#TALEr's

Babatunde Lea’s vast experience of nearly forty years as a master percussionist, as well as the spiritual depth and resonance he brings to everything he does, has made him one of the most esteemed musicians of the past half-century.   He joined a band called Juju, which relocated to Richmond, Virginia in the early 1970s.  Among the artists with whom he played were Stan Getz, Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner, Randy Weston, Van  Morrison, and Oscar Brown, Jr... His first album as a leader, Levels of  Consciousness was released in 1979. He recorded with a band called  Phenomena, which grew out of the Loft Jazz Association.   In 2010,  Babatunde moved to Pennsylvania to teach at Gettysburg College. 

After almost seven years of touring with Kenny Garrett, Benito has added numerous festivals and international jazz club dates to his credit. He has also shared the stage with Curtis Fuller, Pharaoh Sanders, Bobby  Hutcherson, Christian McBride, Ignacio Berroa, Roy Hargrove, Rene  McLean, Steve Turre, Delfeayo Marsalis, Hamiet Bluiett, Antonio Sanchez,  T.K. Blue, Nicholas Payton, Jackie McLean, and a returning member of The  Azar Lawrence Experience.  Benito also took home first prize at the  Great American Jazz Piano Competition. 

Early on in his career he performed with soul artists such as Otis  Redding and Sam and Dave, and then later with Buck Hill and Shirley  Horn, and was a sideman with the Montgomery Brothers (1961), Jimmy Smith  (1964–1966), and Wes Montgomery (1966–68). Following Montgomery’s death in 1968, Hart moved to New York, where he recorded with McCoy Tyner,  Wayne Shorter, and Joe Zawinul, and played with Eddie Harris, Pharoah  Sanders, and Marian McPartland. Hart was a member of Herbie Hancock’s sextet (1969–73), and played with McCoy Tyner (1973–74), Stan Getz  (1974–77), and Quest (the 1980s), in addition to extensive freelance playing  (including recording with Miles Davis on 1972’s On the Corner). 

Drummer Brandon Lee Lewis has performed internationally with artists such as Gil Coggins, Harry Whitaker, Frank Wess, George Mraz, Kenny  Garrett, Myron Walden, Azar Lawrence, Lezlie Harrison, Saul Rubin, Avi  Rothbard, Anthony Wonsey, David Weiss, Billy Harper, Reggie Workman and  Charles Tolliver, among others. He’s also performed on Award-Winning  Broadway productions The Color Purple and Memphis and the feature film  American Gangster. 

Trumpeter Brian Swartz  has appeared on multiple Grammy nominated and winning recordings with artists including The Dixie Chicks, John  Beasley’s Monk’estra , and Kim Richmond’s Concert Jazz Orchestra. He has  also performed or recorded with Michael Bublé, Saint Motel, Patti  Labelle, Natalie Cole,  Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, The Luckman Jazz  Orchestra, Jose Rizo’s Jazz on the Latin Side All Stars and many more. 

Dale Williams was born and raised in Hyde Park, on the south side of  Chicago. While still in Chicago, Williams performed with many other well-known acts such as the AACM (Association for the Advancement of  Creative Musicians), Phil Coran, as well as the Pharaohs/aka Sky (just to name a few). From there, Williams toured the US with Little Milton,  Oscar Brown Jr., the Sun-Ra Arkestra, and Jean Carn.

Williams eventually made his way to Los Angeles, where he would go on to tour with artists such as Watt’s 103rd st. Band, Rebbie Jackson,  Otis Day & the Knights, Solomon Burke’s, Mighty Mo Rodgers, Tito  Jackson, Dorothy Moore, LL Cool J, Ronnie Laws, Elosie Laws, and Tom  Browne. Dale Williams began performing in the local blues, jazz, and  R&B scene, where he played with Howard Hewitt, Al B Sure, Faith  Evans, Eric Benet, The Mary Jane Girls, Doug E Fresh, Brian McKnight,  and Brandy.

