Hubert Laws with special guest Eloise Laws

Hubert Laws

Hubert Laws

Winner of the 2011 NEA Jazz Masters Award (the nation’s highest honor in this distinctly American music) and one of the few to specialize in the flute, Hubert Laws is the premier musician on the instrument in jazz. In three decades of playing, he has also mastered pop, rhythm-and-blues, and classical genres.

He was selected the No. 1 flutist in Down Beat readers’ polls ten years in a row and was the critic’s choice for seven consecutive years. As a classical performer, he has appeared as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, with the orchestras of Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Cleveland, Amsterdam, Japan, Detroit, and with the Stanford String Quartet. He has given annual performances at Carnegie Hall, and has performed sold out performances in the Hollywood Bowl with fellow flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal.

There are 20 albums in Mr. Laws’ discography for such record companies as: Atlantic, CBS, CTI, including: “My Time Will Come,” and “Storm Then The Calm” for the Music Masters record label. His recordings have won three Grammy nominations.

Session work includes collaborations and recordings with such artists as Quincy Jones, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Freddie Hubbard, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, Lena Horne, Sergio Mendes, Bob James, Carly Simon, Clark Terry,Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.

David Budway

Max Jazz Recording Artist David Budway is one of the most versatile pianists on the New York music scene today. Deeply rooted in many styles, his masterful command for Modern Jazz vocabulary has propelled him into the midst of present day jazz pioneers.

John Leftwich

Composer/Bassist/Singer/Music Director John Leftwich has toured with numerous great musicians including Carmen McRae, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, Sergio Mendez, and Lyle Lovett, and played in the movie “Let’s get Lost” with Chet Baker. He also toured and recorded with Rickie Lee Jones for many years as music director, singer and bassist. He continues to tour and record as well as composing music for TV and film.

Land Richards

Growing up in Muscle Shoals, Alabama during the 1960’s gave drummer Land Richards the opportunity to witness the birth of the soul music movement. He was born into a musical family – his father being co-writer of the famous hit “When A Man Loves A Woman” – and started performing on drums at age seven, moving on to the local club circuit by age twelve.

Over his long career in the music industry, Richards has performed with some of the best-known acts in the world, including George Benson, Michael Bolton, Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks and Earth, Wind and Fire. In his own words, “Everyday I strive to grow more in both music and technology, because they have become one in today’s music industry.”

Rob Mullins

Composer, arranger, producer and session musician Rob Mullins has built his musical reputation with a solid string of releases in the contemporary jazz field over the past fifteen years. Rob has recorded 16 CD’s of his music, three of which went Billboard Top Ten. As a live performer, Rob has performed with Ronnie Laws, Dianne Reeves, Dianne Schuur, Dave Grusin, Kirk Whalum, James Moody and Alphonso Johnson, just to name a few.