Bass player and composer Noah Garabedian holds a BA in Ethnomusicology from the The University of California Los Angeles,
and a Master's of Music Performance from New York University.
As an educator Mr. Garabedian currently works with the music outreach program at Jazz At Lincoln Center,
Jazz For Young People. He is also currently part-time faculty at The New School in New York City and works at the Stanford Jazz Workshop.
In the past he has served as adjunct faculty at NYU, and taught with The Weill Institute at Carnegie Hall.
As a composer and bandleader, Noah has released two albums under his own name, as well as one album as a part of the trio collective, Ember.
His latest quartet album, “Consider The Stars Beneath Us,” was released on Outside In Music in October 2022.
As a sideman, Mr. Garabedian has performed and toured with Ravi Coltrane, Jeff Tain Watts, Andy Milne, Kris Davis, Ralph Alessi, Myron Walden, Nir Felder, Frank LoCrasto, and Julian Pollack.
He appeared previously at Chez Hanny with Dan Pratt, the Ferber
Brothers & Le Boeuf Brothers, Marta Sanchez, and Noah Garabedian.
Bay Area raised artist Dayna Stephens is globally recognized as a saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator.
He has appeared at The Village Vanguard with Kenny Barron, Gerald Clayton, Johnathan Blake, and as a leader.
A graduate of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, where he studied under Terence Blanchard, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock,
Dayna began his formal studies with a full scholarship at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He currently teaches at Manhattan School of Music and William Paterson University.
He was the first place recipient of the 2019 DownBeat Critics Poll in the category Rising Star-Tenor Saxophone.
His new quartet with Emmanuel Michael, Kanoa Mendenhall and Jongkuk Kim have a new recording on Cellar Live.
His 10th album, "Right Now! Live at the Village Vanguard", was released on October 3, 2020 and features Aaron Parks, Ben Street, and Greg Hutchinson.
Earlier that year he released his 9th album "Liberty" with Ben Street and Eric Harland.
In collaboration with drummer Toronto native Anthony Fung the futuristic electronic band Pluto Juice was born and produced it’s self titled first release in July 2021.
His creative rhythmic expression has enabled him to perform with drummers including
Al Foster, Idris Muhammad, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Billy Hart, Marcus Gilmore, Bill Stewart, Eric Harland, Johnathan Blake,
Jaimeo Brown, Brian Blade, Victor Lewis, Lewis Nash, Jorge Rossy, Jeff Ballard, and Justin Brown.
Dayna appeared previously at Chez Hanny with his own quartet, and with the Jeff Denson/Joshua White Project.
Pianist/composer Carmen Staaf is the pianist and Musical Director for NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater.
Her past major performances have included the Playboy Jazz Festival in a two-piano setting with the legendary Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter,
Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and the Kennedy Center alongside Kenny Barron and Fred Hersch.
She has been heard at the Village Vanguard, Blue Note, SFJazz, and the Newport, Monterey, Montreux, and North Sea Jazz Festivals.
Carmen graduated with a double degree from Tufts University (Anthropology) and the New England Conservatory (Jazz Performance),
and immediately thereafter became one of the youngest faculty members ever hired by Berklee College of Music, joining their piano department in 2005.
After spending some years touring and recording while based in New York (including winning the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Pianist competition),
she was accepted to the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance.
Staaf co-leads the group Science Fair with drummer Allison Miller; the band's eponymous debut album features Ambrose Akinmusire,
Dayna Stephens and Matt Penman. She also performs regularly with Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom, violinist Jenny Scheinman,
and Allison Miller’s Parlour Game (with Tony Scherr), drummer Jeff Williams, and vocalist/composer Thana Alexa.
Carmen’s most recent album as a leader is “Science Fair” (Sunnyside), which was released in 2018.
She is a member of the Jeff Williams Trio alongside bassist Michael Formanek; the trio’s album “Bloom” (Whirlwind) was released in April 2019.
Parlour Game released its debut album, “Parlour Game,” in August 2019. The Carmen Staaf Trio, featuring Michael Formanek and Jeff Williams, released “Woodland” on Newvelle Records in June 2020.
An active educator, Carmen has held faculty positions at Berklee College of Music, the New School, and Stanford Jazz Institute.
Since moving to New York in 2009, drummer Jimmy Macbride has established himself as one of the most exciting and creative young voices on his instrument.
He is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he studied with Carl Allen, Billy Drummond, and Kenny Washington.
Macbride has worked with Terence Blanchard, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jimmy Greene, Kevin Hays, Steve Nelson,
Manuel Valera, Samuel Torres, Troy Roberts, Michael Rodriguez, Marshall Gilkes, Mike Moreno, Dave Kikoski, Nir Felder, Eldar Djangirov,
the Mingus Big Band, and his wife and frequent collaborator Miki Yamanaka.
He regularly performs throughout New York City, at venues such as Dizzy’s Club, Smalls, The Jazz Gallery, and The Blue Note,
and at clubs and festivals on five continents,
including the Newport Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, and Monterey Jazz Festival.
Macbride has appeared on over 60 albums as a sideman to date.