Manav Budhrani (Budhrani Brothers)

San Jose

Siblings Manav (guitar) and Pritish (clarinet) comprise The Budhrani Brothers, a Bay Area duo specializing in swing and hot jazz. Drawing inspiration from Django Reinhardt and Benny Goodman while incorporating modern sensibilities, they blend rhythmic swing drive with acoustic hot jazz expressiveness. Their performances feature tight guitar lines, soulful clarinet melodies, and clean improvisation across classic standards. The brothers have performed at Woodchopper's Ball, Old Skool Café, The Tasting House, Jupiter Beer, and numerous Bay Area jazz venues. Their accessible yet sophisticated approach balances technical precision with melodic warmth, creating energetic performances that honor traditional swing and hot jazz while developing a contemporary, clean, and energetic sound.

pritish-music.com
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Marina Crouse

El Cerrito

Bay Area singer and Little Village Recording artist Marina Crouse possesses a voice that pulls listeners in from the very first note—rich, powerful and deeply expressive. Her performances explore her love of jazz, blues and classic boleros, creating intimate, emotionally resonant experiences that showcase her gift for storytelling through song. Performing with many of the Bay Area's most renowned musicians, Marina has lit up stages at SFJAZZ, the Fillmore Jazz Festival, Portland's Waterfront Blues Festival, San Jose Jazz's Break Room, San Jose Jazz Summer Fest and several other venues across the Bay Area and beyond.

marinacrouse.com
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Charles Chen

Fremont

San Francisco Bay Area pianist Charles Chen has performed and recorded with Randy Brecker, Billy Drummond, Bob Sheppard, Roy McCurdy and Peter Washington, appearing at Yoshi's, San Jose Jazz Summer Fest and Freight & Salvage. His first-place victory in the 2019 Jazz Search West preceded international performances across Taiwan, Singapore and Japan. Chen's debut album, Charles, Play!, earned recognition as one of DownBeat Magazine's Best Albums of 2024. As an educator, his students have earned full scholarships to Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, Berklee, and New England Conservatory while securing YoungArts distinctions and first place in the Charles Mingus competition. Chen serves as historian for the South Bay Traditional Jazz Society and administers Jazzcord, a 7,000-member Discord community where he regularly contributes historical essays.

charlesperforms.com
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Trevor Strohl

Benicia

Trevor Strohl brings two decades of saxophone experience and a Jazz Studies degree from SJSU to his performances throughout the Bay Area. His innovative incorporation of EWI and vocoder creates a distinctive sound across diverse ensembles including Frunkyman, 7th Street Big Band, Take 2 Dance Band, and Sonora San Jose. As bandleader of Character Select, Strohl merges jazz, funk, and rock in original arrangements of video game music from retro classics to contemporary titles. His high-energy performances and unconventional approach to electronic wind instruments set him apart in the region's competitive jazz scene. Strohl's technical versatility allows him to navigate seamlessly between traditional big band settings and cutting-edge fusion projects, showcasing his evolving artistic vision.

characterselectband.com
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Ashley Jemison

Oakland

Saxophonist and composer Ashley Jemison is developing her approach to contemporary smooth jazz by blending R&B, soul, and modern pop into deeply personal, universally resonant work. Holding a B.A. in Music from California State University, Los Angeles, she developed technical mastery and a passion for musical storytelling under musician parents' guidance. Her breast cancer battle profoundly shaped her artistic mission toward emotional connection, healing and empowerment through sound. Jemison's improvisational voice explores themes of resilience, transformation and joy, using her saxophone as a vessel for hope and human connection. Performing and composing across California and beyond, she creates music that uplifts and inspires audiences. Her smooth yet powerful sound centers on music's transformative capacity to heal and unite.

ashleyjemison.com
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Jason Lewis

