Nicholas Hoffman, a native of Chicago's south side, has always had a taste for the bluer side of jazz. As a guitarist primarily influenced by saxophonists, Nicholas' early inspirations include Windy City reedmen Bunky Green and Von Freeman as well as more familiar artists such as Miles, Coltrane, Wes Montgomery, Bird, etc. After studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston, he returned to Chicago and formed the quartet Emanon with alto saxophonist and M-Base founder Steve Coleman. Nicholas left Chicago in '78 for the west coast where, after several other endeavors-- commercial fishing, skydiving, poker, chess-- he formed Jazz Friends with pianist, organist, vocalist, and composer Debra Chang. This collaboration has led to many kinds of music as Debra and Nicholas are now married and have a daughter Jasmine-- who thinks the B3 is one of her toys. Nicholas’ love affair with the Hammond B3 organ has documented itself in the last few years with the release of his first two CD’s. Nick's Tricks, released in ‘97, features Barney McClure on the B3 along with tenor saxman Rick Mandyck. The second, Jazzy's Dance, released in the spring of 2000, features arguably today’s foremost exponent of the Hammond organ, Joey DeFrancesco, as well as underground saxophone legend Hadley Caliman. Nicholas' affection for the B3 has sent him as far as Japan, touring in '03 and '04 to work with organists Atsuko Hashimoto, Midori Ono, and Junichi Naruse. The third recording, Blues for Eddie, is a far reaching collaboration with Swedish bassist Peter Axelsson and marks a change in sound with piano and bass replacing organ in the group. The newest recording, Fangs, returns to a classic B3 trio but with a special twist-- the twin tenor saxes of Hadley Caliman and Gary Hammon. Nicholas also dabbles in concert production. His efforts include co-foundeding the Travelling Organ Donor Tour, a monthly concert series that featured guest organists from up and down the West Coast (Anchorage to Los Angeles), benefit concerts for the Evergreen Aids Foundation and the Whatcom Human Rights Task Force, as well as free (!) memorial concerts celebrating the music of Charlie Parker and Miles Davis on their 75th and 70th birthdays, respectively. The Charlie Parker Memorial Concert is available on cassette. The Miles Davis concert was produced for television. (Read Todd Matthews' article about Nicholas and his music)

....Fangs

Hadley Caliman was described by Earshot magazine as "a living legend... the real deal... a gentleman of spirit, tenacity and dedication... with a powerful philosophy towards his life and his music." Hadley recently retired from Cornish College of the Arts after teaching jazz there for 20 years. He performs in the Pacific Northwest and San Francisco and was inducted into Seattle's Jazz Hall of Fame for 2004. (Read more about Hadley below)

Gary Hammon's sound reflects his rich musical history. He's played with many notable folks in different genres, from Albert Collins and Albert King to Jaki Byard and George Russell, from Elvin Jones and Don Patterson to Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles. Perhaps his most significant influence is his long association with organist Big John Patton.

Delvon Dumas is a new name to the jazz public, but not for long. He's a young, high-energy player who swings hard and brings a wonderfully percussive, yet traditional approach to the B3. Delvon is also naturally gifted multi-instrumentalist and has performed on keyboards, drums, trumpet, and upright bass in the Seattle area. (Read Todd Matthews' article about Delvon)

Jud Sherwood is the "in house" drummer and director of The Jazz Project, which presented nearly a hundred concerts in the Bellingham in the past year, including Nick and Jud's Traveling Organ Donor Tour. Besides bringing great music to the Pacific Northwest, Jud is a solid timekeeper with years of experience in a wide variety of settings, with artists such as Teddy Edwards, Bill Perkins, Herb Ellis, Nancy King, John Stowell, and many others.

