Billy Manzik's musical journey began where Highway 61 ends, in Thunder Bay Ontario. The soundtrack for his upbringing was provided by his guitar slinging, country singing mother, and influenced by roots rock, old rhythm and blues, not to mention Billy's penchant for wandering the continent. The result is a driving blues rock sound, complete with catchy riffs, lyrical hooks and a 'feel-good' toe tapping kind of style.
Mark Owens starting playing guitar in 1961 and amazed some of the "Greats" in the Music World! Born and raised in California, he has been playing up and down the coast and in Hawaii for 11 years. He has been influenced by Chet Atkins, Pat Metheney, and Gabby Pahinui. Mark has opened for Dave Mason, David Crosby, Jimmy Messina, Lee Michaels, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Richard Smith, The Association and more! He has a Hawaiian Slack-Key derivative kind of sound that will astound you
From the first note, you'll want to jump out of your seat! Orquesta La Moderna Tradición bursts with the sweet yet powerful sound of the Afro-Cuban charanga orchestra, which features violins and woodwinds interlocking with driving afro-Cuban rhythms. They have thrilled audiences across the country with a mix of contemporary timba-infused arrangements guaranteed to get you on your feet and traditional danzón and cha-cha-chá that transport you back to the Havana social clubs of the 1950s.
Performing widely on the San Francisco Peninsula and South Bay for years, the Jazz ConneXion (piano Dale Nesbitt, bass Bill Hockett, and alto-tenor-vocal John Sylvester) join for traditional jazz, swing, blues, bossa, and that Great American Songbook that everyone adores. Revel in the quintessentially American-Brazilian sounds by those great American composers, so definitive in jazz and so central in our musical awareness.
"Two of the best Bay Area singer-songwriters in recent years"! Influenced by San Francisco's Beat Generation poets, Ron Adams has crafted a compelling collection of songs that will stir the heart and warm the soul. His lyrical content is both emotional and intelligent reflecting the influence of songwriters such as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. Molly Maguire's vocals and piano "pour from the heart & float through the air like a daydream". This is a show not to be missed!
Energetic, but smooth, audience-friendly mix of jazz standards, bebop, blues, and latin. One comment we consistently seem to get is "you guys look like you're having a lot of fun up there". We do, and I think that translates into a good experience for the audience. we feed off of their energy, and they feed off of our energy.
Rob Hart Trio is an exciting blend of organic traditional jazz, fusion, funk, latin and textural experimental music, along with high-powered, on-the-edge improvisations. Established in the early 1990's the Trio has gone through a series of different incarnations of instrumentation and evolutions, taking the trio through pathways of musical adventures.
Bay Area jazz pianist and vocalist, Marty Williams, was called "The Catalyst" by San Francisco Chronicle critic Phil Elwood. Anna DeLeon of Anna's Jazz Island recently said: "Marty Williams is one of the Bay Area's treasures. His piano playing and singing are passionate, humorous, and unique. Think Oscar Brown Jr. plus Mose Allison plus Monk with just a dash of Redd Foxx! Yes, unique!"
Stevan Pasero is recognized worldwide as one of the most important, influential and versatile guitarists of the past two decades. He has transcribed 30 major symphonic works, performed on over 300 CDs, produced 1000 masters for other artists, and composed over 1500 pieces for solo, duo and various ensembles. Mr. Pasero is noted for his creative arranging and orchestration style as well as in-depth transcription and improvisatory skills.