San Jose

Jason Lewis earned his B.A. in classical percussion at San Jose State University under San Francisco Symphony's Tony Cirone. A lecturer in SJSU's Jazz Studies Department, he has toured and recorded with Boz Scaggs, Michael Brook and Taylor Eigsti while performing throughout the Bay Area. Lewis has shared stages with jazz luminaries including Gary Burton, James Moody, Larry Coryell and Kurt Elling. His recording credits span PBS television (Spark), film soundtracks (Ratatouille's "Our Friend the Rat," Affliction, Albino Alligator), and video games (Godfather 2). He has performed with the San Jose Symphony and Civic Light Opera, appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and maintains an active teaching practice coaching at Stanford Jazz Workshop while presenting clinics throughout San Jose schools.

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Armen Krakirian

Palo Alto

Trumpeter Armen Krakirian holds a Jazz Trumpet Performance degree from Oberlin Conservatory (2023), studying under jazz virtuoso Dr. Eddie Henderson. Based in the Bay Area, he has performed with Gerald Cannon, Gary Bartz, Billy Hart, Jay Ashby and Jake Silverman. Krakirian draws inspiration from hard bop legends Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan and Woody Shaw while incorporating influences from electronic music, rap/hip-hop, pop and classical traditions. His versatile approach transcends conventional jazz boundaries, creating performances that resonate across diverse musical contexts. As both performer and private teacher, Krakirian balances an active performing schedule with his teaching. His kaleidoscopic musical palette and technical command continue developing as he pursues his artistic vision among Bay Area trumpeters, combining traditional jazz vocabulary with contemporary sensibilities.

armenkmusic.com
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Dave Dolengewicz

San Jose

Central California native Dave Dolengewicz earned his jazz composition degree from University of North Texas studying under Paris Rutherford and Steve Wiest, with a mathematics minor. After twelve years performing in Seattle with various groups including The Jazz Police Big Band and The Speakeasy Jazz Cats, he earned an Electrical Engineering degree in Digital Signal Processing from University of Washington. Now based in San Jose as an audio QA engineer, Dolengewicz founded B.A.J.I.C. (Bay Area Jazz Inventors Collective) and performs with Ultra Combo, a video game music jazz fusion band. His tenor saxophone work combines extensive jazz training with technical engineering expertise, creating experimental compositions that bridge traditional jazz vocabulary with contemporary electronic processing and unconventional instrumentation, exploring new sonic territories.

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Ouida

El Cerrito

Filipino-Irish singer-songwriter Ouida earned her sociology degree from UC Berkeley following studies at NYU's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. Since her 2020 debut, she has shared stages with Rufus Wainwright, Esperanza Spalding, Madison McFerrin and Raveena, at venues including Chase Center, Spotify LA and Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. She was featured on Ruby Ibarra's "Bakunawa," which won NPR's 2025 Tiny Desk Contest, leading to a sold-out ten-city tour. Blending old-school soul, alternative R&B, and jazz-inflected instrumentation, her San Francisco-rooted sound has received international airplay across Ireland's RTÉ, SPIN and Today FM, with sync placements on MTV and VH1. Her latest EP So Bitter, So Sweet is out now on all major streaming platforms!

ouidamusic.com
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Oscar Pangilinan

San Jose

Born and raised in San Jose's Alum Rock neighborhood, saxophonist Oscar Pangilinan began playing in jazz ensembles in middle school and pursued a degree in jazz studies at San Jose State University. He has led or co-led numerous groups including the jazz, funk and R&B outfit The Bad Ones, with which he recorded an eponymous album in 2016. In 2018–19, he toured Asia with the SJZ Collective, performing at the Hong Kong International Jazz Festival and the Blue Note in Taipei. He currently serves as director of San Jose Jazz's Summer Jazz Camp and SJZ's audition-based High-School All Stars.

