When the anesthesia wore off, Pat Martino looked up hazily at his parents and his doctors. and tried to piece together any memory of his life. One of the greatest guitarists in jazz, Martino had suffered a severe brain aneurysm and underwent surgery after being told that his condition could be terminal. After his operations he could remember almost nothing. He barely recognized his parents. and had no memory of his guitar or his career. In the following months. Martino made a remarkable recovery. Through intensive study of his own historic recordings, and with the help of computer technology, Pat managed to reverse his memory loss and return to form on his instrument. His past recordings eventually became "an old friend, a spiritual experience which remained beautiful and honest." This recovery fits in perfectly with Pat's illustrious personal history. Since playing his first notes while still in his pre-teenage years, Martino has been recognized as one of the most exciting and virtuosic guitarists in jazz. With a distinctive, fat sound and gut-wrenching performances, he represents the best not just in jazz, but in music. He embodies thoughtful energy and soul. He has performed with a wide variety of artists including Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, Richard Groove Holmes, John Handy, Bobby Hutcherson, Eric Kloss, Trudy Pitts, Barry Miles and Joe Pesci. Since 1967, Pat has been touring as a leader. He has been a Recording Artist for Vanguard, Prestige, Warner Brothers, Muse, Columbia, King, Paddlewheel, Evidence, Sony, 32 Jazz, High Note, Milestone, Polydor, Concord, Fantasy, House of Blues, Mythos, Mainstream, Cobblestone, Atlantic and, most currently, Blue Note Records.

Born in Buffalo, NY, Carmen developed an early interest in music and began playing drums at age five. A graduate of the Institute for Jazz Studies at the Juilliard School, he has performed and recorded with numerous musicians such as George Benson, Larry Coryell, Wynton Marsalis, Joey DeFrancesco, Monty Alexander, George Coleman, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Eric Alexander, George Cables, Benny Golson, Richie Cole, Joe Locke, Lew Tabackin, Bobby Watson, Ira Sullivan, Hilary Kole and many others. Currently, Carmen performs with jazz guitarist Pat Martino. A 2011 Grammy nominee for his performance on the critically acclaimed cd by Joey DeFrancesco entitled Never Can say Goodbye: The music of Michael Jackson. On May 22, 2012 Carmen's debut cd titled For The Soul will be released on the Randon Act Records label. The cd features performances by Joey DeFrancesco, John Hart, Pat Bianchi, Jon Irabagon, and Bob Belden. Carmen also had the pleasure of performing alongside Joey DeFrancesco and Dr. Lonnie Smith on the PBS show titled Legends of Jazz, hosted by Ramsey Lewis. Carmen has traveled throughout the world and has played many notable venues and festivals such as the Blue Note (New York), Blue Note (Milano), Birdland, Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, Blues Alley, Yoshi's, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Montreal Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival just to name a few. Always eager to uncover the latest information about music and drumming and share that information with others, Carmen has begun to conduct master classes and clinics for students at various levels of their music education. Each clinic is designed for the specific needs of the student(s). He has had the opportunity to conduct clinics throughout the United States, Italy, Japan, Thailand, and Colombia.

Bob is a trumpet and flugelhorn player whose performances are especially notable for his lyrical style and warm tone. His harmonically oriented improvisations shift between aggressive and cool playing. In speaking of Lark, jazz icon Clark Terry says, "He's a very good trumpet player, a very good musician. He's paid his dues." Recently released on the Jazzed Media label is the critically acclaimed CD recording Reunion (2012), by Bob Lark and his Alumni Big Band. This recording follows the success of the Jazzed Media CD recordings Cathy's Song, by Bob Lark and Friends; Live At The Jazz Showcase (2009) and In Her Eyes (2006), by the Bob Lark/Phil Woods Quintet, a group which includes prominent jazz artists Jim McNeely, Steve Gilmore and Bill Goodwin. Bob's playing and writing are also featured on the compact disc recordings Suggestions (Jazzed Media, 2007), Until You (Hallway, 2003) and First Steps (Hallway, 1997). He is an exclusive Yamaha Performing Artist. Bob Lark serves as the Director of Jazz Studies at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, where he directs the university Jazz Ensemble and The Phil Woods Ensemble, teaches jazz trumpet and courses in jazz pedagogy and jazz style. Under his direction the DePaul University Jazz Ensemble has produced several Outstanding Performance Awards from the Jazz Educators Journal, Down Beat and Jazz Times magazines, and has recorded albums with legendary jazz artists Phil Woods, Clark Terry, Louie Bellson, Bob Brookmeyer, Jeff Hamilton, Tom Harrell, Jim McNeely, Slide Hampton, Ira Sullivan, Bobby Shew, Frank Wess, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra members Charles Vernon and John Bruce Yeh.

During a prolific career that spans more than four decades, tenor saxophone master Michael Pedicin has toured with such jazz greats as Maynard Ferguson, Dave Brubeck, Stanley Clarke, and Pat Martino, as well as R & B, rock, and pop icons Stevie Wonder, the O'Jays, David Bowie, and Lou Rawls. And he even played behind Frank Sinatra a few times. He's recorded 10 albums under his own name since 1980 and considers the tenth one, Ballads…searching for peace, just released on the Jazz Hut label, to be his crowning achievement. Originally from Philadelphia, Valentino now lives in Southern California, where he works as a musician, composer, and sound designer, but still frequently performs and records with Pedicin. Veteran Barry Miles and relative newcomer Dean Schneider (who is also a member of Pedicin's other group, the Brubeck Project) take turns at the piano. Bassist Andy Lalasis and drummer Bob Shomo both live near the leader in the New York City metro area. Pedicin has been a professor of music at Richard Stockton College in Galloway, New Jersey, since 2008 and recently launched the school's jazz studies program. He also has a private psychology practice specializing in helping "creative people get through life in a non-artist-friendly society." Playing jazz, however, remains his primary passion.

Pat Bianchi, a former resident of Denver, is now living in NYC and has quickly established himself as one of the most in-demand jazz organists on the scene today. Recently selected by Downbeat Magazine as one of the "RIsing Starts of Jazz Organ", Bianich is currently a member of both the Pat Martino Trio and Lou Donaldson QUartet. Bianchi performs frequently in saxophonist Tim Warfield's quartet with master drummer Ralph Peterson Jr. and also with renowned guitarist Chuck Loeb and his group. Among his many notable achievements, in 2010 Bianchi appeared on Joey DeFrancesco's Grammy nominated release "Never Can Say Goodbye" a tribute to Michael Jackson. Along with being an in-demand sideman, Bianchi often performs nationally and internationally with his own trio featuring Carmen Intorre on Drums and Craig Ebner on Guitar. Back Home, his second recording, features Terell Stafford, Ralph Peterson Jr, and Wayne Escoffery, and ranked in the top 15 jazz releases for over 8 weeks on Jazz Week media guide.