JIM BLACK

_{“I don’t feel nostalgia, or deja vu but I do feel the presence of something “large” in the room that isn’t visible. I guess it’s a warm sense of trust, friendship, surviving the ups and downs of life, passing in and out of each other’s lives, things like that. I would call it ‘history’, and the music we make together is full of it.”}

With an instantly identifiable sound and an inventive approach Jim Black is a peerless performer on drums and electronics. Through composition and performance Jim threads the gap between improvisation,rock, and jazz, always finding his way to the most musical line. Jim has propelled the groups of Dave Liebman, Tim Berne, Dave Douglas among many others. Black currently leads two groups of vastly divergent repertoire. Jim's innovative sax/guitar/drum trio Alas No Axis develops post rock themes with inventive improvisations while the self titled JimBlack Trio re-imagines the piano trio for the 21st century.

CHRIS SPEED

^{"No matter how long it has been since we last met, or what differences we might have or experiences we have gone through individually, we still make beautiful fierce music that feels urgent and fulfilling and that doesn't exist anywhere outside of us. When we combine our forces, the collective result is beyond all of us, it becomes a complete and unique universe that can only be human feel."}

Described the by the New York Times as "one of the principal figures in a dynamic left-of-center jazz/improv scene, Chris Speed's uncommon sound on clarinet and saxophone has been the spotlight of many leading ensembles including those of Mark Dresser, John Zorn, Dave Douglass and his own groups Endangered Blood, The Clarinets , Pachora, YeaNO, Trio Iffy. Speed’s Skirl Records documents the crossroads of modern day improvisors in Brooklyn, NY where the influence of jazz and improvisation has met forms of folk, classical, rock and electronica.

ANDREW D'ANGELO

_{“We spent a lot of time hanging out together. Eating, drinking ,listening to and talking about music. That social and artistic bond helps create a dynamic on stage which makes our musical connection extremely powerful. No matter the reaction our audience gives to our explorational music, they feel our band connection. Our depth of friendship, translates into our performances”}

Andrew D'Angelo's singular sound and energy funneled through saxophone and bass clarinet has left an indelible mark in wide circles of creative improvised music in New York City and around the world His charismatic presence and iconoclastic musical ambition have been well established over the course of his twenty year plus career where he has held key roles in the groups of likes of Reid Anderson, Bill McHenry, Matt Wilson, and his own bands; the Andrew D'Angelo Trio and DNA Orchestra.

KURT ROSENWINKEL

_{“I don’t think we have ever discussed what direction we should take as a band. Direction has always been dictated by the sound of our songs. Most discussions center around how to get the best music out of each piece. I think we have earned the trust of each other over the years by simply spending time together by touring, rehearsing, recording, and hanging.”}

With a career spanning almost twenty-five years, collaborating with dynamic peers like Brad Mehldau, Brian Blade, Mark Turner, Joshua Redman, Chris Potter; and esteemed jazz elders like Joe Henderson, Paul Motian and Gary Burton, Rosenwinkel’s indelible mark in music is the consummation of being steeped in the rich and deep traditions of jazz, springing off of the shoulders of such vital underpinnings to elevate his own art to new heights, evolving the language in a way no other guitarist has since his arrival.