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Basma Edrees

Santa Clara

Egyptian-American violinist Basma Edrees holds degrees from Juilliard (M.M.) and Mannes School of Music (B.M.), studying under Joseph Lin, Laurie Smukler and Catherine Van Hoesen. She served as Associate Concertmaster of the Oakland Symphony and has performed under conductors Alan Gilbert and Daniel Barenboim. Founder of Music in-Takht, an ensemble preserving Egyptian musical heritage, Edrees has taught Arabic music at San Francisco Conservatory and UC Berkeley while contributing to Assassin's Creed Mirage's soundtrack. Trained in Tango violin with Guillermo Rubino, she performs with the Sumi Lee Collective and Scott O'Day Tango Sextet. A certified Suzuki instructor who has taught counterpoint at San Francisco Conservatory, she currently serves on Santa Clara University's violin faculty.

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Mara Hruby

Oakland

Oakland native Mara Hruby launched her career with the 2010 EP From Her Eyes, reinterpreting classics by Jamiroquai, Bob Marley and D'Angelo from a feminine perspective, generating over 80,000 downloads. Her 2014 sophomore EP Archaic Rapture reached number one on iTunes Jazz charts and earned recognition from Billboard for its emotionally honest exploration of heartbreak and resilience. Hruby has sold out venues like Yoshi's Oakland and Blue Note Jazz Club, and has performed at the 75th Annual Stern Grove Festival, 28th Annual Long Beach Jazz Festival and Grammy Weekend events. She serves as resident performer for Ferrari, recently appearing at Utah's Amangiri Resort. Her velvet-toned vocals and organic compositions draw from personal experiences, creating rich, soulful work that is turning heads and making headlines.

marahruby.com
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joy

San Jose

From Santa Clara, California, Joy blends jazz piano and pop music influences into a refreshing take on modern music, pushing genre boundaries with her eclectic collecting. Her soft harmonies complement her honey-like melodies, warm and smooth yet sticky enough to linger. Blending influences from Hiatus Kaiyote and Esperanza Spalding to SZA and Anderson Paak, her sound is an eclectic collection of deep rooted references from music and film. Through her music, she wrestles with balancing awareness of internal and American issues and keeping inner peace. Her music serves as peace for those who face these challenges and prose for those who may not yet understand them, all while retaining intentionality through production and harmony.

joydawnhackett.com
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Jackson Takizawa

Cupertino

At seventeen, Jackson Takizawa is rapidly developing his voice as a Bay Area bassist. His versatility spans jazz, funk, fusion, gospel, and Latin styles, delivering tight grooves and creative improvisations across genres. Takizawa brings remarkable energy and musical maturity to every performance, demonstrating sophisticated understanding of rhythm and harmony that shows exceptional promise for his age. His dynamic approach and command of diverse musical traditions have begun earning him recognition in the competitive Bay Area scene. Whether anchoring traditional jazz combos or exploring contemporary fusion, he continues expanding his musical vocabulary while establishing his distinctive voice on the instrument, positioning himself for continued growth in the regional jazz community.

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Daniel Casares (Atta Kid)

Hayward

Since 2007, saxophonist Daniel Casares has been a dynamic voice in the Bay Area music scene. An East Bay native and San Francisco State University graduate, he studied under Andrew Speight and established himself as both a sought-after sideman and compelling bandleader, performing with artists including Ms. Lauryn Hill, John Patitucci, Bernard Purdie and Robben Ford. In 2012, driven by his passion for jazz, boogaloo, soul and funk, he teamed up with keyboardist Max Cowan to form Atta Kid. This all-star crew—featuring Otis McDonald, Mike Olmos, Jackson Allen and Jason Muscat—reaches into the swampy lilt of New Orleans with razor-sharp precision, delivering reimagined classics and original compositions that showcase their unique sound.

attakidmusic.com
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Luqman Frank

Richmond

Luqman Frank is a Bay Area vocalist and songwriter recognized for his soulful, smoke-filled tone and narrative-driven writing. A third-generation Berkeley native, he blends social consciousness with classic soul influences, earning comparisons to legacy rhythm and blues storytellers. His debut album, The Light of the Sun, has surpassed 1.1M streams and received strong critical response, featuring collaborations with top Bay Area musicians. Known for dynamic, high-engagement live performances, Luqman has built a growing audience while performing across major Bay Area venues and festivals. His work centers joy, community and emotional authenticity, positioning him as an emerging voice in contemporary soul.

