Lufe Lima

Born: August 12, 1963

Bossa's Gentle Breeze

Lufe Lima was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1963. He grew up in a musical family and since the cradle was put to listen to the masters of jazz and the cool sounds of Bossa Nova, developing his love for music during one of the most prolific musical periods in Brazilian history. He started playing flute and trumpet at age 12. At 13 he switched to the guitars and a year later, he joined the production company of his brother in law working on live shows of some of the most important artists on the Brazilian music scene.During the early 80's, after a period studying in the United States, he returned to Rio where he played with a number of jazz bands. In 1987, he was hired as a guitar teacher for the Centro Musical Antonio Adolfo music school.

Grigorii Palamarchuk

Born: November 23, 1988

Grigorii Palamarchuk is a professional pianist currently based in New York, with over 20 years of international performing experience. Originally from Ukraine, Grigorii began studying piano at the age of 3.5 and later trained under the legendary Soviet jazz educator Igor Bril, who played a crucial role in shaping his jazz approach and improvisational style.

Throughout his career, Grigorii has performed across multiple countries, blending classical technique with the language of jazz. His extensive repertoire includes jazz standards, bebop, swing, New Orleans traditions, and contemporary arrangements, creating a sophisticated and versatile sound that adapts to both intimate venues and large stages.

Shahar Amdor

Born: April 20, 1999

Shahar Amdor is a jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer, and bandleader known for his emotionally charged improvisation and genre-defying sound. A graduate of Berklee College of Music with a dual degree in Performance and Film Scoring, Amdor has toured extensively across Europe, North America, and Asia. He has performed at major international festivals including the Red Sea Jazz Festival (Israel), One Day Jazz Festival (Slovakia), San Jose Summer Fest (California), and Afro-Latino Festival (Belgium).

As the founder of Amdor’s Group, he leads a dynamic ensemble that blends jazz, groove, and modern textures into powerful live experiences. Amdor’s original works have been featured on albums such as Insomnia and Cassiopeia, and his music has been covered by publications including Musica Terra (Japan), The Hindu (India), The Boston Calendar, and Midnight East. He has also collaborated with Grammy-winning pianist Billy Childs, bassist Mohini Dey, and drummer Roni Kaspi.

Hutchinson Andrew Trio

The Hutchinson Andrew Trio (HAT), is a unique voice on the Canadian Jazz Scene. Over the past 8 years this acoustic piano based trio has been bringing their own sound to the Canadian jazz landscape. The Trio is comprised of three-time Western Canadian Award nominated bassist Kodi Hutchinson, CBC Galaxie Rising Star pianist Chris Andrew, and Downbeat award-winning drummer Karl Schwonik. They are the winners of the 2013 TD Grand Jazz Award from the Montr��al International Jazz Festival. HAT��s music can be categorized as contemporary acoustic jazz. They bring their unique Prairie perspective to music mixing elements such as contemporary swing, latin, oddmeter and acoustic groove

Radha Thomas

'As I Sing' From SubContinental Records is Radha Thomas's 7th album.

For those who aren't from India, and unfamiliar with her work, she is one of India’s leading and most widely recognized figures in jazz, vocalist Radha Thomas has been creating her unique sound for many decades. Transitioning from early rock & roll and Indian classical roots to present-day jazz as well as her own original compositions, Thomas loves bebop, especially vocalese, which she writes and sings a lot.

Marcus Gilmore

Born: October 10, 1986

Marcus Gilmore is a multi-Grammy award winning drummer, composer, producer, and educator.  

The New York based musician has been recognized with numerous awards, residencies, and fellowships - including becoming a 2018 - 2019 Protege in the Annual Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. 

Gilmore, in all his playing, integrates a unique style where he is musically expanding rhythm, while supporting the great musicians with whom he plays.  He has had the distinct privilege of performing/recording with Mulatu Astatke, Chick Corea, Pharoah Sanders, Savion Glover, Pat Metheny, Ambrose Akinmusire, Gonzalo Rubalcaba ,Clark Terry, Wynton Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Common, Flying Lotus, Robert Glasper, Natalie Cole, Steve Coleman, Vijay Iyer, Derrick Hodge, Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, Thundercat, Brad Mehldau, Cassandra Wilson, Nicholas Payton, Jill Scott, Talib Kweli, Queen Latifah, Norah Jones, Black Thought, Zakir Hussain, The Cadillacs, Bilal, Terrence Blanchard, Roy Hargrove, Terrace Martin, Taylor Mcferrin, and Fred Armisen.

Tim Fitzgerald

Tim Fitzgerald is a Chicago based jazz guitarist, bandleader, educator and author. Named “Wes Montgomery scholar and visionary” by DownBeat Magazine, he is also the recipient of Chicago's 2021 Individual Artist Program Grant, a grant provided by the Illinois Arts Council Agency and the National Endowment for the Arts.

As a performer, Tim has played the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Woodstock Jazz Festival, the Gene Harris Jazz Festival, and the Chi-Town Jazz Festival, among others. Tim has played clubs across the country from New York City's Mezzrow to Memphis' Crosstown Arts to Chicago's Green Mill to Seattle's Tula's to Alice's in Homer, Alaska. 

Laszlo Gardony

Internationally acclaimed Boston-based jazz pianist and composer Laszlo Gardony is one of the most expressive and technically skilled pianists working in jazz today. “A formidable improviser who lives in the moment" (JazzTimes), Gardony has performed in 27 countries and released 14 albums: ten albums on the Sunnyside label, two on Antilles, and one on Avenue Jazz during his distinguished, decades-long career. Winner of the Great American Jazz Piano Competition, Gardony has been noted for his "fluid pianism" by The New York Times. The legendary Dave Brubeck called him "a great pianist."

Johannes Luley

Born: April 27

Early Years

Born in Hamburg, raised in Darmstadt, Germany, Johannes grew up in a very supportive and music-loving household. At age 13 he became the youngest student at “Jazz Schule Darmstadt”, where he studied guitar under Eddy Marron (Dzyan, Missus Beastly, Giger-Lenz-Marron). His other teachers include Berklee School of Music alum Rolf Bussalb and Torsten de Winkel.

The Studio

Still in his late teens and early 20’s, Johannes began a career as a studio guitarist and landed a few high profile engagements with artists. Among them Camouflage (Love is a Shield), Ina Deter (Ich will die Hälfte der Welt) and Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues. During this time, he had the great opportunity to work with top producers Edo Zanki, Tommy Schmidt-Zijnen and Ken Taylor. Those guys were calling all the shots in the studio, which led Johannes to embark on an engineering and producing career that has lasted to this day.

America

Jazz Ear Training: The Best Ear Training Guide For Jazz Musicians

by Freek Just Rijna
April 14, 2021

You've heard the gospel: if you want to play jazz, you need to train your ears! That might be easier said than done though. Where do you start? And if you're a bit more advanced, how do you train your ears in a way that impacts your playing? In this article, I'll explain why ear training ...