Barry Greene began playing guitar in 1971, at the age of 10 years old. Strongly influenced by Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, George Benson and Pat Martino, Barry has developed into a world-class guitarist, arranger and composer. He has recorded or performed with such artists as Paul Bollenback, Chad Lefkowitz Brown, Seamus Blake, Danny Gottlieb, Gene Bertoncinni, Kenny Drew Jr., Adam Nussbaum, Reuben Rogers, Ron Affif, Mark Ferber, Peter Mazza, John Davis, Ulysses Owens, Jerome Jennings and Colin Bailey. Barry has eight CD’s out as a leader. Resurgence, Sojourner, At Home, Urban Jazz, In the Meantime and three other releases, Barry Greene Trio, The Other Side and Urban Jazz II.

Barry has several books published with Mel Bay Publications and has authored 3 iBooks. He proudly endorses Thomastik-Infeld strings, Benedetto Amps, and Benedetto Guitars. Barry has been invited to perform at the Long Island Guitar Show held in New York several times, as well as having performed at other notable NYC venues. He has also performed in Europe several times including concerts in Germany, and France. Barry is currently a Professor of Jazz Guitar at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, where he has been since 1995. He teaches a guitar ensemble, applied guitar, and several audio technology courses. His series of video jazz guitar lessons has gained worldwide recognition and is used by hundreds of jazz guitarists.

"I’ve been enjoying the guitar as an instrument and it’s amazing artists all of my life. To me Barry Greene is just about one of the best; not only as a player, but also as a writer and a teacher. I agree with others who regard him as a world class musician.” — Pat Martino

“Great tone, control and musical judgment, my favorite type of player.” — Russell Malone “his improvisations were creative with impeccable technique... ” — 20th Century Guitar Magazine “Barry Greene is a fantastic guitar player. He swings his ass off. Beautiful sound...beautiful ideas. I met Barry recently at the University of North Florida when I was doing clinics and a performance there. He teaches at that school. All the students rave about him so obviously not only is he a great player but a great teacher too.” — Mike Stern “Artist/Educator Barry Greene defies – no, decimates – the adage that those who can’t, teach. Monster chops, soulful feel, full/rich classic jazz tone, and virtuosic harmonic techniques establish him as a top tier guitarist.” — Howard Paul - Benedetto Guitars

Tom Knific has performed with many of the great jazz and classical artists of our time on tour and on record. They include Michel Legrand, Gene Bertoncini, Billy Hart, Randy Brecker, Dave Brubeck, Fred Hersch, Edward Simon, and others. He and Eric Marienthal co-led the Dream Band with Toots Thielemans, Kenny Werner and Harvey Mason in the first live interactive concert multi-cast over the Internet. As a classical artist, he has recorded with Pepe Romero, Andre Watts, Philippe Entremont, and the Merling Trio. He as appeared as a soloist with orchestras throughout the U.S. and has performed as principal bassist with orchestras and chamber orchestras in the U.S. and Europe. He has appeared at chamber music festivals throughout North America and Europe and is a founding member, bassist and composer for the contemporary music group, OPUS 21. Knific is professor emeritus of double bass and director of jazz studies at Western Michigan University, and is a visiting professor at The China Conservatory, Beijing. He has also taught at the Interlochen Arts Academy, Michigan State University, Cleveland Institute of Music, and has presented over 200 hundred master classes worldwide. He received the 2016 Musical America Top Professional and Innovators award and received the 2004 Down Beat magazine Achievement in Jazz Education award. Knific has written dozens of works in a variety of idioms and is published by Editions Delatour, Paris, and ISB Publications, Dallas. He is heard on over 30 CDs including four solo projects. Knific is past president of The International Society of Bassists.

At first glance one might not guess that this is a man hailed by greats; Ramsey Lewis describes his music as "happy music with tasty meat on the bones," Les McCann states "Joe's on a 'blow your mind' level," and Ahmad Jamal calls him "a very special artist." Journalist Nat Hentoff championed three of Alterman’s albums, as well as his writing (Joe wrote liner notes to three Wynton Marsalis/JLCO albums), calling one of Joe’s columns “one of the very best pieces on the essence of jazz, the spirit of jazz, that I’ve ever read, and I’m not exaggerating.”

Joe Alterman began at NYU with a BA and Masters in Jazz Piano from NYU and has since performed at many world renowned venues including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Birdland and Blue Note alongside Houston Person, Les McCann, Dick Gregory, Ramsey Lewis, and his own trio, among others. Downbeat describes his sound as “rooted in the blues, and with a touch reminiscent of the great pianists of the 1950s—Red Garland, Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans.” It is clear Joe hits all of the necessary points for Jazz critics and fans alike.

