CLARENCE ACOX – DRUMS
Clarence Acox Jr., an instrumental figure in the Seattle music scene, has nurtured young musicians for the past 35 years as director of jazz bands at Garfield High School. He leads the renowned Garfield Jazz Ensemble, winning dozens of awards and making regular appearances at national and international venues.
Garfield’s Jazz Ensemble has twice taken first place at New York’s Essentially Ellington National Jazz Band Competition and Festival – the country’s most prestigious high school jazz competition.
Acox, who also directs Seattle University’s Jazz Ensemble, was named “Educator of the Year” by DownBeat Magazine in 2001. Acox co-founded the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra in 1995 and performed with the Floyd Standifer Quartet at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant for more than two decades. (Photo by Jim Levitt)
GEORGE CABLES – PIANO
George Cables is a significant figure in the jazz scenes of Los Angeles, where he first resided, and San Francisco, where he also lived.
Collaborations and recordings with tenor saxophonists Joe Henderson and Sonny Rollins, trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw, and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson made Cables’ wide-ranging keyboard skills, often on electric piano, amply evident.
He has performed and recorded with Joe Henderson, Roy Haynes, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Sarah Vaughn, Tony Williams, Bobby Hutcherson and Dizzy Gillespie, among others.
JEFF CLAYTON – ALTO
Reed specialist Jeff Clayton is a versatile performer, bandleader, and studio musician whose diverse recording credits include work with Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Madonna, and Earth, Wind, and Fire.
Together with his brother John, he founded the Grammy-nominated Clayton Brothers in 1977, and later co-founded the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz orchestra – named by readers of Downbeat as the top big band in jazz.
In addition, Jeff has performed with numerous artists including Lena Horne, Lionel Hampton, Dr. John, Ella Fitzgerald, and played in the Count Basie Orchestra while under the leadership of Thad Jones. (Photo by Jim Levitt)
DAWN CLEMENT – PIANO 
Pianist/Composer and vocalist Dawn Clement hails from Seattle, WA. A veteran of Jazz Port Townsend, Dawn is involved in several collaborations including the Jane Ira Bloom Quartet, Priester’s Cue with the legendary Julian Priester, the Seattle Pianist Collective, as well as her own trio.
Dawn has performed with such notables as Nancy King, Ingrid Jensen, Hadley Caliman, John Clayton, Mercer Ellington, Mark Dresser, Jay Clayton and Pharaoh Sanders. Dawn has performed in some of the world’s most premier venues such as Carnegie Hall, Le Conservatoire Superieur, Paris, and Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, as well as numerous clubs (including Sweet Rhythm, Tonic, and Iridium), art museums, and theaters.
In addition to her work with Jane Ira Bloom, Dawn has toured the U.S. with a number of projects including the Sabella Consort, and the Rubin/Clement Piano Dialogues. Dawn is currently on the faculty of Cornish College of the Arts and maintains a rigorous performance schedule
CHUCK DEARDORF – BASS
Chuck Deardorf has recorded and toured internationally with Bud Shank and Don Lanphere, George Cables and Kenny Barron, Winard Harper, and Larry Coryell. As the first call bassist in Seattle, Chuck has performed with Chet Baker, Zoot Sims, Art Farmer, Howard Roberts, Monty Alexander, Kenny Burrell, Marian McPartland, Mel Lewis, Pete Christlieb, Joe Williams, Kenny Werner, Carl Fontana, Joe LaBarbara, and Tal Farlow.
