Melissa Aldana Melissa Aldana is an internationally acclaimed saxophonist, composer, and bandleader, celebrated for her distinctive voice in jazz and her ability to seamlessly blend tradition with innovation. Born in Santiago, Chile, she discovered her passion for music at an early age, inspired by her father, a professional saxophonist. She began her formal studies on the tenor saxophone at the age of 12, immersing herself in the jazz canon and drawing inspiration from legendary players such as Sonny Rollins and Don Byas. In 2013, Melissa became the first female instrumentalist and the first South American to win the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, propelling her onto the global stage. Since then, she has established herself as a powerful voice in contemporary jazz, earning 2 Grammy nominations and accolades for her unique approach to composition and improvisation. A Blue Note recording artist, Melissa has released critically acclaimed albums, including 12 Stars and Echoes of the Inner Prophet, which highlight her rich storytelling, virtuosic technique, and deep emotional connection to her music. Her work often explores themes of identity, self-discovery, and resilience, resonating with audiences across the globe. In addition to leading her own quartet, Melissa is a highly sought-after collaborator, performing with some of the most respected names in jazz. Her artistry has graced iconic venues and festivals worldwide, from the Village Vanguard in New York City to international stages across Europe, Asia, and South America. Beyond performing, Melissa is deeply committed to education and mentorship. She regularly conducts workshops and masterclasses, inspiring the next generation of jazz musicians.

Monty Alexander Nearly sixty years after he moved to the United States from Kingston, Jamaica, his hometown, Grammy nominated pianist Monty Alexander is an American classic, touring the world relentlessly with various projects, delighting a global audience drawn to his vibrant personality and soulful message. His spirited conception is one informed by the timeless verities: endless melody-making, effervescent grooves, sophisticated voicings, a romantic spirit, and a consistent predisposition, as Alexander accurately states, “to build up the heat and kick up a storm.” Documented on more than 75 recordings and cited as the fifth greatest jazz pianist ever in The Fifty Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time (Hal Leonard Publishing), the Jamaican government designated Alexander Commander in the Order of Distinction in 2000 and in 2022 conferred on him the national honor Order of Jamaica for "Sterling Contributions to the Promotions of Jamaican Music and the Jazz Genre Interpretations Globally". In further recognition of his accomplishments, the University of The West Indies bestowed him with an honorary doctorate (DLitt). June 6, 2024, marked the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings. It’s also the day Monty Alexander turned 80. A highly symbolic historical concordance which the great musician naturally embraces, since the name he was given pays homage to General Montgomery, the famous liberator. Recorded at Studio Sextan in Paris in October 2023, D-Day (PeeWee!) contains iconic compositions written in wartime as well as eight original tracks.

Leland Baker Leland Baker is a jazz saxophonist, as well as a music educator. He lived and spent time honing his craft in the cities of New Orleans and New York City as a student. Leland attended Loyola University in New Orleans, LA where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Studies. He later attended the University of Rhode Island where he earned a Master’s Degree in Music Performance. As the music education manager for the Newport Festivals Foundation, Leland started leading music and songwriting lessons at the Women's correctional facility in Cranston, RI working alongside local and internationally acclaimed artists. The program aims to assist, educate and support inmates in their rehabilitation through songwriting and musical expression. Receiving praise from the Warden, staff, and inmates, the program will enter its third semester in April. 

Kenny Barron Honored by the National Endowment for the Arts as a 2010 Jazz Master, Kenny Barron has an unmatched ability to mesmerize audiences with his elegant playing, sensitive melodies, and infectious rhythms. The Los Angeles Times named him “one of the top jazz pianists in the world” and Jazz Weekly called him “the most lyrical piano player of our time.” The Philadelphia native started playing professionally as a teenager with Mel Melvin’s orchestra and Philly Joe Jones. He moved to New York City at 19 and freelanced with Roy Haynes, Lee Morgan, and James Moody. Upon Moody’s recommendation, Dizzy Gillespie hired Barron in 1962 without even hearing him play a note. It was in Gillespie’s band that Barron developed an appreciation for Latin and Caribbean rhythms. After five years with Gillespie, Barron played with Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Milt Jackson, and Buddy Rich. In the early 1970s, Barron began working with Yusef Lateef, whom Barron credits as a key influence on his art for improvisation. Encouraged by Lateef to pursue a college education, Barron balanced touring with studies, earning his degree from SUNY Empire State College. By 1973, Barron joined the faculty at Rutgers University as a professor of music. He held this tenure until 2000, mentoring many of today’s young talents, including David Sanchez, Terence Blanchard, and Regina Belle. In 1974, Barron recorded Sunset to Dawn, his first album as a leader which led to over 50 others.  His duo album with Stan Getz in the late 1980s, People Time, led to the first of 13 Grammy nominations. Barron’s latest recording, Beyond This Place recorded in Paris and released May 2024 features his quintet with Steve Nelson, Immanuel Wilkins, Kiyoshi Kitagawa and Johnathan Blake. The year before Barron released the Grammy nominated solo piano album, The Source (Artwork Records). Barron consistently wins jazz critics’ and readers’ polls, including DownBeat, JazzTimes, and Jazziz magazines. Spanish ceramist Lladró honored Barron with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Barron has also received honorary doctorates from SUNY Empire State College and the Berklee College of Music. In 2009, he received the Living Legacy Award from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation and was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame. Barr-on is a seven-time recipient of the Jazz Journalists Association’s Best Pianist distinction. Borrowed from the title of one of his most popular songs, “Voyage,” Barron opens his vault of rarely performed music that spans 60 years of composing to create a retrospective evening of his prolific artistry. Alongside Kitagawa and Blake, this classic trio explores the magic within some of Barron’s finest unheard melodies as well as more recent nods to some of his favorite inspirations.

Lakecia Benjamin Five-time Grammy® Nominated and Voted by 2020 Downbeat Critics Poll Rising Star Alto Saxophonist and Up and Coming Artist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association, charismatic and dynamic saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin fuses traditional conceptions of Jazz, HipHop, and Soul. In addition to touring with her own band both domestically and internationally in 2023, Lakecia performed in more than 20 cities with the Monterey Jazz Festival All Stars, sharing the front line with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling and the Christian Sands Trio.  She served as the Guest Artistic Director for the Burlington Jazz Festival, presiding over one of the largest audiences in their history.  She served as Artistic Director for the John and Alice Coltrane Jazz Festival in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania and was named Artist in Residence at the 66th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival.  Recently she was named “Jazz Scholar” by the Library of Congress for 2023. Lakecia’s latest CD “Phoenix” produced by Terri Lyne Carrington, garnered 7 magazine covers and a New York Times cover of the Arts and Leisure Section.  The album features Dianne Reeves, Angela Davis, Sonia Sanchez, Patrice Rushen, Georgia Anne Muldrow, and Wayne Shorter.   A streetwise New York City native born and raised in Washington Heights; Lakecia Benjamin first picked up the saxophone at Fiorello LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts. From there she graduated from the renowned jazz program at New York’s New School University.

Kimberley Berry Music was part of Kimberley Berry’s life from the womb! With a mother who was a professional opera singer (Contralto) Kimberley was destined to find her way in a musical, professional setting. In 2019, Kim moved to Denver from Philadelphia where she spent 10 years in jazz radio at Temple University’s WRTI-FM, first as an undergrad and was hired as Assistant Program Director/Music Director/Announcer. She also served as Jazz Coordinator for the Royal Danish Consulate General In New York, freelance writer for numerous jazz CD liner notes, and as a jazz compilation co-producer with famed producer Joel Dorn. She moved to Denver, Colorado in 2019 and joined the staff of KUVO as a host and substitute announcer. In 2022 she was hired full-time as the Mid-Day host Monday-Friday from 1PM -4PM. In October 2024 she was hired as KUVO’s new Music Director.

Dr. Barbara Bethea Barbara Bethea, Ph.D., PTR, LCAT, CASAC is the first African American Registered Poetry Therapist certified through the International Federation for Biblio/Poetry Therapy (IFBPT) and licensed by New York State as a Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT). Dr. Bethea is also the first African American Certified Mentor for the IFBPT. Dr. Bethea completed her Master in Psychology, Poetry Therapy and Counseling at Vermont College of Union Institute and University and her Ph.D. in Expressive Therapies at Lesley University. Dr. Bethea is also a Master-level Credentialed Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) through the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). Dr. Bethea has been employed by New York City Health and Hospital (NYCHH) for over 16 years and the only LCAT-Poetry Therapist on the NYCHH footprint. Dr. Bethea began her career providing services on the in-patient units at Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center in 2008. In 2021, Dr. Bethea was promoted to Associate Director of the Creative Arts Therapy program on Rikers Island.

T.K. Blue T.K. Blue, Talib Kibwe’s nickname, appears on over 85 recordings and performed with such artists as Don Cherry; Jaki Byard’s Apollo Stompers; Ted Daniels’ Big Band; Abdullah Ibrahim; Miriam Makeba; Randy Weston—T.K. was also his musical director and arranger; Sam Rivers; Archie Shepp; Xalam (from Senegal); Charli Persip; Sahib Shihab; Benny Bailey; George Lewis; Rufus Reid; Dizzy Gillespie; Pharoah Sanders; Dewey Redman; Andy Bey; Melba Liston; Patti Bown; Chico Hamilton; Carl Allen; Stefon Harris; Randy Brecker; Regina Carter; Bobby McFerrin; Dee Dee Bridgewater; Jimmy Scott; Jayne Cortez; Benny Powell; Mal Waldron; Winard Harper; Russell Malone; Gregoire Maret; Etienne Charles; Candido Camera; Bobby Sanabria; Steve Turre; Mulgrew Miller; Warren Wolf; Monty Alexander; and Arturo O’Farrill, just to name a few.

Dee Dee Bridgewater
Over the course of a multifaceted career spanning four decades, Grammy and Tony Award-winning Jazz giant Dee Dee Bridgewater has ascended to the upper echelon of vocalists, putting her unique spin on standards, as well as taking intrepid leaps of faith in re-envisioning jazz classics. A multi-hyphenate polymath and fearless voyager, explorer, pioneer and keeper of tradition, the three-time Grammy-winner most recently won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee. Bridgewater’s career has always bridged musical genres. As a Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Bridgewater continues to appeal for international solidarity to finance global grassroots projects in the fight against world hunger. In April 2017, she was the recipient of an NEA Jazz Masters Fellows Award with honors bestowed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In December 2017, Bridgewater was presented with the ASCAP Foundation Champions award acknowledging her charitable contributions. In 2018, Bridgewater received the prestigious Doris Duke Artist Award. 2019 brought her induction in the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in recognition of her contributions to music and in celebration of her latest CD, Memphis, Yes...I'm Ready. That same year, Bridgewater launched The Woodshed Network, a non-profit partnership with 651 Arts created to mentor, connect, support, and educate women in Jazz. Bridgewater serves as Artistic Director with lead support by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. 2020 found Dee Dee hosting the first virtual NEA Jazz Masters Virtual Tribute Concert. Following the success of the event, in 2021, she again hosted the 2021 Jazz Masters Virtual Tribute Concert, this time alongside venerable actor Delroy Lindo. In 2022, Lindo again joined Bridgewater to host the inaugural Jazz Music Awards. In 2023, Bridgewater oversaw the 4th year of The Woodshed Network program and can be found touring worldwide with her Dee Dee Bridgewater Big Band, Quartet, and in duo with Grammy-winning pianist Bill Charlap.

Terri Lyne Carrington Terri Lyne Carrington is an NEA Jazz Master, Doris Duke Artist, and four-time Grammy award-winning drummer, composer, producer, and educator. She serves as Founder and Artistic Director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, as well Artistic Director for both Next Jazz Legacy program (a collaboration with New Music USA) and the Carr Center in Detroit, MI. She has performed on more than 100 recordings over her 40-year career and has toured and recorded with luminaries such as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Stan Getz, Esperanza Spalding, and numerous others. Her artistry and commitment to education has earned her honorary doctorates from York University, Manhattan School of Music and Berklee College of Music, and her curatorial work and music direction has been featured in many prestigious institutions internationally. The critically acclaimed 2019 release, Waiting Game, from Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science earned the esteemed Edison Award for music and a Grammy nomination. In fall of 2022, she authored two books, Three of a Kind (about the forming of the Allen Carrington Spalding trio) and the seminal songbook collection, New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets By Women Composers. This book was accompanied by the album new STANDARDS vol.1 (Candid Records) which won the GRAMMY® Award for the best jazz instrumental album, and New Standards art installation, at Detroit’s Carr Center and the Emerson Contemporary Media Art Gallery, as part of the Jazz Without Patriarchy Project.

