New Breed Brass Band is poised to be the next heavyweight contender among internationally renowned New Orleans artists. They count legends James 12" Andrews, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Topsy Chapman, Karl Leblanc, and Bruce "Sun-pie" Barnes as family members, and have showcased their originality opening for such diverse bands as The Fray, Red Baraat, Dr. John, The Waterboys, and Trombone... read full bio
African musical history comes to life when master drummer Obo Addy steps on stage. As a prominent member of the first generation of African musicians to bring their traditional and popular music to Europe and America, this versatile magician of the drums embodies the past, present and future of Ghana's musical culture. An original and respected composer whose music reaches... read full bio
Though identified with the West Coast where he lives and thus assumed to be a cool, detached player, Pete Christlieb has always been one of the more powerful soloists in any style. His blistering lines, especially on up tempo numbers, are often red hot, while he can also play effective blues and stirring ballads. Christlieb initially studied violin before starting... read full bio
Ralph Towner is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He plays the twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer, percussion and trumpet. Ralph Towner has been recording for ECM for 24 years now. (Lost And Found is his 16th ECM album as leader or co-leader; there are also three records with Oregon, the group Towner co-founded on the label, as... read full bio
The music of Latin Grammy Award Winning Flautist Nestor Torres reflects a layering of influences; a range of tastes and textures, from Smooth and Latin Jazz to Classical and Pop. He is to the flute what Chris Botti is to the trumpet and Herbie Hancock to the piano. Nestors performances are exceptionally dynamic, inspiring_mesmerizing. We would prepare a repertoire consistent... read full bio
Whitfield is cutting across musical boundaries and attracting all sorts of fans with his incredibly fast pick and a delicious knack for melody. ""The guitar has an unusual appeal, even to people who don't know much about jazz,"" says Whitfield.... read full bio
The Jungle Brothers are an American hip hop group that pioneered the fusion of jazz and hip-hop and also became the first hip-hop group to use a house-music producer. The group began performing in the mid-1980s and released its first album, Straight Out the Jungle, in July 1988. With Afrocentric lyrics and innovative beats, the Jungle Brothers were critically acclaimed... read full bio
Steve Swallow has long been many jazz critics' favorite electric bassist for, rather than playing his instrument in a rock-oriented manner, Swallow emphasizes the high notes and approaches the electric bass to an extent as if it were a guitar. He originally started on piano and trumpet before settling on the acoustic bass as a teenager. Swallow joined the Paul... read full bio
Widely hailed as a pianist and vocalist both as a solo artist and with a variety of groups. Considered by many to be the premier exponent of the great New Orleans jazz and blues piano tradition, Henry Butler is equally respected for his versatile work as a composer and arranger in a broad range of genres, and as a... read full bio
Duke Robillard is a very popular American blue musician who has recorded alongside artists, including Hal Singer, Joe Louis Walker, Jimmy Witherspoon, Todd Sharpville, and Bob Dylan. He is most known for playing guitar in the blues style of T-Bone Walker. Duke has been involved in many different bands in his music journey such as The Fabulous Thunderbirds and he... read full bio
T. S. Monk had an extraordinary childhood. As the son of jazz composer and pianist Thelonious Monk, his home was the gathering place for musicians like Art Blakey, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach, where they created some of the greatest jazz music of all time.... read full bio
One of the most talked about top living lyricist, Dave Frishberg has written more than his share of witty classics including Peel Me a Grape," "I'm Hip," "Dear Bix," "The Underdog," "My Attorney Bernie," "Saratoga Hunch," "Slappin' the Cakes on Me," "Z's," "Blizzard of Lies," "Another Song About Paris," "You Are There," "El Cajon," "Can't Take You Nowhere" and "Let's... read full bio
"Eddie Daniels is that rarest of rare musicians who is not only equally at home in both jazz and classical music, but excels at both with breathtaking virtuosity. Expert testimony from the jazz world comes from the eminent jazz critic Leonard Feather, who said of Eddie, ""It is a rare event in jazz where one man can all but reinvent an... read full bio
Airto & Flora Purim are a unique Jazz fusion duo. This duo has created many memorable songs both together and apart. Flora Purim is a Brazilian jazz singer known mainly for her work in jazz fusion. She achieved her fame on Chick Corea’s 1972 album, Return to Forever and recorded with various artists through that decade, including Stanley Clarke,... read full bio
Award Winner Humanitarian Keynote 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 these terms in an enduring way because he believes everyone has challenges and greater things to come are possible and attainable. Out of this... read full bio
Billy Mitchell is a prolific jazz musician and producer who endured the decades with his skill and experimentation as an artist. He is a self taught pianist who rejected formal training, instead favoring contemporary recordings as his teachers. On top of his success in the jazz world, Mitchell is a philanthropist who supports the participation of inner-city kids in music... read full bio
The first female vocalist signed by Blue Note Records in 1972, Marlena Shaw has never strayed far from her jazz roots. A former singer with the Count Basie Orchestra, she swings with ease and authority, has a mastery of space an timing. . .[and] every phrase she utters has a delightfully improvisatory feel,' notes critic Richard Chon. She has the... read full bio
Darren Holden is one of today’s most talented and popular young performers. Born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, Darren is not only a prolific songwriter but a master interpreter of lyrics as well, and audiences around the world continue to praise his exceptional vocal talents. At the age of 16, he put together his first band, Wanted, which developed an excellent... read full bio
The focus is all on Claudia Villela's voice, which is understandable. Her magnificent five-octave instrument is a jazz marvel. Graceful and astonishingly lovely across the board. She is a native of Rio de Janeiro and primarily sings in Portuguese. She is an incredibly creative scat singer who has developed a colorful repertoire of noises that resembles the tabla drum's hollow thump, Miles Davis's muted... read full bio
With unlimited creativity and unmatched lyrical prowess, Mike Floss brings a fresh new wave to the hip-hop genre. As the son of renowned jazz musician Rod McGaha, he brings a musicality that’s been fine tuned since birth. Since his introduction to the stage he has opened for Future, Pusha T, Wale, Stalley, Yo Gotti, Dom Kennedy, Big K.R.I.T. and many... read full bio
