"Horace Elva Tapscott (April 6, 1934 Ð February 27, 1999) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He formed the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra (also known as P.A.P.A., or The Ark) in 1961 and led the ensemble through the 1990s.

Tapscott was born in Houston, Texas, and moved to Los Angeles, California, at the age of nine. By this time he had begun to study piano and trombone. He played with Frank Morgan, Don Cherry, and Billy Higgins as a teenager.

After service in the Air Force in Wyoming, he returned to Los Angeles and played trombone with various bands, notably Lionel Hampton (1959Ð61). Soon after, though, he quit playing trombone and focused on piano.

In 1961 Tapscott formed the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, with the aim of preserving, developing and performing African-American music. As his vision grew, this became just one part of a larger organization in 1963, the Underground Musicians Association (UGMA), which later changed name to the Union of God's Musicians and Artists Ascension (UGMAA). Arthur Blythe, Stanley Crouch, Butch Morris, Wilber Morris, David Murray, Jimmy Woods, Nate Morgan and Guido Sinclair all performed in Tapscott's Arkestra at one time or another. Tapscott and his work are the subjects of the UCLA Horace Tapscott Jazz Collection.

Enthusiasts of his music formed two labels in the 1970s and 1980s, Interplay and Nimbus, for which he recorded."

Michael Session is a jazz saxophonist, known for the groups Horace Tapscott Quintet, The Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, A Touch Of Jazz, Brüning V. Alten's Sunrise Orchestra, Dennis Gonzalez New Dallasangeles, Jazz Workshop Ensemble, Silvan Koopmann Bigband, and The Gathering.

"George Sylvester "Red" Callender (March 6, 1916 Ð March 8, 1992) was an American string bass and tuba player. He is perhaps best known as a jazz musician, but worked with an array of pop, rock and vocal acts as a member of The Wrecking Crew, a group of first-call session musicians in Los Angeles.

Callender was born in Haynesville, Virginia. In the early 1940s, he played in the Lester and Lee Young band, and then formed his own trio. In the 1940s Callender recorded with Nat King Cole, Erroll Garner, Charlie Parker, Wardell Gray, Dexter Gordon, Uffe Baadh [Frank Bode] and many others. After a period spent leading a trio in Hawaii, Callender returned to Los Angeles, becoming one of the first black musicians to work regularly in the commercial studios, including backing singer Linda Hayes on two singles. He made his recording debut at 19 with Louis Armstrong's band. However, he later turned down offers to work with Duke Ellington's Orchestra and the Louis Armstrong All-Stars.

On his 1957 Crown LP Speaks Low, Callender was one of the earliest modern jazz tuba soloists. Keeping busy up until his death, some of the highlights of the bassist's later career include recording with Art Tatum and Jo Jones (1955Ð1956) for the Tatum Group, playing with Charles Mingus at the 1964 Monterey Jazz Festival, working with James Newton's avant-garde woodwind quintet (on tuba), and performing as a regular member of the Cheatham's Sweet Baby Blues Band. He also reached the top of the British pop charts as a member of B. Bumble and the Stingers. In November 1964 he was introduced and highlighted in performance with entertainer Danny Kaye in a duet on the Fred Astaire introduced George and Ira Gershwin song, Slap That Bass, for Kaye's CBS-TV variety show.

Callender died of thyroid cancer at his home in Saugus, California."

"Pianist/Composer/Multi-Instrumentalist David Bryant is a world-class artist. Few musicians today match the versatility, originality, and sensitivity that he brings to the music. He combines an extensive knowledge of the jazz tradition and other diverse musical idioms, as well an individualistic approach and sound; it is no surprise that he is quickly rising to the top of the international jazz scene.

David Bryant was born 1983 in Brooklyn, NY. As a member of a family that encouraged a strong musical upbringing, David started playing piano at age 4. By age 8, he was already competing and ranking in some of the New York area's most prestigious youth classical piano competitions, such as BACA and the Queens College Festival of Music Competition. Four years later, David also began playing cello and trumpet, performing with youth symphonies and chamber programs on all three instruments. As a result of his dedication, he was accepted to New York's prestigious LaGuardia High School of Music and Arts. It was here that David became interested in jazz.

While at LaGuardia, David quickly became an integral part of the Senior Jazz Band and combos as well as the All-City Jazz Band. He won the "Outstanding Soloist" award at Lincoln Center's Essentially Ellington competition, as well as being invited to participate in the Monterey Jazz Festival and the North Sea Jazz Festival. His senior year he was selected to the Grammy Foundation's All-American Jazz Combo. In 2001, he received a scholarship to study at the New England Conservatory. He made the most of this opportunity quickly becoming a rising star in Boston's jazz scene. As well as joining the Boston Jazz Reparatory Orchestra (BJRO), he performed weekly at Wally's Jazz Café and Jordan Hall while also performing at Ryles and the Regatta Bar. In 2005 he graduated with a degree in Jazz Performance and a distinction in music.

David currently resides in Manhattan. He is currently a regular member of the Steve Davis Quintet, Myron Walden/Darren Barrett Quintet, Jen Shyu's Jade Tongue and James "Jabbo" Ware's Orchestra. He has also played with the likes of Ravi Coltrane, Roy Haynes, Dave Holland, Jimmy Heath, Steve Coleman, Kenny Wheeler, Wynton Marsalis, Eddie Henderson, Bob Brookmeyer, George Garzone, Eric McPherson, Abraham Burton, and many others in the New York and international jazz scene. He has performed and can be seen in clubs such as Birdland, the Iridium, the Jazz Standard, the Jazz Gallery, Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the 55 Bar, Barbes, the Knitting Factory, Zebulon, the Jazz Bakery, and the Cotton Club in Tokyo. He has currently recorded projects with Steve Davis, Myron Walden, and Abraham Burton as well as recording and performing with various projects of his own."