Ron Carter Ron Carter is among the most original, prolific, and influential bassists in jazz and has played on seminal albums in many other genres. He has recorded over 2200 albums, and has a Guinness world record to prove it! In Jazz: From 1963 to 1968, he was a member of the acclaimed Miles Davis Quintet. He can be heard on many iconic jazz records of the 60’s and 70’s such as Speak No Evil, Maiden Voyage, Speak Like a Child, Red Clay to name a few. In other music genres: After leaving the quintet he embarked on a prolific 50-year free-lance career that spanned vastly different music genres and continues to this day. He recorded with Roberta Flack and Aretha Franklin, with Gil Scott Heron on Pieces of a Man, appeared on the seminal hip-hop album Low End Theory with a Tribe Called Quest, played on albums by Billy Joel, Bette Midler, Paul Simon and more and wrote and recorded pieces for string quartets and Bach chorales for 2-8 basses. As a leader: Carter has spent at least half the year on worldwide tours with his various groups. The Ron Carter Trio, The Ron Carter Foursight Quartet, the Ron Carter Nonet and Ron Carter’s Great Big Band. He has recorded multiple albums with his groups. As an author: Carter shares his expertise in the series of books he authored, where he explains his creative process and teaches bassists of all levels to improve their skills and develop their own unique sound. He also penned his autobiography “Finding the Right Notes”. In 2021 he pioneered a new type of music transcription with Chartography, showing not only the bass line but also how the band responded and how the entire tune transformed over time. As a teacher: He was Artistic Director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Studies while it was located in Boston and, after 18 years on the faculty of the Music Department of The City College of New York, he is now Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He also taught at the Juilliard School and and at Manhattan School of Music. Awards and Honorifics: He is a 3-time Grammy winner, was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette for his contributions to Japan-US relations, the medallion and title of Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by France, numerous MVP and Outstanding Bassist awards by the music press. He has 7 honorary doctorates from Juilliard, Berklee, University of Michigan, New England Conservatory, Clark University, Manhattan School of Music and University of Rochester. Film appearances: In October 2022 PBS released a full-length feature film documentary called Ron Carter Finding the Right Notes about Carter’s life and legend. He appeared as himself on an episode of HBO’s Treme and in Round Midnight, among others.

Six-time GRAMMY-nominated pianist, composer and band leader Gerald Clayton earned recent Recording Academy recognition for Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard, his debut release on Blue Note Records. Collaborating over the years with such distinctive artists as Diana Krall, Roy Hargrove, Dianne Reeves, Terence Blanchard, John Scofield, Terri Lyne Carrington, Peter Bernstein, Ambrose Akinmusire, Gretchen Parlato, Ben Wendel, the Clayton Brothers Quintet and legendary band leader Charles Lloyd, Clayton currently serves as Director of Next Generation Jazz Orchestra following service as Musical Director for Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour.

Etienne Charles Trinidad born Etienne Charles is a performer, composer and storyteller, who is constantly searching for untold tales and sounds with which to tell them. His lush trumpet sound, varied compositional textures and pulsating grooves enable him to invoke trance, soothing and exciting listeners while referencing touchy, sometimes controversial subjects in his music. Charles' work is actively connecting the African diaspora and drawing lines to the regions at the roots of migrations, evident in his latest release, Creole Orchestra which spent 7 consecutive weeks at #1 on jazzweek radio chart eventually being named #1 album for 2024 (jazzweek.com). His dedication to music as a tool for social uplift has seen him awarded by France with the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres medal (2024) as well as by the United States with a Congressional Citation (2012). As a sideman he has performed with and/or arranged for Roberta Flack, Chucho Valdes, Marcus Roberts, Marcus Miller, Count Basie Orchestra, Frank Foster’s Loud Minority Big Band, Monty Alexander, Gregory Porter, Terri Lyne Carrington, René Marie, Paulette McWilliams and many others.  He has been commissioned as a composer and arranger by Lincoln Center for the New York Philharmonic (2021), Savannah Music Festival (2017), Chamber Music America (2015 & 2021),  the Airmen of Note, the Charleston Jazz Orchestra (2012) and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble (2011). He currently serves as Professor of Studio Music and Jazz at University of Miami Frost School of Music.

Gerald Clayton Under the instruction of Billy Childs, Clayton earned a Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance at USC’s Thornton School of Music following a year of intensive study with Kenny Barron at The Manhattan School of Music. Clayton’s creative spirit honors the legacy of his father, bassist-composer John Clayton. In 2016, he received a Duke University commission to render the Piedmont Blues experience in early 20th Century Durham; Piedmont Blues features a mixed media performance of critical acclaim. In 2019, he received a commission from LACMA to compose a musical pendant for artist Charles White’s “5 Great American Negroes” mural; Clayton titled the project White Cities: A Musical Tribute to Charles White. In January 2020, he began work on the critically-acclaimed score for Sam Pollard’s award-winning documentary MLK/FBI. The emotional resonance of Clayton’s score imbues the film with subtle, lingering moments of struggle and humanity, and helps capture a complex arc of an enduring subject.

John Clayton Bassist, Composer, Arranger and Producer, John Clayton is a busy man. He is a Grammy© winner with nine additional nominations and has written and/or recorded with artists such as Milt Jackson, Diana Krall, Paul McCartney, Regina Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gladys Knight, Queen Latifah, McCoy Tyner, YoYo Ma and Charles Aznavour, to name only a few. John was the principal bassist in the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (The Netherlands) from 1980-1984. In 1986, John co-founded the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and rekindled The Clayton Brothers Quintet. In addition to his individual clinics and workshops, he also directs the educational components of Centrum, The Port Townsend Jazz Festival, and the Vail Jazz Workshop. It is John’s arrangement of the “Star Spangled Banner” that helped propel Whitney Houston in her 1990 performance at the Super Bowl (the recording went platinum). His recordings with the Clayton Brothers, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Milt Jackson, Monty Alexander, Count Basie and others are plentiful. John feels “I’ve been guided by a village of musicians who helped me understand the humility that goes along with playing music at the highest level you can. Ray Brown used to tell me to ‘Learn how to play the bass!!’ Just take care of the music and it will take care of you.”

Stella Cole To watch Stella Cole perform is to be transported back in time. Her sense of joy and wonder is infectious – one look at her massive social media following makes this clear. Take a quick scroll through the comments of any of her many viral videos and you'll see not only her irresistible charm, but an ability to expose fans of all ages to the wonders of the Great American Songbook, especially when these timeless stories are told honestly by an artist with an uncanny ability to transcend generations. On her highly anticipated debut recording, Stella is presented performing interpreting a collection of classics in a variety of settings, including many featuring an orchestra arranged by multiple Grammy winner Alan Broadbent. Featuring songs made famous by everyone from Barbra Streisand (“When the Sun Comes Out”) and Judy Garland (“The Boy Next Door” and a classic re-interpretation of “Over the Rainbow”) to Billie Eilish (“My Future”) and Audrey Hepburn (“Moon River” of course!), it is sure to be one of the most impressive vocal recordings of 2024. Upon first hearing Stella Cole, one is immediately struck by her rich tone and extraordinary vocal control. However, what is particularly rare is her ability to interpret songs that were initially intended for actors in character in a direct, personally vulnerable way that connects to something within herself, placing her in the lineage of the greatest interpreters of the repertoire. Perhaps most exciting, to her many young fans, who have never heard these songs before, these are Stella Cole songs, which clearly makes her one of the most exciting artists of her generation. 

Isaiah Collier Isaiah Collier is a Chicago South Side native, a self-described "sonic scientist," and a multi-instrumentalist whose artistry spans far beyond the saxophone. A composer, arranger, bandleader, and curator, Collier is quickly becoming a visionary figure in contemporary jazz and creative music. Known for his innovative approach to sound, he also explores the realms of piano, drums, and various other instruments, establishing himself as a true renaissance artist. Isaiah Collier continues to expand his sonic palette and establish himself as one of the most promising and visionary musicians of his generation.

Natacha Cruz Natacha Cruz is the founder and President of the Argentine Jazz Circuit Foundation. Born in San Juan, Argentina, she studied Film and Television at the National University of Córdoba, where she graduated with the title of Producer in Audiovisual Media. During her studies she maintained a very strong bond with all artistic disciplines, especially music. Returning to her hometown, she began her journey in cultural management, promoting and developing spaces for emerging artists in the region. On this journey, she collaborated with the Jazz Trumpeter Elmer Meza, becoming his Manager and Producer. Together they are doing the arduous work of disseminating Jazz not only in San Juan, but throughout Argentina. They formed an NGO called Fundación Circuito Argentino de Jazz in 2021. This organization brings together 14 Argentine provinces that promote jazz in different forms: Festivals, Cycles and Fairs. In 2023, the organization created the 1st Argentine Jazz Congress, bringing together all programmers and producers of Argentine Jazz festivals. In 2024, Argentine Jazz Day will be celebrated at the national level where more than 20 Argentine cities participated. This day is commemorated in honor of the Rosario saxophonist “Leandro Gato Barbieri.” She is the founder of the National Jazz Festival that takes place in San Juan with the participation of local, national and international artists. In 2025, the 4th edition will be held. She is currently working on a bill to declare the city of San Juan “Capital of Argentine Jazz.”

Luques Curtis Luques Curtis was born 1983 in Hartford, CT. After having formal training on piano and percussion, he found himself wanting to play the bass. Luques studied at the Greater Hartford Academy of Performing Arts, Artist Collective, and Guakia with Dave Santoro, Volcan Orham, Nat Reeves, and Paul Brown. While attending high school, he was also very fortunate to study the Afro-Caribbean genre with bass greats Andy Gonzalez and Joe Santiago. With his talent and hard work he earned a full scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College Of Music in Boston. Now living in the New York area, Mr. Curtis has been performing worldwide with Eddie Palmieri, Harold Lopez-Nussa, Stefon Harris, Chief Adjuah, Sean Jones, Orrin Evans, and others. He is the recipient of the 2016 DownBeat Rising Star Bassist on the Critics Poll and also received the Ralph Bunche Fellowship to complete his Masters Degree at the Mason Gross School of the Arts. He co-owns a record label called Truth Revolution Records alongside his brother, Zaccai. They have five releases under "Curtis Brothers" with the most recent being "Algorithm". Luques was also part of Brian Lynch's Grammy winning CD "Simpatico" and his Grammy nominated "Madera Latino" as well as Christian Scott's Grammy nominated CD "Rewind That". He also produced the Grammy nominated "Entre Colegas" by Andy Gonzalez. You can hear him on Eddie Palmieri's "Sabiduria" and "Mi Luz Mayor"; Gary Burton "Next Generations"; Dave Valentin "Come Fly With Me"; Sean Jones' "Im*Pro*Vise","Roots","Kaleidoscope",and "The Search Within". As a sideman, Luques Curtis has participated in over 100 recordings.

Zaccai Curtis Zaccai Curtis moved to New York City in 2005 where he’s connected with and regularly performed with artists such as: Lakecia Benjamin, Christian Scott, Donald Harrison, Cindy Blackman Santana, Eddie Palmieri, Brian Lynch, the Mambo Legends, Abraham Burton, Ralph Peterson, Ray Vega, and Avery Sharpe among others.Currently Zaccai is a professor of music at the University of Hartford: Jackie McLean Jazz Studies Division and Western Connecticut State University. Besides being an educator Zaccai authored two books “Art of the Guajeo” and “Theory of the Common Voicing” which are meant to aid students in their Jazz and Latin Jazz education. Zaccai composes and arranges for his own quartet and trio as well as for artists such as Little Johnny Rivero, Steve Kroon, Sonido Solar and more. In 2003 he was chosen as a winner of the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer’s competition and each year consecutively through 2006. Zaccai and his quartet were selected by the U.S. State Department to be in the American Music Abroad (Jazz Ambassadors) program two times in 2006. They performed in Bangladesh, Calcutta, Bangalore, Mumbai, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In 2007 Zaccai Curtis was awarded the ‘Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism’s Artist Fellowship’ for ‘original composition.’ In 2017 Curtis became a Chamber Music America: “New Jazz Works” grant recipient. In 2020 Zaccai was voted as the Rising Star in the Critics Poll for Downbeat Magazine. Most recently, Curtis has been invited to be the special guest director for 2023 CMEA Southern Regional High School Jazz Band.When Zaccai is not busy being a sideman, he performs his own music with his group ‘Zaccai Curtis Quintet’ and ‘Sonido Solar.’ After five successful releases he received his first GRAMMY nomination as an artist for his latest album, "Cubop Lives!".Zaccai, along with his brother Luques, has developed the record label TRRcollective which is a collective of musicians that produce their own music and release it together. He is also proud to have produced and released the GRAMMY nominated album, ‘Entre Colegas’ by Andy González (2016).

