Jerry Vivino:

Jerry Vivino was the son of Emily and Jerry Vivino Sr., on January 8, 1954 in Paterson, New Jersey. The Vivino family was a constant source of music and art throughout Jerry’s childhood, and into his teens. Jerry was influenced by his parents and was exposed to Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Dinah Washington, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald. Floyd Vivino, his older brother, loved Louie Prima as well as great swing and jump music from the 30’s to the 40’s and 50’s. Jerry discovered that he liked listening to many types of music. He even enjoyed symphonic music. His favorite composers were Debussy, Stravinsky and Leonard Bernstein. He tried to learn guitar at the tender age 7 but failed. (That would have been reserved for another family member). His third grade teacher gave him a recorder for soprano at the age of nine. Within two or three weeks, he was proficient with the instrument. His parents noticed his progress and Jerry began clarinet lessons at the age of 10. He was able to quickly learn classical clarinet and studied with Ray Gerrard and Frank Vivino (his father’s cousin). When Jerry was 14 years old, he purchased his favorite Jethro Tull album, “This Was” and still has it today. Al Kooper’s original Blood Sweat and Tears was also a favorite of his, and their first album, “Child Is Father To The Man”, was his favourite. Jerry actually wore all three of Chicago’s original albums. Elton John and James Taylor were his favorites back then, as well as Sly and Family Stone. Jerry loved R a lot.

Mike Merritt:

Mike Merritt’s career as a bassist includes 25 years playing in the house band on all of  Conan O’ Brien’s TV  talk shows, starting in New York with “ Late Night” then moving to Los Angeles for “The Tonight Show” and TBS’s  “Conan”. This gave Mike opportunities to perform with many guest artists over the years, including Cheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, The Staple Singers, B.B. King, Slash, Tony Bennett, Steve Miller, Isaac Hayes, Chet Atkins, Pete Townshend, Robert Palmer, Bruce Springsteen and scores of others. Mike still performs on occasional live concert versions of Conan’s wildly popular podcast, “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend”.

Brian Charette:

NYC and LA organist/pianist, Brian Charette, has established himself as a leading voice in modern jazz. Charette is a Hammond U.S.A, Hammond Europe, I.K Multimedia, and Casio endorsed, Cellar Live recording artist. Brian is currently #2 on the 2024 Downbeat Critic’s Poll for organ and #6 for keyboards. Brian was also the winner of the 2014 Downbeat Critics’ Poll “Rising Star: Organ” award and 2015 Hot House Magazine's “Fan's Decision Jazz Award for Best Organist”. Charette’s new Cellar Live release, Jackpot, was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder’s hallowed studio featuring Bill Stewart on drums. The album received 4 stars from Downbeat and was on the Jazzweek radio chart for months, peaking at #9 for 6 weeks. Charette is also a prolific composer of large ensemble music, penning and performing compositions with The Jazz Dock Orchestra in Prague and The Modern Art Orchestra in Budapest.

Rodney Jones:

Jones started playing the guitar at age six. In 1976, at the age of twenty, he began touring with Dizzy Gillespie. His first solo album, The Liberation of Contemporary Jazz Guitar, was released by Strata-East in 1977. In 1989, Jones joined the Maceo Parker Band for three years. In 2001, he was hired as a professor at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. In 2007, he joined the faculty of The Juilliard School as a professor of jazz guitar studies. Jones also served as the staff guitarist for the Rosie O’Donnell Show from 1996 to 2002 and the house guitarist for Showtime at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem for nine years. Jones has written commercials and has had more than 125 compositions recorded. Jones is the owner of New Tide Music, Inc., and has led jazz workshops and master classes worldwide. Jones has toured internationally and performed and recorded with James Brown, Lena Horne, Quincy Jones, Elvin Jones, Kenny Burrell, Stan Getz, Christian McBride, Stevie Wonder, and others. Also, he served as musical director and producer for Lena Horne, Ernestine Anderson, Gloria Lynne, Ruth Brown, and more. Jones’s albums have been released by Timeless, MusicMasters, Minor Music, Blue Note, HighNote, Savant, 18th and Vine, and his own label. His discography includes Articulation (1978), When You Feel the Love (1981), Friends (1981), My Funny Valentine (1983), The Unspoken Heart (1992), The “X” Field (1996), Right Now (1996), The Undiscovered Few (1999), Soul Manifesto (2001), Soul Manifesto Live! (2003), Dreams and Stories (2005), A Thousand Small Things (2009), The Journey of Soul (2013), The Resonance of Love (2012), and The Beloved (2017). His book Hip Guitar Lines: The Lines, Fingerings, and Ideas That Will Transform Your Playing was published in 2020.

Jordan Young:

In the last 15 years drummer Jordan Young has been making a name for himself as one of the premier jazz drummers in New York City. He has performed with and recorded as sideman for many top jazz artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Peter Bernstein, Vic Juris, Jerry Vivino, Brian Charette,and Ben Monder to name a few. Jordan has recorded three albums as a leader. His debut recording entitled “The Jordan Young Group” was self released in 2010.”Cymbal Melodies” (2013) and “Jazz Jukebox” (2016) were both released on the Posi-Tone record label. These recordings met with critical acclaim. In addition, 2016 saw Jordan complete the prestigious Artist Diploma program at The Juilliard School which traveled around the globe representing the school.
Currently, Jordan leads a successful organ trio that has toured internationally and performs steadily in and around the New York City area. Jordan also has an active private teaching studio based in Brooklyn, NY. Jordan also endorses Canopus drums.