Anthony Michelli

Born: November 22

Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and currently based in Toronto, Anthony has been involved in music since a very young age.  Starting off on the accordion, on to the alto and tenor saxophones but being driven by the ever-present urge to want to play drums from the very beginning, Anthony built his own drum set and played from ear for years throughout his youth. He attributes a strong influence to having heard classical, cultural and popular music performed by his older sister on the piano and brother on the guitar as a part of his early musical development.

For over three decades Anthony has been active in international performance, recording, production and teaching career paths. He has collaborated with a vast number of distinguished composers and performers from all styles of music primarily focused on original music.  For a number of years he led the Anthony Michelli Bass-less Trio (SSR002), which features some of his original compositions.  Anthony was also an active contributing member of The Secret Quartet (Basho and Edition records UK) and the Piero Tucci, Quartet CANUK (U.K./CAN).

Anthony’s discography includes recordings in collaboration with several distinguished artists where he can be heard on over one-hundred internationally released recordings in the contemporary jazz, original composition, popular, creative and world music genres spanning from the year 1995 to the present.

His performance accolades include the 2010 Toronto Independent Music Award (TIMA) in the Best Jazz Category and for the Best Live Category. Michelli has been nominated for numerous JUNO Awards over the years as a member of several jazz, world and popular music categories.  In 2003 he received the Grand Prix de Jazz General Motors-Festival International de Jazz de Montreal Award (Nancy Walker Quartet) and the 1995 Jazz Report Award for National Post Secondary School Musician of the Year.

Guillermo Nojechowicz

Born: October 30

Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Guillermo Nojechowicz is the percussive drive behind his band EL ECO’s elegant fusion of Brazilian Argentinean jazz. Combining samba and the 3ghter lines of straight-ahead jazz, he is a master of all the idioms, including Cuban, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, Funk – and of course, tango. A drummer who plays with the ear of a composer, Nojechowicz wrote most of the material on the band’s long-awaited new CD, Puerto de Buenos Aires 1933 (Zoho Music), which features Grammy Award winner trumpeter Brian Lynch.

Nojechowicz has also performed with Claudio Rodi3, Donny McCaslin, Jon Faddis, Danilo Perez, Airto Moreira, Romero Lubambo, and Carly Simon

Ben Sutin

Born: December 23, 1992

After being enamored by the vocal qualities of the violin, Benjamin began studying Suzuki violin at age five, adding piano just a few years later. His career began to blossom when he started showing an interest in jazz, just months before his 13th birthday. It all started with a summer long workshop with saxophonist, Odean Pope at the famed Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz in Philadelphia, the only education institution at the time willing to accept a violinist into their program. Soon after, Benjamin started studying privately with legendary jazz violinist John Blake Jr. among other Philadelphia based jazz luminaries on faculty at the Clef Club. It wasn't long before he developed a name for himself. You would frequently catch him on the Philly scene, whether at sessions or gigging professionally, both as a leader and sideman.

Jodi Proznick

Born: October 23, 1975

Jodi Proznick (born October 23, 1975) is a Canadian jazz bassist, composer, educator and producer. In 2019, she was named Jazz Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards and has been nominated for three Juno Awards. She was a recipient of the Lieutenant Governor's Arts and Music Awards in 2022 for her contribution to music education in British Columbia.

Proznick began playing double bass when she was thirteen and was taught by her father, musician and educator David Proznick. While attending Semiahmoo Secondary, she won the General Motors Award of Excellence in 1993. She attended McGill University from 1993 to 1998, where she met future collaborators such as pianist Tilden Webb, drummer Jesse Cahill and tenor saxophonist Steve Kaldestad. While in Montreal, she also worked with Christine Jensen, Kelly Jefferson, Ranee Lee, André White, Greg Clayton and other prominent Montreal jazz artists. She was a winner of the IAJE Sisters in Jazz Competition in 1998.

Yayo Morales

Born: July 10

Yayo Morales was born in La Paz, Bolivia. He studied at the National Conservatoire of Music from 1983 to 1989 and after that he moved to Madrid, Spain to complete his studies at the E.M.C. (Escuela de Música Creativa) from 1990 to 1994 where he earned a music degree in Drums, Harmony, Arranging, and Composition. In 2012 in Brussels, Belgium he earned the EMMEN diploma (European Professional Music Qualification) with a Specialty in Jazz. He also has a Master of Arts (MA) in Film Scoring and Video Game Music using New Technologies, graduated Summa Cum Laude from The Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain. 