luqmanfrank.com
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Sylvia Cuenca

San Jose

Drummer Sylvia Cuenca spent four years touring internationally with saxophone legend Joe Henderson and seventeen years with trumpet icon Clark Terry's quintets and big band. A semifinalist at the Thelonious Monk International Drum Competition and two-time NEA Grant recipient, she has performed with Billy Taylor, Gary Bartz, Kenny Barron, Michael Brecker, Dianne Reeves, and Gregory Porter. Cuenca's international performances span India, Ukraine, Poland, Chile, China, Japan, and South Africa's Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Faculty positions include Stanford Jazz Workshop, Jazz Camp West, and guest clinician at universities throughout the United States, Europe, and China's Guangzhou Conservatory. She received the San Jose Jazz New Works Grant in 2022 and endorses Canopus drums, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, and Remo drumheads.

sylviacuenca.com
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Phil Hawkins

Santa Clara

Percussionist and drummer Phil Hawkins has built expertise in steelpan innovation, performing and teaching across the United States, Caribbean, and South America. Earning Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Wichita State University, he directed the institution's Steelband and Latin Jazz Ensembles as adjunct faculty before relocating to the Bay Area in 1998. Hawkins has performed with Pete Escovedo, Ray Obiedo, and numerous regional artists while composing over forty steelpan works. He authored World Rhythms for Kids: Caribbean Carnival, Caribbean Jazz Ensemble, and Pan Rhythm, and released two leader recordings: H2O and Sugarcane Suite. His Kansas origins and extensive percussion tradition studies inform his versatile drumming approach. Hawkins operates a home studio media production business specializing in audio recording, mixing, mastering, and video production focused on musical content.

pnotemedia.com
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Ariel B

San Francisco

Vocalist and songwriter Ariel B. specializes in classical, R&B/soul and pop vocals, and has collaborated with Narada Michael Walden and Jeff Weber. Her holiday EP Unwrapped debuted at number one on smoothjazz.com, while her video covers have earned reposts from Sheila E., Jimmy Jam, Janet Jackson, and Mark Ronson. Ariel's classically trained foundation supports her versatility across contemporary genres, demonstrating technical precision and emotional depth in diverse musical contexts. Her vocal approach balances classical technique with contemporary sensibilities, creating performances that resonate across multiple audiences. Through strategic collaborations and consistent social media presence, she has built growing recognition among industry professionals while maintaining an active recording and performance schedule throughout the Bay Area and beyond.

arielbofficial.com
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Howard "Howi" Dietz

Gilroy

Saxophonist Howi Dietz graduated from University of North Texas, studying under Brad Leali and performing with the Grammy-nominated One O'Clock Lab Band. As a high school student, he played alto saxophone with SFJAZZ All-Stars, California All-State Jazz Band, and Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, earning multiple DownBeat Student Awards. Dietz has performed at SFJAZZ Center, Montreal and Monterey Jazz Festivals, and Davies Symphony Hall alongside Ron Carter, Christian McBride, and Stefon Harris. His achievements include winning the 2016 Saxophone Idol competition, 2017 DownBeat "Outstanding Soloist" recognition, and Yamaha Young Performing Artist selection. Most recently, his first-place finish at the Carinthian International Jazz Award led to performances throughout Austria, demonstrating his continued artistic growth and international artistry.

