Erez Aviram

The Erez Aviram Ensemble is a unique group consisting of eight versatile musicians from New York City led by composer and pianist Erez Aviram. The ensemble, combining traditional orchestral instruments with a powerful rhythm and horn sections, creates a bridge between the written and the improvised, skipping flawlessly between genres and modes to produce intellectual and emotive music.

Since its inception, the ensemble has become a rising force in the chamber jazz scene, performing in New York City.
Following the recording and filming of their debut EP, the ensemble delivered a sold-out performance at the 2023 Rochester Jazz Festival, and were picked to perform at Chamber Music America's Showcase in Times Square, NYC on January 2024.

No Soap, Radio

When it comes to the music of No Soap, Radio eclecticism is the name of the game. They take elements from funk, metal, jazz, fusion, progressive rock, and hip-hop to provide an eccentric and electrifying musical journey that leaves you wanting more. Whether it's performing for 20 people or 300 people, they strive to put on a exhilarating and energetic show that leaves people of all musical tastes wanting to dance. So whether you like to bang your head, shake that booty, or just sit back and vibe, they are sure to have something for you!

Craig Cootsona

Born: October 29

Craig Cootsona began playing drums at age 11 and soon developed a love for the instrument. He received formal education in school concert bands and also learned drum set by playing along with his favorite recordings.

He considers himself fortunate to have woven a passion for music into funding for education, because this opened up many career opportunities and taught him how to read and transcribe charts. After high school Craig leveraged music scholarships to fund a bachelor's of science degree at University of Puget Sound.  Once he stepped into the Olympia music scene, he played every gig that came his way to fund a master's degree at University of Washington College of Forestry. He formed so many friendships that he continued to play music throughout his career as a scientist at Weyerhaeuser. Now Craig owns his own manufacturing business and it allows him even more time to enjoy music.

Dropbear Lodge

Artfully hiding in the shadows of Australian folklore under shrouds of the gum trees, The Dropbear (Thylarctos Plummetus) are typically solitary hunters who move in secrecy with the oblivious, the ignorant, and, of course, the psychoactive Eucalyptus being their primary sources of food. In the face of mass deforestation, political ineptitude, and preventable disasters, the leaves that pacify the species' bloodthirsty tendencies are in short supply.

We inevitably find out why the Dropbear is the only species on the planet, aside from the Crow, to be referred to as a Murder when hunting in a group.

Linda Dachtyl

Born: August 8

Linda Dachtyl- Hammond B3 organ

Linda is a performer, composer, and former music instructor at Kenyon College. Her playing experience includes jazz, blues, rock, and classical music genres.

She holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance from Capital University and a Master of Arts in Percussion Pedagogy from The Ohio State University.

She leads an organ trio, quartet, a tribute project to Charles Earland, and a rock/jazz fusion B3 based instrumental quartet.
She is also the drummer for the popular central Ohio rock band, "RoxyJanes". 

Linda will also take calls for B3, piano, keyboard, and drumset work in jazz, blues, and rock genres on a substitute basis.

Kyle Cervantes

Kyle Cervantes resides in Denver, CO as a robust, active, saxophonist. He is both a bandleader, and has collaborated with many notable groups in Colorado, including: The Denver Jazz Orchestra, The Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, Sarah Mount & the Rushmores, and The Academy Jazz Ensemble. Currently, Kyle is touring with the world famous Glenn Miller Orchestra as their baritone saxophonist. He has also had the pleasure of sharing the stage with musicians such as Adam Nussbaum, Randy Brecker, Bob Shephard, and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Kyle is a former member of UNC's Downbeat award-winning Lab I, and travelled the world as a cruise ship musician before settling back down in the front range.

Dave Fabris

Born: May 9, 1967

The music of guitarist David Fabris has been steeped deeply in an eclectic pool of influences... His new CD, Lettuce Prey (Great Winds/Musea), is music that is supported equally by the three legs of Rock, Jazz and Classical. It has the guts and glory of rock heroes like Jimi Hendrix (whose tune, Angel, is featured as a guitar solo on this CD). It possesses the surprise and intrigue of Jazz improvisation (like Ornette Coleman's Sadness - presented here in a jazz quintet format). Lastly, it exudes the intricacy and depth of contemporary Classical music - Ives, Prokofiev, and Khatchaturian are among the composers presented here. But the intent is for the styles to coalesce...that the heavy guitar bass and drum treatment of Ginastera's String Quartet No. 2, for example, maintains the sublimation of the original while making the listener pump their fist in the air! ??