Matt De León Matt De León has established himself as a driving force in curation, booking, artist management, arts education, and as an artist globally, with vast experience between the Americas. As a Queer, first-generation American from a Panamanian and artistic family, Matt’s work is profoundly influenced by his diverse heritage and experiences, embodying the resilience, creativity, and cultural richness that he strives to promote globally. Matt’s professional journey spans from his early work with Jazz at Lincoln Center, where he played a key role in concert and tour logistics, to his current role at Music Works International (MWI). Matt has booked and managed tours for globally acclaimed artists like Joshua Redman, Samara Joy, Dianne Reeves, Melissa Aldana, Richard Bona, Kurt Elling, Stacey Kent and Antonio Sánchez and more. In his current role Matt is responsible for securing and negotiating performance opportunities across Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. Having worked with many major festivals and promoters, he continues to expand artists' reach and engagement within Latin American markets, and across the globe. In addition to his booking work, Matt is a dedicated educator, having mentored students around the world in both the performance and business sectors of the music industry, and has contributed to the development of Anyone Can Book A Gig, an educational initiative empowering independent artists to build sustainable careers. He has conducted workshops and intensives in the United States, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Panamá, Colombia, amongst other countries, helping artists take control of their career trajectories. Matt also coordinates Conexiones Culturales de Latinoamérica, a network fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing among cultural professionals throughout the Americas. At the core of Matt’s mission is using the arts to foster healing, inclusivity, and cross-cultural connection. Influenced by artists like Joni Mitchell, Ocean Vuong, and Rubén Blades, he remains dedicated to amplifying diverse voices and building platforms for cultural expression. Outside of work, Matt finds joy in nature, culinary pursuits, and personal growth. Matt is based between la Ciudad de Panamá and Brooklyn, NY.

Roger Dickerson Roger Dickerson, a celebrated composer and educator, stands as a towering figure in the world of music, both as an artist of exceptional depth and as a generous mentor and teacher to generations of students. Born in New Orleans, a city synonymous with musical innovation, Dickerson’s artistic journey began with the rhythms of street performers and the discipline of formal piano training under Miriam Panalle. His early exposure to the city's vibrant music culture instilled in him a deep appreciation for both classical traditions and the spontaneity of jazz and spirituals. Dickerson’s passion for music was matched by his academic pursuits. He earned his Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) in Music Education from Dillard University in 1955, followed by a Master of Music in Composition from Indiana University in 1957. As a Fulbright Scholar, he studied composition at the prestigious Akademie für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna, Austria (1959–1962), where his exposure to European traditions expanded his compositional voice. While Dickerson is widely celebrated for his groundbreaking works—including A Musical Service for Louis: A Requiem for Louis Armstrong (1972) and the New Orleans Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1976), both of which garnered Pulitzer Prize nominations—it is his role as an educator that has left an equally profound impact on the musical community. Dickerson began his teaching career at Dillard University and later joined the faculty at Xavier University of Louisiana, where he inspired students to think of music as both a discipline and a form of creative expression. He continued his work at Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO), where he served as Music Coordinator and directed the University Concert Choir, helping shape the musical lives of countless students. Known for his ability to draw out excellence, Dickerson combined rigorous classical training with an appreciation for the cultural heritage of New Orleans, creating a teaching style that was both academically rich and deeply rooted in real-world relevance. Beyond university classrooms, Dickerson expanded his teaching to include mentorship programs aimed at young musicians. His association with the Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp and the Thelonious Monk Institute at Loyola University allowed him to work directly with emerging artists, instilling in them the importance of technical precision, historical awareness, and creative individuality. Dickerson’s commitment to education extended into workshops, masterclasses, and community initiatives, all of which reflected his belief that music could transform individuals and strengthen communities. In addition to his teaching, Dickerson’s role as a composer and cultural advocate enriched his educational efforts. His compositions, such as Symphonie Congo Square and Preacher Man! Preacher Man!, drew upon the stories, struggles, and triumphs of the African-American experience, creating works that resonated with students and audiences alike. Many of his pieces have been performed by leading orchestras and choirs, and his art songs, symphonic works, and chamber music continue to inspire musicians globally. Dickerson received numerous honors, including the National Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Negro Musicians (2017), the Lifetime Achievement Award from OffBeat Magazine (2014), and the Mayor of New Orleans Arts Award. He also played a pivotal role in community cultural initiatives, serving as an advisor to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation and as an honorary chairman of the Pecos Valley Jazz Festival,, which he co-founded while displaced after Hurricane Katrina. Roger Dickerson’s legacy as a teacher is one of dedication, innovation, and humanity. For him, education was not just about imparting knowledge—it was about inspiring students to see music as a mirror of society and a vehicle for change. Whether teaching in classrooms, directing choirs, or mentoring young artists, Dickerson exemplifies the highest ideals of education and artistry. His impact on the musical world continues through the many students, colleagues, and audiences he has touched.

Akua Dixon Cellist-Composer-Conductor-Educator, Akua Dixon has been at the forefront of improvising string players since 1973. She is the first cellist to win the Downbeat Critics Poll. A multi laureate of the National Endowment for the Arts in composition and performance, Akua is considered “amongst the treasures of contemporary jazz” (New Jersey Star Ledger). She has toured the world performing with her Grammy Award-winning string quartet, Quartette Indigo, ”jazz’s leading string quartet” (Boston Globe). Akua’s string arrangements can be heard on the five-time Grammy Award-winning album, THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL and Aretha Franklin’s Grammy nominated, A ROSE IS STILL A ROSE. She has performed with Duke Ellington, Max Roach, Ray Charles, Lionel Hampton, etc. Akua has performed at concert halls and Festivals in the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean. A native New Yorker, Akua attended its infamous High School of Performing Arts and studied cello with Benar Heifetz. Akua conducted Riverside by Judith Jamison, music by Kimati Dinizulu for the 1995 season premiere at City Center. She is the 1998 recipient of the African American Classical Music Award. In 2005 she developed her Hip Hop Blues Project for NYC school children while working with Carnegie Hall Education. Akua’s new project is We the People. Dedicated to “All The People” it speaks to the themes of justice, equality and hope.

Gene Dobbs Bradford Gene Dobbs Bradford became the Executive Director of the Savannah Music Festival this past February. Before that, he was President and CEO of Jazz St. Louis for 23 years. He built the organization’s contributed and earned income from $375,000 to $3.5 million and led an $8.5 million capital campaign to develop the Harold & Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz. He oversaw the expansion of Jazz St. Louis’s education and outreach programs that have impacted over 200,000 students. Known for his award-winning collaborations with other arts institutions, his collaboration with Opera Theatre of St. Louis resulted in the commissioning and production of two operas; Champion in 2013 and Fire Shut Up in My Bones, which premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in the fall of 2021, making history as the first opera written by an African-American ever to be presented at The Met. Gene has also held administrative positions with several orchestras, including the Saint Louis Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Honolulu Symphony. He has received many honors, including the Jazz Journalist Association’s 2020 Jazz Hero Award, the 2018 St. Louis Arts Award for Excellence in the Arts, the St. Louis American Foundation’s “2014 Non-profit Executive of the Year,” and this fall, he was chosen as one of 100 Alumni selected to receive the Eastman School of Music Centennial Award. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Missouri St. Louis in 2022. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Music from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY (He was a double bass player). Gene is also an accomplished harmonica player. As a harmonica player, he has performed with artists such as Jon Batiste, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, and Cedric Burnside. Gene earned his MBA from Washington University in 2008.

Vincent Dupont A New Hampshire native, jazz bassist Vincent Dupont made his way onto the New York jazz scene through his enrollment in the Jazz Studies program at William Paterson University. At age nineteen, he became the full-time bassist for drummer Winard Harper’s band and a few years later joined guitarist Russell Malone’s quartet.He has taken part in many jazz programs in the country such as Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center in 2016, and the Ravinia Steans Music Institute the same year. Dupont frequently performs at jazz clubs such as Washington D.C.'s Blues Alley, Chicago’s Jazz Showcase, and Smoke in New York City. He has toured, recorded, and performed with Harold Mabern, Russell Malone, Winard Harper,George Coleman, Larry Fuller, Lew Tabackin,HarryAllen, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and many more. Dupont was most recently awarded 1st place in the International Society of Bassist’s Scott LaFaro Jazz Competition of 2021.  

Erika Elliott Erika Elliott is a music industry veteran, having spent more than 30 years in New York in a variety of organizations including Loud Records, RCA Music Group, Live Music Club S.O.Bs, and at The William Morris Agency, and her current role as Executive Artistic Director of the SummerStage Festival.  She helped showcase the early careers of Ledisi, John Legend, Kanye West, Eminem and more and has been passionate about supporting artists at every stage of their career.  For the last 20 years she has driven the programming of the SummerStage festival giving platform and visibility to Artists and communities to celebrate their art, while making arts and culture accessible to all New Yorkers'.  As the Executive Artistic Director of Summerstage and The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival she annually presents around 200 artists on stages in all five boroughs, from May - October. Originally from Los Angeles, for the last 20 years she proudly calls The Bronx home. She is an elected Governor of the New Chapter of The Recording Academy, on the editorial board for the PBS affiliated ALL Arts network, and the founder of NYMPF an informal organization of area presenters, producers and promoters that meets quarterly, and serves on the Bronx Music and Heritage Center music advisory committee.

Ross Eustis Ross heads the Digital Program at SFJAZZ, one of the largest presenters of jazz in the world. SFJAZZ operates from its home base, the SFJAZZ Center, which opened in 2013 and is located in the heart of San Francisco's cultural district. Ross launched SFJAZZ's streaming service SFJAZZ At Home in 2020, which has since raised $1.5M for artists, attracted over 20,000 new digital members and featured over 200 streamed concerts. In 2023, Ross was named a Bloomberg Tech Fellow for SFJAZZ and its Digital Accelerator Program funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Ross was recently featured on the Digital Works Podcast, produced by Substrakt in the United Kingdom. Outside of SFJAZZ, Ross is a co-founder of Slow & Steady Records, a hub for creators and lovers of West Coast centric music, and a professional trumpet player, performing regularly up and down the West Coast with the award-winning Jazz Mafia. Ross was a 2011-12 Watson Fellow, where he traveled internationally for a year studying 'dialects of jazz' – how jazz has become a global artform. Before pursuing a career in music, Ross studied Chemistry at Whitman College, graduating cum laude in 2011. Ross grew up in Seattle, WA and is an alumnus of the nationally recognized Roosevelt High School Jazz Band.

Jon Faddis Jon Faddis is a complete and consummate musician - conductor, composer, and educator.  Marked by both intense integrity and humor, Faddis earned accolades from his close friend and mentor John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie, who declared of Faddis, “He's the best ever, including me!”  As a trumpeter, Faddis possesses a virtually unparalleled range and full command of his instrument, making the practically impossible seem effortless. Faddis is known as one of the most innovative and inspiring jazz trumpeters of our time.  He has an unfailing commitment to the education of young musicians and frequently conducts clinics and master classes worldwide to help the next generation of jazz musicians.  In Chicago, Faddis served as the Jazz Institute of Chicago’s first mentor for its Jazz Links program and also created the Louis Armstrong Legacy Program.  Faddis is a full-time faculty member at the Conservatory of Music, Purchase College-SUNY, where he began in 1999 as Artist-in-Residence and then became Professor and Director of Jazz Performance. Faddis received an honorary doctorate in Jazz from Manhattan School of Music (which he attended for about a semester when he was 18 and where he teaches trumpet now), as well as numerous other accolades and awards. Whatever the context – classroom or concert hall – and whatever the style, Jon Faddis epitomizes the best in Jazz.

Keanna Faircloth Since 2003, Keanna Faircloth has been a dynamic force in jazz and music media, working as a radio personality, writer, and passionate advocate for artists. Her journey is rooted in an undeniable love for jazz and storytelling. From hosting Afternoon Jazz on WBGO 88.3 FM (2019–2022) to creating the acclaimed interview series The Pulse, Keanna’s work has resonated deeply with listeners and artists alike. Her journey began during her sophomore year at Howard University as an intern at WPFW, where she quickly became a celebrated on-air host, staying on for 16 impactful years. In 2018, she launched her podcast, Artimacy, interviewing legends like Robert Glasper, Dionne Warwick, Wynton Marsalis, Melba Moore, and many more. In 2024, she co-launched Jazz Beyond Tradition with Ulysses Owens Jr. on WJCT 89.9 FM's Jacksonville Music Experience, with plans for national syndication. Named a “Future African American Leader in Radio” by Radio Ink Magazine, Keanna has conducted hundreds of interviews and hosted festivals across the globe—from DC Jazz Festival to NYC Winter JazzFest to JazzFest Berlin. Her writing has been featured in The New York Times, WBGO, WRTI, WBUR and NPR Music, where she’s contributed to New Music Friday and Here and Now. She also served as a judge for the 10th Annual NPR Tiny Desk Contest. A true visionary, Keanna continues to celebrate and elevate the art of jazz, inspiring audiences worldwide.

Cory Fraiman-Lott Cory Fraiman-Lott (he/his), cinematographer born in the Virginia Piedmont and graduate of NYU’s Tisch.  Some notable projects include his debut feature How To Tell You’re A Douchebag (dir. Tahir Jetter, Sundance 2016)  and the Emmy-nominated documentary Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened. (dir. Chris Smith, Netflix 2019).  Cory frequently collaborates with prodigious director Phillip Youmans including November, a film adaptation of Claudia Rankine’s stage play Help, commissioned by The Shed with support from Tribeca Studios, as well as Imagine A Moon Colony, an afro-futurist short film for the Hulu series Your Attention Please. His work has been featured at festivals such as Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca and BFI London and has appeared on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and in the NY Times, LA Times, The New Yorker and Rolling Stone magazine. Most recently Cory contributed the NY photography, alongside Polish DoP Michal Dymek, to Jesse Eisenberg’s latest directorial effort A Real Pain, nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Picture.