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Angel Adedokun

Alameda

Angel Adedokun is a powerhouse performer, bilingual vocalist, songwriter, dancer, choreographer, student and educator. Singing in English and Spanish, her musical offerings span many ranges including rock, R&B, salsa, cumbia, bachata and jazz. Her stage credits include Hairspray, Jesus Christ Superstar, Natasha, Pierre, The Great Comet of 1812, and most recently, Nollywood Dreams. Angel’s debut EP, Love Always, Angel was released in 2020. Her next album is soon to be released. Through her eclectic music she aspires to tell the truth, bring people together, and allow the music to speak for itself.

hellosoulangel.com
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Adam Astrup

Monterey

Adam Astrup is a guitarist, composer and educator. Originally from Minnesota, he has worked with artists such as Bruce Forman, Greg Gisbert, Matteo Sabattini, Gary Meek and many others. Adam graduated from the University of Northern Colorado's jazz program in 2020. After graduating, Adam moved to Monterey, California. Adam has performed with The Gary Meek Band and others at venues such as The Monterey Jazz Festival, Vibrato Jazz Club, Dakota Jazz Club, The Royal Room, and the Iowa City and Twin Cities Jazz Festivals. Adam is a versatile guitarist who is comfortable in jazz, blues, funk and pop styles. Adam's first album Songs from Before was released in 2024.

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Kyle Athayde

Orinda

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Chloé Jean

Mill Valley

Chloé Jean is a Mill Valley-based, award-winning singer, songwriter and recording artist. She has shared the stage with Pete Escovedo, The Ray Obiedo Group, Karl Perazzo, Kim Nalley, Robert Cray, Jose Luis Rodriguez (aka. El Puma), Nelly McKay and Santana members Tony Lindsay and David K. Mathews. Produced by Ray Obiedo, her debut jazz album, 2023's Fairy Tale Fail, reached #11 on the Jazz Week Chart and #1 on the Play MPE chart. It's a colorful collection of self-penned originals and covers rendered by Chloé with a voice that deftly crosses soulful musical genres. Chloé has worked as a session vocalist and songwriter for Ken Caillat’s Sleeping Giant Records since 2016 and has been a songwriting mentor for artist development agency, Artist Max. When she's not performing in clubs around the Bay Area, Chloe can also be found singing at Sofar Sounds events.

chloejean.net
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John Calloway

San Francisco

Dr. John Calloway is a nationally recognized musician/composer/educator and 2019 Emmy Award Winner with over 40 years of experience. He has performed internationally alongside Max Roach, and all over the Bay Area with John Santos and Marcus Shelby. As a director, John led the Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of SF from 2001-2024 and the Afro-Cuban Ensemble of SFSU from 1999-2024. Dr. Calloway holds a Doctorate in multicultural education from the University of San Francisco, taught in public schools for over 30 years and has taught at San Francisco State University since 1999.

johncalloway.com
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Jon Dryden

Santa Cruz

Jon Dryden is a pianist/keyboardist/composer and lecturer in Jazz Studies at SJSU, where he earned his Master’s in Jazz Studies in 2016. After moving to New York City in 1991, Dryden began collaborating with Michal Urbaniak, Lenny White, Kanny Garrett, the Brecker Brothers, Patrice Rushen and more. He has recorded and appeared with superstars like Norah Jones, David Byrne, Dave Chappelle, John Mayer and Questlove, and has notably composed and performed music for Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story and David Byrne’s Finite=Alright. He has composed and orchestrated hundreds of pieces, and is active as a performer throughout Northern California, New York and Europe.

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Kai Eckhardt

Berkeley

German-born bassist/composer Kai Eckhardt moved to the United States to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied under Gary Burton and was introduced to John McLaughlin. In 1988, he joined McLaughlin’s Trio, and is credited with making history by pushing the envelope of fusing modern jazz with South Indian classical music. After touring extensively from 1988-1990, Eckhardt returned to the US in 1996 to join Billy Cobham’s international quartet, and made a name for himself as a first call musician and recording artist. He has performed and recorded with Stanley Clarke, Wayne Shorter, Patrice Rushen, Donald Byrd, Larry Coryell, Al Di Meola, Ronnie Laws, and more. He leads the UC Berkeley World Music Ensemble, works in the recording studio and tours with Garaj Mahal in the United States.

