Amendola vs. Blades vs. Skerik vs. Baptista vs. Parker

An ingenious musician who pulls a remarkable array of sounds from his drums and arsenal of electronics, Amendola has a résumé that includes collaboration with Charlie Hunter, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, and Wilco guitarist Nels Cline, singers Madeleine Peyroux and Norah Jones, and a commission for the Oakland East Bay Symphony, among dozens of others. He was a founding member of the infamous guitars-and-drums project T.J. Kirk, and recorded three Blue Note sessions with Charlie Hunter’s audacious 1990s quartet. A former East Bay resident now based on Los Angeles and easily one of the finest organists at work in jazz today, Wil Blades has been named as “Rising Star” in every DownBeat Critics Poll since 2006. He was described as “the future to carry on the legacy of the organ” by his mentor and organ legend Dr. Lonnie Smith, and has performed with the likes of John Lee Hooker, Nicholas Payton, Stanton Moore and countless others.