Guitarist Charlie Sigler has been active member of the music community since his high school years studying and performing in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area. A recent graduate of William Paterson University with a B.A. in Jazz Performance, Charlie has performed with many greats of the music including Winard Harper, Harold Mabern, Eric Alexander, Myron Walden, Akiko Tsurga, Pat Bianci, Jared Gold, Vince Ector, Bruce Williams, Radam Schwartz, Kyle Koehler and Dave Stryker among others. He has performed at clubs and festivals throughout the region including the Montclair Jazz Festival, Litchfield Jazz Festival, Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, AFRAM and the Berks Jazz Festival. Currently residing in Bloomfield, NJ, Charlie maintains a busy schedule of performances, recording and teaching.

Yvonnick Prené is a professional jazz musician, bandleader, composer, and educator based in the greater New York City area. He is one of the most unique and innovative harmonicists on the scene today.

Prené has recorded 5 acclaimed albums as a leader, including Listen! (2023) on Sunnyside Records featuring Kevin Hays, Bill Stewart, Dayna Stephens, Jeremy Pelt and Clovis Nicholas. His latest recording, "Jobim's World" with pianist Geoffrey Keezer, earned rave reviews (2024).

Prené has performed and/or recorded with New York luminaries such as Peter Bernstein, Rick Margitza, Joe Farnsworth, Steve Cardenas, Pasquale Grasso, Jon Cowherd, Rich Perry, Brian Charette, Jared Gold, Rick Germanson, Jeb Patton, Jerome Sabbagh, among others.

He has performed around the world, notably at Jersey City Jazz Fest, Exit Zero Cape May Jazz Fest, Winter Jazz Fest (NYC), Bern Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Festival Emoi du Jazz (Ivory Coast), Lamentin Jazz Festival (Martinique), SPAH Harmonica Fest (Tulsa), Hyde Park Jazz Festival (Chicago), and Jazz Sur Seine Festival (Paris).

Prené performs more than 100 concerts per year, having performed at major jazz clubs in New York City as sideman or leader — including the Blue Note, the Django, Zinc Bar, The Iridium, Dizzy’s Club, Birdland, The Jazz Gallery and Smalls.

The harmonicist is a revered educator and the founder of the New Harmonica School and My Harmonica Studio. and to date, Yvonnick has taught more than 500 students. Additionally, Prené has written 10 methods about jazz improvisation, jazz etudes and blues harmonica. He also taught at Jazz House Kids, New York Jazz Workshop and Brooklyn Music School.

Additionally, Prené is an ambassador for Hohner; the legendary harmonica brand has chosen Prené to be the face of their brand-new, flagship 12-hole chromatic harmonica called Xpression.

Yvonnick grew up in Massy, a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris. He has earned a Bachelor of Music (2007) and a Masters of Music degree from Sorbonne University (2011) and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance from the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music (2012).

He has had the opportunity to study with Lee Konitz, Charli Persip, Charles Tolliver, and Reggie Workman, among other leading lights of the music

• “A veteran pianist who also spent considerable time in the trenches and is now a respected musician’s musician.” The New Yorker, Steve Futterman • “Jim Ridl is absolutely stellar on piano, hallmarking his own abilities to both accompany, to solo with brilliance and to improvise on a theme.” Jazz wordPress, Dee Dee McNeil on Paul Jost’s recording “While We were Gone” Jim Ridl, a New York City-based jazz pianist, composer and teacher, performs and records worldwide with a variety of jazz artists, including The Joe Locke Quartet, The Paul Jost Quartet, The Dave Liebman Big Band, and the Mingus Big Band. He is well-known as a “musician’s musician.” His 7-year residency at the renowned NYC jazz club, The 55Bar, featured the Jim Ridl Quartet and Trio performing his original music. In 2021, Jim began a residency at The Soapbox Gallery in Brooklyn, online and in person, which has become a creative platform for original jazz. Jim is on the faculty at New York Jazz Workshop and The City College of New York, and has maintained a private studio for over 30 years, now both online and in person. Jim has 9 recordings of his own, including two released in 2022: Ask for the Ancient Path (May 2022, featuring Scott Robinson, Martin Wind and Tim Horner), and Standards Live (August 2022, the Jim Ridl Trio with Tim Lekan and Bob Shomo). Jim’s previously recordings: Door in a Field Volume 2 “Songs of the Green River,” Blue Corn Enchilada Dreams , Your Cheatin’ Heart and Other Works; Door In a Field v.1; Jim Ridl Trio/Live; Blues Liberations (solo piano); and Five Minutes to Madness and Joy. Jim’s tenure with jazz guitar legend Pat Martino included performances around the world in quartet and duet, and produced 4 outstanding recordings: Nexus, Interchange, Night Wings and The Maker. Additionally, Jim has performed and/or recorded with Steve Wilson, Randy Brecker, Marc Johnson, Bill Stewart, Denis DiBlasio, Jay Anderson, Tim Armacost, Kenny Davis, Cliff Almond, Wayne Krantz, Joel Rosenblatt, JD Walter, Donald Edwards, Chris Tarry, Scott Reeves, Gabriela Anders, Rudy Royston, Ximo Tebar, Darryl Hall, Zach Brock, Tim Horner, Ralph Bowen, Dean Johnson, John Benitez, Diane Monroe, Donny McCaslin, Mark Walker, Terrell Stafford, Vic Juris, Francois Moutin, … Jim has toured with the US State Department American Music Abroad program, performing and offering workshops in Asia-Pacific, Russia, South Korea, China, the Philippines, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Slovania and Malta. Jim has conducted master classes and subbed for colleagues at New York University, City College of New York, Temple University and William Paterson University, was the Art Tatum Memorial Scholarship Artist at the University of Toledo, and Visiting Jazz Artist at Princeton University, where he also directed several ensembles. Jim was raised on a farm and ranch in North Dakota, and discovered his love for piano and jazz at an early age. He attended the University of Colorado at Denver, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Scoring and Arranging, and was awarded its Student Achievement Award for composing “Ocean Sojourn,” an orchestral tone poem which he performed with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, James Setapen, conducting. He is listed in the Who’s Who of American Colleges and Universities. In Denver, Jim began his professional career performing and touring with local and nationally-recognized musicians, including the Grammy-nominated vocal jazz group, Rare Silk.

