International Recorded artist, composer, educator, and bandleader Jonathan Barber was voted the #1 Up-and-Coming Drummer of 2018 in Modern Drummer. Barber has already recorded and toured worldwide with such artists as Pat Metheny, Erykah Badu, Nicholas Payton, Buster Williams, Jimmy Greene, Jeremy Pelt, Wallace Roney, Terrace Martin, Jennifer Holid…

New York City-based pianist, singer-songwriter, and composer Cestari creates a world that melds the sounds of jazz, pop, classical, latin, and free improvisation together. With rich vocals, vivid lyricism, and a powerful approach to the piano, Cestari's music takes on various inspirations that have merged into one distinct sound. Studying Music Bus…

With inspiration from his stylistic ancestors Nat King Cole and Joe Williams, John Dokes brings new life to the deep-souled world of baritone jazz vocals on his elegant new album, Our Day on his Swing Theory Entertainment imprint. In delivering a distinctive post-pandemic outing of classic songs embodied with hopeful passion, Dokes—also promises th…

Almost immediately, he found himself as sideman for notable locals such as Kermit Ruffins, Michael Ward and The Reward, and Sun Ra trumpeter, Michael Ray. In 1992 he co-founded the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars(NOKAS), a pioneering klezmer ensemble that infused that music with the vibrancy and energy of the funk, jazz and brass music of New Orleans…

NYC flutist, composer, Sunnyside Records artist, producer, and clinician, Jamie Baum, has toured the US and over 35 countries performing at major festivals, clubs, and concert halls including the Monterey, Madrid, Oeiras, Bermuda, Edinburgh, North Sea, Winter Jazzfest and London Jazz Festivals, Tampere Jazz Happening, Guimaraes Jazz Festival, Jazzt…

With an international background, PATRICK SOLURI is a New York City based composer of music for ballet, opera and film/TV. His love of telling stories through music is evident in a large body of work for the stage, screen and concert hall. Mr. Soluri has had 11 ballet scores performed internationally. This includes a commission and eight sold out p…

AARON JENSEN (he/him), is an award-winning Toronto-based composer and producer. His creative work has been premiered and recorded by JUNO and GRAMMY award-winning artists, including Randy Brecker, Mariah Carey, Natalie MacMaster, and Dame Evelyn Glennie. He had the pleasure of acting as musical director, band leader, and composer for the nine-time …

Jose Miguel is a Filipino singer-songwriter based in the south side of Manila. Heavily influenced by jazz, folk, and big band music, it's no surprise that he believes he was born in the wrong era. The authenticity and the distinct slick sound and energy of that time are what his music is. An old soul living in the new, his work encapsulates themes,…

Brian Scarborough is a top-call trombonist, improviser, composer, and educator in the greater Kansas City area. As a musician, Brian is regularly booked as both a bandleader for his quintet and a sideman for many local and touring bands of various sizes, in jazz and other genres. Moreover, Brian is a veteran musician of musical theatre, having perf…

Lawrence Fields, born and bred in St. Louis, has earned a spot at the forefront of young jazz pianists, thanks to his blending of vintage ideals with a contemporary mindset. For the last five years, in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019, Downbeat Magazine has placed him close to the top of the keyboardist category in their “Rising Stars” critics poll…

Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Greenville, NC, contemporary jazz vocalist Christie N. Dashiell honed her skills at Howard University and later at the Manhattan School of Music. Ms. Dashiell’s trajectory includes performances with Howard’s premiere vocal jazz ensemble, Afro Blue. She has also performed at the Kennedy Center as a participant…

Lois Deloatch is a songwriter and vocalist known for her powerful contralto voice and distinctive blend of jazz, soul, blues, folk, and spirituals. Her original compositions and interpretations of classic tunes resonate with purity and emotion, simultaneously intellectual and passionate. Shaped by and reflective of her early life as the seventh of …