kaieckhardt.com
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Raffi Garabedian

Oakland

Raffi Garabedian is a tenor saxophonist and composer living in Oakland. A dedicated improvisor, Garabedian utilizes spontaneous composition to create sonic atmospheres. His compositional work is strongly informed by his relationship with improvisation. A record in part of grief and loneliness, Raffi's second outing, Melodies in Silence, was marked in part by the remote nature of its recording which allowed Garabedian to deepen and broaden the possibilities for composition and playing communal music when alone. On 2024’s The Crazy Dog, Garabedian began writing for voice--which he treated as a part of the horn section--in a cross-generational effort to bring his own, his father’s and his grandmother’s voices into one piece of art. The result is what DownBeat calls a “deeply personal and musically inventive” work, full of “complex, contrapuntal ambitions.”

raffigarabedianmusic.com
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Ben Henderson

San Jose

Ben Henderson is a renown graphic artist and singer-songwriter who has charmed and enthralled San José audiences for the last 25 years with his public art, soulful performances and irresistible stage presence. His unparalleled vocals and unforgettable songwriting blend raw emotion with lyrical depth, creating performances that feel like home.

Known for his passionate delivery, Henderson’s songs resonate deeply with listeners through heartfelt storytelling and energetic live shows. With every performance, Ben continues to be a beloved figure in the San José art and music scene, inspiring new and longtime fans—along with the next generation of creators.

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Brian Ho

San Jose

By the age of sixteen, Brian Ho had begun to play piano in bands professionally. After his college years spent studying music at UC Davis, he decided to pursue his love of music as a leader, composer and arranger. Brian now leads his own group on the Hammond B-3 Organ and is an in-demand sideman. While Brian still stays rooted in the tradition of classic Hammond organists such as Jimmy Smith, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Joey DeFrancesco, his vast knowledge of styles and influences has taken him on a unique and modern path in organ jazz. “Brian has a strong sense of the lineage and has his own voice on the Hammond B3 that will attract the ears of all” – Pat Bianchi

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Erik Jekabson

San Francisco

Erik Jekabson is a freelance composer, arranger, trumpet player and educator who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is equally busy composing, arranging and playing for different bands, leading his own groups, teaching a wide variety of students and running the Young Musicians Program at the Jazzschool in Berkeley. He’s arranged for symphony orchestras, famous vocalists and jazz ensembles. He’s spent time on the road with John Mayer, Galactic and Illinois Jacquet, and has performed and recorded with other notable musicians. He has released eight albums under his own name and produced three records with his big band the Electric Squeezebox Orchestra. 

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Camille Kerani

Oakland

21-year-old Camille Kerani is a contemporary saxophonist, composer and songwriter living in Oakland. A versatile musician, she has performed with artists ranging from rapper Larry June to South African pianist Nduduzo Makhathini, and is currently on tour with Thee Sacred Souls as a part of their horn section. Inspired by her multicultural background and the internet-driven syncretism of her generation, her music fuses Black American music (jazz) with other genres where her instrument isn’t historically at the forefront of the music. in doing so, she hopes to create “a sonic conversation between the elders and the youth, all connected by the same musical thread.” Camille is currently a senior at UCLA and is working on a full-length album.

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Leela Paymai

San Francisco

Iranian-American, San Francisco based Leela Paymai is a bassist, trombonist, songwriter and arranger. Originally a classical trombonist, she expanded her horizons when she moved to San Jose in 2018. Since then, she has shifted her focus to bass and has performed with multiple jazz, salsa, classical, rock and R&B groups. Her own band, Miss Hits, has played throughout the Bay Area and is in the process of recording their debut album. In her solo work “Zheniia”, she blends her jazz training with the Persian classical music she heard growing up. Her new work will be a debut of this fusion sound.