Chuck’s latest solo release on Origin records, “Transparence” (released 2011) demonstrates his performing, producing and arranging abilities with a host of great musicians. He is currently a member of the Deardorf/Peterson Group (whose 2004 Origin release “Portal” won critical acclaim), the Jovino Santos Neto Quartet, the Susan Pascal Quartet along with the Bill Ramsay Big Band. An accomplished studio musician, Chuck’s bass has been heard on many first run movie soundtracks, dozens of albums and CD projects, and numerous Broadway touring shows. Chuck also has performed on numerous occasions with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. (Photo by Tim Rounds)
GRAHAM DECHTER – GUITAR
Guitarist Graham Dechter began his study of music at the age of five when he started taking violin lessons and composing orchestral pieces. He discovered his passion for guitar and jazz at Idyllwild Arts Academy, the prestigious residential arts high school. At only 19 years old Dechter became the youngest member of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra (CHJO). He has toured extensively in the United States and Europe with CHJO and has performed with some of the most respected names in jazz including Bill Charlap, Kurt Elling, Jon Faddis, Benny Golson, Wycliffe Gordon, Benny Green, Jon Hendricks, Wynton Marsalis, Les McCann, James Moody, Marlena Shaw, Terell Stafford, Clark Terry, Peter Washington, Nancy Wilson and Snooky Young.
Dechter has played at prestigious venues such as The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center and the Hollywood Bowl and has been a part of major festivals including the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Playboy Jazz Festival, the Detroit Jazz Festival, and the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. LA Jazz Scene calls him “technically perfect in his musical styles and approach…jazz fans have a lot to look forward to!”
DENA DEROSE – PIANO/VOCAL 
Grammy-nominated pianist and vocalist Dena DeRose studied classical piano throughout her childhood, until she was enticed into the world of jazz by playing Count Basie’s music in her junior high stage band. Her impressive list of recording and performance credits includes work with Ray Brown, Clark Terry, Benny Golson, John Scofield, Jimmy Cobb, Reid, Mark Murphy, and many others.
A devoted educator, Dena has been on the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music, NYU, The New School, Long Island University, and The Hartt School of Music in Connecticut. She is currently the Head of Jazz Vocal Department at The University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Graz, Austria, and teaches at the Prince Claus Conservatory of Music in The Netherlands. In addition, she frequently teaches at clinics and workshops, such as the Dave Brubeck Institute in Oakland, CA, the Stanford Jazz Workshop, The Litchfield Summer Jazz Camp, and the Rotterdam Summer Jazz School, among others.
BRUCE FORMAN – GUITAR
Bruce Forman has been featured as leader and sideman at many of the most prestigious festivals and concert venues throughout the world. His has recorded and performed with Bobby Hutcherson, Ray Brown, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Barney Kessel, Roger Kellaway, Richie Cole, and countless others.
In addition, his guitar work is featured throughout Clint Eastwood’s Academy Award winning film, Million Dollar Baby. Bruce has thirteen recordings as leader, including a self-produced issue entitled Dedication, Bootleg Vol. I, (re-released by BluJazz Records) a selection of compositions and arrangements that reveal his personal acknowledgement of many of the musicians and experiences that shaped his music.
Among his numerous recordings as sideman, Bruce was prominently featured on Ray Brown’s album, Some of My Best Friends are Guitarists, released in 2002. (Photo by Jim Levitt)
BENNY GREEN – PIANO 
Born in New York in 1963, Benny Green grew up in Berkeley, California, and began classical piano studies at the age of seven. He moved to New York in the spring of 1982, and worked with Betty Carter between 1983 and 1987, the year he joined Art Blakey’s band. He remained a Jazz Messenger through late 1989, at which point he began working with Freddie Hubbard’s quintet.
In 1993 Oscar Peterson chose Benny as the first recipient of the City of Toronto’s Glen Gould International Protégé Prize in Music. That year, Green replaced Gene Harris in Ray Brown’s Trio, working with the veteran bass player until 1997. He has recorded as a sideman with Betty Carter, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Watson, Milt Jackson, Diana Krall, and the Ray Brown Trio. (Photo by Jim Levitt)
RODNEY GREEN – DRUMS
Drummer Rodney Green grew up surrounded by gospel music, and by age 17 was already touring internationally and doing an occasional gig in New York City. After moving to NYC, he got into the jazz scene and quickly developed a name for himself. He was a favorite sub and had a remarkable range and a reputation for being an extremely professional young musician. Word continued to spread, and Green spent the next couple of years playing with the likes of Christian McBride, Eric Reed, Greg Osby, Joe Henderson, Benny Green, Tom Harrell, and Mulgrew Miller.
