friends with web sites
steve davis - trombone
a friend, mentor, and fellow red sox fan, steve is a master of the slide trombone, composer, and educator in hartford. a card-carrying jazz messenger, steve has played alongside art blakey, jackie mclean, chick corea, hank jones, christian mcbride, and many other greats too numerous to list.
raymond mcmorrin - sax
a tenor saxophonist and fellow tokyo resident, ray has been living in japan with his wife kumiko since 2005. before leaving hartford, ray found time to play with horace silver, steve davis, jimmy greene, craig handy, conrad herwig, and many others. he is in demand in tokyo, where he has recorded with hank jones and leads his own group.
keigo hirakawa - piano
keigo is an amazing jazz pianist and composer. after graduating from the new england conservatory and living in boston for years, he’s spending some time in tokyo with his wife wenbi and son stephen before planning a takeover of the dayton, ohio scene.
andrew greene - guitar
andrew is a longtime friend and musical collaborator. a gifted guitarist and arranger, he currently resides in concord, new hampshire where he teaches guitar. he can be found on the seacoast, where he gigs often.
jason palmer - trumpet
when people in boston think trumpet, they think jason palmer. an outstanding musician and teacher, he has played alongside a list of musicians that reads like a who’s who in jazz - wynton marsalis, roy haynes, benny golson, jimmy smith, ravi coltrane, and many others.
phill machnik - trombone
phill is one of the best classical trombonists in the new england area. a graduate of susquehanna university and ithaca college’s school of music, phill teaches all levels and recently started a new quartet, the boston trombone project.
eric heveron-smith - trombone
eric is a talented trombonist, bassist, and sound engineer from brooklyn. his finely-tuned ears have helped him in both performance and recording of jazz. a fellow hartt graduate, eric studied with steve davis before heading to new york. eric also likes to wear hats, and is considered widely to be an all-around good guy.
brandee younger - harp
a talented harpist who defies categorization, brandee is at home in the worlds of classical, jazz, and hip-hop music. she has performed and recorded with ravi coltrane, nat reeves, charlie haden, and rashied ali, among many others. brandee currently lives in new york.
mike effenberger - piano
mike is a new hampshire based pianist, arranger, and composer. in an area full of great musicians, he is truly without peer. a graduate of new school university, mike’s open and thoughtful musicality is a heavy influence, and a large part of the reason I play how I play. he is at home in an acoustic setting or surrounded by electronic equipment.
nat reeves - bass
one of the top bassists on the scene today, nat spends his time performing worldwide and teaching at the hartt school, where I was fortunate enough to be a student of his. nat has performed and recorded with a roster of legends including jackie mclean, kenny garrett, pharaoh sanders, sonny stitt, harold mabern, pat metheny, benny green, and many more.
kathy olson - bari sax
kathy is a talented baritone saxophonist and woodwind specialist in the boston area. a recent graduate of the new england conservatory, she teaches and plays regularly all over the new england area.
mark zaleski - alto sax
a dynamic alto saxophonist, mark is a leader in the boston scene. after studying at the new england conservatory and dave brubeck institute at the college of the pacific, mark started his own group which features his compositions.
kelly powers - piano
kelly is a fellow hartt graduate and swing enthusiast, and is a very lyrical pianist. she has appeared in the cab calloway and artie shaw orchestras, and leads her own group. kelly currently lives in new york, where she is highly sought on the bandstand.
