"Saxophonist, trumpeter, and multi-instrumentalist Caleb Wheeler Curtis is an improvising musician, composer, and collaborator known for his "intensely focused and garrulously inventive" style, which draws from a wide range of influences including progressive bop and post-Coltrane/Ornette free improvisation. Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and based in Brooklyn, NY for the past 16 years, his work spans a wide range of projects, each offering a distinctive and direct approach to creating and performing music. Caleb has been called "one of the more daring musicians in jazz today" (All About Jazz) and his music has been described as "a masterpiece-we cannot find a term that defines it more precisely" (Musica Jazz, Italy).

As a bandleader, Caleb's most recent release, The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery (2024, Imani Records), showcases the breadth of his musical ideas. Across both discs, Caleb plays stritch (a straight alto saxophone), sopranino saxophone, trumpet, and tenor saxophone. The first disc features his trio with Sean Conly on bass and Michael Sarin on drums, while the second disc, Raise Four: Monk the Minimalist, presents interpretations of lesser-known compositions by Thelonious Monk with Eric Revis on bass and Justin Faulkner on drums. The album was described by All About Jazz as "a jubilant and invigorating release that can lay its claim to be considered alongside the best of 2024."

Caleb's HEATMAP (2022), composed during a MacDowell Fellowship, features Orrin Evans on piano, Eric Revis on bass, and Gerald Cleaver on drums. The album was praised for its bold energy and inventive interplay, with Jazzwise describing it as "truly exhilarating post-Ornette free-jazzmaking." Earlier recordings, such as Ain't No Storm (2021) and Brothers (2018), emphasize his interest in creating dynamic group interactions and compelling compositions.

Caleb's collaborative work is equally vital to his career. As a founding member of Ember, a trio with bassist Noah Garabedian and drummer Vincent Sperrazza, he continues to explore new ideas in group interplay and improvisation. Ember recently performed at Dizzy's Club with Orrin Evans and Steven Bernstein, and their 2023 album, August in March, was praised by Jazziz for its "refreshingly novel style, distinctive ideas, and superlative musicianship." Caleb also collaborated with Swiss pianist Laurent Nicoud on Substrate (2022, Unit Records), a saxophone and piano duo exploring the relationship between composed and improvised material with clarity and precision. He was also a co-founder of Walking Distance, whose 2018 album Freebird-featuring Jason Moran-was named one of The New York Times "Top 20 Jazz Records of 2018." Walking Distance was a significant part of Caleb's development as a collaborator and bandleader.

In addition to his work as a leader and collaborator, Caleb has performed at major international festivals, including the Chicago Jazz Festival, Pittsburgh Jazz Festival, DC Jazz Festival, Festival de Jazz de Providencia (Chile), and Festival de Jazz de Madrid (Spain). His performances at renowned clubs such as The Jazz Gallery, Smalls, Smoke, and Bar Bayeux have further established his reputation as a versatile and in-demand performer.

Caleb has also performed extensively with large ensembles. He was a featured performer on three GRAMMY-nominated albums by the Captain Black Big Band, including Walk a Mile in My Shoe (2024), The Intangible Between (2020) and Presence (2018). He has been a frequent collaborator with Kris Johnson, contributing to projects such as Jim Crow's Tears, a concert jazz musical that addresses the history of blackface and minstrelsy, and the Paradise Jazz Series Big Band, which debuted with two sold-out concerts at Detroit Symphony's Orchestra Hall.

As a sideman, Caleb's discography also includes Max Light's Chaotic Neutral (2024), Igor Lumpert's I am the Spirit of the Earth (Clean Feed, 2022), Orrin Evans' #knowingishalfthebattle (Smoke Sessions, 2016), Josh Lawrence's Triptych (2019, Posi-Tone Records), David Gibson's Inner Agent (2016, Posi-Tone Records)"

"Hery Paz is a saxophonist and painter born in Cuba, who embodies a rich and diverse color palette. Explicit not only in painting but equally manifested in his distinction as a musician and composer. Ranging from a singular melodic imagination and harmonic depth to contrasting and contrapuntal textures. His solos are imbued with purpose, a sense of patience and a willingness to venture into the unknown. "Paz's melodic lines are made with art, his lyricism does not fit anything you anticipate listening to, having the ability to surprise." -Jazz Trail. He has won the acclaim and respect of legendary jazz musicians such as Fred Hersch. Who called him "... a revelation, a musician of extraordinary strength". Hery is currently an integral element of the creative music scene in New York City. Where he has worked with artists such as Francisco Mela, Ralph Alessi, Fred Hersch, Dave Liebman, Thomas Morgan, George Garzone, Tony Malaby, Ingrid Laubrock, Kris Davis, Ethan Iverson, Miguel Zenón, Frank Carlberg, Tom Rainey, Gerald Cleaver, Bob Moses, Ran Blake, Joe Morris, Charles Downs and Michael Attias. He also holds a Master's degree from the New England Conservatory in Boston."

"Originally from Costa Rica, Kenneth Jimenez is a bass player and composer currently based in New York City. He's performed and recorded with artists like Francisco Mela, Michael Attias, Gerald Cleaver, Joe Morris, Angelica Sanchez, Ingrid Laubrock, Satoshi Takeishi, Hery Paz, Christopher Hoffman, Marta Sanchez, Stephen Scott, Brian Lynch, Gary Campbell, and others.

He was a part of the 2017 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, under the direction of renowned pianist Jason Moran.He has performed at important venues nationally and internationally. Some of those include the Millenium Stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, The Jazz Gallery, Bar Lunatico, Bar Next Door and Barbes in New York City, the Olympia Theater in Miami and the National Theatre in San Jose, Costa Rica, among others.

"Sonnet to Silence" is the name of his quartet project. It features Hery Paz, Angelica Sanchez & Gerald Cleaver."

"Born in 1991, Samir grew up in Switzerland. At the age of seven, he discovered his fascination with drumming and began his drum lessons at the age of eight.

At the age of 20, he received theory and piano lessons from jazz pianist Andreas Apitz, who prepared him for music studies.

From 2013 to 2015, Samir studied at the Swiss Music Academy SMA with Sascha Kaisler and Peter Haas, while simultaneously completing his preparatory studies at the Zurich Conservatory MKZ with Andreas Brugger and Nico Looser.

Starting in summer 2015, Samir studied jazz drumming with Tony Renold at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Performance in June 2018. His other teachers include Dominique Girod, Chris Wiesendanger, Lukas Mantel, and Jochen Rueckert.

In 2017, Samir received a grant from the Erna and Curt Burgauer Foundation and in 2019, he received the Thurgau Cantonal Cultural Promotion Prize.

Over the past few years, Samir has had the pleasure of playing with various musicians, including Andreas Apitz, Caleb Wheeler Curtis, Rafael Schilt, Dave Gisler, Ingrid Laubrock, Raphael Walser, Beat Gisler, Bruno Steffen Philipp Eden, and many more.Samir is the leader of the groups Meta Zero, Chronos Collective, and SPHNX, and plays as a sideman with the Konrad Bogen Trio, Anatol Buccela's Trio Imaginaire, and Dela Huettner's Swing Thing."