With a recommendation from bassist Ben Wolfe, Green joined the band of vocalist Diana Krall at the age of 19. His two-year tenure with Krall taught him a great deal about the business of music, and the importance of being a responsible, mature young professional.
Today, Rodney Green is a seasoned professional with experience and skill beyond his years. He continues to grow and challenge himself creatively, stepping out as a leader with the Rodney Green Group, writing music and pursuing projects that interest him. Rodney Green has worked with a broad range of jazz musicians, including Terence Blanchard, Carmen Lundy, Stephon Harris, Charlie Haden, Wynton Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Lizz Wright, Terell Stafford, Greg Osby. Ben Wolfe, Christian Mc Bride, Joe Henderson, Diana Krall, George Benson, Nicholas Payton, Cyrus Chestnut, Sadao Watanabe, Antonio Hart, Adam Rodgers, Michael Brecker, Kenny Barron, Marc Cary, Abby Lincoln, Betty Carter, Shirley Scott, Benny Wallace, Makoto Ozone, Wycliffe Gordon, Paula West, Bruce Barth, Peter Cincotti, Andy Bey, Tom Harrell, New York Voices, Herbie Hancock, and Dianne Reeves.
WYCLIFFE GORDON – TROMBONE
Wycliffe Gordon is a six-time recipient of the Jazz Journalists Association Award for Trombonist of the Year, and a past winner of the Jazz Journalists Association Critics’ Choice Award for Best Trombone.
In addition to a thriving solo career, he tours regularly leading the Wycliffe Gordon Quartet, headlining at legendary jazz venues throughout the world. He is a former member of the Wynton Marsalis Septet, The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and The Gully Low Jazz Band, and has been a featured guest artist on Billy Taylor’s Jazz at The Kennedy Center series.
A gifted composer and arranger, he also serves as a faculty member of the Jazz Studies Program at The Juilliard School, and works with young musicians and audiences from elementary schools to universities all over the world through master classes, clinics, workshops, concerts and lectures.
In 2011, Wycliffe released his fifteenth album, Hello Pops!, a tribute to Louis Armstrong.
RANDY HALBERSTADT – PIANO
Randy Halberstadt has been a major figure on the Pacific Northwest jazz scene for many years. In addition to leading his own trio and producing his own recordings, he has performed with Herb Ellis, Buddy de Franco, Nick Brignola, Terry Gibbs, Slide Hampton, Pete Christlieb, Bobby Shew, Joe LaBarbera, Lanny Morgan, John Stowell, David Friesen, Kim Richmond, Don Lanphere, Jiggs Whigham, Roswell Rudd, Jack Walrath, Gary Smulyan, Julian Priester, Mel Brown, and many others.
Recently, Randy recorded with Bay area guitarist Mimi Fox and the world renowned Ray Drummond on bass. In the Seattle area, Randy works regularly with drummer Clarence Acox, saxophonist Hadley Caliman, vibraphonist Susan Pascal, cornetist Jon Pugh, and his own trio.
JON HAMAR – BASS
Bassist Jon Hamar is a staple in the Northwest music scene. In 2003 he released a “mostly” solo bass cd on Pony Boy Records featuring his own compositions as well as arrangements of songs that he grew up listening to. In addition to his role as a leader, Hamar has been active in the role of supporting bassist.
He remains active as a recording artist playing on multiple CDs with singer/songwriting artists including Wendy Huckins, Brian Finnell, Hans York, Eric Goetz and Bobby Krier.
Recently Hamar played on Brian Owens’ disc Unmei, released on the OA2 label from Origin Records and will be heard on Carl Tanner’s upcoming release “Hear the Angels Sing” on Sony Classical.
Of late he has been performing with Jay Thomas, Ernestine Anderson, the Greg Williamson Quartet and the Axiom Quartet.
JEFF HAMILTON – DRUMS
Jeff Hamilton is perhaps best known for his work with Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson, and Diana Krall as well as with the groups he headlines. He has played in jazz festivals and clubs worldwide.
Early in his career, he played with the Tommy Dorsey ghost band, Lionel Hampton, Monty Alexander’s Trio, Woody Herman’s Orchestra, and the L.A. Four with whom he made six record albums.
