Mike Michael Brown Carty, drums. Originally from a musical family in Wilmington, Michael Carty began studying drums as a teenager with Billy Davis and Herbie Griffin and took part in the jazz programs at the Wilmington Music School. Michael attended the Berklee College of Music where he studied with Joe Hunt and Alan Dawson. While in Boston, he began playing on the local jazz scene, steadily building a reputation for himself. He currently lives and works in New York City where he has worked with numerous jazz ensembles including the Foreign Legion, The MLK players, The William Parker Band, the Charles Eubanks Trio, and the Nightbridge Quartet. He continues to participate in the weekly workshops at The University of the Streets, started by the late Jimmy Vass.

Keith McCarther, bass.

Dixon

James Dixon, trumpet. James Dixon began his study of the trumpet at an early age, participating in the All State Band and All City Orchestra. As a political science major with minors in economics and sociology, Mr. Dixon graduate Cum Laude from Lincoln University in 1974 and received a Ford Foundation Scholarship to study in West Africa. He has performed with such noted musicians as Hugh Masekela, Fela, Big John Patton, Philly Joe Jones, Archie Shepp, Pepper Adams and other legends of jazz. His teaching experience includes The Tullman House, Christina Cultural Arts Center, The Lee Cultural Center, and The Model City Arts Program in Philadelphia. He also serves as one of the directors for the Wilmington Youth Jazz Band.

Vernon

Vernon James, saxophones. Vernon James holds a Bachelor's degree from Berklee College of Music and studied with Robert "Boysie" Lowery. Mr. James has a been a mainstay in the local jazz and Latin music community for many years. He has performed with the likes of Charles Sullivan Big Band, Frank Foster Big Band, Jazz Mobile Big Band, Unit Circle, Pastiche, and the University of Delaware Faculty Jazz Ensemble. He currently teaches a jazz ensemble at the University of Delaware where he also works as the electronic technician for educational services in the music department. Mr. James has also appeared on PBS and BBC film and television documentaries with Gill Scott-Heron, Ossie Davis, and Ruby Dee.

Kamau

Kamau Ngom (formerly Albert Parks), percussion. African drummer, Kamau Ngom, has studied with a variety of master musicians including John Hines, Arthur Hall, Robert "Boysie" Lowery, and Kulu Mele. Mr. Ngom has been affiliated with the Christina Cultural Arts Center, the Ile-Ife African Arts Center, and the Lea Cultural Center. He has performed with the Boysie Lowery Big Band, the Arthur Hall African-American Drum & Dance Ensemble, Arnold Hurtt's 4 Souls +1, and City Sights and Sounds. Kamau is the founder and director of the Griots Wa Umoja, and is in constant demand for masterclasses and workshops.

Karen

Karen Rege, piano. Dr. Karen Rege earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford, a Master of Arts degree from the University of Michigan, and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Delaware. Her teachers include Jackie McLean, Jaki Byard, Elio Villafranca and Edsel Gomez. In 2002, Ms. Rege spent several weeks in Cuba studying both traditional and popular Cuban musics. Local performances include appearances with Insaciable, Nueva Dirección, Orquesta Romance, and the Christina Cultural Arts Center Faculty Jazz Ensemble. She currently produces her own Latin jazz ensemble, Pastiche.

Carl

Carl Ross, tenor saxophone. Carl Ross, a native of Wilmington, has studied saxophone with Dave Schiff and master Robert "Boysie" Lowery. He studied oboe and music theory at the Wilmington Music School. He has performed locally with the Boysie Lowery Big Band and with the blues band the Night Crawlers.

Harry

Harry Spencer, saxophone. Having the good fortune to have grown up in Harlem, Harry Spencer spent his formative years in jam sessions with Al Foster, Eddie Gomez, Billy Gardinier, René McLean, and Charles Tolliver. His earliest formal lessons were at age 8 when he began studying the clarinet. Later, he switched to alto saxophone before attending theory and ear training classes at the Manhattan School of Music with legendary jazz pianist, Lenny Tristano. During the 1970s, Mr. Spencer performed with the Sun Ra Arkestra for two years, recording the Magic City album with the ensemble. Since his move to Wilmington in the 1980s, Mr. Spencer has worked extensively throughout the Mid-Atlantic region both as a sideman and bandleader. Performances include appearances at Caesar's Palace in Atlantic City and with Dizzy Gillespie at the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival. Mr. Spencer's ability to perform multiple styles has allowed him to work not only in jazz but with Latin music, calypso, and heavy metal rock bands. He has recorded music for commercials in addition to his own albums.