Weiss started a band with tenor saxophonist Craig Handy. The rest of the  band rotated: Benny Green, Stephen Scott, or Dave Kikoski on piano,  Christian McBride on bass, and Billy Hart or Jeff Watts on drums. Weiss  assisted Handy with the music of The Cosby Mysteries, including  arranging the title theme. From there, he began arranging for such  artists as Abbey Lincoln, Freddie Hubbard, and Rodney Kendrick, Alto  Legacy with Phil Woods, Vincent Herring, and Antonio Hart. He arranged  an album called Haunted Melodies in tribute to Rahsaan Roland Kirk, as well as tribute concerts at Birdland for Freddie Hubbard, Booker Little, and Lee Morgan. 

Derf is a musician, composer, choreographer, lecturer, vocalist and  inventor amongst other things. It is highly appropriate that he resides  in Leimert Park LA, which is quickly becoming a focal point for jazz  innovation on the West Coast. “From The Nile” is his debut album for  Ubiquity and provides sonic testament to his endless capabilities.

Reklaw moved to LA from Chicago in 1979. He is an artist in residence  at several educational institutions including UCLA, Santa monica  College, LA Conservatory and View Park Academy. His career has enabled  him to play to with artists like Herbie Hancock, Aretha Franklin, Eddie  Harris, Minnie Ripperton, Ahmad Jamal, Sting and Lionel Hampton. This  latest album features guest spots from drummer Billy Higgins, poet Kamau  Daaood and original member of the Pharoahs Lui Lui Satterfield.

In the 1990s, the bassist began what has proven to be a significant  freelance career. He has performed and recorded with such notables as  Benny Golson, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Pat Martino, Kenny  Burrell, Jackie McLean, Kenny Barron, Billy Higgins, Dee Dee  Bridgewater, Kenny Garrett, Kurt Elling, and Geri Allen. In his festival performance, Essiet leads his own group, IBO, a Nigerian jazz project  that mixes jazz harmonies with West African rhythms. 

During those early years connecting for lessons with jazz pianists, Don  Burke exposed him to artists such as Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Toots  Thielemans, and Dave Brubeck, which began a lifelong love for jazz.   Frank is a keyboard player, arranger, composer, conductor, session musician, bandleader, and teacher. His list of recording credits includes Narada Michael Walden, Whitney Houston, Herbie Hancock, Al  Jarreau, Regina Bell, Tevin Campbell, and Chris Isaak. He joined Local  510 in the 1970s and is now a Local 6 life member. 

Over the past two decades, Freddie Hendrix has become one of the most in-demand trumpeters in Jazz, and beyond. Also, an accomplished composer,  arranger, and educator, the Teaneck, New Jersey native’s skill and versatility have resulted in him working with a wide array of performers that range from the Count Basie Orchestra and The Christian McBride Big  Band to Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Alicia Keys. 

Steve Turre’s career picked up momentum when Ray Charles hired him to go on tour. A year later Turre’s mentor Woody Shaw brought him into Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. After his tenure with Blakey, Turre went on to work with a diverse list of musicians from the jazz, Latin, and pop worlds, including Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner, J.J. Johnson, Herbie Hancock, Lester Bowie, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Van Morrison, Pharoah Sanders, Horace Silver, Max Roach, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. The latter introduced hum to the seashell as an instrument. Soon after that, while touring in Mexico City with Woody Shaw, Turre’s relatives informed him that his ancestors similarly played the shells. Since then, Turre has incorporated seashells into his diverse musical style. In addition to performing as a member of the Saturday Night Live Band since 1984 

Tateng has performed with some of the world’s jazz players like Lou Rawls, Richie Cole, Carl Saunders, Teddy Edwards Bill Henderson, Earl Palmer, Sam Most, Eric Marienthal, Kevyn Lettau, Hubert Laws, Debra Laws, Eloise Laws, Alphonse Mouzon. He was also the musical director for Martin Nievera, Ogie Alcasid, Becca Godinez and Dessa’s Hollywood Bowl performance with the Apl de Ap Foundation which was a great success. 

In 2013 Croker returned to the United States after a seven-year stay in Shanghai, China, where he broadened his concept of jazz to encompass other complementary genres such as salsa, fusion-rock, R&B, hip hop and blues. While in Shanghai, he held a five-month residency at Shanghai’s House of Blues.  Soon after that he was hired as the house band for Asia Uncut Star Network, a late-night television show modeled on the Tonight Show  where Theo served as music director, bandleader . 