Jordi Funtanet Jordi Funtanet is a Mexican entrepreneur with a dynamic background in the arts and sports industries, who has devoted recent years to an inspiring mission: elevating theindependent music scene in Mexico and across Latin America. Through innovative platforms and projects, he connects musicians, audiences, and communities, shining a spotlight on jazz and contemporary music in the region. As the founder and director of Mister&Monster, a creative and production studio with over 15 years of award-winning projects, Jordi has built a career rooted in storytelling and cultural impact. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, he spearheaded an effort to save Parker & Lenox, a renowned jazz club in Mexico City. By rallying a group of investors, he ensured this iconic venue could continue serving as a home for independent music and creativity. In 2022, Jordi launched Jazz en las Rocas, a podcast dedicated to exploring the stories and experiences of national and international musicians. Now with over 130,000 social media followers, it stands as one of the most influential jazz platforms in Latin America. That same year, he collaborated with the Museo Tamayo to curate and produce Noches de Jazz, a monthly concert series enriching Mexico City’s cultural landscape. Jordi’s passion for contemporary music culminated in 2023 with the creation of M Jazz, a festival redefining the jazz scene in Mexico. Its debut edition quickly became the country’s largest private jazz festival, hosting iconic artists such as Robert Glasper, Chief Adjuah, Antonio Sánchez, and Louis Cole. Looking ahead to its third edition in 2025, M Jazz will feature groundbreaking acts like GoGo Penguin and Azymuth, further solidifying its reputation as a premier event on the global jazz circuit. Today, these efforts converge under Not a Bot, a company dedicated to transforming the independent music ecosystem in Latin America by amplifying its reach and fostering meaningful cultural connections.

Rick Germanson Rick Germanson has been a highly in-demand pianist on the New York City Jazz scene for over two decades. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rick relocated to New York City after he won the Grand Prize at The American Pianists’ Association Jazz Piano Competition in 1996. Rick has five recordings out as a leader and has been documented on over seventy-five recordings as a sideman. Since 2001 to the present, Rick has been touring and recording with The Cannonball Legacy Band featuring Louis Hayes. From 2003-2008 Rick also toured with master guitarist Pat Martino. Rick was pianist with Russell Malone for over a decade and is on his last three recordings. Rick has performed with the following jazz artists: Elvin Jones’ Jazz Machine; Jimmy Cobb; Grady Tate; Pat Martino; Russell Malone; Dr. Eddie Henderson; Papo Vazquez Mighty Pirate Troubadours; Tom Harrell; Brian Lynch; Jeremy Pelt; Jim Rotondi; Duane Eubanks; Curtis Fuller; Slide Hampton; Frank Lacy; Steve Davis; Delfeayo Marsalis; Cecil Payne; Charles Davis; Frank Morgan; Charles MacPherson; Donald Harrison; Vincent Herring; Sherman Irby; George Coleman; Javon Jackson; Eric Alexander; Craig Handy; Wayne Escoffrey; Steve Nelson; Marlena Shaw; Kevin Mohagany; Carolyn Leonhart; Regina Carter; Gerald Cannon; Jay Leonhart; Nat Reeves; Ray Mantilla and Space Station. Rick is Professor of Jazz Piano at The Jackie McLean Institute at The Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford.

Benny Green Combine mastery of keyboard technique with decades of real-world experience, playing with some of the most celebrated artists of the last half century, and it’s no wonder Benny Green has been hailed as one of the most exciting, hard-swinging pianists to ever emerge from Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Benny is the bearer of the torch and guardian of a legacy handed down to him personally by his musical mentors. Since emerging under the tutelage of Betty Carter, Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard and Ray Brown in the early 1980s, Benny has become a highly regarded pianist and bandleader in his own right. Born in New York in 1963, Benny Green grew up in Berkeley, California, and began classical piano studies at the age of seven. Influenced by his father, a tenor saxophonist, his attention soon turned to jazz: “I began trying to improvise on the piano, imitating the records I’d been hearing from my father’s collection, which included a lot of Monk and Bird…It was a gradual process of teaching myself.” Benny never looked back and never stopped learning as his blossoming talents, supported by mentors such as Walter Bishop, Jr. and others, plus his love for the music, propelled him to the upper strata of jazz luminaries. Benny’s list of credits, accomplishments, and accolades could literally fill a book. His recordings with the masters form a foundation of jazz education. Some notable highlights include beginning his touring life with Betty Carter for four years and realizing a lifelong dream of becoming a Jazz Messenger; being chosen by Oscar Peterson in 1993 as the first recipient of the City of Toronto’s Glen Gould International Protégé Prize in Music (culminating in Oscar & Benny (1998) recorded for Telarc). Appearing on well over one hundred recordings with legacy artists such as Betty Carter (including the GRAMMY Award winner Look What I Got), Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Watson, Milt Jackson, Diana Krall, and being particularly featured in Ray Brown’s trio series of albums for Telarc: Bass Face (1993), Don’t Get Sassy (1994), Some of My Best Friends… (1994), Seven Steps to Heaven (1995), Super Bass (1996) and Live at Sculler’s (1996). As the leader of his own groups, Benny’s recording career began with two albums for the Dutch label Criss Cross: Prelude (1988) and In This Direction (1989). In 1990, Green started recording for the Blue Note label: Lineage (1990), Greens (1991), Testifiyin’ (1992), That’s Right! (1993), The Place To Be (1994), Kaleidoscope (1997) and These Are Soulful Days (1999). His debut recording on Telarc Jazz, entitled Naturally, was released in 2000 and was followed by Green’s Blues (2001) (a solo piano date), Jazz at the Bistro (2003) (a duo recording with Russell Malone) and Bluebird (2004) (again pairing Green with Malone). A hiatus from recording produced Benny’s 2011 trio date, Source (JLP). Recording for Sunnyside since 2013, Benny has released Magic Beans (2013), Live in Santa Cruz (2015), Happiness (2017) Then and Now (2018), Benny’s Crib (2020) and Benny Green Solo (2023) on that label.

Bruce Harris Bruce Harris is an exceptional musician and trumpet player who fearlessly explores the boundaries of contemporary music within the legendary jazz scene of New York City. With a deep-rooted appreciation for tradition and a penchant for innovative ideas, Harris effortlessly juggles multiple roles as a musician, trumpeter, curator, mentor, and educator. A Bronx native, spent his formative years in the thriving musical landscape of 1980s New York City. Growing up amidst the epicenter of the Hip-hop era, he was also exposed to the echoes of the influential Be-bop era, which holds a significant place in the city's musical heritage. Surrounded by music at all times, Harris sought a means of self-expression and found it in the trumpet. At the age of 12, he began emulating and absorbing the works of his inspirations, including Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Marvin Gaye, and Prince. During his high school years, Harris's talent earned him a remarkable opportunity to perform alongside the renowned trumpeter, educator, and musical historian Wynton Marsalis through the "Essentially Ellington" jazz band competition. This experience further fueled his passion for music. Harris pursued his education in jazz performance by studying under the tutelage of trumpet virtuoso Jon Faddis at the Conservatory of Music in SUNY Purchase College, where he successfully obtained both a Bachelor's and Master's degree. Currently, Bruce Harris continues to be a prominent figure in the vibrant music scene of New York City. Harris diligently practices on his trusted Lotus Trumpets, grateful for his endorsement with the esteemed brand.

Hyland Harris Hyland Harris is a manager at the Louis Armstrong House Museum, the only institution that serves as a museum, archive and historic home that is dedicated to the legacy of a single jazz musician.  He has appeared on NBC’s “Positively Black” ,NASDAQ Watch, Open House and in print with the New York Times, Wall Street Journal. Hyland Harris earned his Master’s Degree from Rutgers University with an M.A. in Jazz History and Research with an emphasis on genealogical, discographical research, building biographical timelines and music analysis.  While at Rutgers, he received the Milt Gabler Jazz Research Scholarship, Monroe Berger-Benny Carter Jazz Research Fund and the New Jersey State Merit Scholarship. He also received the Buddy Rich Schlarshoi[p and Professional Music scholarship from Berklee College of Music. He has given presentations at the Institute of Jazz Studies and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.  Between 2003 and 2009 Hyland was a Lecturer for “The City and the Humanities” series at Lehman College, Commissioned entries  to Jazz.com’s Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians, and his written liner notes for Jeff Parker’s “Bright Light in Winter” (Delmark Records) and Albert Tootie Heath’s “Philadelphia Beat” (Sunnyside Records).

Stefon Harris Stefon Harris is a Grammy-nominated jazz vibraphonist, educator, app developer, and thought leader. He has been heralded as “one of the most important artists in jazz” (Los Angeles Times) and is a recipient of the prestigious Doris Duke Artist Award and the Martin E. Segal Award from Lincoln Center. He has been named Best Mallet Player eight times by the Jazz Journalist Association and Best Vibes Player in DownBeat Magazine’s Critics Poll. Harris currently tours with his Grammy-nominated band, Blackout, and has released eleven albums as a leader. He has also recorded and performed with The Classical Jazz Quartet, Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Lewis Nash, the SFJAZZ Collective, Joe Henderson, Wynton Marsalis, Milt Jackson, Lionel Hampton, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson, Cassandra Wilson, Diana Krall, Max Roach, Chaka Khan, Kurt Elling, Buster Williams, Dianne Reeves, Common, and Pablo Zeigler. Along with performing, Harris has taught at universities throughout the world, led curriculum development at the Brubeck Institute, served as a part of the jazz faculty at New York University for a decade, and formerly served as the Associate Dean and Director of Jazz Arts at Manhattan School of Music. He is currently Artistic Director of Jazz Education at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) and is an Associate Professor of Music at Rutgers University – Newark. As a thought leader, Harris leads transformative presentations on corporate leadership and team empowerment for Fortune 100 companies using jazz as a metaphor. His 2012 TED Talk, “There Are No Mistakes on the Bandstand,” has gained nearly 900,000 views. In 2013, he co-founded The Melodic Progression Institute (MPI) and created an ear training app called Harmony Cloud which is widely used by musicians across multiple genres.

Craig Holiday Haynes Craig Holiday Haynes, (named after Billie Holiday)  is quite blessed to be able to do what he loves most and that is "make good music", travel, and meet great people. His travels have enabled him to learn different cultures and be appreciated by people all over the world, while as he says making it a "groovier place.” He started out his professional career playing tenor saxophone, at the age of 14 in and around NYC, when he played with the Fabulous Uniques (recording an R&B hit with Sophia Carlisle) and backing up people like Brooke Benton (A Rainy night in Georgia) and The Toys (Lovers Concerto). Craig later studied African percussion with Chief Bey and went on to study additional percussion at Five Towns College. On his 20th birthday he switched up, and started playing the drum set seriously and toured with R&B artist "Gary Toms Empire.” He later performed and/or recorded with Sun Ra and The Sun Ra Arkestra, Barry Harris, Clifford Jordan, Freddie Hubbard, Gloria Lynne, Lionel Hampton, The Boys Choir of Harlem, The Allman Brothers Band, Leslie West, Tony Bennett, Geri Allen, Marcus Miller, Gladys Knight, actor Danny Glover and many, many others! Craig has toured North America, Brazil, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, North and West Africa and is the son of legendary drummer and three-time Grammy Award winner Roy Haynes! Lionel Hampton once said "Craig Haynes' drumming reminds me of the great drummers of the past...and like you've never heard before."

Graham Haynes Cornetist and composer Graham Haynes majored in music at Queens College. Graham has been known for his work in nu jazz, fusing jazz with elements of hip hop and electronic music. In the mid 80’s Haynes helped conceive the M-Base collective in New York. With the release of the album, What Time It Be?, Haynes spent the 1980s studying a wide range of African, Arabic, and South Asian music. After a move to Paris in 1990, Haynes produced and recorded the two CDs, Nocturne Parisian and Griot’s Footsteps. Haynes returned to New York City in 1993 to take advantage of the flourishing hip hop and break beat scene. Haynes is a member of the Vijay Iyer Sextet. Since 2010, his chamber works, “String Quartet no.1,” “prelude and Fugue for 5 Flutes,” and “Killing Time Carving Space” were premiered. Haynes, who with several colleagues, is a keeper of Conduction after Butch Morris’s passing in 2013. Haynes has led Conductions since 2013. He has been an invited presenter at Columbia University (lecture on composition, 2013); Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Alberta, Canada (master classes and workshops, 2013 and 2018); University of Bahia, Brazil (lecture, 2014), Città Studi Biella, Italia (workshop and concerts, 2013); the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at The New School (master class, 2009; adjunct professor, 2010); and New York University.