Evan Levine is an Upright/Electric Bassist, Composer, Guitarist and Educator that currently lives in Chicago, IL. Originally from New Jersey, Evan’s musical career started in high school as a part of the award winning Scotch Plains/Fanwood Moonglowers and a member of the Somerset Jazz Consortium. Evan received his Bachelors degree in Jazz Bass Performance from Oberlin Conservatory in 2014 and his Masters Degree in Music Improvisation from the University of Michigan in 2015. After graduating, he was a prominent figure in the Miami Jazz scene before moving to Chicago in 2017.

Evan has performed with Michelle Coltrane, Nicole Yarling, Tal Cohen, Jamey Haddad, Benny Green, Carl Allen, Kendrick Scott, Patrick Donley, Tommy Carroll, David Leon, Alex Brown, Sean Jelenik, Bonzo Squad, Benny Golson, Ellen Rowe, Nicole New, Lex Korten, Matt Gold, Andrew Green and many others. As part of the Oberlin Jazz Outreach program in 2014, Evan was part of a trio that toured across Italy in Florence, Sienna and Alba. Evan’s first album, Unsolvable Problems, was released in 2016 and featured Lex Korten on Piano and Kayvon Gordon on Drums. It featured almost all compositions by Evan and toured throughout the East Coast and Midwest. More recently, Evan has played at the South Bend Jazz Festival in 2017 with Michelle Coltrane and Hendri Lamiri’s groups.

Evan is currently a part of Emily Kuhn’s project, Helios. Helios will be featured as a part of Chicago’s, Night out in the Parks program and will perform at public parks across Chicago in June. Evan is also a member of Echoes, which will be touring in Carson City, San Francisco and Los Angeles in August. Echoes will also be releasing their sophomore album this summer.

Evan has a new trio project featuring Matt Gold (Sun Speak) and Andrew Green (Twin Talk). This album, entitled Mestizo, features Evan’s compositions and will be available in Fall 2018 on the Label Shifting Paradigms .

Born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Arnold took accordion lessons and discovered guitar when he saw the Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. He attended the University of South Dakota but switched to the Berklee College of Music in 1976. He took private lessons from Jerry Bergonzi and Charlie Banacos. Arnold moved to New York City in 1988 where he became an active member of the jazz community, producing many recordings as a sideman and leader. He is one of the few electric guitarists in the world to use the computer program SuperCollider in both his compositions and improvisations. Arnold is a founding member of Spooky Actions, a jazz group which explores improvisation using classical music repertoire. He has played with Stuart Hamm, Peter Erskine, Joe Pass, Joe Lovano, Lenny Pickett, Randy Brecker, Stanley Clarke, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Absolute Ensemble under the baton of Kristjan Järvi. Arnold's recording credits include over twenty albums and DVDs (on Muse-eek Records, Mel Bay Recordings, Truefire and other labels), ranging from standard jazz repertoire to free improvisation to reinterpretations of classical music. Teaching and writing He is the director of Guitar Studies at New York University and Princeton University as well as the creator of the New York University Summer Guitar Intensive. He has taught at the New England Conservatory, Dartmouth College, Berklee,[1] New School University, and City College of New York. Arnold's theoretical works have explored the use of pitch class set theory within an improvisational setting. He has also written more than 300 music instruction books covering guitar pedagogy, ear training, and time studies.