Saxophonist Tim Armacost has worked with jazz greats
including Al Foster, Jimmy Cobb, Kenny Barron, Tom Harrell, Billy Hart,
Victor Lewis, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Peter Erskine, Ray Drummond, Roy
Hargrove, Don Friedman, and Randy Brecker.
He is a recipient of the prestigious Doris Duke/CMA “New Works” award.
Four of his compositions were arranged by Michael Abene and Jim McNeely
and recorded by Holland’s acclaimed Metropole Orchestra. Wynton
Marsalis commissioned Armacost’s original composition and arrangement,
“The Repose in All Things,” which is featured on the Jazz at Lincoln
Center Orchestra’s recent recording Jazz and Art II.
Armacost has recorded 14 critically acclaimed albums as a leader,
performed on more than 60 as a sideman, and has recorded over 100
original songs and arrangements. His most recent leader outing, "Time
Being", featuring Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts and Bob Hurst received 4 stars in
Downbeat magazine, and has met with critical acclaim around the world.
Armacost co-leads the New York Standards Quartet, the Brooklyn Big
Band, and In Trio, and is currently working on music for two new
projects: a chord-less quartet featuring Gary Smulyan, John Patitucci
and Al Foster, and a new quartet with Jim Ridl, Ugonna Okegwo and Rudy
Royston.
He appeared previously at Chez Hanny with New York Standards Quartet,
the Tim Armacost/David Berkman Quartet, and the Tim Armacost Quartet.
Pianist Keith Saunders spent his formative years in
Los Angeles where he studied with Charlie Shoemake and Horace Silver.
Keith worked extensively in L.A. with such well known artists as Eddie
Harris, Roy McCurdy, Bill Holman, and
Bill Watrous, as well as recording with Dick
Berk's Jazz Adoption Agency.
After moving to New York City in 1984, Keith worked and/or recorded
with Richie Cole, Richie Vitale, Hank Crawford, Mickey Roker, Ralph
LaLama, Frank Wess, and Valery Ponamarev. In 1991, Keith
became the leader of The NY HardBop
Quintet, a cooperative unit featuring Joe Magnarelli and Jerry Weldon,
which released four recordings for the TCB Montreux Jazz label.
Relocated to the Bay Area, Keith appears with Calvin Keys,
Noel Jewkes,
Jim Grantham, Chris Amberger, Patrick Wolff, Erik Jekabson, Smith
Dobson, Peppe Merolla, and Dave Rocha.
Keith appeared previously at Chez Hanny with the Robb Fisher-Keith
Saunders Trio, Frank Tusa, Peck Allmond, Michael Zilber, Dave Rocha,
Erik Jekabson, Noel Jewkes, George Cotsirilos, and the Keith Saunders
Trio.
Born in Seattle, Washington, in 1956, Dean Johnson studied Bass Violin with the renowned Gary Peacock.
On the West coast he worked with Sonny Stitt, Milt Jackson, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis,
Harry "Sweets" Edison, Clifford Jordan, Barry Harris, Ted Curson, Richie Cole, Clark Terry, Buddy Tate, Arnett Cobb,
Herb Ellis, Barney Kessel, Tete Montelieu, Terry Gibbs, Bill Mays, Art Lande, Julian Priester, Ernestine Anderson, and Mark Murphy.
Since arriving in New York in 1980, Dean has performed with
Dave Liebman, Lee Konitz, Bob Brookmeyer, Randy Brecker, Joe Lovano, Phil Woods, Grover Washington, Dave Grusin, Lew Tabackin,
Wynton Marsalis, Steve Kuhn, Dave Samuels, Ron Afiff, Dave Douglas, Paul McCandless, Nguyen Le, Ray Anderson, Walter Norris,
Bill Mays, Vic Juris, Billy Harper, Art Farmer, Nick Brignola, Ronny Cuber, Rob McConnell, Dave Kikoski, Bill Frisell,
Albert Dailey, Sheila Jordan, Jackie and Roy, Carol Sloane, Helen Merrill,
Roseanna Vitro, Bill Mays, Kendra Shank, Fred Hersch, Jane Ira Bloom,
Kenny Werner, Mark Soskin, and the Mark Sherman Quartet with Tim Horner and Allen Farnham.
Dean spent over 10 years with Gerry Mulligan, until his passing in 1996,
in a variety of musical situations including the Quartet, Nonet, Big Band, and with orchestras,
including the Israel Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
Dean performed in these Mulligan ensembles with a number of well-known pianists including Harold Danko, Bill Mays, Bill Charlap, and Ted Rosenthal.
Drummer Ron Vincent is a
native of Warwick, Rhode Island, Ron attended Berklee College of Music from
1969 to 1973. After touring the U.S. with a variety of jazz groups, and three years
in Kansas City (79-82), Ron settled in New York City in 1982.
Since then, Ron has become a veteran of the New York City jazz scene. Working
often as a sideman he has been recorded on over 50 CDs.
Ron was a member of the Gerry Mulligan Quartet and the Re-Birth of the Cool
Tentet from 1989 until Mr. Mulligan’s passing in 1996. He recorded four CDs with
Mr. Mulligan and has also recorded with Phil Woods, Lee Konitz, Randy Brecker,
Bob Brookmeyer, Bill Charlap, John Lewis, and Slide Hampton.
Ron has appeared with such notables as Art Farmer, Bill Crow, Rob McConnell,
Rufus Reid, and Dr. Billy Taylor. Presently Ron is a member of the Bill Mays trio.
As a leader, his own trio and quartet are active in the New York City area and his
quartet has toured the U.S. and Europe.
As a jazz artist/educator for Sabian
Cymbals, Ron presented workshops at over 100 Colleges and Universities and
has been on the faculty of the Jamie Aebersold Jazz Camps and the Stanford
Jazz Camp (CA). In 1996 Ron received a National Endowment for the Arts grant
for jazz performance.
He played Chez Hanny previously with Tim Armacost, and Ron Vincent.