In the '60s, when John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman were defining the concept of a jazz avant-garde, few knowledgeable observers would have guessed that in another 30 years the music's mainstream would virtually bypass their innovations, in favor of the hard bop style that free jazz had apparently supplanted. As it turned out, many listeners who... [+] Read More

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Born in New Orleans, Christian Scott received his first trumpet at 12 as a gift from his mother and grandmother. As Scott's uncle was modern jazz saxophonist Donald Harrison, it was no surprise that Scott soon became very proficient on the trumpet, so good in fact that Harrison began having him play at his gigs. Following in his uncle's... [+] Read More

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A talented post-bop altoist with a personal, angular style, Donald Harrison came to fame with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers but has not become a major name in jazz despite his talent. He studied at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts with Ellis Marsalis, went to Berklee (1979-1980), worked with Roy Haynes and Jack McDuff, and was with... [+] Read More

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Dr. Michael White is a multifaceted, multi-talented New Orleans-based musician who hasn't gotten nearly enough exposure outside of his native Crescent City. A musicologist, jazz historian, educator, clarinet player, and bandleader, White and his band make an annual trip to New York's Village Vanguard jazz club to perform on and around New Year's... [+] Read More

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Internationally known violinist Joshua Bell has performed with all the major orchestras and is proficient in the works of Beethoven, Lalo, Tchaikovsky and Wieniawski. He is known for both his contemporary and classical repertoire.

Joshua Bell was born in Indiana in 1967 and acquired an interest in playing the violin at an early age.... [+] Read More

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Trumpet virtuoso Roy Campbell has been involved in a number of successful musical endeavors, including fronting an ensemble of his own known as Spectrum. He also branched out into arranging, producing, songwriting, and a bit of acting in both independent films and television. He is a multi-instrumentalist who became equally adept on the... [+] Read More

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Roy Hargrove is a hard bop-oriented "Young Lion." A fine straight-ahead player who does not sound overly influenced by any of his predecessors, Hargrove's fiery solos resulted in him winning the Downbeat Readers' Poll in 1995. He met Wynton Marsalis in 1987, when the trumpeter visited his high school, and impressed Marsalis, who let him sit in... [+] Read More

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Although he originally rose to prominence in the shadow of Wynton Marsalis, Terence Blanchard was one of the first "Young Lions" to develop his own sound, mixing in elements of Freddie Hubbard and Marsalis. He studied piano from the age of five and took up trumpet in 1976. Blanchard was with Lionel Hampton during 1980-1982 and then replaced... [+] Read More

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Christoper Hollyday's searing, hard-edged and biting alto style, which reflected the influence of Charlie Parker and Phil Woods primarily as well as Jackie McLean, has ripened and grown more into his own voice over the past few years. Hollyday began recording for RCA/Novus in the late '80s, and continued into the '90s. He's recorded with Wallace... [+] Read More

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Trombone player Wycliffe Gordon is best known for his work with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of jazz maestro, Wynton Marsalis. The versatile trombonist can scat, multi-note, slide, and plunge, just like he stepped out of the 1930s. Gordon has played with many jazz luminaries, including Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Henderson,... [+] Read More

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