Piano Man Larry Hunt

Born: January 21, 1960

Internationally known versatile Musician, Singer, Song Stylist, Entertainer, Composer, Comedian, Impressionist, Arranger, Writer, Lyricist, Teacher, Accompanist, Lecturer, Actor.   His repertoire consists of over 600 songs and pieces.  He masterfully can perform many different styles of music: JAZZ, BLUES, FUNK, ROCK, SWING, Boogie-Woogie, POP, COUNTRY, BRAZILIAN, LATIN, NEW ORLEANS grooves, & even CLASSICAL piano music! He has entertained audiences in over 2000 venues throughout the USA and in 7 European countries, and on 23 different cruise ships (at least 6,000 pro gigs!). 

     Larry grew up in the town of Nutley NJ, USA, and attended the Manhattan School of Music in New York City in his youth, majoring in Classical piano performance, and also Voice (singing).  He is self-taught in regards to all other styles of music

Storyteller

April 8, 2025

Album: East by Midwest
By Charlie Ballantine
Label: Origin Records
Released: 2025
Duration: 03:55

Rita di Ghent

Rita di Ghent is a musician, lyricist, and composer born in Hamilton, Ontario and comes from many generations of artists. She invented a jazz composing approach called “Sprawl” and was nominated for the Montreal Jazz Festival Prix de Jazz for her originality. di Ghent has also been nominated twice for “Jazz Singer of the Year” (National Jazz Awards). She started her independent record label (Groove/Groove Classic) in 1994. di Ghent has toured world-wide with her ground-breaking approach to jazz. Devoted to empowering others–in particular women–Rita created “The New Moon Sister Society”, regularly facilitating gatherings on Creativity, Storytelling, and teachings in Folk Tales and Traditional Stories.

Boi Akih: From And To Infinity

by Ian Patterson
August 7, 2024

Singer Monica Akihary and guitarist Niels Brouwer, the beating heart of Boi Akih, have been finding the common ground in Indonesian, Indian, African and European music traditions since the late 1990s. Indonesia in particular is a constant source of inspiration--with Akihary often singing in her father's endangered Haraku language--and it proves so once again on their ...

Freysteinn G��slason

Born: May 20, 1982

My music is personal, poetic, melodic, original, and provocative.It's full of unique stories that take you on a journey of unexpected places.

Freysteinn is a talented musician who has dedicated his career to mastering the art of double bass. He began his studies at Félag Íslenskra Tónlistarmanna (FÍH) in Reykjavík, Iceland and completed them in 2012. The following year, he traveled to Holland to pursue a Bachelor's degree in music for double bass at The Royal Conservatorium of Den Haag, which he successfully completed in 2016.

Not content with just a Bachelor's degree, Freysteinn continued his studies at the Escola Superior De Música De Lisbon ESML in Portugal, where he started his Master's degree in Double Bass.

Shanna Carlson

Born: June 25

Joan Watson-Jones

Born: September 24, 1974

The Artistry of Joan Watson-Jones

Jazz is a storytelling art, and vocalist/lyricist/composer Joan Watson-Jones, who calls Derry, New Hampshire and New York City home, has a story to tell.

Armed with a master’s degree in music education from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Watson-Jones had a long and successful teaching career in The Bronx and in New England. But the jazz seed had been growing in her ever since she was a child in Harlem, where she took piano and tap lessons at the age of four. Later, she learned to play guitar and drums, and was coached and mentored by the late singer Joyce Bryant.

Winko Ljizz

Born: 1955

Something has been missing from the northeast corner of 22nd and J streets for the past couple months. Those familiar with the weekend scene in this area have noticed the absence of a large, purple truck bearing the words, “Acoustic Sanctuary.”

Many people have become acquainted with this entertainment venue on wheels from the inside, while others maintain certain levels of curiosity from afar.

Accompanied with the green, lighted words, “OneManBand” and “Storyteller,” and stairs leading up to its purple curtain-covered entrance, this unique roadside attraction has been hard to miss. It had been a fixture of this midtown street corner on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays evenings since 2002.

Fuat Tua?

Born: August 23

Fuat Tuaç is a Toronto based jazz vocalist of Turkish Origin. After completing his degree in “Jazz Studies” in Montréal, he released his first album, “Late Bloomer” in late 2017 which received critical acclaim and still receives a lot of airplay on jazz radios over the world. Fuat sings in 5 different languages and has a very eclectic repertoire. Fuat performs regularly in Toronto and ?stanbul jazz scene. He is currently working on his second album, “The Immigrant”.

Boi Akih: Storyteller

by Ian Patterson
February 16, 2021

Storyteller is singer Monica Akihary and acoustic guitarist Niels Brouwer's ninth recording since 1997, and their sixth as Boi Akih. No two Boi Akih albums are the same, though Akihary's Indonesian heritage--she often sings in the endangered Haruku language--and Brouwer's jazz-inflected improvisations are common denominators. Over the years the duo has embraced Indian, African and Asian ...