Mothers Favorite Child

Mothers Favorite Child celebrates the fruits of inspiration through its ��Jazz Soul�� music. The key element in the Mothers Favorite Child music-making process is recording everything from the scratch vocals to rough jazz soul musical ideas as if it's the final recording. Each recording brings new magic and sometimes evolves into new sounds resulting in multiple interpretations of then and now. MothersvFavoritevChild began as a gift of intuition . . . an intricate feeling deep within the core of producer/songwriter Paris Toon. Using his ��gift��, Paris carefully assembled a collection of incredibly unique and talented individuals, and bestowed his lyrics and musical thoughts upon them. With much nurturing, this gift grew to become the name for an incredible musical experience that reflects a time when R&B songs would bring impromptu smiles to our faces

Will Goble

Born: November 25, 1983

Hailing from Durham, NC and beginning his musical career in communities rich with mentorship, Will Goble is steadily carving out a unique space for himself as a bassist, composer, bandleader, and educator. Will became interested in Jazz and related art forms after effectively growing up within the creative music scene that still thrives around the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area in North Carolina. Upon departing Durham for Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL in the early 2000s, Will quickly flourished under the tutelage of bassist Rodney Jordan and famed pianist Marcus Roberts

Joe Costello

Born: February 6, 1962

Joe is from New York City and has played with various groups around the country during his career. Some of the most incredible musicians he got to play with was when he headed up his own jazz quartet in NYC. They held a gig at the same club for two years straight and the core of the band was comprised of Joe Magnarelli on trumpet, Ben Wolfe on bass & Joel Weiskopf on piano . On top of the core group, they would have amazing people sub from time to time or just sit in...some notables are Jerry Weldon on sax, Billy Drummond on drums, Tom Harrell on trumpet, Essiet Essiet on bass, Harry Connick Jr

Christopher Benavidez

Born: November 14, 1979

Nick Manson

Born: 1963

A talented jazz pianist and keyboardist, the two time Emmy Award winning multifaceted Nick Manson is also a composer, arranger and producer who has excelled in several fields. His piano playing is swinging, lyrical, consistently inventive, and quite individual. Throughout his career, Nick's performances are both accessible and creative, appealing to a wide audience yet remaining true to himself.

Born and raised in the Seattle area, Nick remembers his early years. "My grandfather was a classical pianist so I heard classical music early on. When I was ten I switched from a home organ which I hated to the piano, having nine years of classical piano lessons

Gil Parris

Born: July 21, 1977

Guitar virtuoso Gil Parris shines in many musical idioms. After attending Berklee School of Music on a Jazz Masters scholarship, he was discovered in 1990 by Mike Varney and featured in Guitar Player's "Spotlight" column. Since, he has gone on to play on over two-dozen national records and countless others with players like David Sanborn, Bob James, Will Lee, Eric Alexander and Bob Malach. Some of the highlights in his side-man discography are: "Syndicate of Soul" (on Shanachie Records with Dr. John, Wilbur Bascomb, and Corey Glover), "Bluesiana Hurricane" (with Chuck Rainey, Bill Doggett and Lester Bowie), "Skallelujah" (with the Uptown Horns), Toko Furuuchi's "Strength" (for SONY/Japan with an all-star cast of New York studio players), and Bakhiti Kumalo's solo CD (Paul Simon's bassist). Gil's playing is influenced by sax, pedal steel and piano players, which gives him a fresh, unique style

Keyan Williams

Uunder construction

Turning Point

When the combustible four-man force of musical nature known as Turning Point took over the Phoenix club scene in the mid-90s, the desert city's nights truly became as steamy as its days. Establishing itself before packed houses at hotspots like The Famous Door and Beeloes, and later becoming regional sensations playing some 200 dates a year, the band grew to embody the freewheeling creative spirit of indie music. Drawing on each member's musical and cultural background, Turning Point forged an eclectic sound that mixed progressive jazz with rock, R&B and blues, with touches of Greek music and--paying homage to their home in the Southwest--Latin jazz

Lulu LaFever

"A Little Night Music"...There's a Juke joint down by the river, just off Highway 99�� The jazz is sizzling��It's Friday night, and you and your baby arrive to make ��A Little Night Music�� of your own�� ��A Little Night Music�� Produced by Bernie Dresel and Lulu LaFever Engineered by Les Brockmann recorded at Entourage 5.1 and The Greene Room in Los Angeles, California Bernie Dresel on drums and percussion Carl Verheyen on guitars Alan Steinberger on Piano Rick Shaw on standup bass Lulu LaFever delivering steamy vocals When Bernie Dresel took on the task of masterminding this CD his vision took Lulu��s desire for a sultry, old school jazz CD to the moon and back

Howard Roberts

Born: October 2, 1929

Howard Roberts was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1929. He began playing guitar at age 8 and by age 15 was playing gigs in and around the Phoenix area. In 1950 (at age 20) Howard decided to move to Los Angeles, and through hard work and the invaluable assistance of fellow guitarist/arranger-composer Jack Marshall, Howard met and began playing with some of L.A.'s very best musicians, including Bobby Troup, Chico Hamilton and Barney Kessel. This led to a job with Bobby Troup and circa 1956 to a solo recording contract with Verve Records. At around that same time as he signed with Verve, Howard decided to concentrate on recording/studio work - work that he would do nearly non- stop until the early 1970's. Howard's studio career has to be one of the most prolific ever