Cutting edge jazz guitarist, local USC grad. A regular at the Monterey Jazz festival, Aron has performed at some of the world's most prestigious venues including New York's Apollo Theater and London's O2 Arena.
http://www.myspace.com/aronnforbes
http://www.facebook.com/people/Aron-Forbes/100000156252852#!/profile.php?id=100000156252852&v=wall
Brandon Bernstein is an up and coming jazz guitarist in the Los Angeles area. Brandon just finished his Doctorate degree in jazz from USC and has been performing and recording with well-known artists throughout the country. As a solo guitarist, Brandon enjoys playing the music of Ellington, Gershwin, Strayhorn, Bill Evans, Johnny Mandel, and Jimmy Van Huesen among others.
www.brandon-bernstein.com
Byron Miller has added a new dimension to his repertoire-that of entertainment host and leader of a weekly jam session.
Dan enjoys a multi-faceted career in music. He has written scores for feature films, commercials, and travel videos, played drums for every musical theater production that most people have ever heard of (and some that nobody has ever heard of), played guitar for over 500 performances of CATS (which led to his complete withdrawal from the world for a few months, and from musical theater until the present day), worked as a church organist for 3 years, directed choirs, jazz bands, and played guitar for Liz Callaway, Jodi Benson, Burt Bacharach, Monica Mancini, and many symphony orchestra pops programs. Dan currently lives in Los Angeles where he is the director of Commercial Music Studies at Pasadena City College. He is a former faculty member at the University of Southern Maine, University of Southern California, and Cypress College, and taught courses at Indiana University under the direction of his then teacher, Dr. David N. Baker. Dan directs the multicultural band for All Saints Church in Pasadena, and keeps a busy schedule as a sideman and session player around Southern California.
http://www.myspace.com/danielcoleguitar
Pianist, composer, teacher, Dennis Hamm began playing professionally at age 18 and has since worked with a diverse mix of artists. The albums Hamm appears on are a testament to his versatility. In the last three years Hamm was featured on albums as varied as MTV's Rock the Cradle winner Crosby Loggins' (son of Kenny Loggins) Indy Pop/Rock album "We All Go Home", the Prog-Rock Jazz Fusion of guitarist Greg Howe's "Sound Proof", in support of which Hamm toured Europe in late 2008, Katisse Buckingham's genre bending mix of hip-hop and modern jazz on "Lyrical Worker", and an upcoming modern country release by American Idol finalist Amy Adams, which Hamm also produced.
http://myspace.com/dennishamm
http://facebook.com/dennishammmusic
Whether singing with a group or accompanying herself on seven-string guitar, ALL MUSIC GUIDE calls her "one of the top vocalists of her generation."
http://www.dianehubka.com/
Doug MacDonald is an unpretentious guitarist whose foreground and background playing deliver equal doses of ”beautiful, bell-clear sounds and a sure-footed sense of swing”
- Zan Stewart, jazz journalist
http://dougmacdonaldjazzguitar.com/
Eli is a pianist/vocalist/composer from Los Angeles who loves playing all kinds of music; jazz, latin, pop, soul, funk, classical, and reggae. Eli has toured and recorded with some great musicians and work regularly around LA with his jazz trio.
http://www.elibmusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/elibrueggemann
World-traveled, acoustic jazz and Latin jazz with special focus on smooth sax lines and fresh guitar.
http://www.myspace.com/gregporee
Originally from Detroit, Jacques Lesure has performed with many of jazz’s great artists, Oscar Brown Jr., George Benson, Freddy Cole, Russell Malone, Wynton Marsalis, George Bohannon, and many others. He has collaborated in the creation of and performed in a variety of stage plays, movie scores and special projects made for television. He continues to perform at clubs, benefits, various celebrations, jazz festivals and events locally and around the world.
Joe LoPiccolo is a guitarist and composer whose work is influenced by Classical, Jazz, Funk and World Music styles. Writer Dan O'Heron of the Pasadena Weekly states his music is ”Soft spoken eloquence, fascinatingly improvised.” and ”The music is comforting and visual, it takes you to a better place, a paradise found.” Guitarist Andrew York, formerly of the Grammy Award winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet states ”Having exceptional ability in both classical and jazz genres is very rare; Joe excels in both styles.” Andy Ellis, senior editor of Guitar Player magazine stated ”LoPiccolo's impeccably executed, imaginative arrangements reveal his mastery of the guitar and its most subtle timbres.”
http://www.joelopiccolo.com/
Keyboardist and recording artist Lao Tizer captivates audiences of all ages and musical tastes. Tizer has been proclaimed “an independent artist with all the right moves” and “a torchbearer for the new generation of contemporary jazz.” He is a “Best New Jazz Artist” nominee; a Yamaha-endorsed pianist and keyboardist; has appeared at many premier venues including Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland, Pier 39 – Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco; and has graced the stage at events alongside artists including: Isaac Hayes, Boney James, Zappa Plays Zappa, Wayne Shorter, George Benson, The Commodores, The Rippingtons, Bruce Hornsby, Jethro Tull, and Spyro Gyra. Tizer’s recordings have sold over 85,000 copies, charted and received acclaim in the industry’s most respected publications and his music can be heard on radio and television airwaves worldwide. His talents continue to evolve and command attention.
