Born in Los Angeles, California, Willie Jones III (Drums) was awarded a full scholarship to the California Institute of the Arts, where he studied under the tutelage of the legendary Albert "Tootie" Heath. In 2017 he released his latest and seventh CD as a leader, My Point Is.... Jones' 2013 release, The Willie Jones III Sextet Plays The Music of Max Roach Live at Dizzy's Club, received high praise from both jazz critics and mainstream outlets such as the New York Times.

 

 

Saxophonist, multi-reedist, and composer Gregory Tardy is one of the most versatile jazz musicians of his generation, equally comfortable in a variety of musical and improvisational situations. Born into a musical family, he began his musical career studying classical clarinet. In his early 20s, while preparing for a symphony career he discovered jazz saxophone and hasn't looked back.

 

 

26-year old Alexander Claffy was raised in a musical household (his father is a pianist, his mother, a vocalist), and had many of his earliest lessons on bandstands in the heart of Philadelphia. As a teenager, Claffy was fortunate enough to find a mentor in many Philly natives, and has continued his study of the double bass with some of the world's finest musicians, including Ron Carter, Dwayne Burno and Orin O'Brien. In the past 3 years he has recorded for the Verve, HighNote, Positone, RopeADope and LaReserve record labels.

 

 

With her sultry soulful flare and cutting edge compositions, D.C.-based vocalist Christie Dashiell is surely a rising star. Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Greenville, North Carolina, Dashiell is a graduate of Howard University and the Manhattan School of Music. In 2016, Dashiell released her debut solo album, Time All Mine, debuting on Billboard's Jazz Album and Contemporary Jazz Album Charts at numbers thirteen (13) and twenty-two (22), in addition to JazzTimes' Top 50.

 

 

Jazz Pianist RICK GERMANSON has been highly in-demand on the New York City jazz scene for two decades. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rick relocated to New York after winning the GRAND PRIZE at The American Pianists' Association Jazz Piano Competition in 1996. Since then, Rick has released four recordings as a leader and is documented on over fifty recordings as a sideman. In 2004, Rick was named "Best of New Talent" by the monthly publication All About Jazz.