Carlos Henriquez Carlos Henriquez was born in 1979 in the Bronx, New York. He took up the bass while enrolled in The Juilliard School’s Music Advancement Program. At LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, Henriquez participated in the LaGuardia Concert Jazz Ensemble which went on to win first place in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington competition. In 1998, Henriquez joined the Wynton Marsalis Septet and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, touring the world and playing on more than 25 albums. He has performed with diverse artists including Chucho Valdés, Paco De Lucía, Tito Puente, the Marsalis Family, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Lenny Kravitz, and Marc Anthony. He has been a member of the music faculty at Northwestern University School of Music since 2008 and, in 2010, served as musical director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s cultural exchange with the Cuban Institute of Music with Chucho Valdés. He issued his debut album as a leader The Bronx Pyramid in 2015 on Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Blue Engine Records; his Grammy-nominated release The South Bronx Story in 2022; and his latest album A Nuyorican Tale, released in September of 2023.

Dave Holland Dave Holland is a renowned bassist, composer and bandleader whose passion for musical expression of all styles and dedication to creating innovative ensembles have propelled a career of more than 50 years. A guiding light on acoustic and electric bass, Holland has earned top honors including multiple Grammy Awards and Grammy Nominations and the title of NEA Jazz Master. Holland rose to prominence in groundbreaking groups led by such legends as Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Sam Rivers, Betty Carter and Anthony Braxton and Joe Henderson—as well as collaborations with Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Jack DeJohnette and John Abercrombie. Today he is equally celebrated for his own remarkable ensembles, ranging from duos and trios to big bands, featuring innovative collaborators like Steve Coleman, Robin and Kevin Eubanks, Jason Moran, Chris Potter and Eric Harland. Holland’s most recent release, Another Land is a trio featuring Kevin Eubanks and Obed Calvaire.

J Hunter J Hunter has been involved in radio (both commercial & non-commercial) for almost 25 years, including over two years with Dr. Brad Stone at KSJS San Jose. J is currently the programmer / host of “Jazz2K @ The Saint”, a weekly taste of 21st-century jazz, on WVCR 88.3 / Albany, NY. He also writes about music & theater for RadioRadioX.com.

Noelle Ike Noelle Ike is the Associate Director of Digital Content Strategy at Carnegie Hall where she leads the Hall’s organic and paid social media, digital marketing initiatives, various short-form and long-form video projects, and the editorial strategy of Carnegie Hall’s digital content. As a violinist turned writer, Noelle believes that a great story told the right way is key to cultivating a brand, engaging audiences, and motivating people to take action. Prior to joining Carnegie Hall, Noelle was part of editorial teams at CNN and Meta and has held roles at arts organizations including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lincoln Center, and the Metropolitan Opera. Noelle is a graduate of Northwestern University, and holds a B.A. in Violin Performance and a B.S. in Journalism.

Heather Ireland Robinson The Jazz Institute of Chicago has been promoting and nurturing Jazz in Chicago since 1969. The vision of shining a light on musicians past, present and future is realized through such free public programming as The Chicago Jazz Festival, a free concerts in partnership with Chicago Park District, and the Front Row series in a perfromance space overlooking Lake Michigan and a robust slate of education programs collective known as Jazz Links Heather was born and raised on the south side of Chicago’s  and has served as Executive Director of the Beverly Arts Center and the historic South Side Community Art Center in the Bronzeville neighborhood. With a  25-year career in the culturally rich city of Chicago, her experiences have included leadership, programming, and management with some of  the city’s foremost institutions including After School Matters, Gallery 37, The Chicago Park District, and Marwen. Heather has taught youth theatre and poetry and has developed various performing, arts integration, and teaching workshops. As a writer and storyteller, her children’s plays and performances have been produced at the DuSable Museum, the African Festival, and the Chicago Cultural Center. She was the founder of The People’s Jazz Theatre whose youth productions graced Buckingham Fountain, the 63rd Street Beach, and many other venues. Heather holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from DePaul University. She includes Goodman, Redmoon, MPAACT, and NBC’s ER among her acting credits.

Karen Kennedy Karen Kennedy, is the Founder and President of 24/Seven Artist Development, a leading artist management firm founded in1992 to provide full-range strategic marketing and career planning to the finest artists in entertainment. She has successfully guided the careers of some of the top names in jazz including eleven-time GRAMMY nominee & NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron, twice Grammy nominated vocalist Gretchen Parlato also winner of the International Thelonious Monk Competition, Grammy Award winner saxophonist David Sanchez, guitarist/vocalist Camila Meza and singer-songwriter cellist Gabriel Royal. She has helped shape the careers of four-time Grammy nominee and award-winning composer and educator Stefon Harris, award winning pianist Jacky Terrasson, and pianist James Francies among others.

Andrew Lansley Andrew Lansley is Innovation Manager for Cheltenham Festivals and part of the programming team for Cheltenham Jazz Festival. He has worked for almost 30 years in cross sector roles including culture, events, academia, politics, broadcast and innovation. Leading on research and project delivery within creative ecosystems and technology he now runs a neurodivergent consultancy that specialises in intersectional, regenerative projects around the globe. He is a professional musician, a trustee for Youth Music and also works as a Senior Academic at the University of Gloucestershire.

Jordana Leigh Jordana Leigh is the Vice President of Artistic Programming at Lincoln Center. As a visionary, she curated and produced over a thousand performances at Lincoln Center with artists from over 100 nations, developed 11 series ranging from Salsa music to poetry to youth performances, and commissioned 60 artists. She opened the David Rubenstein Atrium and the renovated David Geffen Hall. Ms. Leigh is known for her innovative programming that crosses genres and styles. In her current role, she has co-produced projects with the NY Philharmonic, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and New York City Ballet. In addition to her strong understanding of the performing arts, Ms. Leigh has worked with renowned visual artists such as Carrie Mae Weems, Mickalene Thomas, Kambui Olujimi, and Rashid Johnson. Ms. Leigh is currently spearheading the organization’s foray into the XR Arts.  In June 2024, she premiered the commissioned project, Dream Machine, by Nona Hendryx. This work spanned the entire Lincoln Center campus and featured works in VR, AR, AI, and an immersive installation. Before joining Lincoln Center, she was a consultant for artists and festivals in the US, Europe, and Africa. She acted as the Associate Producer for MAPP International Productions, during which she co-created the Africa Contemporary Arts Consortium. Ms. Leigh has served as a jury selection member for music showcases, including Womex (2020), Show Me (2019), and Atlantic Music Expo (2018), as well as a panelist for several foundations and governmental grants. She is a board member for Voices of a People’s History of the United States and the Engagement Officer/board member for the City of New York’s Youth Board. Ms. Leigh received her BA from the New School for Social Research and her MFA in Directing (including receiving the Joel Zwick Award for Excellence in Directing) from Brooklyn College.

Michael Leonhart Michael Leonhart is a New York-based trumpeter, composer, producer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. Forbes Magazine writes, “[Leonhart] threads the needle between pop and experimental music seamlessly.” Whether composing for his Orchestra or for film, his sound is unmistakable. Leonhart has carved a niche for himself, leading his multi-piece Michael Leonhart Orchestra through lyrical and bombastic arrangements, with musical guests such as Nels Cline, Bill Frisell, Donny McCaslin, Keyon Harrold, Anat Cohen, Jeff “Tain” Watts  and others.  Most recently, Leonhart partnered with Elvis Costello, co-writing and producing three songs that appeared on the 2022 MLO album, “the Normyn Suites.”

Lydia Liebman Lydia Liebman is an award-winning publicist and promoter specializing in jazz and other creative music. She is the founder and president of Lydia Liebman Promotions, a leading PR agency based in New York City. Liebman began LLP in her dorm room in 2011. Originally geared toward up and coming jazz musicians in the area, Liebman started by promoting local shows. Since then, LLP has grown to become one of the most active and sought after PR firms in jazz today. LLP’s vast roster includes artists from all spectrums of jazz including Lakecia Benjamin, Catherine Russell, Kenny Barron, Ben Wendel, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Jeff Coffin and many more. To date, Liebman has launched over 700 new releases, and promoted hundreds of concerts worldwide. She is the resident publicist for the legendary Birdland Jazz Club and for the DC Jazz Festival. Liebman’s expertise have led to an impressive collection of awards and recognitions for her clients, including nearly 50 GRAMMY nominations, 10 GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY wins, 2 Juno Awards (Canadian GRAMMY), and 1 NAACP Image Award. In 2021, Liebman was chosen as one of Forbes 30 Under 30 in Music. Liebman is a professor at the RocNation School at Long Island University, and has been invited to guest lecture at Berklee College of Music, The New School and the Royal Academy of Music in London, among others, and is a GRAMMY Mentor.   

Maria Matias Maria Matias, founder of Maria Matias Music, Inc. (founded 2026) with offices in Carmel, CA and Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, comes with over 30 years of music industry experience with emphasis on touring. As a Senior Events Coordinator and Financial Officer at Rudas Organization, Maria, as part of a small team, was responsible for all LUCIANO PAVAROTTI’s worldwide touring and production. After a few years, Maria landed at Monterey Peninsula Artists (Paradigm, now Wasserman) where from 1992 to 2006 she leveraged her administrative and booking skills to be part of the team signing and developing acts LILA DOWNS, LEDISI, JULIETA VENEGAS, NORAH JONES, SUSAN TEDESCHI. She also assisted in booking acts such as BONNIE RAITT, BUDDY GUY and international acts CESARIA EVORA and LOS VAN VANs – and many others on the roster. Maria, with all this experience under her belt, opened the doors of Maria Matias Music (MMM) in Fall 2006. Since then, MMM has been instrumental in the touring development of acts CARLA MORRISON, THE DEVIL MAKES THREE, GREGORY PORTER, and AVERY*SUNSHINE, THE BAYLOR PROJECT, and others. She continues to sign acts purely for their artistic integrity and strong authentic live performances. She is also fortunate to work with jazz staples KENNY GARRETT, AFRO CUBAN ALLSTARS, and SUSANA BACA. Maria, along with her outstanding team are committed to their stable of artists to bring nonstop touring support in the development and growth of the artist’s brand on tour.

Christian McBride Christian McBride is a nine-time GRAMMY-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader. He is the Artistic Director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. McBride is also a respected educator and advocate for youth, and serves as Artistic Director of Jazz House KiDS and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions. In addition to artistic directing and consistent touring with his ensembles, he hosts NPR's “Jazz Night in America” and "The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian" on SiriusXM. Whether behind the bass or away from it, Christian McBride is always part of the music. From jazz to R&B, and pop/rock and hip-hop/neo-soul to classical, he is a luminary with one hand ever reaching for new heights, and the other extended in fellowship—and perhaps the hint of a challenge—inviting us to join him.

Tammy McCann Named the Chicago Tribune’s 2020 person of the Year in Jazz, Tammy McCann is an internationally recognized Jazz Vocalist and is currently Artist in Residence for the Music Institute of Chicago. Her powerful, sultry, and emotionally charged voice paints pictures and tells stories by merging Classical vocal technique and Gospel esthetic with Jazz to create a sound that is completely her own. Chicago Tribune’s Arts Critic, Howard Reich says McCann has, “A voice that soars in all registers, at all tempos, on all occasions... a voice that inspires wonder!” Alyce Claerbaut, President of Strayhorn Songs Publishing, Inc. and mentor to McCann says, “Tammy is a star with a one-of-a-kind voice.” Tammy is a storyteller who draws emotion from and makes connections with here audiences world- wide. Her warm delivery allows her audience to go on the musical journey with her and her engaging personality imprints the memory of her performance on their hearts. Inside Jazz Magazine Music Critic, Nora McCarthy says “She came bearing natural gifts and with raw talent in hand, she stepped up to the mic and into the hearts of everyone in the room.” As an educator, Tammy believes singing is a part of every human community; bringing us together and helping us to interact with one another. There is a pedagogy to Jazz vocal instruction which requires an approach that can combine the "classroom and the bandstand" in a seamless way. Her teaching style meets the vocal student where they are and all instruction has a classical foundation with a focus on Jazz. All lessons help to develop a natural technique and allow the student to progress at their own pace. Through which the students gain the confidence they need to audition and perform. Tammy McCann has performed with such luminaries as Chicago's own Ramsey Lewis & NEA Jazz Master Von Freeman, John Clayton, Branford Marsalis,Joe Locke, Charles McPherson, Dee Dee Bridgewater,Carmen Bradford and toured as a ‘Raelette’ with the great Ray Charles. McCann has thrilled audiences in festivals and clubs world- wide from Bangkok,Thailand to the Harrods Atticus in Greece. As well as the nation’s premier concert and Jazz venues, Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center , Birdland, The Blue Note, Dizzy’s Club and Chicago's own Jazz Showcase. Cultural & Jazz Critic Stanley Crouch says, “Her pitch is superb…clear on the top and startling at the bottom, while all of the steps in between are polished with swing. " Her shows are not to be missed.

Adam Meeks Adam Meeks is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker and graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. His short film Union County premiered in competition at the 70th Berlinale, and continued on to screen at the Champs-Élysées Film Festival, Palm Springs International ShortFest, Maryland Film Festival, and numerous others. He is a 2023 Film Independent Screenwriting Lab Fellow, a 2021 Yaddo Artist-in-Residence, and a 2019 Creative Culture Fellow at the Jacob Burns Film Center. He currently works as the Senior Video Producer at Jazz at Lincoln Center, where he has produced, directed and edited videos for NYTimes, NPR Music, PBS and Jazz Live, among others. He is currently in pre-production on his first feature film - an expansion of Union County.