http://www.laotizer.com/
Drummer Lorca Hart grew up in a musical family and started playing at a young age. In high school he started to perform and focus on Jazz. He attended California Institute of the Arts from 1992-96, studying with Albert ”Tootie” Heath, Joe La Barbera, Charlie Haden, Wadada Leo Smith, and many others. Since that time Lorca has worked consistently in a variety of musical situations, playing with many of the West Coast's (and beyond) finest artists including : Calvin Keys, Herman Riley, Red Holloway, Plas Johnson, John Heard, Danny Grissett, Justo Almario, Bennie Maupin, Phil Ranelin, Dave Pike, Ralph Moore, Don Menza, Hugh Masekela, Bobby Rodriguez, the Clayton Brothers, Anthony Wilson, Julian Lage, storyteller/radio personality Joe Frank, actor/musicians Jeff Goldblum and Peter Weller, Ronald Muldrow, and the Cross Hart Jazz Experience ( the project that he co-leads with bass player Ryan Cross). Lorca can be heard on recordings by Hugh Masekela, John Heard, Justo Almario, Ronald Muldrow, Dave Pike, Phil Ranelin, and the Cross Hart Jazz Experience.””
http://www.myspace.com/lorcahart
”I’ve played the piano my whole life,” says Smith. ”While at Columbia University, I studied extensively with pianist Mike LeDonne. I’d say my primary influences are the titans of the fifties and sixties: Miles Davis, Ahmad Jamal, Cedar Walton, Wynton Kelly, Bill Evans, Tommy Flanagan... guys like that.” Regarding Peter's album HERE IT COMES, renowned bassist John B. Williams says: ”Peter Smith's artistic talents as pianist, composer, and singer reflect his inclusive and engaging nature as a man. This is a beautifully done CD with great performances by all. A truly memorable musical journey that one will enjoy taking again and again.”
http://www.petersmithmusic.com
Born & raised in the Los Angeles area, Robert Kyle came from a family of passionate music lovers. He entered college as a music major and aspiring drummer, but soon found himself drawn to the saxophone. ”I’d always loved the sound of it, just hearing it gave me chills,” says Robert, ”but once I actually held a saxophone and played it, I knew I’d found my voice.”
http://www.robertkyle.com/
http://www.cdbaby.com/group/robertkylemusic
http://www.myspace.com/robertkylemusic
Sid Jacobs was born in Miami Beach, Florida. Sid spent his first few years in Havana, Cuba prior to the revolution, after which, the Jacobs family returned to Miami. It is there, at the age of seven, he began his fascination with the guitar. When his family moved to Nevada, Sid obtained a position as guitar instructor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. This made him, at eighteen, the youngest faculty member in the school's music department. After moving to Los Angeles he developed the curriculum for the Advanced Bebop and Jazz Guitar course at the Dick Grove School and the Jazz Guitar class at the Musicians Institute (MI and GIT), where he continues to teach.
In 1991, his CD It's Not Goodnight was released. It is a straight-ahead blowing session featuring his original compositions. In 1998 Sid was the first North American jazz guitarist invited to perform in Argentina's ”Guitars of the World” festival. In May of 2001 he was invited to perform at the Ankara Music Festival in Turkey.
Some of the jazz artists with whom he has performed include Harold Land, Eddie Harris, Buddy Montgomery, Joe Diorio, Brad Mehldau, Larry Goldings and Javon Jackson.
http://www.sidjacobs.com/
Vahagn ”Vahagni” Turgutyan was born in Yerevan, Armenia in 1985. Brought up in a family of Artist's, Vahagni's father Sarkis Turgutyan, Guitar soloist for the National Philharmonic of Armenia, Mother Satenik ShahNazaryan, a theatrical Actress, and Uncle Artur Shahnazaryan, an Ethno- Musicologist and National Artistic Director of Armenia, all influenced and nourished Vahagni's musical development. Vahagni began playing the Guitar at the age of Nine under the instruction of his Father. At a very young age Vahagni showed a great interest in Flamenco Music. After several years of studies with his Father, Vahagni embarked on the first of his numerous trips to Andalusia, Spain. Under the Guidance of world famous Flamenco guitarist Paco Serrano, Vahagni spent over Two years mastering his craft , and participating in numerous Festivals in Andalusia. During the” Cursos Superior del Guitarra Flamenca” held in Malaga, Vahagni got the opportunity to play for his childhood idol and Legendary Flamenco Guitarist, Manolo Sanlucar. It was Vahagni's original and unique sound that impressed the Maestro, which led to a rare offer to study as a disciple of Sanlucar. Upon returning to the United States, Vahagni recorded his first self produced album ” Short Stories”( available on i tunes and CD baby) The album features musicians such as, Jimmy Branly, Carlitos del Puerto and Luis Conte to name a few. Vahagni's guitar playing has taken him on several World Tours, Festivals, Clinics. and appearances on TV and Radio shows. . A side from performing, Vahagni also teaches Guitar at the College of the Canyons and is a columnist for Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine called ”Flamenco-ology. Vahagni is endorsed by La'bella strings, Godin Guitars and Andres Dominguez Guitars.
http://vahagnimusic.com/