Vinnie Sperrazza is a Brooklyn-based jazz drummer, composer, bandleader, author, and educator noted for his versatility and commitment to new music. Born in Utica, NY, Sperrazza moved to Brooklyn after completing his studies at William Paterson University, where he was mentored by pianist James Williams. He leads the groups Vinnie Sperrazza Trio, f…

Shai Jaschek is an Israeli-born guitarist, composer, and music educator in New York City. After first picking up the guitar at 10 years old, Shai has since dedicated his life to music, playing and performing constantly. Before establishing himself in NYC, Shai completed his Bachelor’s in Arts from Israel’s top jazz performance programs, such as “Th…

Award-winning vocalist, composer, and educator Kavita Shah’s latest album, Cape Verdean Blues, is the culmination of a diasporic quest to find a spiritual home. The carefully curated album of traditional Cape Verdean music is also a tribute to the charismatic and unapologetically individual artist Cesária Évora, and a love letter to her breathtakin…

Terence Hsieh 謝燕輝 is a three-time Golden Melody Award-winning producer, trombone, and trumpet specialist, and keyboardist from Durham, North Carolina who lives and works in Greater China. He is the bandleader of The Spice Cabinet 五香放克乐团 whose 2020 album “The Adventures of Pie Boy” won Best Instrumental Album, Best Instrumental Recording and Best Ar…

MaryLynn was a founding member of the Grammy-nominated vocal jazz group, Rare Silk. The group started in Boulder, CO. Their very first album, New Weave flew to the top of the Billboard Jazz charts and received 2 Grammy nominations. MaryLynn and the group toured the world singing in the US, Europe, and Japan. Rare Silk received acclaim working along…

Nicole Zuraitis is a 2X GRAMMY-nominated jazz singer-songwriter, pianist, and arranger, New York-based bandleader and winner of the prestigious 2021 American Traditions Vocal Competition Gold Medal. With a “heart as big as her remarkable voice,” (Jazz Police), Nicole has positioned herself as one of the top artists and "prolific songwriters" (Broad…

Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, Sean Mason taught himself to play piano by ear at the late age of 13. Driven by an insatiable passion for learning, Sean’s piano virtuosity evolved into a distinctive language, marking his unique presence in the jazz scene. Sean’s educational path unfolded from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro t…

Kevin Sun is a Chinese-American saxophonist and composer. His music has been called “...intense, harmonically virtuosic and compositionally complex" (DownBeat Magazine), and he has released five albums to date—most recently a double album entitled The Depths of Memory in October 2023. Sun has also released album four with the bands Mute, Earprint, …

For the past 44 years percussionist/producer / composer Zimbel has led the Juno Award-winning nine-piece global / jazz collective Manteca which he cofounded with bassist Henry Heillig in 1979. The group has recorded 14 full-length CD’s, toured the world and shared stages with Miles Davis, Weather Report, Van Morrison, Ella Fitzgerald and become one…

Hailing from the vibrant music scene of St. Louis, saxophonist and composer Willie Morris emerges as a fresh and exciting force on the jazz scene. With a deep-rooted appreciation for the Black-American art forms that have flourished in his city, he brings a dynamic and unique perspective to his craft. In this early stage of his career, Willie has a…

Born in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, composer, pianist and arranger Shuteen Erdenebaatar (*1998) brings a unique sound to the audience with her yearning melodies enriched with profound and expressive harmonies and rhythms. The daughter of Erdenebaatar Gombo, who recently earned the title “The Emeritus of Art” for his 40 years as director of t…

Aline Homzy is an award-winning violinist and composer. Praised as one of Canada’s finest jazz violinists, she has performed and/or recorded with Danilo Perez, Munir Hossn and The Weather Station. Her music has been performed by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Swedish guitarist Mikko Hilden, and South-Korean bassist Yongwon Cho. Homzy is also a com…