Marcelo Morem

Born: January 17, 1973

Marcelo Morem is a Brazilian guitarist who lives for music. Born in Rio Grande do Sul on January 17, 1973, he comes from a family of musicians and has been encouraged to express himself through musical instruments since he was a child. He started playing with the accordion and harmonica when he was around seven years old. At ten, he got his first guitar.

Morem grew up listening to classic rock from the 70s with his older brothers, a time when he met his first heroes: David Gilmour, Ritchie Blackmore, Alex Lifeson and, especially, Eddie Van Halen.

But it was only in 1991 that he began playing guitar and studying music formally at the Prediger Academy in Porto Alegre. At that time, Morem already had new references, such as the virtuosos Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, George Lynch, Eric Johnson and the one who would become his greatest inspiration: Allan Holdsworth.

Well Tempered Madness

Based in Las Vegas, Well Tempered Madness is the brainchild of guitarist Steve Fansler, who has worked with jazz greats Tony Guerrero, Quincy Jones, Clark Terry, Ed Shaughnessy, and Louis Belson, and is inspired by many different genres and all of the music that he's had the chance to play. Two years ago, the band played their first live gigs and their self-titled debut album was recorded in 2023. Well Tempered Madness features Stephen Fansler on guitar and vocals; Uli Geissendoerfer on piano, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Hammond, and synths; Tom Bolton on drums; Mike Merritt on bass; Jeanette Jurado (a member of the multi-platinum group Exposé) on vocals (tracks #2 and #5) and Jose "Pepe" Jimenez on percussion.
 

Roland Guerin

Born: November 15, 1968

With a new band and a new project entitled PROG:FUNK, New Orleans based singer-songwriter-bassist Roland Guerin is starting a new musical chapter. Drawing from a wide spectrum of genres, including American folk, blues, zydeco, rock and jazz, Guerin creates a singular style at the heart of which are stories told through multi-layered melodies, rhythms and expressive lyrics in the range of Steely Dan, Sting and Peter Gabriel. 

Raised in a musical family – his father was a great lover of jazz and classical music, his mother, a blues and zydeco bass player – Guerin began playing bass at the age of 11. Throughout his formative years, Guerin was strongly influenced by pop, rock and R&B music of the 70’s and 80’s. Bands and artists such as Cameo, Dazz Band, Rush, the Brothers Johnson, Gerry Rafferty, America, and Booker T & The MG’s seeded his love for great songs and inspired him to write music of his own. 
  
While studying Marketing at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Guerin joined legendary jazz educator Alvin Batiste’s Band, The Jazztronauts. Having inherited much of Batiste’s musical innovations and concepts, Guerin developed ways to bring his own musical voice to life. The jazz genre became his avenue toward success. Over the course of his career, Guerin toured and performed with legendary musicians, such as George Benson, Jimmy Scott, Frank Morgan, Vernel Fournier, Gerry Mulligan, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, John Scofield, Mark Whitfield, Ellis Marsalis, Marcus Roberts, and Paul Gilbert. He also participated in the recording of numerous albums, including the Blind Boys of Alabama’s Grammy Award winning album Down in New Orleans, Marcus Roberts’s Grammy Award nominated recording of George Gershwin’s classic Rhapsody in Blue, and Allen Toussaint’s album Connected. 
  
As a member of the Marcus Roberts Trio from 1994 to 2009, Guerin performed at the head of symphony orchestras across the world, among which the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, and Seiji Ozawa’s New Japan Philharmonic. From his collaboration with Ozawa and Roberts, Guerin developed a deeper understanding and appreciation of orchestration and arrangement, both of which carry great importance in his own musical composition. 
  
In 1998, Guerin released his first album, The Winds of the New Land, featuring Peter Martin on piano, Nicholas Payton on trumpet, Donald Edwards on drums, and Mark Whitfield on guitar. The record was acclaimed for its innovative style of composition and arrangement. JazzReview called it "a literal piece of art", while the New Orleans Magazine named Guerin a Contemporary Jazz All-Star. He followed up with an album from the Roland Guerin Sextet, Live at the Blue Note, released by Half Note Records, and Grass Roots on Louisiana Red Hot Records. Guerin performs with his own band at major venues and festivals worldwide, such as the Blue Note in Tokyo and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. 
  
Guerin joined the Allen Toussaint Band in 2008, touring and performing with Toussaint until his passing in 2015. Soon thereafter, Guerin joined the band of legendary Dr. John, becoming his last Musical Director. During his time with Toussaint and Dr. John, Guerin found his way back to his musical roots. Integrating American folk melodies, blues, zydeco, African rhythms, and rock with jazz soloing and orchestral arrangements, Guerin creates an entirely new and singular musical experience.