After this, he started recording regularly as a sideman for Concord. He has performed with Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney, the Count Basie Orchestra, and Monty Alexander.
In the 1990s, Hamilton played gigs with the The Clayton Brothers, toured the world with Oscar Peterson and the Ray Brown trio.
Currently Hamilton co-leads the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra with brothers John and Jeff Clayton.
TAMIR HENDELMAN – PIANO
Israeli-born, LA-based award-winning jazz pianist Tamir Hendelman has been a member of the Jeff Hamilton Trio and Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra since the early 2000s and has two recordings as a leader, Playground (2008) and his newest CD, Destinations (Resonance Records 2010), inspired by the journey of being a jazz musician. His keyboard studies began at age six, while attending the Anazagi Conservatory in Tel Aviv, Israel.
In 1984, Tamir’s family moved to Los Angeles and two years later, at age 14, he won top honors at Yamaha’s national keyboard competition. Tamir moved on to study at the Tanglewood Institute in 1988 and received a Bachelor of Music Composition from Eastman School of Music in 1993. Since moving back to Los Angeles, he has established himself as a creative and multi-faceted pianist, composer and arranger as well as educator. Tamir has performed and/or recorded with artists as varied as James Moody, Roberta Gambarini, Teddy Edwards, Barbra Streisand, Graham Dechter, Natalie Cole and Harry Allen. Tamir has been on the jazz faculty at UCLA since 2005.
KEVIN KANNER – DRUMS
Despite his young age, drummer Kevin Kanner has amassed a large summary of jazz credits including records with Paul Anka, Bill Holman (including his Grammy nominated 2006 recording, and his Grammy nominated 2007 recording), Bud Shank, Gilbert Castellanos, Melissa Morgan, Annie Sellick, and Gail Wynters.
Kanner has performed and toured with jazz greats including John Pizzarelli, Maureen McGovern, The Gilbert Castellanos Quintet, The Bill Holman Band, The Gerald Clayton Trio, The Clayton Brothers, The Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Lee Konitz, Bob Brookmeyer, Larry Goldings, Charles McPhearson, Benny Green, Bob Hurst, Eric Reed, Peter Washington, Terrell Stafford, Russell Malone, Stefon Harris, Johnny Mandel, Larry Koonse, Anthony Wilson Trio and Nonette.
JOHNNY MANDEL – COMPOSING/ARRANGING 
Johnny Mandel studied at the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School. A veteran performer, he played in the orchestras of Boyd Raeburn, Jimmy Dorsey, Buddy Rich, Georgie Auld and Chubby Jackson. Additionally, he played and arranged music in the band of Elliott Lawrence, and with Count Basie.
His compositions include “Not Really the Blues” for Woody Herman in 1949, “Hershey Bar” and “Pot Luck” for Stan Getz, “Straight Life” and “Low Life” for Count Basie as well as “Tommyhawk” for Chet Baker. Mandel’s most famous compositions include “Suicide Is Painless” (theme from the movie and TV series M*A*S*H), “Close Enough for Love,” “Emily,” and “A Time for Love” (nominated for an Academy Award).
His composition, “The Shadow of Your Smile,” won the 1965 Academy Award for Best Song, and the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1966. Mandel has received five Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year for Tony Bennett’s performance of “The Shadow of your Smile” and Best Original Score for The Sandpiper, Best Arrangement on an Instrumental Recording for Quincy Jones’ song “Velas,” Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) for Natalie Cole’s Unforgettable, and Shirley Horn’s Here’s to Life.
In 2011 he was recognized as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts. (Photo by Carol Friedman)
SHERRIE MARICLE – DRUMS
Sherrie Maricle began playing professionally with Slam Stewart while studying music at SUNY-Binghamton. She then moved to New York City and attended New York University where she completed a Master’s of Arts in Jazz Performance in 1986 and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Jazz Performance and Composition in 2000.
In the late 1980’s, she was appointed director of percussion studies at NYU. Maricle directed Saturday jam sessions at the Village Gate from 1987 until the venue closed in 1993. Beginning in 1987, she also began collaborating and leading small groups with Peter Appleyard. In the 1990’s, she performed with the New York Pops, Clark Terry, and Al Grey and began working with the group DIVA.