Karsten Bagge

Born: April 18, 1971

Born in 1971, Karsten Bagge is a drummer, composer and bandleader with a career spanning more than two decades, playing with a host of top performers in his native Denmark as well as abroad. His rhythmic prowess and creativity on the drums has been the heartbeat of numerous musical projects in the world of jazz and beyond, leaving an indelible mark on the music scene. His compositions are a testament to his creative vision, blending genres and pushing boundaries. In addition to his contributions as a performer, Karsten Bagge has played a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of musicians

Ben Allison

Born: November 17, 1966

In a career that spans over 30 years, bassist/composer Ben Allison has developed his own instantly identifiable sound. Known for his inspired arrangements, inventive grooves and hummable melodies, Ben draws from the jazz tradition and a range of influences from rock and folk to 20th century and a broad range of music from around the world, seamlessly blending them into a cinematic, cohesive whole.

With his small groups, Ben has toured extensively throughout the world building new audiences with an adventurous yet accessible sound and a flair for the unexpected.

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Ben has performed and collaborated with an extremely diverse range of artists including oudist Ara Dinkjian, kora player Mamadou Diabate, saxophonists Lee Konitz and Joe Lovano, Cambodian chapei master Kong Nay, legendary performance artist Joey Arias, tap dancers Jimmy Slide and Gregory Hines and US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, to name a few. He has appeared on over 50 albums by various artists and has written music for film, television and radio, including the theme for the National Public Radio (NPR) show On the Media (which boasts a listenership of over 2,000,000 people), the score for Two Days, a play written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donald Margulies and the theme for The Conversation, a webcast talk show hosted by Pharrell Williams.

Chris Montgomery

Born: August 9

Chris Montgomery, a contemporary jazz guitarist has performed on some of the world’s most prestigious festival stages. Influenced by Pat Metheny, Larry Carlton, Lee  Ritenour, Pat Martino, George Benson, the genius of  Wes Montgomery, and Oscar Peterson, Chris fuses classic jazz with contemporary sensibilities. He is also heavily influenced by classical composers, Vaughan Williams, Elgar, Bach, Debussy, Ravel, and Astor Piazzolla.

musical experiences

Guitarist Chris Montgomery has performed internationally, including: the world famous Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, the DuMaurier Jazz Festival, Omni La Costa Resort, the Escondido Performing Arts Center, The California Center for the Arts, Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad. He has worked with such music luminaries as Joe Pass, Oscar Peterson, Phil Nimmons, Taj Mahal, Eric Marienthal, Willie Murillo, Becky Martin, Wayne Bergeron, Sammy Nestico and Rob McConnell. For many years Chris performed and directed the Coastal Cities Jazz Band and performed and directed the award winning Coastal Communities Concert Band.

Molly Skuse

Born: March 27, 1970

Molly Skuse graduated from The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music where she studied Vocal Jazz Performance and was recognized for her vocal prowess by Down Beat magazine's student music awards. At the New School, Molly drew inspiration from many Jazz luminaries; She has studied with Sheila Jordan, Reggie Workman, Kenny Werner, Cecil Bridgewater  and the late Junior Mance, Chico Hamilton, and Jon Hendricks, to name a few. 

While living in New York City, in the ‘90s, Molly paid her dues gigging 3-5 nights a week in downtown clubs including the Village Gate, The Knitting Factory, Small's, and Nuyorican Poets café. Molly has given concerts of her own compositions, throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, with grant support from Meet the Composer and Brooklyn Arts council.

Anthony Branker

Born: August 28, 1958

Composer, conductor, and bandleader Anthony Branker is an Origin Records recording artist who was named in Down Beat magazine’s 63rd & 62nd Annual Critics Poll as a “Rising Star Composer.” Dr. Branker has nine releases in his fast growing and musically rich discography that include: What Place Can Be For Us? (Origin, 2023), Beauty Within (Origin, 2016), The Forward (Towards Equality) Suite (Origin, 2014), Uppity (Origin, 2013), Together (Origin, 2012), Dialogic (Origin, 2011), Dance Music (Origin, 2010), Blessings (Origin, 2009), and Spirit Songs (Sons of Sound, 2006), which have featured Walter Smith III, Philip Dizack, Remy Le Boeuf, Fabian Almazan, Linda May Han Oh, Donald Edwards, Pete McCann, Alison Crockett, Rudy Royston, Ralph Bowen, David Binney, Conrad Herwig, Jim Ridl, Kenny Davis, Renato Thoms, Mark Gross, Tia Fuller, Steve Wilson, Antonio Hart, Clifford Adams, Andy Hunter, Eli Asher, Jonny King, Bryan Carrott, John Benitez, Belden Bullock, Adam Cruz, Ralph Peterson Jr., Wilby Fletcher, Kadri Voorand, and Freddie Bryant.