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#15 Terell Stafford

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#15 Terell Stafford

Terell Stafford has been hailed as “one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player” by piano legend McCoy Tyner. Stafford is recognized as an incredibly gifted and versatile player, he combines a deep love of melody with his own brand of spirited and adventurous lyricism. Stafford’s exceptionally expressive and well defined musical talent allows him to dance in and around the rich trumpet tradition of his predecessors while making his own inroads

Stafford is the Director of Jazz Studies and Chair of Instrumental Studies at Temple University, founder and band leader of the Terell Stafford Quintet, and Managing and Artistic Director of the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia (JOP). Stafford is renowned in the jazz world as an educator, performer and leader and has received countless award nominations and accolades.

http://www.terellstafford.com/







Stafford is the
Director of Jazz Studies and Chair of Instrumental Studies at Temple
University, founder and band leader of the Terell Stafford Quintet, and
Managing and Artistic Director of the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia (JOP).
Stafford is renowned in the jazz world as an educator, performer and leader and
has received countless award nominations and accolades.





Terell Stafford has
been hailed as “one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet
player” by piano legend McCoy Tyner. Stafford is recognized as an incredibly
gifted and versatile player, he combines a deep love of melody with his own
brand of spirited and adventurous lyricism. Stafford’s exceptionally expressive
and well defined musical talent allows him to dance in and around the rich
trumpet tradition of his predecessors while making his own inroads.



#14 Mike Bond

#14 Mike Bond

Mike Bond is one of my favorite pianists on the New York scene today. He has performed with Savion Glover, Conrad Herwig, Joe Magnarelli and Duane Eubanks, to name a few, and is a featured sideman on guitarist Jean Chaumont’s debut album “The Beauty Of Differences” which received a 4 star review in Downbeat Magazine.

​As a leader, Bond has performed at Smalls and Mezzrow, as well as the Central Jersey Jazz Festival, the Canadian Music Festival in Toronto, and the New York City Winter Jazz Festival. He’s music director at the non-denominational Jacob’s Well Church in New Brunswick, N.J., and is a Community Advisory Board member for the award winning jazz station 88.3 WBGO.

Bond’s debut recording, ‘The Honorable Ones’, produced by legendary pianist Orrin Evans: features Steve Wilson: alto saxophone; Josh Evans: trumpet; Ben Wolfe: bass; Anwar Marshall: drums + guests Gene Shinozaki: Claudia Acuña: Maya Holliday.

The album release will be celebrated on Feb. 24th at Exuberance in Philadelphia and Feb. 27 at Small’s in NYC.


www.mikebondmusic.com


#13 Laura Lizcano

#13 Laura Lizcano

www.lauralizcanomusic.com

Laura Lizcano is a Colombian jazz vocalist and songwriter based in Philadelphia. Influenced by artists like Norah Jones and Natalia LaFourcade, Lizcano crafts lyrically driven compositions that blend elements of jazz, folk, and pop.

Lizcano was born in the city of Bogotá, Colombia and, as a child, emigrated to a small, rural town in the United States. In her late teens, she moved to Philadelphia to pursue a degree in Jazz Performance. As a student, she had the opportunity to perform at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts with Joanna Pascale, Chelsea Reed, Lee Mo, Najwa Parkins, and Alexa Barchini for the Sittin In’ Series at Innovation Studio. She has also performed at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola as the featured vocalist with the Temple University Big Band. Currently, Lizcano performs throughout the Central Pennsylvania and Greater Philadelphia regions with her band.


In 2018, Laura independently released her debut EP titled Chance on Me.

#12 Willard Jenkins

#12 Willard Jenkins

Willard Jenkins is an independent arts consultant, artistic director/curator, producer, writer and editor, operating under his ‘Open Sky Jazz’ banner. During his extremely productive career, Mr. Jenkins has served as artistic director for the Tri-C JazzFest, BeanTown Jazz Festival, Lost Jazz Shrines, and Jazz in Progress. He collaborated on ‘African Rhythms’, Randy Weston’s autobiography. He has taught Jazz history at Cleveland State University and the online course ‘Imagine Africa’ at Kent State .

He is currently the artistic director of the DC Jazz Festival, one of the premiere Jazz festivals in the world as well as the author of his blog ‘Independant Ear’ (which is full of incredibly insightful content, I highly recommend). 

www.openskyjazz.com