Maricle currently leads the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, the DIVA Jazz Trio, and the quintet Five Play. She teaches on the jazz faculty of the New York State Summer Music Festival, as well as running her own private drum and percussion studio.
KELBY MACNAYR – DRUMS 
Percussionist, composer, music director and band leader Kelby MacNayr performs jazz, classical, new music, and has collaborated with many acclaimed artists including Anne Schaefer, pop group Elephant Island, N.Y. pianist Misha Piatigorsky, composer and pianist Marianne Trudel, Christine Jensen, Chuck Deardorf, Ian McDougall, Chet Doxas and many others.
Kelby is currently the Artistic Director for the Art of the Trio Series, and is a member of the Marc Atkinson Quartet, the Marianne Trudel Quintet, and Misha Piatigorsky’s Canadian trio.
His group the Kelby MacNayr Quintet has been earning critical acclaim in the US and Canada. (Photo by Jim Levitt)
HAMILTON PRICE – BASS
Hamilton Price began playing Tuba at age 14 in his hometown of Jonesboro, Arkansas. At 17, he switched his focus to the upright bass. He received his Bachelors degree in Classical Double Bass Performance from the University of Texas at Austin. Hamilton studied improvised music with bassist John Fremgen and pianist Jeff Hellmer, and studied Classical Double Bass with David Neubert and Jessica Valls.
He played in Gerry Gibbs’ Thrasher Band for five years, which led him to Los Angeles where he lives today. Hamilton has performed with Billy Childs, Geoffrey Keezer, Eric Reed, Kenny Werner, Patrice Rushen, Dewey Redman, Dave Liebman, Steve Wilson, Ravi Coltrane, James Moody, Walter Smith III, Tom Scott, Roberta Gambarini, Jon Hendricks, Larry Coryell, Tom Harrell, Randy Brecker, Gilbert Castellanos, Terreon Gully, Antonio Sanchez, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Vinnie Colaiuta, T.S. Monk, Lewis Nash, and many others.
ERIC REED – PIANO
Pianist and composer Eric Reed began playing the piano at age two and was performing in his father’s Baptist church in Philadelphia by age five. After studying at Philadelphia’s Settlement Music School and Los Angeles’ Colburn School of Arts, Reed began a vibrant professional career both in combos and as a leader. He has worked with such jazz luminaries as Wynton Marsalis, Jessye Norman, Quincy Jones, Patti Labelle, Irvin Mayfield, Benny Carter, and others.
Reed has taught at The Juilliard School of Music and gives master classes and lecture demonstrations on the history of music. He has recorded over 20 albums, three of which have charted on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums chart.
Reed scored Eddie Murphy’s comedy, Life and was the musical director for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Currently Reed is in residence with the Ebony Repertory Theatre of Los Angeles, as musical director of Regina Taylor’s Crowns. His latest recording is entitled The Dancing Monk.
WALTER SMITH III – SAXOPHONE
Walter Smith III began playing the saxophone at the age of seven and from the very beginnings of his career garnered a host of awards including the NFAA Young Talent Award and a United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts medal. Graduating from Berklee in 2003 with a degree in Music Education, Smith has since performed around the world on famed stages such as Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.
He has shared the stage and appeared on recordings with many jazz notables including Terence Blanchard, Roy Haynes, Christian McBride, Eric Reed, Mulgrew Miller, and a host of others. Smith’s debut recording as a leader was released in March of 2006 on the Fresh Sound New Talent label and features many of the brightest young jazz talents.
His most recent album, “III”, was released in September of 2010 and was the #3 best-seller on itunes in the U.S. for its first week.
Aside from leading a quintet, Smith has been a member of several groups including the Terence Blanchard group, Eric Harland’s quintet, Ambrose Akinmusire’s band, Jason Moran’s Big Bandwagon, and the Christian McBride Situation Band.
GARY SMULYAN – BARI SAX
Gary Smulyan attended SUNY-Postsdam and Hofstra University before he joined Woody Herman’s Young Thundering Herd in 1978. In 1980, he became part of the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra then under the direction of Bob Brookmeyer.
