NORTH BY NORTHEAST An all-star quintet whose members hardly need any introduction, the members of this unusual band have been major forces in jazz for some forty- five years. What sets them apart from a reunion of older players is this: they all are fully engaged with the music, bringing to it the energy and enthusiasm of much younger musicians. Constantly exploring, composing, playing, participating in new projects, these five friends continue to have something new to say. RANDY BRECKER Born in 1945, jazz trumpeter and composer Randy Brecker has helped shape the sound of jazz, R&B and rock for more than four decades. His trumpet and flugelhorn performances have graced hundreds of albums by James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Parliament/Funkadelic, Frank Sinatra, Steely Dan, Jaco Pastorius and Frank Zappa. Moving to NY in 1966 after studying at Indiana University, he worked with Clark Terry's Big Bad Band, the Duke Pearson Big Band, the Thad Jones Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Horace Silver, and Art Blakey. He then teamed up with brother Michael, Barry Rogers, Billy Cobham, and John Abercrombie to form the seminal fusion group 'Dreams'. Moving into fusion, he worked with Larry Coryell’s Eleventh House, Stevie Wonder, Billy Cobham and Hal Galper. Forming the Brecker Brothers Band with his brother Michael, he recorded six albums on Arista and garnered seven Grammy nominations between 1975 and 1981; they reunited ten years later for a world tour and the triple-Grammy nominated GRP recording, 'The Return of the Brecker Brothers'. The follow-up, 1994’s ‘Out of the Loop,’ was a double-Grammy winner. In 1995 and 1996 he worked and recorded with Marc Copland's quintet (“Stompin with Savoy”), along with Bob Berg, James Genus, and Dennis Chambers. In 1997, ‘Into the Sun’ (Concord), a recording featuring Randy’s impressions of Brazil, garnered Randy his first Grammy as a solo artist. His next CD for ESC Records, '34th n' Lex,’ won him his third Grammy for 'Best Contemporary Jazz Album’ in 2003. Many years and several Grammy awards later, Randy remains a vital force on the jazz scene. As a composer, performer and in-demand Yamaha clinician, he continues to influence and inspire young musicians around the world. DAVID LIEBMAN NEA Jazz Master (2011) David Liebman’s career has spanned nearly five decades, beginning in the early 1970s as the saxophone/flautist in both the Elvin Jones and Miles Davis Groups, and continuing as a bandleader since. He is featured on over five hundred recordings--nearly two hundred under his leadership and co-leadership. Founder and Artistic Director of the International Association of Schools of Jazz (IASJ—1989), Dave is a renowned educator and lecturer, and author of several books, (including Self Portrait Of A Jazz Artist, A Chromatic Approach To Jazz Harmony And Melody, and Developing A Personal Saxophone Sound), published chamber music, teaching DVDs, and magazine articles. Lieb‘s autobiography What It Is-The Life Of A Jazz Artist (Scarecrow Press) is a fascinating look into Lieb’s career. His bands over the years have included noted musicians such as John Scofield, Richie Beirach, Bob Moses, Billy Hart and others. His awards, besides the NEA honor include the Jazz Educators Network (JEN) Legends of Jazz (2013); the Order of Arts and Letters (France 2009); Jazz Journalist’s award for Soprano Saxophone (2007); Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Solo (1998); and Honorary Doctorate from the Sibelius Academy (Finland-1997). He currently teaches at the Manhattan School of Music and is guest lecturer at the Berklee College of Music. Dave has consistently placed in the top positions for Soprano Saxophone in the Downbeat, Jazz Times and JazzEd polls since 1973. MARC COPLAND The most prolific pianist of the millennium, Copland has recorded some 30 CDs as a leader during the last eighteen years. His recordings from 2000 to 2004 had brought him to a wider audience, including the breakout trio disc Haunted Heart (Hatology) and two beautiful solo excursions, Poetic Motion (Sketch) and Time Within Time (Hatology).. From 2005 to 2012, he recorded exclusively with Pirouet records. The beautiful trio CD “Some Love Songs” (Drew Gress and Jochen Rueckert) was followed by the “New York Trio Series,” which solidified his position as an innovator on his instrument. Volume III of the series, “Night Whispers,” was hailed by Down Beat as “the strongest top to bottom and most poetic album I've heard in a while,” and was listed as one of DB's “best CDs of the decade.” Others on Pirouet included Ialone (piano solo), Insight (duo with Gary Peacock), Five on One (the all-star quintet Contact), Crosstalk (quartet with Greg Osby), Speak to Me (duo with longtime partner John Abercrombie, and finally, Some More Love Songs, a return to piano trio (Drew Gress and Jochen Rueckert ). From 2013 to 2017 Copland recorded four times for ECM records as a member of the Abercrombie quartet (39 Steps, Up and Coming), and of Gary Peacock's trio Now This, Tangents). In 2016 he launched his own label, innerVoice Jazz, releasing two acclaimed quartet albums with Ralph Alessi (Zenith and Better by Far), as well as the solo album Nightfall. His most recent CD is Gary (Illusions), a solo piano interpretation of Gary Peacock compositions. DREW GRESS Bassist/composer Drew Gress performs extensively with artists on the cutting edge of contemporary improvised music. He may not be the busiest bassist ever ("I don't think so, man. What about Ron Carter?”, the bassist comments wryly), but he's probably playing somewhere tonight. His project 7 Black Butterflies (Premonition Records), featured 9 of Drew¹s original compositions and was released in MAY 2005. This was the follow up to 2001's Spin and Drift, which received widespread critical acclaim and also featured Drew's pedal-steel guitar playing. He also leads the quartet Jagged Sky; their debut recording, Heyday (Soul Note) was released in 1998 and is now considered somewhat of an underground classic. Previously, he was a founding member of the cooperative quartet Joint Venture, producing three albums in the early 1990s for Enja: Joint Venture, Ways, and Mirrors. Gress has been a member of Marc Copland's trios for over a decade, lending his stunning sense of accompaniment and prodigious soloistic technique to the pianist's recordings and concerts. Drew can be heard on recordings of Ralph Alessi, Tim Berne, Uri Caine, Bill Carrothers, Gerald Cleaver, Ravi Coltrane, Fred Hersch, John Hollenbeck, Tony Malaby, and Mat Maneri. He has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Meet the Composer, and Chamber Music America. JOEY BARON Joey Baron, born in 1955 in Richmond,Virginia, started playing at age 9. Over the years, he has developed a unique approach to making music with the drum set , evident in his extended tenures with jazz icons Jim Hall, Steve Kuhn, John Abercrombie, and Gary Peacock. His long-term collaboration with Bill Frisell was recently documented and released "JUST LISTEN" on relative pitch records in 2013. Presently, Mr. Baron's activities include solo concerts, workshops, master classes, drum music collaborations with percussionist Robyn Schulkowsky (Dinosaur Dances CD), plus ongoing projects with John Zorn, duo concerts with Lee Konitz, Joe Lovano / Dave Douglas-led "Sound Prints" quintet, and the new trio “Now This” with Gary Peacock and Marc Copland (ECM). Joey's also known for his work with Ron Carter, David Bowie, Tony Bennett, Carmen McRae, Laurie Anderson, John Scofield, Al Jarreau, Jim Hall, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Pepper, Tim Berne, Chet Baker, Jay McShann, Big Joe Turner, Philip Glass, Pat Martino, Sweets Edison, David Sanborn, Al Jarreau, Randy Brecker, and Marian McPartland. As a leader, Joey's recording Down Home finds him joined by an all star band of Ron Carter, Arthur Blythe and Bill Frisell. He led the trio "Barondown", with Ellery Eskelin (tenor) and Steve Swell (trombone), recording - Crackshot (Avant), Raised Pleasure Dot (New World) and Tongue in Groove (JMT). He collaborates with percussionist Robyn Schulkowsky (Dinosaur Dances CD).