Saxophonist, Multi-Reedist, Composer, Recording Artist, Bandleader, and Educator Sharel Cassity (pron. "Sha-Relle") is a musician well-established on the New York and Chicago jazz scenes. Listed as "Rising Star Alto Saxophone" in Downbeat Magazine for the past decade, Sharel has appeared on the Today Show, won the 2007 ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Aw…

Pianist-composer Kris Davis was named 2017 Rising Star Pianist/2018 Rising Star Artist in Downbeat magazine and dubbed one of the music’s top up-and-comers in a 2012 New York Times article titled “New Pilots at the Keyboard,” with the newspaper saying: “One method for deciding where to hear jazz on a given night has been to track down the pianist K…

Contemporary jazz singer/keyboardist Frank McComb was born in Cleveland on July 15, 1970, beginning his piano studies at age 12 and forming his first trio five years later. His professional break followed in 1991, when he was tapped as musical director for the R&B group Rude Boys, subsequently backing DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince in the studi…

Born on June 16, 1965, in Carthage, Missouri, Javon Jackson was raised in Denver, Colorado and chose saxophone at the age of 10. At age 16 he switched from alto to tenor and later enrolled at the University of Denver before spending part of 1985–86 at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He left Berklee in 1986 to join Art Blakey’s Jazz Messenge…

At the start of his career, the great guitarist Kenny Burrell wrote, “Freddie Bryant is a brilliant young guitarist and composer.” Since then he has shown his versatile skills in jazz, classical, Brazilian, and other world genres. Freddie is currently in demand in the New York jazz scene. He worked with Ben Riley for over a decade with the Monk Leg…

Gabriela Martina is a vocalist, composer, and bandleader who grew up in Switzerland. She spent 13 years living and working in the US (Boston & New York) learning from the people who made Jazz (among many other styles of music originating from the US) as important of an art form as it is today. Gabriela grew up yodeling with her family and had perfo…

“Jazz was the first music that I ever heard. It was introduced to me by my Dad who always played jazz around the house. He regularly sat me down and told me to listen closely to the music, that jazz was life.” Her beloved father passed away when she was 11. “The last time I saw him, he was at the hospital, had me driven in, and he told me that he w…

Tony Monaco began his keyboard life at age eight, on the accordion. When he was twelve, his destiny as a jazz organist was sealed when he first heard Jimmy Smith. An enthusiastic student, Tony began working in Jazz clubs as a teenager in his native Columbus, Ohio, guided by local organ gurus Hank Marr and Don Patterson. For further inspiration, he …

A native of the Ohio Valley, Dorothy fulfilled her dream of moving to New York City in 1970 and stayed there for fifty years. She was a friend, fellow musician, and confidante to her husband, Mike Longo, for thirty-two years. Steeped in classical piano training since the age of six, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music and music …

Altin Sencalar began his studies at Texas State University, studying with Freddie Mendoza. While attending TSU, he gained entrance into the thriving Austin music scene and began emerging as a new talent. Altin soon moved to Austin and attended the University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music, where he studied under the tutelage of Andre H…

Dermot Rogers is the principal and founder of the reactivated Dublin-based Livia Records label, which recently re-released the late guitarist Louis Stewart's masterful OUT ON HIS OWN solo album, and the previously unreleased duo album, SOME OTHER BLUES, with pianist Noel Kelehan. Livia Records' reactivation began in 2021, after being dormant for 15…

A native of São Paulo, Brazil, Felipe Salles has been an active musician in the US since 1995, where he has worked and recorded with prominent jazz artists, including Randy Brecker, Paquito D’Rivera, David Liebman, Melissa Aldana, Lionel Loueke, Jerry Bergonzi, Chico Pinheiro, Magos Herrera, Sofia Rei, Yosvany Terry, Jovino Santos Neto, Oscar Stagn…

Flute-playing soul-jazz phenomenon Ragan Whiteside has become one of the genre’s most consistently dynamic and popular artists. Thanks to her incredible skill and creativity on her chosen instrument, as well as her charismatic presence on stage, Whiteside is at the top of her game. That was demonstrated in October 2022, when she became the first ar…