Reiner Michalke Reiner Michalke is artistic and managing director of the Monheim Triennale. From 1986 to 2022 he has been artistic and managing director of „Stadtgarten“ Cologne, the European Center for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and from 2006 to 2016 he has been artistic director of the Moers Festival. Since October 2018 he is artistic and managing director of the Monheim Triennale.

Suraya Mohamed Suraya Mohamed is the Executive Producer for NPR Music. In this role, Mohamed leads development and production of content across NPR Music's programs including Tiny Desk, Alt.Latino, All Songs Considered, Jazz Night in America and NPR Music's acquired shows. She develops strategy, maintains partnerships and manages special series and event production.

Yunie Mojica Yunie Mojica is a working musician, saxophonist, singer, and composer with 15 years of experience in the performing arts, currently serving as the Programming and Partnerships Manager for City Parks Foundation’s iconic SummerStage and Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. In addition to self-produced concerts, jam sessions, comedy shows, and club parties, Mojica has experience in concert production, touring, event management, fundraising, and music education, and has held programming positions at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Harlem Stage, and Jazz House Kids. She holds a BA in Music Management and Jazz Studies from the University of Hartford's Hartt School of Music and Jackie McLean Institute.

Ekep Nkwelle Ekep Nkwelle is a force in today's jazz scene, with a journey from Washington, DC, to New York City. She refined her talents at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Howard University, and The Juilliard School. Her captivating voice has earned her collaborations with jazz legends like Wynton Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Cyrus Chestnut, and the late Russell Malone. She has also performed on renowned stages including SFJAZZ, NPR's Tiny Desk Concert, Marians Jazzroom, and the Umbria Jazz Festival. In 2023, she received the Juilliard Career Advancement Grant, nominated by Marsalis, highlighting her artistry. Beyond performing, Ekep supports influential arts organizations including The National Jazz Museum in Harlem and Jazz Houston, and she is one of Jazz at Lincoln Center's latest rising stars.

Pelin Opcin Pelin Opcin is the Director of Serious, the organisation behind EFG London Jazz Festival which she leads. In addition to artistic direction of the Festival, she develops large-scale national or international projects, develops national tours, headline concerts, special collaborations and commissions and creative partnerships. She oversees the Talent Development programmes and has been pivotal to the strategy, programming and communication of digitalisation of Serious’ activities. She studied Molecular Biology and Genetics at Bogazici University (Istanbul 1994-1999). She was the Istanbul Jazz Festival Director between 2005 and 2018. She worked with UNESCO for International Jazz Day (Istanbul, 2013) presenting global stars such as Herbie Hancock, Esperanza Spalding, Wayne Shorter. Other events she worked on include, U2 - Istanbul Olympic Stadium Concert, Nick Cave, Robert Plant, Norah Jones, Iggy Pop, Marianne Faithfull, Patti Smith, Robert Plant, Leonard Cohen, Santana, Roger Waters, Sting, Tori Amos, Bjork, Massive Attack and Stevie Wonder, in capacities ranging from 4,000 to 60,000. She was an Instructor at Istanbul Bilgi University and a guest lecturer at Istanbul Technical University Advanced Music Studies (2015-2018) as well as having done several guest mentoring contributions to Montreux Jazz Academy. She is an Executive Board member of concerts Promoters association (CPA) in the UK. She is a Clore Fellow, a programme around leadership in the arts and creative sectors.

Alejandro Orellana Born in 1962 in Santiago, Chile, he moved to Italy in 1983 and began his career as a music agent in 1995. Over the years, he has represented and worked with some of the most iconic names in international jazz, including Toots Thielemans, Bill Cobham, Scott Henderson, Jeff Berlin, Dennis Chambers, Stanley Jordan, Didier Lockwood, Frank Gambale, Ron Carter, Kenny Barron, Miroslav Vitous, Bob Mintzer, Randy Brecker, Bill Evans, Dave Liebman, Airto Moreira, Alex Acuña, Peter Erskine, John Abercrombie, Stanley Clarke, and many others. In 2005, he founded Artemedios Agency, with offices in Milan and Santiago, Chile. Over nearly three decades of activity, his work has spanned the globe, collaborating with festivals, concert halls, and clubs in countries from Brazil to Japan, Norway to Australia, Korea to Bolivia, Russia, the USA, Italy, India, Dubai, and beyond. As a programming advisor, he has lent his expertise to major theaters and festivals, including the Jazz Plaza Festival in Havana, Cuba (2019 and 2020), Womad Rome Festival, and numerous events across Latin America and Europe. Since 2015, he has served as Head of Programming and Artistic Production Director for Womad Chile, the first Womad Festival in Latin America. He is currently preparing for its milestone 10th edition, set to take place in 2025. He is also the co-founder and Head of Programming for MJAZZ, Latin America’s first music market dedicated to Latin American and Spanish jazz. After successfully completing the second edition in Barcelona, Spain, he is now focused on organizing MJAZZ+ Conference and Festival, scheduled for November 2025. He splits his time between Santiago, Chile, and Rome.

Scott Oshiro Scott is a Bay Area-based flutist, composer, music researcher, and technologist whose work blends his African and Okinawan American heritage with jazz, hip-hop, and Afrofuturism. In 2023, he earned his doctorate in computer-based music theory and acoustic sciences from Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music & Acoustics (CCRMA) and is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Stanford University’s School of Medicine, where he studies brain wave activity of jazz musicians during improvisation. As a 2023 Asian Improv aRts Fellow and an inaugural grantee of the Doris Duke Technology and Performing Arts Lab, Scott is researching the intersection between Jazz and quantum computation. Recently, Scott debuted his new ensemble, Deciphering Broken Rhythms Collective, at the 2024 USAAF festival in San Francisco, where they explored the intersection between music, technology, identity, and culture.

Maria Parias With a solid background in Social Communication and Journalism from the Universidad de la Sabana in Colombia, complemented by a specialization in Cultural Management from the University of Rosario in Colombia and a Master's Degree in Cultural Management from the University of Barcelona, she stands out as a leader in the cultural field. Since January of this year, she has been the General Director of  the Instituto Distrital de las Artes - Idartes. She served as Executive President of the Fundación Nacional Batuta from 2014 to 2024, where she outlined an innovative strategy to ensure the artistic and social sustainability of the institution.  Under her leadership, the foundation expanded its territorial impact and diversified its offer of quality musical training from a social inclusion approach. She has held management positions in the cultural sector in Colombia, including the Directorate of Regional Promotion of the Ministry of Culture, the General Management of the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Directorate of Cultural Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She has been a member of various committees and boards of the sector at the national and international level, and is currently a member of the Executive Council of the International Music Council (IMC), of which she is Vice President.

John Patitucci Acoustic and electric bassist John Patitucci has been at the forefront of the jazz world for the last 30+ years and active in all styles of music. He is a 4-time Grammy award winner, has been nominated over twenty times and has played on many other Grammy award-winning recordings. He has performed and/or recorded with jazz giants such as Dizzy Gillespie, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Stan Getz, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Haynes, Wynton Marsalis, Michael Brecker, Kenny Garrett, Victor Feldman, Nancy Wilson and countless others. John has also performed and/or recorded with pop artists such as Natalie Cole, John Mayer, Alicia Keys, Joni Mitchell, Bono, Sting, Norah Jones, James Taylor, Carole King and Paul Simon. He has been active as a composer with seventeen solo recordings of his own and has been commissioned to write for various chamber music groups. John has performed as a soloist with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, the Estonian National Symphony, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Trondheim Symphony of Norway, the St. Louis Symphony, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony. In early 2020, John’s composition, a protest piece entitled Hypocrisy, was premiered in Toronto and performed by the Royal Conservatory Orchestra, along with Danilo Perez, Brian Blade and Mr. Patitucci. After touring with the award-winning Wayne Shorter Quartet for over 20 years, John continues to tour with his own projects, including the John Patitucci Electric Guitar Quartet, his Brazilian Trio and the John Patitucci Trio featuring saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Brian Blade. That Trio released a recording in 2022 entitled Live in Italy and recently recorded a studio album with Edition Records, which will be released in early 2025. He also tours with the Children of the Light Trio and the Wayne Shorter Legacy Project.

Samora Pinderhughes Samora Pinderhughes is a composer, pianist, vocalist, filmmaker, and multidisciplinary artist known for striking intimacy and carefully crafted, radically honest lyrics alongside high-level musicianship. The New York Times describes Pinderhughes as “one of the most affecting singer-songwriters today, in any genre” that “turn(s) the experience of living in community inside-out, revealing all its personal detail and tension, and giving voice to registers of pain that are commonly shared but not often articulated.”Samora has collaborated with artists across boundaries and scenes including Common, Herbie Hancock, Glenn Ligon, Sara Bareilles, Robert Glasper, Simone Leigh, Daveed Diggs, Kyle Abraham, Titus Kaphar, and Lalah Hathaway. He has been mentored by Anna Deavere Smith, Vijay Iyer, Jason Moran, and others. Pinderhughes is the first-ever Art for Justice + Soros Justice Fellow, a United States Artist Fellow, a recipient of Chamber Music America’s Visionary Award, and has received awards from Creative Capital, the Kennedy Center, and Sundance. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School and is currently getting his Ph.D. at Harvard University. Pinderhughes has released the musical projects The Transformations Suite, Black Spring EP, and GRIEF. He is also the creator and executive & artistic director of The Healing Project, a massive multidisciplinary project which was recently awarded a $1 million grant from The Mellon Foundation to expand its work.

Heloisa Pisani Manager of the International Affairs Department at Sesc São Paulo (Social Service of Commerce), Heloisa Pisani works on developing strategies and implementing cooperation of multilateral interest in the different areas in which the institution works with official representations, organizations and foreign professionals. Among her current focuses is the expansion of the collaboration network between Latin America and Africa. Master in Multimedia, specialized in Cultural Policies and Management and graduated in Social Communication, she has participated in courses, events and international visitor programs organized by countries such as Armenia, Germany, Spain, the United States, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Chile.

Mark Rapp Mark Rapp, a renowned trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader, is a driving force behind the jazz scene in Columbia, South Carolina. Through his initiative, ColaJazz.com, he promotes jazz through events, education, recordings, and advocacy. His summer jazz camp has attracted renowned musicians like Delfeayo Marsalis and Dave Liebman, while his annual ColaJazz programs showcase prominent artists such as Chris Potter, Fred Wesley, Wycliffe Gordon, Wess "Warmdaddy” Anderson and Wynton Marsalis. Recognized as an Ambassador of Jazz for South Carolina, Rapp's dedication to the art form extends beyond performance. He is a passionate educator, offering private lessons and leading workshops internationally. With a discography that includes critically acclaimed albums and collaborations with jazz luminaries, Rapp's contributions to the jazz world have solidified his reputation as a versatile and influential artist. His commitment to performance, education, and advocacy ensures the continued growth and appreciation of jazz music.

Cleo Reed Ella Josephine Julia Moore is a multi-disciplinary artist whose practices uses participatory art, music composition, instrument-making, bandleading, installation and fabric arts. Under the alias Cleo Reed, they complete musical projects that are rooted in their ancestral & cultural lineage. Recently, they developed software instruments for Jon Batiste’s “American Symphony” at Carnegie Hall. Their debut album project, “Root Cause" was released in 2023 and alongside the work they premiered a self-directed performance art piece titled “Black American Circus” at AFROPUNK Festival, Banlieues Bleues in Paris, and Brooklyn Museum. They work toward a future that enables them to realize intentional creative endeavors and encourage joy within collaborative spaces such as museums, theaters, and unseen spaces. In their practice, they are currently drawn to notions of tradition, dissolving the binary, making noise, and breaking the barrier between artist and audience. Cleo is a recipient of the 2024 Map Fund. Cleo is currently a resident at Abrons Arts Center’s AIRspace Performance Residency through 2026, a Lighthouse Works Artist-In-Residence, and a 2025 Session Resident for Recess Arts. They are a recipient of the 2022 NYC Women’s Fund for Media Music and Theatre, a former fellow for the National Jazz Museum in Harlem’s Jazz is NOW: Curatorial Fellowship, a selected composer as a part of the International Contemporary Ensemble's “Call For ____” Commission Program, as well as a former fellow in OneBeat's 2023 global residency tour program. Cleo is an alumni of Harlem School of The Arts and a graduate of Berklee College of Music.

Marissa Reyes Marissa Reyes serves as the Chief Learning and Engagement Officer at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, where she leads the museum's efforts to create transformative learning experiences that connect art, people, and ideas. With a deep commitment to access and education, Marissa has a proven track record of developing innovative programs that expand reach and foster meaningful engagement with diverse communities. Her strategic leadership is grounded in years of experience advancing arts education and public programs, including previous roles at leading cultural institutions in Chicago - including Urban Gateways: Center for Arts Education and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. At Crystal Bridges, Marissa drives initiatives that position the museum as a hub for learning, creativity, and community connection, empowering audiences to engage with art in ways that inspire curiosity, critical thinking, and shared experiences.

