Harley White Jr.

Active since: September 11, 1965

Since 1991, Harley White Jr. has been a prominent figure on the Sacramento music scene in a wide array of roles from pop recording artist with “Papa’s Culture”, as a creative force with “Blackalicious”, “Original Heads” and “Dr. Echo”, as an award winning bassist, and as an impresario presenting the WhiteNoise™ festival.

Now, with the Harley White Jr. (HWJO) Jazz Orchestra, White returns to his musical roots as the son of prominent Bay Area Educator,Bassist, Harley White Sr. Performing Groups 1991- 1996 "Papa’s Culture" (Funk/Pop/World Beat) 1995 to present "Original Heads"(Funk/Jazz/Hip Hop) 2005 "Harley White Jr

Kathryn Ballard Shut

Born: November 9

KATHRYN BALLARD SHUT (pronounced /shoot/) is an accomplished jazz pianist and vocalist, living and working in the Denver, Colorado live music scene, and grew up surrounded by both music lovers and working musicians. Classically trained on the piano beginning at age 8, reeds at age 10, and incorporating jazz theory by age 14, Kathryn has served as both pianist and woodwind "doubler" in big bands (clarinet/flute/saxes) and small combos (piano and vocals), including several jazz orchestras within The Colorado Jazz Workshop under the leadership of Hugh Ragin. She is also the daughter of the late Kansas Music Hall of Fame honoree, jazz and soul legend Tim Ballard. 

Clint Holmes

Born: May 9, 1946

Clint Holmes’ story unfolded as if written by fate, yet each turn was so unexpected and remarkably successful, it exceeded even his wildest imagination.

Clint’s father was an African-American jazz singer and his mother was a classically-trained British opera singer. Clint jokes, “My mom taught me how to sing correctly, and my dad taught me how to enjoy it.” Despite being raised in a musical household from birth, Clint believes his musical journey really began when his father took him to an afternoon jazz jam session when he was just 12 years old. Clint later wrote about that life-changing experience in the song “At the Rendezvous,” which featured Joey DeFrancesco on organ.

David Eric Tillman

Born: July 19, 1949

I will fill this in when I have more time,

Vanessa Finney

Born: May 22

Vanessa Finney grew up in southern California, where she worked as a radio DJ and attended UCLA. Now based in southern Oregon, she hosts two podcasts at Jefferson Public Radio: the pro-aging segment "My Better Half" and "The Creative Way," an artist profile series.

She performs at venues throughout Oregon's wine country and just released her first album, "Bésame Mucho," with arranger Mark Hamersly.

Arnab Sengupta

Born: September 22, 1977

Arnab Sengupta is a contemporary singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer based in Bangalore, India. With a musical journey spanning over three decades, Arnab’s work stands at the confluence of lyrical sensitivity, jazz-rooted sophistication, and deeply personal storytelling.

Drawn to music with quiet intensity from a young age, Arnab immersed himself in the study of Western contemporary styles—particularly jazz—long before he began writing his own songs. By 2006, after years of listening, transcribing, and honing his craft, he began composing original work that fused instinct with introspection.

Rouhangeze

Rouhangeze aka Ruh is a truly remarkable talent, hailing from the beautiful and vibrant island of Mauritius, now settled in London, UK.  Her music is a reflection of her rich cultural heritage and deep connection to her roots. 

She is a vocalist, songwriter, music producer, radio presenter, vocal therapist and cultural ambassador renowned for bridging musical diversity. Raised immersed in Mauritius’ rich rhythmic tapestry, she relocated to London in 2009 to pursue creative passions. There she rapidly rose, collaborating with luminaries across various genres, including Linley Marthe, Antonio Forcione, Jerry Léonide, Meddy Gerville, Tomasz Bura, Gérald Toto, Éric Appapoulay, Rachel Z, Omar Hakim, Harvey Mason, Bernard Maseli, Telemakus, George LePauw, Greg Spero amongst others. Having cultivated versatility across genres from jazz to soul, Rouhangeze “fuses the rhythms of her homeland with London’s kaleidoscopic energy,” melding cultural exchange with empowerment. Through lyrical gifts spanning musical boundaries, she brings the world closer in melody and message. 

Tony Davis

Hailing from Hartford, CT, Tony Davis is an internationally acclaimed guitarist, vocalist, composer, and producer based in New York City. Tony has performed extensively at prestigious venues such as The Blue Note, The Village Vanguard, Smalls, Mezzrow, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Birdland. He has showcased his talents at major festivals, including the Newport Jazz Festival and the Greater Hartford Jazz Festival, and was celebrated as a rising star guitarist at the 2016 Wes Montgomery Tribute Festival in Indianapolis, IN. Tony’s musical journey extends internationally, having recently led his own group with notable performances throughout Mexico and Chile. Throughout his career, he has shared the stage with renowned musicians such as Anderson Paak, Christian McBride, Sullivan Fortner, Abraham Burton, George Coleman, Joe Farnsworth, and Larry Willis.

Valerie Monroe

Born: April 11

It all started with Jazz music for Valerie. She began singing at the age of 19. Valerie sang in front of her first audience trying to win scholarship money for college. From that point on she was bitten by the performance bug. Being introduced to jazz first, Valerie developed her talent by listening to such artists as Sarah Vaughn, Dinah Washington, Nancy Wilson and Nina Simone. Valerie has performed in various arenas with a wide array of artists such as Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs performing the National Anthem, opening for Jazz Greats Dizzy Gillespie and Mel Torme and Comedian Redd Foxx in Las Vegas

Ashley Scott

Ashley Scott is a talented vocalist from Philadelphia, PA has entered 2024 with new single entitled “You Remind Me” with Steal Vybe. Known for international radio charting singles like the 2022 release "Together," the lush ballad "Words" (2016), the groovy "Thought of You" (2021) and "Dance The Night Away" (2020)and his international anthem “Don’t Throw Our Love Away” (2021). He began singing and discovering music at the tender age of 3 from listening and watching is aunt Helen Scott of The Three Degrees and The Delfonics. Ashley continues to release music across the Soul, Jazz, and Dance genres globally.