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Joe Lovano
Tenor Saxophone
Grammy-winning saxophonist and composer Joe Lovano stands alone at the vanguard of large and small group jazz. From his recent work with Gunther Schuller, Streams of Expression, to his work as Gary Burton Chair of Jazz Performance at Berklee College of Music, the Cleveland native fearlessly challenges and pushes the conceptual and thematic choices he makes in a quest for new modes of artistic expression and new takes on what defines the jazz idiom.
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Dave Douglas
Trumpet
Two-time Grammy-nominated trumpeter Dave Douglas has earned national and international acclaim, including trumpeter, composer, and jazz “Artist of the Year” by such organizations as the New York Jazz Awards, DownBeat, JazzTimes, and Jazziz. His solo recording career began in 1993 with Parallel World and he has since released twenty-two CDs. In 2005 he launched his own label, Greenleaf Music. He was also honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship that same year. His current release, Meaning and Mystery, features his working quintet of Uri Caine, James Genus, Clarence Penn, and Donny McCaslin.
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Stefon Harris
Vibraphone and Marimba
Stefon Harris is committed to exploring the rich potential of jazz composition and blazing new trails on the vibraphone. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Harris has received numerous accolades including the Jazz Journalists Association’s “Best Mallet Player” for four years running (2000-2003) and “#1 Rising Star Vibraphonist” in the 2006 DownBeat Critics Poll. His string of Grammy-nominated albums for Blue Note includes Kindred, Black Action Figure, and The Grand Unification Theory. His latest album is 2006’s African Tarantella: Dances With Duke.
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Miguel Zenón
Alto Saxophone & Flute
A founding member of the SFJAZZ Collective, Miguel Zenón hails from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He attended Berklee College of Music and Manhattan School of Music, and has worked with Charlie Haden, Bobby Hutcherson, Ray Baretto, the Mingus Big Band, Steve Coleman and the Village Vanguard Orchestra, among others. He has topped the prestigious DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll for “#1 Rising Star, Alto Saxophone” three years in a row (2004 -2006) and has released three recordings as a leader: Looking Forward, Ceremonial and Jibaro.
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Robin Eubanks
Trombone
Twice named “Trombonist of the Year” in the DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll, Robin Eubanks is one of the foremost trombonists at work today. In addition to leading his own groups, EB3 and Mental Images, Eubanks has done Grammy-winning work with Dave Holland and Michael Brecker, and has collaborated with music legends Art Blakey, Sun Ra, and the Rolling Stones. The native Philadelphian is also an acclaimed composer and recipient of prestigious grants from Chamber Music America and ASCAP, as well as numerous commissions from fellow musicians.
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Renee Rosnes
Piano
Canadian native Renee Rosnes has been described as a pianist and composer with a
truly unique, personal vision whose improvisations have an almost visual quality.
During her distinguished career, she has been the pianist of choice for such legendary
artists as Joe Henderson, J.J. Johnson, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson, and James
Moody, among others. She has made nine acclaimed recordings on the Blue Note label.
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Matt Penman
Bass
Originally from New Zealand, Matt Penman studied at Boston's Berklee College of Music
before relocating to New York in 1995. In addition to releasing his own critically
acclaimed CD as a leader, The Unquiet (2002), he has recorded as a sideman
on some 50 other discs and has performed with the likes of Kurt Rosenwinkel, Gary
Bartz, Kenny Werner, Nnenna Freelon, Madeleine Peyroux, Brian Blade, Mark Turner,
and Guillermo Klein.
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Eric Harland
Drums
A leading drummer on the national scene, 28-year-old Texas-born Eric Harland has
performed with jazz legends like Betty Carter, Joe Henderson, and McCoy Tyner, and
has played on more than 35 recordings with such artists as Terence Blanchard, Greg
Osby, Charles Lloyd, and Stefon Harris. In Down Beat's 65th Annual Readers
Poll, he was included in the short list of top drummers, in the company of masters
like Roy Haynes and the late Elvin Jones.
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