Kayonne Riley Kayonne Riley is the Director of WUCF FM 89.9 Jazz & More and serves as music director and midday host. She began as the Program Manager at WUCF in 1994 and was responsible for transitioning the station from an eclectic programming schedule to one that broadcasts straight-ahead jazz and Latin jazz, NPR newsbreaks, and NPR and WUCF-produced arts and cultural programs. Kayonne produces and hosts WUCF’s: Live from Studio A – a one hour concert for both radio and television broadcast that has featured over 200 performing jazz artists. Additionally, Kayonne is an adjunct professor at the University of Central Florida, teaching Radio Programming and Production for senior level Communications majors. Prior to WUCF, Kayonne served at KAMU FM 90.9 in College Station as Program and Music Director and hosted daily jazz and classical music programs. Kayonne is motivated by the power of music – a love that began at a young age listening to her Mother’s vintage recordings of Dave Brubeck, Stan Kenton, and Louis Armstrong – and led to a lifetime career of spreading the joy of music.

Alfred Roberts The Brooklyn native by way of Trinidad, Alfred Roberts is the Associate for Carnegie Hall’s Social Impact Programs, working directly with the Future Music Project (FMP). FMP uses music creation and relationship-building to empower youth justice impacted to enhance creativity, foster resilience, center hope and dignity. Alfred is an advocate for justice reformation. He has previously served as a Creative Staff Mentor and Speakers Bureau Coordinator working in policy and advocacy, developing strategies to advance social justice campaigns and public awareness through public speaking engagements. He is a proud Rehabilitation Through the Arts alumni (RTA). He is a member of the Musical Connections Advisory Committee and Musicambia alumni. Alfred is a researcher, teaching artist, poet, singer/songwriter, performer, and lover of all things Sci-fi!

Kalí Rodríguez-Peña Latin-Grammy nominated Cuban trumpeter and composer Kalí Rodríguez-Peña is one of the leading voices of a young generation of Cuban musicians living in New York City. His sound fuses the traditional motifs of his native Cuba with a passion for jazz classicism influenced by Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard. Born and raised in Havana, Cuba, Kali was 14 years old when he caught the attention of multi-instrumentalist Bobby Carcasses, the world-renowned guru of Afrocuban jazz whose mentorship introduced Kalí to the jazz idiom. After winning top prizes in important national jazz related events, he was awarded a full scholarship to the prestigious Manhattan School of Music where he studied under the tutelage of Jon Faddis and Stefon Harris. Since, Kalí has led his own bands in top venues and festivals in North America, and has also shared the stage with distinguished musicians such as Wynton Marsalis, Arturo O’Farrill, Paquito D’Rivera, Chucho Valdés, Michel Camilo, Esperanza Spalding, Miguel Zenón, Anat Cohen, Jeff “Tain” Watts, David Murray, Cándido Camero, Ricky Martin, Luis Fonsi, Olga Tañón, among others. Kalí has been awarded Harlem Stage’s WaterWorks Emerging Artist cohort (2023), New Music USA’s Creator Development Fund (2021), Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, Inc. Scholarship (2017), and was a nalist at the National Trumpet Competition (2016). His album Mélange (2022) was released under the Truth Revolution Records label, and its music is featured on the TV show “Let The Right One In” by television network Showtime. He also participated as a guest performer in the CD "Familia" by Grammy-winning artists Arturo O'Farrill and Chucho Valdés, as well as Michel Camilo's latest release "Essence," and Pedrito Martínez’ “Acertijos.” He has also been a guest lecturer at the University of California, Riverside, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.

Mark Ruffin In 2024 Mark Ruffin celebrated his 44th year in broadcasting and journalism. Since 2007, the double Emmy winner and Grammy nominee has been the program director of the Real Jazz channel on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio.  Before that he spent over 25 years as a fixture in jazz broadcasting and journalism in Chicago including winning two Emmy Awards for his efforts in bringing stories about jazz to television on WTTW-TV/Chicago. Mr. Ruffin worked for over 25 years as Jazz Editor for Chicago Magazine and has written hundreds of articles on jazz, broadcasting and African-American culture.  His articles have appeared in a variety of local and national publications, including the Chicago Sun-Times, Down Beat, Jazziz, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Playboy, N’digo, Ebony and dozens of other publications. He has produced radio for Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Ramsey Lewis, Marcus Miller, Steppenwolf Theatre, Christian McBride and many more. He shared a Grammy nomination with Rene Marie and has produced music for other artists as well including George Freeman, Charenee Wade, Giacomo Gates, Lauren Henderson, and others. He is winner of both the Jazz Journalists Association Career Excellence in Broadcasting Award and the Duke Dubois Humanitarian Award from Jazzweek.com.  In 2019 he was honored by Jazzmobile with their NYC Jazz Readers Award. In 2020, author was added to Mr. Ruffin resume with the release of his first book, Bebop Fairy Tales: A Historical Fiction Trilogy on Jazz, Intolerance and Baseball.  The book won two Feathered Quill Book Awards and was a 2021 Jazz Journalists Association Book of the Year nominee.

Melvis Santa Singer, composer, pianist, batá drummer, and award-winning educator Melvis Santa is known for her multidisciplinary artistry. Born and raised in Havana, Cuba, Melvis made a splash at 14 when she founded the all-female group Sexto Sentido, deemed by Chucho Valdés as “the best Cuban vocal quartet of the past 30 years.” Melvis spread wings and toured worldwide as lead vocalist of seminal Cuban Timba-Funk fusion band Interactivo, mentored by Roberto Carcassés. Later went solo and formed her own group. Her debut album as a bandleader, Santa Habana (Bis Music) obtained a CUBADISCO Nomination in 2012.  Currently based in New York, Melvis continues to make a mark as an educator and performer. She has guest lectured at Yale University, Tulane, Fordham University, and conducted masterclasses at NYU, UArts, Panamá Jazz Festival, and Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. She has been awarded Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s Jazz Leaders Fellow, and is a two times recipient of the Paul Simon Music Fellowship. The Amsterdam News describes her as “a young guru, a storyteller who makes a point of integrating the Black diaspora with her Cuban heritage, Afro Cuban traditions and American/Latin jazz influence she continues to digest since her arrival to New York City.” The New York Times says Melvis’ voice possesses “70s soul underpinnings, yet belongs to the Afro-Cuban traditions.” Melvis’s groundbreaking new album, “Jazz Orishas,” powerfully explores the female perspective within Afro-Cuban jazz legacy. It made several lists of best albums, including the 2024 Recordings On and Off the Beaten Path by JazzDeLaPeña. Since 2021 til present Melvis performs and tours worldwide with Kenny Garrett's Sounds From The Ancestors, becoming the first vocalist to be officially part of Kenny Garrett’s touring bands history. Collaborations include Andy Bey, Charles Tolliver, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Steve Coleman, Ravi Coltrane, Chucho Valdés and Mayra Caridad Valdés, Arturo O'Farrill, Buena Vista Social Club, Omara Portuondo, Xiomara Laugart, Muñequitos de Matanzas, Román Díaz and Pedrito Martínez.

Will Scruggs Will Scruggs was born in Atlanta and grew up in Raleigh, NC.  Drawn to jazz after he began playing saxophone at the age of 8, Will returned to Atlanta in 1998 to attend Emory University.  He has released five CD’s as a bandleader, including the sacred suite Song of Simeon: A Christmas Journey (2012), which received international radio airplay on Sirius XM and NPR and was reviewed in the Wall Street Journal.  He teaches privately at his Woodshed Saxophone Studio in Kirkwood and is the founder of the Cornerstone Jazz Collective, which will open a Jazz Arts Center in Downtown Decatur in 2025.

Yotam Silberstein Equally passionate about swing and Brazilian music, Yotam is one of NYC's most highly-respected guitarists with credits that include John Patitucci, Ivan Lins, Karrin Allyson, Monty Alexander, Carlos Aguirre and James Moody, to name just a few.

Katie Simon Katie Simon is the Supervising Senior Editor for Embedded, which showcases premier enterprise documentary storytelling for NPR. Before arriving at Embedded, she was a founding producer of NPR's multi-platform jazz program, Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride, and, prior to that, a founding editor at StoryCorps. She also co-created The Scarlet E: Unmasking America's Eviction Crisis (WNYC/On the Media) and produced episodes for ESPN's 30 for 30 podcast series. Simon has produced audio installations about housing instability for the National Building Museum and, through StoryCorps, contributed to exhibitions at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in lower Manhattan. She's filed stories from the southernmost tip of Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and with inmate firefighters in eastern Wyoming. She got her start in audio as a reporter and production assistant at WBGO, Jazz 88.3 FM, in Newark, NJ, and still proudly calls New Jersey her home. Simon's work has been awarded a Columbia-DuPont silver baton, two George Foster Peabody awards, and multiple Emmy nominations. She holds degrees from Kenyon College and Columbia University's School of Journalism and completed The Poynter Institute's Leadership Academy for Women in Media.

Neal Smith Grammy Award Winner, Neal Smith was born and raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Neal Smith has been playing drums since the age of five. By the time he completed high school he had achieved a remarkable list of performance accomplishments and earned an impressive array of awards, scholarships, and honors. With the support of his family, Neal continued his studies at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where he received a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies and Performance, the first African-American to earn a degree in Jazz Studies from the Conservatory. In addition to his academic training, Neal has studied with Vernell Fournier, Greg Bandy, Paul Samuels, Tom Freer, Bruce Collie, and Gordon Gottlieb. Neal performs regularly in clubs and concert halls, at colleges and universities, and at U.S. and International Jazz Festivals. Neal leads his own group, which performs original compositions as well as classic arrangements of jazz standards. Neal also performs regularly with internationally recognized artists and has shared the stage with the likes of Tom Harrell, Anita Baker, John Hicks, Donald Byrd, Kenny Burrell, Sonny Fortune, Jimmy Owens, Eddie Harris, Isaac Hayes, Gary Bartz, Benny Golson, Donald Walden, Frank Morgan, Brian Lynch, Benny Green, Cyrus Chestnut, Frank Foster, Dewey Redman, Mark Whitfield, Ronnie Mathews, Rufus Reid, Wendel Logan, James Moody, Marlena Shaw, Charles Davis and Vanessa Rubin. Neal also leads his own group, which performs original compositions as well as classic arrangements of jazz standards. Beyond performing, Neal loves to teach developing drummers. He is currently a Professor at Berklee College of Music and Longy School of Music. Recognizing the need for a record label that focuses exclusively on the production of jazz recordings, Neal founded the NAS label in 2004. Neal Smith endorses Sonor Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, Vic Firth Sticks/ Brushes, Hamilton Stands and Axis Pedals.

Bryan Stevenson Bryan Stevenson is the founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a human rights organization in Montgomery, Alabama. Under his leadership, EJI has won major legal challenges eliminating excessive and unfair sentencing, exonerating innocent death row prisoners, confronting abuse of the incarcerated and the mentally ill, and aiding children prosecuted as adults. Mr. Stevenson has argued and won multiple cases at the United States Supreme Court, including a 2019 ruling protecting condemned prisoners who suffer from dementia and a landmark 2012 ruling that banned mandatory life-imprisonment-without-parole sentences for all children 17 or younger. Mr. Stevenson and his staff have won reversals, relief, or release from prison for over 140 wrongly condemned prisoners on death row and won relief for hundreds of others wrongly convicted or unfairly sentenced. Mr. Stevenson has initiated major new anti-poverty and anti-discrimination efforts that challenge inequality in America. He led the creation of EJI’s highly acclaimed Legacy Sites, including the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. These new national landmark institutions chronicle the legacy of slavery, lynching, and racial segregation, and the connection to mass incarceration and contemporary issues of racial bias.

Brad Stone Dr. Bradley M. (“Brad”) Stone has been a jazz radio programmer and host for over 45 years. He was actively involved at several non-commercial (university and community) radio stations, including KSJS, KKUP, KUCI and WQAX. He has worn many hats, as music director, producer, faculty advisor and DJ/show host – but his real passion and expertise has been in jazz music programming. He is a multiple national award winner for his work as a music director, including a 10-time winner of national “Jazz Programmer of the Year” awards at the annual JazzWeek Summit and Gavin Seminars (including a 3-time winner of the Bobby Jackson Award for Internet Radio Programming). He was also the recipient of the prestigious “Duke DuBois Humanitarian Award” by JazzWeek in 2008, a national award for lifetime achievement and service to the jazz and jazz radio communities. He has served as an invited panelist, moderator and organizer at many jazz conventions over the years, including the JazzWeek Summit, the Gavin Seminar, the International Association for Jazz Education’s (IAJE) Annual International Conference, and the JazzConnect, Jazz Times and Jazz Improv conferences. Most recently he has been a regular annual producer, moderator and host of the “Jazz Jukebox Jury” panels at the annual Jazz Congress meetings in New York. Having grown up in Chicago, Stone believes that jazz and the blues are “in his blood” from birth. Stone now hosts “The Creative Source” (featuring new jazz releases) on the SoulandJazz.com internet platform.

