BIOS JAZZ

JAZZ/CROSSOVER

UMBRELLAS IN MINT

LISA KIRCHNER, Vocals, Music & Lyrics- Lisa Kirchner is a singer, songwriter and actress who performs an eclectic, multi-lingual repertoire including gems from The Great American Songbook, French and Brazilian music, theater, and contemporary classical art songs, as well as her own music and lyrics. She has appeared at Foxwoods Casino, Ryles Jazz Club, Iridium, Birdland, Maxim’s, and numerous other clubs in and out of New York City. The invited singer to Gracie Mansion, she has performed at the White House, Harvard University, and the Harvard Club. On NBC’s Another World, she was a recurring singer performing her own songs. She has appeared in lead and featured roles on Broadway, off, and off-off Broadway, in regional productions, ad on BRAVO Cable and WNET. Her albums have won industry and critical praise and ranked in the top ten on station playlists while airing on some 100 stations in the US and Canada.

XAVIER DAVIS, Piano-Xavier Davis pianist, composer and arranger was Betty Carter’s pianist and a member of Tom Harrell’s group. He has performed and/or recorded with Regina Carter, Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Fortune, Abbey Lincoln, Joe Lovano, Donald Byrd, Russ Malone, John Faddis, Nat Adderley, Nicholas Payton, Wessell Anderson, Vincent Herring, Antonio Hart, Don Braden, Russell Malone, Billy Hart, and Diahann Carroll, and he has played keyboards for the TV series Cosby. Composer for television commercials and PBS, he was music director for the Boys Choir of Harlem, and has received two Chamber Music American composition grants. Xavier teaches at the Julliard School.

BILL SCHIMMEL, Accordion-Bill Schimmel has performed with virtually every major symphony orchestra in the US, and in most of New York’s chamber groups. He is founder of the Tango Project, has appeared with Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman, True Lies, and Kun Dun among other films, and has performed with Sting and Tom Waits. With commissions from concert music to Broadway, his Portrait No I for orchestra was conducted by the late Leopold Stockowski. Bill Schimmel has received the American Accordionists' Association Distinguished Service Award for Fifty Years of Accordion activity. He heads the Neupauer Conservatory Order of the Shield program.

SHERMAN IRBY, Saxophone, Flute-Sherman Irby, saxophonist and flutist, has appeared live and on recording with James Cleveland, and played in Johnny O'Neal's quintet. Discovered at Smalls, he was recorded by Blue Note Records. Sherman toured the U.S. and the Caribbean with the Boys Choir of Harlem. He participated in Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead Program, and performed regularly with Roy Hargrove. Sherman founded Black Warrior Records, releasing several CDs on the label. He toured with Elvin Jones and was a member of Papo Vázquez's Pirates Troubadours. Sherman Irby also performs with his newly formed group, Organomics, and is a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

RON JACKSON, GuitarRon Jackson, guitarist, composer, and arranger, has played jazz festivals and concerts around the globe as leader and ensemble player. He has made the tour of New York’s most notable clubs and has recorded five CD’s as leader. He has recorded and performed with, among others, Taj Majal, Little Anthony and The Imperials, The TK Blue, Jimmy McGriff, 5 Guitars Play Mingus, Cissy Houston, Russell Malone, Larry Coryell, Jack Wilkins, Benny Golson, Randy Weston, Ron Carter, Jaki Byard, Mulgrew Miller, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jimmy Cobb, Rufus Reid, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Bernard Purdie, and Dr. Lonnie Smith. Ron is active on New York’s Broadway and studio scene.

VICENTE ARCHER, BassVicente Archer made his name as a guitarist, and upon transferring to Boston's Northeastern University from New England Conservatory, he switched from guitar to acoustic bass. A member of Donald Harrison’s group, Vicente has performed with the Eric Reed Trio, and has performed and toured internationally with among others, Kenny Garrett, Terence Blanchard, Tom Harrell, Freddie Hubbard, Louis Hayes, Curtis Fuller, Roy Haynes, Stanley Jordan, Karrin Allyson, Wycliffe Gordon, Stefon Harris, Lewis Nash, Carl Allen, and The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. Vicente Archer presently appears regularly with Robert Glasper and Nicholas Payton.

WILLIE JONES III, DrumsWillie Jones III co-founded the jazz band Black Note, toured the US and Europe, and was the opening act for Wynton Marsalis. He recorded with, and was a member of, Arturo Sandoval’s band and Roy Hargrove’s Quintet. He has recorded with Horace Silver, Kurt Elling, Eric Reed, Sonny Rollins, Ernestine Anderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Wynton Marsalis, Cedar Walton, Billy Childs, Eric Reed, Eric Alexander, Bill Charlap, Michael Brecker, Herbie Hancock and Hank Jones. Willie Jones III appears in festivals and clubs the world over and continues to release albums on his own label WJ3 Records, among them a recording with Wycliffe Gordon and Eric Reed.