2012 Artist Bios

Blind Boys of Alabama
The Blind Boys of Alabama are recognized worldwide as living legends of gospel music. Celebrated by The Grammys and The National Endowment for the Arts with Lifetime Achievement Awards, inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, sung for two presidents in the White House and winners of five Grammy® Awards, they have attained the highest levels of achievement in a career that spans over 70 years and shows no signs of diminishing. Longevity and major awards aside, The Blind Boys have earned praise for their remarkable interpretations of everything from traditional gospel favorites to contemporary spiritual material by acclaimed songwriters such as Curtis Mayfield, Ben Harper, Eric Clapton, Prince and Tom Waits.
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Carmen Bradford
Born in Austin, Texas and raised in Altadena, California, Carmen Bradford grew up with music in her home and in her heart. It was only natural that Carmen would follow in the footsteps of her great family legacy being the daughter of legendary trumpeter/composer Bobby Bradford and world renowned vocalist/composer Melba Joyce.
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Karriem Riggins
Karriem Riggins, drummer, hip hop producer, dj, and sometime rapper. He is a former member of the Ray Brown Trio and Mulgrew Miller trio and currently appears in the Diana Krall quartet.
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Rickey Woodard
Rickey Woodard was born in Nashville, Tennessee, where he played in a family band with his brothers and sisters, playing Blues and R n’B around the Nashville area. At an early age, Rickey came up listening to such greats as Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Stan Getz, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Charlie Parker and Sonny Stitt. Rickey’s favorite saxophone players are Hank Mobley and George Coleman, two of the all-time great players.
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Roy Haynes
In his seven decades of performing, Roy Haynes has established himself as the quintessential jazz drummer. He has played with virtually all of the most notable jazz musicians, and has been at involved in some of the biggest transitions in the history of jazz. His light, expressive style has fit a multitude of musical circumstances, from the swing of Lester Young, the bebop of Charlie Parker, the raucousness of John Coltrane, to the modern jazz innovations of Chick Corea and Pat Metheny.
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Sara Gazarek
Championed by some of music’s most celebrated figures, Sara Gazarek has emerged as a strikingly original artist with limitless potential. In follow up to Yours, her widely hailed 2005 debut focusing on American Songbook standards, the 25-year-old Gazarek delivers a sensational follow-up on her sophomore album Return to You (Native Language NLM-0967-2), seamlessly combining the intimacy of singer/songwriter stylings with the musical and improvisational elements of jazz. Blessed with a gorgeous, translucent voice, excellent pitch, and supple sense of time, Gazarek is steeped in the jazz tradition, but is not afraid to embrace the music that moves her generation.
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Tower of Power
Tower's 40 year odyssey actually began in 1968 when Emilio Castillo met Stephen "Doc" Kupka in July of that year. When Doc auditioned during a band rehearsal at Emilio's house, Emilio's father called him into the kitchen and offered the following advice: "Hire that guy, he's got something." Doc and his signature baritone sax sound were now in the band, and on August 13, 1968, Tower of Power, as we know them today, began playing gigs, and soon became very well known in the area.
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Jeff Clayton
Reed player Jeff Clayton began his career as both a touring and studio musician. He recorded important albums with, among others, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Kenny Rodgers, Michael Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Earth, Wind & Fire, and a solo on Madonna's recording "Back in Business."
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Anat Cohen
An established bandleader and prolific composer, idiomatically conversant with modern and traditional jazz, classical music, Brazilian choro, Argentine tango, and an expansive timeline of Afro-Cuban styles, Anat Cohen has established herself as one of the primary voices of her generation on both the tenor saxophone and clarinet since arriving in New York in 1999.
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Graham Dechter
Guitarist and Los Angeles native Graham Dechter is one of the most promising young jazz musicians on the scene today. Born into a family of musicians, Graham's musical journey began at the age of five when he started taking violin lessons and composing various orchestral pieces.
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Paquito D’Rivera
Paquito D'Rivera defies categorization. The winner of nine GRAMMY Awards, he is celebrated both for his artistry in Latin jazz and his achievements as a classical composer. Born in Havana, Cuba, he performed at age 10 with the National Theater Orchestra, studied at the Havana Conservatory of Music and, at 17, became a featured soloist with the Cuban National Symphony.
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Larry Fuller
Larry Fuller has established himself as a world-class jazz pianist firmly rooted in the hard swinging traditions of mainstream jazz. Raised in Toledo, Ohio, Larry Fuller began his musical studies at the age of 11 and immediately began showing an aptitude and talent for jazz.
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Wycliffe Gordon
Musical ambassador and interpreter of America’s music, Wycliffe Gordon experiences an impressive career touring the world performing hard-swinging, straight-ahead jazz receiving great acclaim from audiences and critics alike.
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Kevin Kanner
Despite his age, over the years Kevin has amassed a large summary of jazz credits in collaboration with other artists.
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James Morrison
James Morrison is, by anybody’s standard, a virtuoso in the true sense of the word. Besides the trumpet, this multi-instrumentalist also plays trombone, euphonium, flugel horn, tuba, saxophones, and piano. At the age of seven, he was given his first instrument, at nine he formed his first band and at thirteen he was playing professionally in nightclubs.
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Josh Nelson
Josh Nelson, born and raised in Southern California, maintains an active and creative schedule as a jazz pianist, composer, teacher, and recording artist. Barely 30 years old, he has already performed with some of the most respected names in jazz.
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Terell Stafford
Terell Stafford has been hailed as “one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player” by piano legend McCoy Tyner. Known for being a gifted and versatile player with a voice all his own, Stafford combines lyricism and a deep love of melody with a spirited, adventurous edge.
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Ike Stubblefield
Hammond B3 virtuoso Ike Stubblefield is a music industry legend. With almost 50 years in the business, you may think he’s seen and done it all, but he’s just getting started.
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Ben Williams
As an energetic six year old, Ben Williams was as curious as a cat. Ben’s mother worked for Congressman John Conyers (an avid jazz lover) on Capitol Hill, so when she took the youngster into the office on his school break, a watchful eye was in order.
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Matt Wilson and Arts and Crafts
New York based drummer and Grammy nominee Matt Wilson is one of todays most celebrated jazz artists. He is universally recognized for his musical and melodic drumming style as well as being a gifted composer, bandleader, producer, and teaching artist.
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John Clayton
The sheer wizardry of his arco bass playing, the patience he exhibits with his students, the provocative notes he chooses when he composes, the empathy he shows when he procures, the scintillating sounds he coaxes from musicians when he conducts pale in comparison to his charisma when you just hear him swing!
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Alex Brown
The understated virtuosity of pianist Alex Brown is a clear indication that reports of jazz music’s demise are greatly exaggerated. Fast emerging at the forefront of a new generation of artists, Brown is mightily armed with the technique of jazz tradition, reinvested with fresh curiosity and vision for what jazz is, and can be.
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Larry Goldings
With his signature Hammond organ style and versatility on many keyboards, Boston native Larry Goldings has traversed not only the wide spectrum of jazz where he is perhaps best known, but also the worlds of funk, pop, and alternative music.
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Martin Wind
Since his move to New York Martin has become a regular at all major jazz clubs and is also in demand as a session player; his credits include movies such as “The Alamo”, “Intolerable Cruelty”, “ Mona Lisa Smiles” and “Fur”.
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