Jeff Haas

Born: May 9, 1949

Jeff Haas learned to crawl in the organ loft of Temple Israel in Detroit, listening to his dad play. He grew up surrounded by classical cats rehearsing chamber music with his dad, Karl Haas. At five, he was at the piano under his dad’s watchful eye. In his early teens, Jeff stumbled upon his first live Motown review (Marvin, Martha, The Temps, Four Tops, Supremes and Little Stevie Wonder) at the Michigan State Fair. He had gone rogue. The Motown music scene became Jeff’s playground, hanging out at the Grande Ballroom, Easttown and the back door of Bakers Keyboard Lounge, where Jeff could catch the jazz vibe even though he wasn’t old enough to get in.

Sacha Boutros

Born: August 3, 1989

Jazz Virtuosa, Opera Muse. Supper Club Queen. The Voice
of Peace that Transcends Borders

Sacha Boutros is an acclaimed jazz singer,  producer and composer, celebrated for performing in 14 languages. As a global peace ambassador of goodwill, she uses music as a bridge to foster community and designs peace murals that unite bordering nations.

A former semi-professional soccer and tennis player, Sacha attended one of the top business schools in the U.S., graduating with honors in Marketing and International Business. She later founded a record label, production, and publishing company, establishing herself as one of the few female producers in jazz. Her production company Hear me Roar curates entertainment across all genres for Fortune 500 companies major festivals, and bespoke artistic programs championing women and minorities in the arts; her programs are diverse and inclusive and create a sense of belonging to artists and audiences alike.

Rikard From

Born: April 14, 1972

Hi! I'm Rikard From. Musician, singer/songwriter, composer and producer. Diy artist. I released my first album Piano in 2017 unaware of what would happen. 8 years later with over 60 million streams and 130 million views on YouTube. 7 albums, one EP and at the time of writing a total of 140 released songs.

My most successful album is Sun of June. Recorded in my home on an old swedish upright piano. Through the years I've modified the piano to get a tone and feel that match my ideas. 
I record everything myself and play all instruments. On the Sun of June album there's a mix with drums on keyboard and real drums by Per Mikaelsson. All upright bass parts played by me.

Connor Sobieri

Born: January 13, 2003

Born in Greenwich, CT, Connor Sobieri is a saxophonist, composer, and bandleader whose music draws from the realms of Jazz, R&B, and Rock. Recently graduated from New York University, Connor has had the opportunity to share the stage with such names as Chris Potter, Steve Wilson, Melissa Aldana, Ryoma Takenaga, and Matt Wilson at prestigious venues such as Dizzy’s Club, Birdland, The Appel Room, NuBlu and has toured and recorded internationally. Now based in Brooklyn, NY, he works as a bandleader and sideman, writing music for his genre-bending “Connor Sobieri Group”.

Lew Stone

Born: May 28, 1898

Lew Stone was a prominent British bandleader, pianist, arranger and composer during the 1930s and 1940s, known for writing sophisticated arrangements for various dance bands (including his own) and popularising American jazz rhythms in Britain's own swing era. Although his name isn't as widely known today as that of, say, Jack Hylton's, some of his songs are still popular today, partly thanks to the television series Pennies from Heaven.

Siwon Lee

Born: January 21, 1995

Siwon Lee is a distinguished jazz pianist, arranger and composer based in New York and South Korea. Having established a strong foundation, playing classical piano since the age of four, her work spans genres. Her artistic influence includes classical, jazz, funk, pop and latin music.

Her jazz journey began in South Korea, where she won first prize at the 2014 Kyung-Hee University Jazz Competition, a significant milestone that set the stage for her pursuit of jazz at an international level. Moving to New York, she immersed herself in rigorous study and performance at SUNY Purchase, earning both acclaim and accolades, including the 2024 SUNY Purchase Outstanding Graduate Award, which recognized her exceptional leadership and musicianship.

Ashia Ackov

Born: August 10

Singer/Songwriter Ashia Ackov is a rising star of the Jazz Genre with her hit "Blame it on Me". She has a unique style that blends traditional jazz elements with modern influences, creating a fresh and original sound. She sings Lounge, Smooth Jazz, Noire-Era, and Bossa Nova. Ashia is a self-proclaimed SoCal girl who enjoys writing poetry comparing love and nature. She credits that as an inspiration when it comes to writing her music. Because she suffers from Vocal Dysphonia, she has a unique, quiet, lush, vocal tone that is very intimate. 

Mellow Blues

Born: April 2, 1987

Mellow Blues

Singer | Guitarist | Guitar Lessons

Yat Hamzah, performing as Mellow Blues, is a jazz & blues singer, guitarist, songwriter and guitar teacher from Singapore

Dr�� Matsumoto

Born: June 21, 1972

Dré Matsumoto (aka André Marcel Ajamu Akinyele) is an American-Canadian residing in Yokohama. The bassist and multi-instrumentalist is known for his jazz-fusion-funk. His inspirations include Herbie Hancock, Esperanza Spalding, and Ron Carter, to name a few. He was born in San Pablo, California as André Marcel Wilson, and changed his name to André Marcel Ajamu Akinyele in 2004. Why the name Dré Matsumoto? He stated that “Dré is half my name André, and Matsumoto is a Japanese name that I love the sound of.” A native of the San Francisco bay area, he currently resides in Toronto, Ontario Canada and Yokohama, Kanagawa Japan

Lawrence Welk

Born: March 11, 1903

Before he became a household name as the host of his own self-titled television show, Lawrence Welk was a hardworking bandleader shaped by the rural Midwest, European folk traditions, and the rhythms of early American dance music. Born in 1903 in North Dakota to German-Russian immigrants, Welk’s first musical instrument was the button accordion, and his early gigs were steeped in polka, waltz, and regional styles that prioritized rhythm and melody for the dance floor.

By the 1920s and '30s, Welk was leading bands across the Midwest, developing a style that would eventually be dubbed "champagne music" - smooth, tightly arranged, and bouyant. Beneath its polished surface, however, his orchestras absorbed the styles of the jazz music that was evolving around them. While his band didn't swing in the way that Goodman or Basie's did, they found great success in foxtrots, rumbas and even jazz standards, bended to match their smoothness.