Smulyan also found work with other important large ensembles including the Mingus Epitaph band, and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. Smulyan has shared the stage and the recording studio with trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Dizzy Gillespie, saxophonist Stan Getz, pianist Chick Corea, timbales king Tito Puente, and R&B/blues and soul icons Ray Charles, B.B. King and Diana Ross.
Smulyan is a four-time winner of the DownBeat Readers Poll, and a five-time Grammy award winner for his work with B.B. King, Lovano, Holland and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.
TERELL STAFFORD – TRUMPET
Terell Stafford picked up his first trumpet at the age of thirteen, and even though he was drawn to jazz, initially studied classical music. While pursuing a music education degree at the University of Maryland, Stafford played with the school’s jazz band.
Since the mid-1990’s Stafford has performed with groups such as Benny Golson’s Sextet, McCoy Tyner’s Sextet, the Kenny Barron Sextet, the Jimmy Heath Big Band, the Jon Faddis Orchestra.
Currently he is a member of the Grammy award winning Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, as well as a member of the Grammy nominated Clayton Brothers Quintet, and the Frank Wess Quintet. Stafford has recorded six albums as a leader, and a sideman has been featured on over 90 albums. (Photo by Jimmy Ryan)
MARY STALLINGS – VOCALS
According to the New York Times, “perhaps the best jazz singer singing today is a woman almost everybody seems to have missed.”
That woman is Mary Stallings, a Bay Area native who established a name for herself as one of the finest jazz singers of the 1960s, performing with such luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Cal Tjader, Billy Eckstine, and Count Basie.
After taking a hiatus from her recording career in the 1970s to raise her daughter and work as a clothes designer, Stallings stepped back into the national jazz spotlight in 1999 when the owner of the famous Village Vanguard nightclub in New York heard a recording of her singing and eventually tracked her down at her home in San Francisco.
Ever since then, jazz fans have had the pleasure of rediscovering Stallings, whose voice and phrasing continued to mature and improve during her long sabbatical.
JAY THOMAS – TRUMPET
Jay Thomas is a versatile multi-instrumentalist, and can be heard on over 60 recordings that run the gamut from hip-hop to acid-jazz, rock, Latin, and big band.
Jay has appeared in concert with Mel Lewis, John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton, Maria Schneider, Bill Holman, Bob Florence and Frank Wess. He has played festivals at Wolf Trap with Red Rodney and Ira Sullivan, the Aspen Jazz Festival with Herb Ellis, Jake Hanna and Mel Ryne (recorded with them on Roll Call), the duMaurier Jazz Festival with Chuck Israels Trio and with the Jay Thomas Quartet.
Jay toured Great Britain with jazz legend Slim Gaillard recording there with Slim, Jay McShann and Buddy Tate.
BYRON VANNOY – DRUMS
Byron Vannoy has become one of the first call drummers in Seattle’s Jazz and creative music scenes. He has studied privately with Ian Froman, Mark Ivester, Bob Moses, and Joe LaBarbera and holds an Associate Certificate in Professional Music from Berklee College of Music, a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Performance from Cornish College of the Arts and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Jazz and African American Music Performance from California Institute of the Arts.
Vannoy has performed and recorded with many internationally known musicians such as Julian Priester, Herbie Hancock, Randy Brecker, Jovino Santos-Neto, Tom Scott, Wayne Horvitz, Ron Carter, Ernestine Anderson, Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith, Vinnie Golia, and Hadley Caliman. Recently emerging as a bandleader and composer, his debut recording “Meridian” received national recognition as well as the 2008 Golden Ear Award for “Recording of the Year”.
SACHAL VASANDANI – VOCALS
Vocalist, composer, and arranger, Sachal Vasandani first attracted attention when he was named Down Beat magazine’s Collegiate Jazz Vocalist of the Year in 1999.
His debut recording, Eyes Wide Open, established Vasandani as one of the most promising voices in modern jazz and led to tours and openings for artists such as jazz trumpeter Chris Botti and pop singer Joan Osborne. Vasandani’s second album, 2009′s We Move, was chosen as a New York Times Critic’s Pick.