Dave Stryker Whether you’ve heard guitarist Dave Stryker leading his own group (with 35 CD’s as a leader to date), or as a featured sideman with Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, and many others, you know why the Village Voice calls him “one of the most distinctive guitarists to come along in recent years.” Hot House magazine awarded him Best Guitarist – Fans Decision for 2017. He was recently voted once again as one of the top Jazz Guitarists in the 2022 Downbeat Critics and Readers Polls for the 15th time.

Sunny Sumter Sunny Sumter is President and CEO of the DC Jazz Festival, a nonprofit service organization established in 2004 to present jazz-related cultural and educational programs in the nation’s capital. Its’ signature programs are the annual DC JazzFest, DC Jazz Festival Education, and the Charles Fishman Embassy Series. DC Jazz Festival is the recipient of the DC Mayor’s Art Award for Excellence in Creative Industries. Sumter has been a thought leader on jazz with the U.S. Department of State, DC Deputy Mayor’s Office of Planning and Economic Development, Jazz Philadelphia Summit, and Jazz Congress, among others. Prior to her tenure at DC Jazz Festival, Sumter held management/director positions with the Aspen Institute, National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Smithsonian Institution, and Rhythm and Blues Foundation. She was awarded the Aspen Institute’s Staff Achievement Award for Excellence. Sumter earned her bachelor’s degree in music business from Howard University where she minored in jazz studies/voice. She is a recipient of a Howard University Benny Golson Award, the Sitar Arts Center Visionary Award, the Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Heroes Award, a DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Fellowship, and a Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation Emerging Artist Award. She was host of Jazz Central on the BET network. As a professional vocalist, Sumter has performed at some of the finest festivals, concert venues, and clubs in the U.S. and internationally. She currently serves on the boards of the HBCU-Jazz Education Initiative, the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers, and the North American Performing Art Managers and Agents. She is a member of Americans for the Arts, National Academy for Recording Arts and Sciences; and served as a program director member of the National Collaboration for Youth. Sumter is a Fellow graduate of the prestigious DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland Business School; and is one of the “exceptional leaders” selected for National Arts Strategies’ celebrated Chief Executive Program.

Helen Sung Pianist/composer Helen Sung diverged from her classical roots after an unexpected encounter with jazz during undergraduate studies in piano performance. She went on to be part of the inaugural class of the Thelonious Monk Institute (renamed the Herbie Hancock Institute in 2019) at the New England Conservatory and won the Kennedy Center's Mary Lou Williams Piano Competition. An active bandleader with nine solo albums to her credit (an upcoming release will feature her first large ensemble project), she has also performed and/or recorded with such luminaries as Clark Terry, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Regina Carter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Cecile McLorin Salvant, and the Mingus Big Band.  She currently teaches at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Columbia University, where she was the first jazz artist-in-residence at its Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute exploring intersections of jazz & neuroscience. A Steinway Artist and Guggenheim Fellow, “Sung plays with crisp swing and elegant invention, her rhythms drawing from the music’s blues roots – and setting listeners’ heads bobbing – while she explores her own fresh ideas, often inspired from her classical training” (New York Times).

Hobart Taylor Born in 1953 as Hobart Taylor III, Taylor’s earliest memories include being tucked into bed by Soupy Sales and seeing Nina Simone at the Detroit Jazz Festival. He also remembers hanging out in the basement of a Unitarian church packing canned goods to send to Freedom Riders in the summer of 1963. After graduating from Brown University with a degree in Semiotics he became a newspaper reporter at the Houston Chronicle and News Director and radio host at the Pacifica Radio Network’s Houston affiliate KPFT in the 1970’s. There he started a show called “The Crystal Egg” which featured live performances from several of the Texas “Cosmic Cowboys”, Townes Van Zandt, Nanci Griffith, Guy Clark, Lyle Lovett, and Lucinda Williams, who he would go on to manage. After moving to San Francisco, he managed various folk and jazz artists and booked local coffee houses.  Taylor then married University of Michigan professor Dr. Martha Feldman and after moving to Ann Arbor, managed a textbook store while continuing to represent several singer-songwriters. Currently living in Orange County California, Taylor is Jazz Director for KUCI at the University of California Irvine and hosts a revamped version of The Crystal Egg featuring jazz and jazz adjacent music. He migrated his concurrent program “Allston Boylston”, from Taintradio.org to Allaboutjazz.com in May of 2024. His tagline is “Jazz is an attitude, not a catalog.”

Andromeda Turre Andromeda Turre is a vocalist, composer and SiriusXM Real Jazz host from New York City. Raised within the legacy of jazz’s foremost voices—immersed in the presence of legends like Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach and Ray Charles—Turre absorbed invaluable insights into jazz’s artistry and legacy, observing their mastery firsthand. As the daughter of trombonist Steve Turre and cellist Akua Dixon, this lineage does more than inform her artistry; it offers a foundation from which she redefines boundaries, bridging heritage with innovation. Educated at Boston Conservatory and Berklee College of Music, Turre bridges classical, contemporary, and theatrical frameworks into jazz, creating a voice uniquely her own. Grounded in an Afrodiasporic tradition of jazz, her artistry echoes the Griot role of documenting contemporary life through music and oral history. Her latest project, From the Earth, is a programmatic jazz suite addressing environmental justice and amplifying humanity's deep connection to the planet. Supported by the 2023 Jazz Road Creative Residencies Grant from SouthArts, funded by the Doris Duke and Andrew W. Mellon Foundations, as well as a 2024 Support for Artists Grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, From the Earth exemplifies Turre’s vision to carry on the tradition of jazz as a vehicle for empathy, awareness, and social transformation. She is also an accomplished composer for film, television, video games, and theater. In addition to her artistic achievements, Turre is a Cornell University-certified Diversity & Inclusion consultant, fostering dialogue and cross-cultural understanding through the arts via her keynote presentation, Growing Up Jazz. Among her many honors, Turre received the 2024 Arts Award for Advancing Equity from Arts Westchester,  2024 Global Music Awards Silver Medal for Jazz for her album From the Earth and she is currently nominated for three 2025 World Entertainment Awards for Best Jazz Artist, Best Jazz Album (From the Earth) and Best Social Awareness Song (Cryosphere).

Michael Valentine Michael Valentine is a versatile and highly regarded radio host, known for his dynamic contributions to WDNA 88.9FM Serious Jazz Community Public Radio. With his long-standing presence in the Miami jazz scene, he expertly curates two beloved radio shows: 88 Jazz Place – Afternoon Drive and Classics & Grooves. On 88 Jazz Place, Michael takes listeners on a musical journey, offering a vibrant mix of classic jazz, modern sounds, and rich narratives. He brings an unparalleled depth to the afternoon drive, offering a blend of artistry and insight that keeps audiences engaged and inspired. Michael Valentine also features exclusive artist interviews, offering in-depth conversations with some of the most influential names in jazz. Additionally, each week on 88 Jazz Place, he highlights the Album of the Week, showcasing new releases and timeless classics that shape the jazz landscape. Late nights are just as special with Classics & Grooves, his Friday night radio show. Michael offers an eclectic mix of timeless classics and genre-defying grooves, blending jazz, funk, soul, Latin rhythms, and more. This show is designed to elevate your weekend, offering an irresistibly smooth soundtrack that captivates listeners well into the night. With years of experience behind the mic, Michael Valentine’s expertise goes beyond music curation. He is an ambassador of culture, a connector of people, and a dedicated champion for the power of jazz. His commitment to sharing diverse sounds and providing engaging commentary makes him a respected figure in the South Florida music community and beyond. For more on Michael, tune in to his shows and discover how his musical knowledge and infectious enthusiasm enrich the airwaves every week.

Donald Vega Grammy-nominated artist Donald Vega was classically-trained in his native Nicaragua. Vega immigrated to the United States at age 14 and began learning the language of jazz from mentor Billy Higgins and bassist John Clayton. He graduated from University of Southern California, Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School where he studied with piano great Kenny Barron. In addition to touring with his own trio and quartet, Vega performs internationally as the pianist for world-renowned bassist Ron Carter.  Vega is a professor at The Juilliard School, a 2023 Guggenheim Fellow for composition, and sits on the board of Back Country Jazz providing music education to underprivileged youth. His album As I Travel earned a Grammy-nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album. His first holiday album, All Is Merry & Bright, was released in October 2024, (Imagery). Vega is currently working on his next album, Legacy, an homage to the masters in jazz who shaped his musical journey. Visitwww.donaldvega.com for more information.

Gerald Veasley Gerald Veasley is a renowned bassist, bandleader, and composer with a career spanning decades. His impressive performance credits include collaborations with Grover Washington Jr., Joe Zawinul, and Kirk Whalum. He has released nine solo albums and led projects celebrating the music of Charles Mingus and Nina Simone. Veasley is a dedicated arts leader and entrepreneur with a deep commitment to education and community building. He is the President of Jazz Philadelphia, an organization fostering the city's vibrant jazz scene. He serves as the first Jazz Curator in Residence at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts and curates the Unscripted Jazz Series at SOUTH Jazz Club, where he has presented over 700 nights of music. Veasley is also the founder of the Bass Boot Camp, an acclaimed instructional program now in its 23rd year. A strong advocate for the arts, Veasley serves as Chair of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and is a former board member of the Philadelphia Music Alliance. He has held various leadership roles with the Recording Academy, including Chapter President, Trustee, and National Advocacy Chair.

Sébastien Vidal Sébastien Vidal is is a central figure in French jazz. He is the artistic director of the essential Parisian jazz club Le Duc des Lombards, where artists from France and around the world come to perform. Abroad, he actively contributes to promoting and disseminating work from the French jazz scene, particularly in New York, where he organizes the annual French Quarter jazz festival. Finally, he contributes more broadly to spreading jazz in his role as director of TSFJAZZ, a jazz radio station boasting more than 430,000 listeners daily. He also programs several mainstream jazz festivals.

Immanuel Wilkins Alto saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins burst onto the musical scene in 2020 with the release of his Blue Note recording debut, Omega, featuring his longstanding quartet of Micah Thomas, Daryl Johns and Kweku Sumbry. Although just 22 at the time of its release, his quartet had already been together for over four years and their cohesiveness and musicality is reflected in both the maturity of Wilkins’ sound and the sophistication and depth of his compositions. Accolades and press soon followed, including Omega being named the best new jazz release of 2020 by the New York Times; the best debut jazz album by NPR and being nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Best Jazz recording of 2020. The year ended on an even higher note, with Wilkins winning the prestigious Letter One Rising Stars Award. Being a bandleader with a working group has allowed Wilkins to grow both as a composer and as an arranger — and has led to him receiving numerous commissions and grants. Wilkins constantly seeks out opportunities for creative connections with artists both within and outside the world of Jazz. The realm of visual arts is of particular interest to Wilkins. He has worked with the filmmakers Cauleen Smith and Ja’Tovia Gary; the sculptor Kennedy Yanko; the painter Leslie Hewitt and the interdisciplinary artist, Theater Gates. These collaborations have played a decisive role in his ever-expanding aesthetic vision. Wilkins’ interest and passion for sharing and preserving jazz musical traditions has led him to continue to give back to his community and to present clinics and masterclasses at various educational institutions including: The Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts, Yale University, The Conservatorium van Amsterdam, Basel Jazz Schule, The Faculty of Music in Belgrade, The Royal Conservatory of Antwerp and Oberlin to name just a few. He also teaches regularly at NYU and the School of Jazz at the New School in New York City.

Ben Wolfe New York bassist/composer and bandleader Ben Wolfe’s music has been described as “Mingus and Miles Davis meet Bartok and Bernard Herrmann” (Ben Ratliff - The New York Times). With acclaim by some of the jazz world’s most respected critics, Wolfe continues to produce works that draw top-flight reviews from fans and jazz journalists alike. Ben’s 2024 release The Understated is his eleventh as leader and features all original compositions. Nicole Glover who plays tenor saxophone on the record says in her liner notes “This record succeeds in bringing Ben’s beautiful music to life through extremely conscientious group playing. Nothing is forced or pushed; everything that needs to be stated is stated.” In many ways, The Understated is a continuation of his previous release the critically acclaimed Unjust. “Unjust is a brilliant work of melodic ensemble writing and superb playing by a stellar intergenerational crew.” (Bill Milkowski, Downbeat). Its balance – of elegance and propulsion, of accessibility and edge - distinguishes it from most conventional jazz. Its details reward repeated listening” (Larry Blumenfeld, Wall Street Journal). There is no doubt that after decades as one of the most sought-after bassists in jazz, performing with top names such as Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick Jr., Diana Krall and many others, award-winning composer and bandleader Ben Wolfe is clear about his creative direction. An award-winning composer, Ben is a two-time recipient of Chamber Music America’s New Works: Creation and Presentation Program Grant through the Doris Duke Foundation. First received in 2004, Ben was able to use this funding to compose his extended work “Contradiction: Music for Sextet.” He received the grant in 2020 and composed “Nonet”. Both of these extended works have been recorded for future release. Ben maintains a busy schedule, performing and touring on the international stage. Currently a member of the teaching faculty at The Juilliard School in New York City, Ben is helping to shape and mentor the jazz scene’s next generation of outstanding talent.