnson uses this terms in an enduring way because he believes everyone has challenges and greater things to come are possible and attainable.... read full bio
Eric Gales grew up in a musical family with four brothers, two of them who learned to play the guitar upside down and left handed in the same fashion that Eric does. Eric’s brother Eugene Gales played bass in the Eric Gales Band and his brother Little Jimmy King had a thriving career as a blues artist before his untimely... read full bio
David Kahalani's music mixes styles from all around the world. He mixes Yemen and West African style music with contemporary funk and mambo including some deep soul and a powerful voice. He is also known as Yemen Blues, which is composed of him and his band that tour around playing the blues, funk and even Classic Opera. David and his... read full bio
Janet's life has always revolved heavily around music. She first learnt many of the jazz vocal standards as a child from her mother who loved to play the piano and sing the music of that era and who also produced musicals in the local playhouse. Her high school music teacher, Bud Roberds, taught her jazz harmony arranging, while... read full bio
Fresh as a spring bouquet" (The New York Times), Kat Edmonson seemingly came out of nowhere in 2009 to take the Austin, TX music scene by storm. Determined to see through her creative vision and maintain control, Kat funded Way Down Low through a Kickstarter campaign. Co-produced by Kat alongside Danton Boller, the LP is now being called "one of... read full bio
Toshiko Akiyoshis unique contributions to the jazz world have evolved like falling dominoes through a series of events that started with a piano-loving little Japanese girl in China and brought her to prominence as an unparalleled pianist, composer and leader of the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. Toshikos recordings have received a total of 14 Grammy Award nominations. Manchurian-born Akiyoshis interest... read full bio
Grammy Award Winner, Best Selling author JIM PETERIK offers an expert song writing workshop, ""Song Writing for Dummies - Live"" that can be customized for adult, student or mixed audiences based on the book he co-authored. The workshop incorporates his 20 top 40 Billboard hits and involves other accomplished/credited guests on stage. PRIDE OF LIONS is Peterik's rock band... read full bio