Superb Alto Saxophonist Christopher McBride has been slowly but steadily turning heads with his ubiquitous work as an invaluable sideman since the mid-aughts. Now Christopher is gaining respect amongst fans, critics, and his peers as one of the most versatile saxophonists in the world. His 2012 debut album Quatuor de Force certainly establishes his…

Benjamin Lapidus is a Grammy-nominated musician who has performed and recorded throughout the world as a bandleader and supporting musician playing guitar, Cuban tres, Puerto Rican cuatro, touch style/tapping instruments (Warr guitar and Chapman Stick), as well as organ. As a scholar, he has published widely on Latin music, and he is a professor at…

He was born in Lucenec on February 22, 2001, and comes from a family of musicians (father Stefan- an established Jazz Artist). Alan's talent began to manifest in his early childhood. As a four- year- old he began attending piano lessons at the Art School in Lucenec. During this period he has his first diploma in a regional piano competition. After …

The sonically innovative harpist, Brandee Younger, is revolutionizing the harp for the digital era. Over the past fifteen years, she has worked relentlessly to stretch boundaries and limitations for harpists. In 2022, she made history by becoming the first black woman to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition. That same y…

Andrey Chmut is a Ukrainian saxophonist, composer, and producer. Andrey works with Bob James, Jamala, Candy Dulfer, Dave Koz, Julio Iglesias Jr, Andrius Mamontovas, Igor Zakus, Tina Karol, Valery Stepanov, Eric Moore, and many other artists. The song Moving Forward from the album "Smoothability", which was recorded with American jazz pianist and pr…

Guitarist Dominic Miller is a highly regarded pop, classical, and jazz-influenced player, best known for his long association with Sting. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1960, Miller spent his first ten years living in South America, where his father worked for Johnson Wax. Around age ten, he moved back to the United States with his family, sett…

Cheryl Ann Spencer is a Singaporean jazz pianist specializing in classical and modern jazz. Aside from a banking and finance degree, she has a second degree in Jazz Music from the LaSalle College of Arts. She is pursuing classical composition and piano pedagogy at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore. She …

Claire Victoria Roberts is a composer, vocalist, and violinist, who blurs the boundaries of jazz, contemporary, and singer-songwriter genres. She collaborates, as an artist, with musicians from classical, jazz, and folk spheres, drawing upon her diverse influences and melding styles together: through improvised vocals, contemporary classical timbre…

After four decades in the international spotlight, the achievements of saxophonist Branford Marsalis continue to grow. From his initial recognition as a young jazz lion, he has expanded his vision as an instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, and educator, crossing stylistic boundaries while maintaining unwavering creative integrity. In the process,…

Josh Feldstein founded The Verve Jazz Ensemble in 2006 as a band that paid homage to the past while vehemently establishing newer, younger audiences for the vintage sound of Hard Bop-inspired jazz. Josh has studied extensively with drumming legend John Riley and the amazing Joe Morello, Josh’s additional drumming influences include Art Blakey, Max …

Brent Vaartstra is a professional jazz musician, author, podcaster, and jazz coach living in New York City. He is the director of the internationally renowned jazz education company Learn Jazz Standards, which helps musicians of all instruments level up their jazz playing without the overwhelm. If you enjoyed this episode please make sure to subscr…

Jason Marshall’s 2003 arrival in New York City signified the continuation of hard-swinging, forward-thinking baritone saxophone playing. With early encouragement to appreciate all types of music, Jason has developed a style that encompasses the whole of African-American music. A special interest is given to the amalgamation of soul, R and B, and fu…

Growing up in a musical family in Bucks County, PA, Ms. Henry immersed herself in the arts early on, singing in school and church, and studying cello and ballet. After graduating from the University of Miami with a degree in Communications and Theatre, she launched a successful acting career, appearing in national commercial roles and a series of v…