John Proulx -vocals/piano     http://www.johnproulx.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Proulx

Singer, pianist, composer, and MAXJAZZ
 recording artist, John Proulx (pronounced "Proo"). His piano playing is
 hot and swinging, and his voice recalls the smooth, mellow sounds of a
 young Chet Baker. John is also a Grammy-winning composer. Jazz legend, Nancy Wilson,
 recorded "These Golden Years", a song that John co-wrote with lyricist
 D. Channsin Berry, for her 2006 Grammy-winning CD,“Turned to
Blue”. Jazz singer, Mary Stallings, also recorded "Stuck in a Dream"
(2005, “Remember Love”), and “Before You Know It” (2010 “Dream”),two songs John co-wrote with lyricist K. Lawrence Dunham. John began his formal musical education at the age of 3 in Grand
 Rapids, MI on Suzuki violin, but quickly switched to classical piano lessons. His grandfather, Clyde Proulx, was a jazz guitarist who introduced him to the world of jazz. Hooked on the freedom of
 improvisation, his education took him to Chicago to study at Roosevelt
University’s Chicago School of Performing Arts. In 2001, John moved to Los Angeles to further his musical pursuits. He has emerged as a young talent on the Los Angeles jazz scene and loves the wide-range of opportunities the city has to offer. Currently, John is back in LA after returning from a four-month engagement at the prestigious
 Feinstein’s at the Loews Regency hotel in Manhattan.

Chuck Berghofer -bass

http://jazztonite.com/berghofer.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EjcDrrolx0

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Chuck+Berghofer

One of Los Angeles finest bass players, Chuck Berghofer enjoys a varied career as a jazz musician and studio artist. From his early days with Skinnay Ennis and Bobby Troup, Chuck went on to work with jazz legends such as Herb Ellis, Shelly Mann, Howard Roberts, Jimmy Rowles and Zoot Sims. Always in demand by vocalists, he has recorded with Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Mel Torme, Sarah Vaughan and more recently with Christine Aguilera, Michael Feinstein, Steve Tyrell, Patti Austin and Barry Manilow. Two of his biggest “hits” were his bass solo on Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walking” and the “Barney Miller” TV theme. Chuck has performed on over 400 movie soundtracks including Rocky II & On Golden Pond, Matrix, I and was featured on Jim Carrey’s movie“Majestic” and Clint Eastwood’s “Bird” and“True Crime”. He has played on numerous successful TV shows including Charlie’s Angels, The Carol Burnett Show, The Simpsons, Star Trek, and Enterprise the Grammy’s and Oscar Awards. In the mid-eighties he received the NARAS award as the most valuable bass player for four consecutive years, nominated by his fellow studio musicians. In 1991,he joined the rhythm section to work with Frank Sinatra, touring worldwide and recording the classic Duets1 and II albums. In the late 90's he recorded and toured with Joni Mitchell and performed on Barbara Streisand Farewell Tour in Australia and the US. In recent years he has appeared on the concert platform with the Three Tenors, toured with Kevin Spacey, and performed at the Tanglewood Festival with John Williams. He continues to be a featured artist at Jazz Festivals across the country and has represented West Coast Jazz at European venues.

Kendal Kay -drums

http://www.insidejazz.com/kendall_kay/kendall_kay_bio.htm

http://www.insidejazz.com/kendall_kay/kendall_kay_bio.htm

"Kendall Kay is a drummist, who, if the rest of us can swing, gives us the permit. He is solid and tasteful, with a great sense of time. He isa very quiet person and the perfect gentleman. Born in Durban, South Africa, KENDALL KAY moved to the United States in 1983 to study Jazz at North Texas State University. He moved to L.A. in 1987 and has become a U.S. citizen in recent years. One of the most versatile drummers around, Kendall is much in demand and has recorded or performed with artists like Poncho Sanchez, Cecilia Coleman, Steve Huffstetter, Bob Sheppard, Kenny Burrell, Phil Upchurch, Allan Broadbent, Kyle Eastwood, Mundell Lowe and Rickie Lee Jones. Kendall is also a member of the Ron Eschete Trio. Kendall is currently endorsing D.W. Drums, Remo Drum Heads, Vic Firth Sticks and Paiste Cymbals.

Bob Sheppard – saxophone

http://www.bobsheppard.net/index.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Sheppard_(musician)

A household name for saxophonists worldwide, Bob Sheppard has done it all. Superstar names such as Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Perter Erskine, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder and many, many, many legends pack his world-class resume. Splitting his time between Los Angeles, and New York, Bob’s forged working relationships with the best musicians throughout America. One of the top-tier saxophonists of our time, Bob Sheppard is not just one of the finest musicians in Los Angeles; he is a jazz luminary with an international reputation. Close Your Eyes not only brings to the fore Sheppard’s talents as a composer and arranger, but his incredible skills as a multi-woodwind performer. Primarily known for his body of work as a tenor saxophonist, on this brilliant CD, Sheppard is also heard on the soprano saxophone, flute, alto flute, Piccolo, clarinet and bass clarinet. ...offering a gritty cutting-edge modern jazz sound sure to resonate with all who are fortunate enough to sample.