In 2010 he was the “Rising Star” poll winner for DownBeat magazine. Of his 2011 album, Hi-Fly, NPR’s Michele Norris said, “Every now and again you hear a special voice that makes you sit up and take notice . . . Sachal Vasandani has that voice.”
LAURA WELLAND – BASS
Bassist Laura Welland has played with Jay Thomas, Hadley Caliman, Julian Priester, Dawn Clement and other Seattle jazz greats. She has studied under Chuck Deardorf, John Clayton and the late Ray Brown.
Welland received her music degree from Cornish College of the Arts and was a “runner-up bass” player at the international Sisters in Jazz Competition. She has been praised for her swinging time, facile sight-reading, and simpatico stage presence.
Her albums include, “Love is Never out of Season” (2004) and “Dissertation on the State of Bliss” (2005), both produced by her friend and mentor, John Clayton.
JIGGS WHIGHAM – TROMBONE 
Jiggs Whigham first came to the attention of critics and fans at age 17 as featured soloist and first trombonist with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, directed by Ray McKinley.
In 1979 he was named Professor and Head of the Jazz Department at Cologne University College of Music. From 1995-2000 he was chief conductor and artistic director of the Berlin Radio Orchestra.
He is currently a soloist and clinician worldwide, conductor of the BBC Big Band in Great Britain, artistic director of the Berlin Jazz Orchestra and visiting Professor at the Guildhall School of Music And Drama in London.
MATT WILSON – DRUMS
Grammy nominee Matt Wilson is universally recognized as a gifted composer, bandleader, producer, and teaching artist. He leads the Matt Wilson Quartet, Arts and Crafts, Christmas Tree-O, and the Carl Sandburg Project.
He has performed with many legends of music including Herbie Hancock, Bobby Hutcherson, Elvis Costello, Cedar Walton, Kenny Barron, John Zorn, Marshall Allen, Wynton Marsalis, Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell and Hank Jones.
Wilson has appeared on 250 CDs as a sideman and has released 9 as a leader, as well as co-leading 5 additional releases.
In 2003, he was voted Drummer of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association; and was featured on the covers of both DownBeat and JazzTimes magazines in November 2009. Matt was voted #1 Rising Star Drummer for 5 consecutive years in the DownBeat Critic’s Poll. (Photo by Jim Levitt)
MARTIN WIND – BASS 
Bassist and composer Martin Wind was born in Flensburg, Germany, and moved to New York to study at New York University on a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service.
Since his move Martin has become a regular at all major jazz clubs and is also in demand as a session player. In addition to leading his own quartet, Martin has recorded and/or performed with Monty Alexander, Pat Metheny, Clark Terry, Slide Hampton, Toots Thielemans, Buddy DeFranco, The Metropole Orchestra, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Berlin, Michael Brecker, Bud Shank, Bucky Pizzarelli, Mike Stern, Terell Stafford, John Scofield, Benny Green, and many others.
He has been on the faculty at New York University since 1997, and is a frequent guest at colleges and jazz programs across the U.S. and abroad. (Photo by Olff Appold)
BEN WOLFE – BASS
Early on in bassist/composer Ben Wolfe’s career, he formed a Duo with Harry Connick Jr. and went on to record over a dozen albums and soundtracks. During his five years with Connick, he performed on numerous world tours as musical director. He then joined the Wynton Marsalis Septet and remained until it disbanded. Ben also became an integral part of Diana Krall’s touring band and played on many of her recordings, including the Grammy Award winning CD, “When I Look In Your Eyes.”
Ben Wolfe has recently released his new CD, “No Strangers Here” on MAXJAZZ. As Wynton Marsalis said, “Ben Wolfe swings with authority.” And as can be heard from Ben’s original compositions on this, his fifth and newest CD, Ben also innovates and “scores” with authority. Downbeat Magazine says, “ He hews to the esthetic of group interplay and the rhythms of bebop, and displays a well-honed sense of sonic narrative.”
Ben is currently on the teaching faculty at The Juilliard School.