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Erick Peralta

San Francisco

Playing professionally since the age of fifteen and a graduate of Berklee College of Music, Erick Peralta is a San Francisco Bay Area native who has worked with Grammy Award winners Alejandro Sanz, Luis Enrique and Pedrito Martinez, and has played festivals and venues like Fillmore Jazz Festival, the Blue Note Napa, the Independent, the Fillmore, SF JAZZ, and more. The young pianist leads his own jazz project, performing a fusion of American jazz music with Afro-Latin rhythms.

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Dana Salzman

Oakland

Multi-hyphenate Dana Salzman creates funky, flavorful tunes that explore the dimensions of human emotion and re-imagine jazz, funk, hip-hop, soul, Latin and R&B. A graduate of the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City, Salzman has performed with many celebrated musicians at notable venues like S.O.B.s and Joe’s Pub in New York City, Yoshi’s Oakland, Slim’s SF, and overseas at Duc De Lombard in Paris, the Reduta in Prague, and L’Archduc in Brussels. Now based in Oakland, Salzman has released four solo albums available on all platforms and is working on her fifth to be released in 2025.

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Gaea Schell

San Francisco

Gaea Schell (piano, flute, voice) is a graduate of McGill University and the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She has spent time in New York as a recipient of a Canada Council for the Arts grant, studying with pianist/composer Richie Beirach. Accomplished and versatile, she has three acclaimed CDs out, plays on multiple recordings, and has played with many notable names in addition to often leading her own trio or quartet at venues regionally and internationally. She is the winner of grants through Chamber Music America, Intermusic SF and Giacomo Puccini Opera scholarship from Accademia Europea di Firenze.

gaeachell.com
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Mamadou Sidibe

Berkeley

Hailing from the Wassoulou region of Mali, West Africa, multi award winning composer, songwriter, teacher and musician Mamadou Sidibe plays a unique, 14-string version of the six-string West African hunter’s harp (kamale ngoni) traditionally used for hunter rituals and ceremonies in the Wassoulou region where Mali, Ivory Coast and Guinea converge. Since moving to Berkeley in 2004 and creating the instrument, Mamadou has worked with many musicians including Eliyahu Sills, Brian Rice and Walter Strauss, with whom he has a West Africa-meets-Americana project.

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James Small

Oakland

James “StickNasty” Small grew up playing gospel in the Oakland church where his mother directed the choir and his father played piano and directed the band. After expanding his musical repertoire at Berkeley High School’s jazz program, Small attended Berklee College of Music briefly before dropping out to tour with Bedroc, Fantastic Negrito, Train, Lyrics Born, Taj Mahal, Rexx Life Raj, Ariana Afsar and others. Small has played on some of the biggest stages in the world and notable jazz festivals such as North Sea Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival and Hollywood Bowl Jazz Fest.

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Nathan Tokunaga

Cupertino

17-year-old Nathan Tokunaga has been performing professionally since age 14 and is a sought-after clarinetist and saxophonist from Cupertino specializing in music from the Jazz Age. He has showcased his talents as both a sideman and bandleader at venues ranging from the intimate Mr. Tipple's Jazz Club in San Francisco to the iconic Birdland Theatre in New York City and at various jazz festivals. Nathan has appeared on multiple albums, including Jazz Is My Lifestyle, Gunhild Carling’s 2024 album of original music. 

nathantokunagajazz.com
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Ryan Trujillo

San Jose

Bassist Ryan Trujillo is one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most prominent working musicians and jazz educators. Holding a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Jazz Studies from San Jose State University, where he studied under John Shiflett and Dan Robbins, Trujillo boasts over a decade of professional experience as both a bandleader and sideman. He has performed alongside artists like Dee Dee Bridgewater, Urban Symphony, and Pasquale Esposito, and leads his own Latin dance band Conjunto Trujillo. In performance, Trujillo combines his rich musical knowledge and virtuosic musicianship with an uncompromising passion for groove, expression and improvisation.

ryantrujillomusic.com
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