Theo Saunders has performed and recorded with dozens of jazz luminaries and worked extensively in the bands of Freddie Hubbard, Carla Bley, Sonny Fortune, Bob Brookmeyer, and John Klemmer, as well as Azar Lawrence.   He participates in the historic album, “Living Time” on Columbia Records which brought together the writing of composer George Russell and pianist Bill Evans. Theo played electric piano and clavinet and the band consisted of a pantheon of great jazz musicians, including Joe Henderson, Tony Williams, Ron Carter, Eddie Gomez,  Sam Rivers, Jimmy Guiffre, Snooky Young and Howard Johnson. His latest recording, “Trane Stories” with Teodross Avery, Dwight Trible, Henry Franklin, and Marvin “Smitty” Smith also features Azar Lawrence as a guest on “Afro Blue”. This recording marks his ninth as a leader and he has been a sideman on more than 50 jazz recordings. 

Drummer, Composer and Producer Tony Austin is one of the most versatile and sought-after artists in the United States. He is known for combining the artistry of drumming with his vast knowledge of sound recording and music production to make him a preferential component in numerous musical projects.  Carlos Santana, India Arie, Erykah Badu and Roy Hargrove count themselves among the many who have hired him for his technical and physical gifts.   He has also performed, recorded and collaborated with a wealth of talented artists including Gwen Stefani, Charles Lloyd, Billy Childs, Willow Smith, Jon Brion,Kamasi Washington, Daniel Bedingfield, Salvador Santana, Solomon Burke, John Avila (Oingo Boingo), and Meyer Hawthorne. 

Trevor Ware is well recognized as one of the most supportive jazz bassists in Los Angeles.  His style focuses not only on producing a supportive bass tone with impeccable intonation, but also features long, creative, well developed bass lines. Developing his love for music at The World Stage Performance Gallery.  After being offered his first professional gig by legendary pianist and composer Horace Tapscott & New York saxophonist Sonny Fortune, Ware developed as sense of musical adventure playing in Tapscott’s quartet and Pan Afrikan People’s Arkestra Having appeared on over 40 recordings, Ware’s current musical associations include Kenny Burrell, Molly Ringwald, Jeff Goldblum & The Count Basie Orchestra. 

Windys’ luxurious vocals move effortlessly from Jazz to Pop, to R&B and Gospel. It’s easy to see why she is one of the most sought after singers around the globe. Windy has been featured extensively on tour with the highest grossing balladeer in the world, Julio Iglesias. She has traveled the world many times over with one of the most imitated, respected and endearing singer/songwriter/musician of the 21st century, Stevie Wonder. She has also performed with  Michael Bolton.  It stands to reason why the unique vocal styling’s of Windy Barnes is recognized all over the world. 

Yayo Morales after spending many years of international acclaim, living and working in Europe, performing with top Jazz, Latin Jazz and Flamenco stars, moved and is now situated in L.A. Drummer, Composer, Producer, Arranger and Educator, Yayo has played with an array of talent, such as:, Jerry González, Chano Domínguez, “Tomatito”, Jorge Pardo, Carles Benavent, and many other artists including Rita Marley, La Barbería del Sur, Henry “The Skipper” Franklin, Azar Lawrence, Bobby Bradford, Steve Cotter, Theo Saunders, Benn Clatworthy and Ron Stout to mention a few.  His own project entitled “Los Andes Jazz Project” parts one and two, based on rhythms and folkloric styles from Bolivia and the Andes fused with jazz was awarded a diploma from the Honorable Alcaldía Municipal de La Paz (Bolivia) and the Oficialía Mayor de Culturas for his work, in recognition for his contribution to the development of Bolivian contemporary music. 

Jinshi Ozaki is a Los Angeles-based guitarist with 25 years of professional experience playing with well-known artists all over the world. His playing has allowed him to tour with Grammy award-winning recording artists Kirk Whalum, and Jody Watley.

He has also toured with Paul Taylor, pianist/composer Keiko Matsui and Kenny Garrett. He has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with the dynamic and original jazz keyboardist Scott Kinsey, percussionist Akira Jimbo, and Sax legend Bill Perkins, as well as many other artists. In addition to his performance career, he also a signed recording artist with Crown Japan and L.A sound records.