....on Blues for Eddie

Hadley Caliman is the real thing: a veteran among veterans. Born in 1932, Hadley was an early disciple of Dexter Gordon, taking lessons from him in LA while still a teen. Later in the 50’s, Coltrane became the influence. A move to San Francisco in 1970 began a notable association with Carlos Santana. Hadley's recordings begin as early as a 1949 Roy Porter session (that included Eric Dolphy) and go on to include dates with Della Reese, Freddie Hubbard, Jon Hendricks, Eddie Henderson, Julien Preister, Joe Henderson, Jessica Williams and Carlos Santana. His four albums as a leader, recorded for Mainstream and Catalyst in the 70's, are collector's items. (Read even more about Hadley below)

Swedish bassist Peter Axelsson is also an accomplished band leader and recording engineer, as evidenced in his extraordinary CD, The Natural Way. A longtime student of ex-patriot bassist Red Mtchell during Red's years in Sweden, Peter has played with Chet Baker, Maxine Sullivan, Scott Hamilton, Gerry Mulligan, and bluesman Eddie Boyd (the title track is for Eddie) along his musical journey. Two of his compositions can heard on Blues for Eddie.

Hans Brehmer, aside from several years of classical training as a child, is self-taught in the jazz idiom. Perhaps this helps explain some of his individuality in this day of assembly line jazz schools. A very busy man around Seattle, Hans is also on the staff at Cornish College of the Arts. His skills as a vocalist and composer, as well as a pianist, can be heard on his recording When God was a Boy.

Mark Ivester is a very busy Northwest drummer. He has performed with Buddy DeFranco, Freddie Hubbard, Michael Brecker, Larry Coryell, Clare Fischer, Cannonball Adderley, Bud Shank, Mose Allison, and Herb Ellis. His energy, drive, creativity, and most uniquely, his sensitivity are hard to match. (Read more about Mark below)

.......on Jazzy's Dance

(Hadley's bio begins above) Hadley Caliman's long career includes more than 100 recording sessions, as well as work with artists spanning genres all the way from bebop to Charles Brown, Carlos Santana, and the Grateful Dead. Hadley keeps busy recording, leading his own quartet, and playing lead tenor in the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra. (Read Todd Matthews' article about Hadley)

Joey DeFrancesco hardly needs any introduction at this point. At the top of the heap of jazz organists, Joey has done it all, touring and recording with Miles Davis while still a teenager and never looking back. Joey has recorded with John McLaughlin, Jack McDuff, Houston Person, Illinois Jacquet, Danny Gatton, Jimmy Bruno, Johhny Griffin and on and on.

Dave Mathews is all about groove. Working with Etta James the last 10 years has made that clear. Based in Oakland, Dave replaced Chester Thompson as Tower Of Power's organist in 1982 and has gone on to work with Boz Scaggs, Ray Obiedo, Sheila E, and many others in a wide variety of styles. But as Dave himself says, and you can certainly hear on this recording, "Jazz is my great love". Dave has recently released his own fine, blues-drenched CD, Down With It!

(Mark's bio begins above) Mark Ivester is on numerous Northwest recordings spanning many genres and he teaches at Cornish College of the Arts as well. Always a positive spirit, Mark seems to have a "subliminal feel for rhythm."

....on Nick's Tricks

Barney McClure, an accomplished pianist as well as an organist, has played with a very long list of jazz luminaries. Work with Milt Jackson, Big Joe Turner, Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson, Red Norvo, and Bud Shank, along with stints in the bands of Sonny Stitt and Ernestine Anderson are a few of his credits. He has several CDs under his name and is an author and record producer with his own label (MNOP). He was also mayor of Port Townsend (home of one of the biggest NW jazz festivals) and a state rep, too. Last sighting: Fairbanks, Alaska!

Larry Jones is one of Seattle's top drummers. He has played with such greats as Joe Henderson, Eddie Harris, Stanley Turrentine, Jessica Williams and Mose Allision as Jazz Alley's (Seattle's premier jazz club) on-call drummer.

Brian Kent (tenor saxophone) has been the musical director for Vince Balestri's one-man show personifying Jack Kerouac for several years. Equally comfortable in both the jazz and blues worlds, Brian has also recorded with Chuck Metcalf, Little Bill and the Blue Notes, and L.B. Porter.

Rick Mandyck won Earshot magazine's Best Emerging Artist award in '95. In '96, he was recognized as Best Intrumentalist and his release 'Looking Glass' won CD of the Year. His tenor saxophone graces numerous northwest recordings.

Debra Chang is a pianist and organist as well as a vocalist. She has a doctorate in music composition, studying with teachers as diverse as Cecil Taylor and Phil Winsor. She is the vocalist on Nick's Tricks and the composer of the title track on Jazzy's Dance.