Bill Cunliffe - piano(Grammy Winner)

www.billcunliffe.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Cunliffe

http://www.billcunliffe.com/press.htm

Jazz pianist, composer and Grammy Award-winning arranger Bill Cunliffe is known for his innovative and swinging recordings and compositions. Bill began his career as pianist and arranger with the Buddy Rich Big Band and worked with Frank Sinatra, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Benny Golson and James Moody. He has since established himself as a solo artist and bandleader, with more than a dozen albums under his name.

Recent releases include his Overture, Waltz and Rondo for jazz piano, trumpet and orchestra (BCM+D Records, 2012). Bill performed the work with trumpeter Terell Stafford and the Temple University Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Luis Biava. The recording won Bill his fifth Grammy nomination, in the Best Instrumental Composition category. Also released in 2012 was his Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra, with tubist Jim Self and the Hollywood Ensemble, with Bill conducting (Metre Records, 2012). Bill’s album of solo improvisations on Christmas carols, “That Time of Year” (Metre Records, 2011), was described as a “tour de force” in the Los Angeles Times.

Bill wrote the score for the film “On the Shoulders of Giants,” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s homage to the Harlem Rens basketball team of the 1920s and ’30s. The movie recently received an NAACP Image Award for Best Documentary. Bill’s soundtrack was nominated for Best Album. He recently completed scoring a film noir by Singaporean director Ying J.

Cunliffe won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement of Oscar Peterson's "West Side Story Medley".In 2006 he was nominated for a Grammy award for his jazz arrangement of his song Do It Again.He won several Down Beat Awards for his big band and orchestral pieces.[ In 1989, Cunliffe won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Award. He received honors from the National Endowment for the Arts.He won a grant from the New Zealand School of Music[7] and the Rodger Fox Big Band of New Zealand released a CD of Bill's jazz orchestra compositions.In 2005, he won the Philadelphia Jazz Composer competition sponsored by the American Composer Federation. In the 1990s, he was nominated for two Emmys for best original song on the television showsAnother World and Guiding Light.

Chuck Manning - saxophone

www.chuckmanning.com

http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/musician.php?id=14503#.UXl7KeBpdMI

Anyone who has been involved with the Los Angeles jazz scene over the last quarter century know about Saxophonist Chuck Manning. A is a top recording artist that has made dozens of appearances and collaborations with other musicians such as the Los Angeles Jazz Quartet, and his long-time collaboration with Swiss multi-instrumentalist Isla Eckinger. Manning captures the feel of the great jazz sounds of the 50´s and 60´s. He has a emotional impact that is personal yet modern mostly that is Manning: smart, inventive solos exploring themes and tones inside and a little bit out, returning to a perfectly logical place.

Chris Colangelo -bass

http://www.chriscolangelo.com/

http://www.chriscolangelo.com/cds.html

http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/musician.php?id=24180#.UXmT--BpdMI

Bassist Chris Colangelo is one of the genuine masters on his instrument. The first thing you notice about Chris's playing -- his tone, deeply resonant with astonishing articulation across the instrument's sonic register. Once you adjust to such reverberant force, you recognize that this is a musician with serious chops ... that hard to define, never forgotten lyric quality that separates yeoman time-keepers from bassists with seductive narrative power. Chris is currently working on his second solo effort, soon to be completed. To put a precise point on these brief but stunning facts, any jazz aficionado who's not yet discovered this calm jazz dynamo, Chris Colangelo, owes it to the promise of immense musical pleasure to tune into the magic Chris concocts each night he plays. This is a bassist for the long haul ... a player's player, a musician's musician, but most of all a torrential lyric genius.

Matt Gordy - drums

http://www.soultonecymbals.com/artist/matt-gordy

http://jazztonite.com/gordy.htm

Matt Gordy is a drummer/percussionist who draws from a variety of music genres. His professional experience ranges from the classical orchestras of South America, specifically in Venezuela where he was the principal timpanist of the Maracaibo Symphony Orchestra for almost 9 years. And also in the U.S., where he has performed with the Boston Symphony/Boston Pops, Boston Lyric Opera and Boston Ballet. He is also comfortable playing such Broadway shows as Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon. His background also includes performances with Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Brian Wilson, YES, and Mose Allison to name a few. He resides in Los Angeles.