"Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith: trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist, composer and improviser has been active in creative contemporary music for over forty years. His systemic music language Ankhrasmation is significant in his development as an artist and educator.

Born in Leland, Mississippi, Smith's early musical life began in the high school concert and marching bands. At the age of thirteen, he became involved with the Delta Blues and Improvisation music traditions. He received his formal musical education with his stepfather Alex Wallace, the U.S. Military band program (1963), Sherwood School of Music (1967-69), and Wesleyan University (1975-76). Mr. Smith has studied a variety of music cultures: African, Japanese, Indonesian, European and American.

He has taught at the University of New Haven (1975-'76), the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, NY (1975-'78), and Bard College (1987-'93). He is currently a faculty member at The Herb Alpert School of Music at California Institute of the Arts. He is the director of the African-American Improvisational Music program, and is a member of ASCAP, Chamber Music America, and the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.

Mr. Smith's awards and commissions include: MAP Fund Award for "Ten Freedom Summers" (2011), Chamber Music America New Works Grant (2010), NEA Recording Grant (2010), Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (2009-2010), Other Minds residency and "Taif", a string quartet commission (2008), Fellow of the Jurassic Foundation (2008), FONT(Festival of New Trumpet) Award of Recognition (2008), Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Award (2005), Islamic World Arts Initiative of Arts International (2004), Fellow of the Civitela Foundation (2003), Fellow at the Atlantic Center for the Arts (2001), "Third Culture Copenhagen" in Denmark-presented a paper on Ankhrasmation (1996), Meet the Composer/Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Commissioning Program (1996), Asian Cultural Council Grantee to Japan (June-August 1993), Meet the Composer/Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Commissioning Program (1990), New York Foundation on the Arts Fellowship in Music (1990), Numerous Meet the Composer Grants (since 1977), and National Endowment for the Arts Music Grants (1972, 1974, 1981).

Mr. Smith's music philosophy Notes (8 Pieces) Source a New. World Music: Creative Music has been published by Kiom Press (1973), translated and published in Japan by Zen-On Music Company Ltd. (1976). In 1981 Notes was translated into Italian and published by Nistri-Litschi Editori.

He was invited to a conference of artists, scientists and philosophers "Third Culture Copenhagen" in Denmark 1996, and presented a paper on his Ankhrasmation music theory and notational system for creative musicians. His interview was recorded for Denmark T.V., broadcasted September 1996.

Some of the artists Mr. Smith has performed with are : Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, Roscoe Mitchell, Lester Bowie, Richard Teitelbaum, Joseph Jarman, George Lewis, Cecil Taylor, Andrew Cyrill, Oliver Lake, Anthony Davis, Carla Bley, David Murray, Don Cherry, Jeanne Lee, Milton Campbell, Henry Brant, Richard Davis, Tadao Sawai, Ed Blackwell, Sabu Toyozumi, Peter Kowald, Kazuko Shiraishi, Han Bennink, Misja Mengelberg, Marion Brown, Kazutoki Umezu, Kosei Yamamoto, Charlie Haden, Kang Tae Hwan, Kim Dae Hwan, Tom Buckner, Malachi Favors Magoustous and Jack Dejohnette among many others.

Mr. Smith currently has three ensembles: Golden Quartet, Silver Orchestra, and Organic. His compositions have also been performed by other contemporary music ensembles: AACM-Orchestra, Kronos Quartet, Da Capo Chamber Player, New Century Players, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Contemporary Chamber Players (University of Chicago), S.E.M. Ensemble, Southwest Chamber Music, Del Sol String Quartet, New York New Music Ensemble, ne(x)tworks, and California E.A.R. Unit.

Mr. Smith's music for multi-ensembles has been performed since 1969. "Tabligh" for double-ensemble was performed by Golden Quartet and Classical Persian ensemble at Merkin Concert Hall (2006) and by Golden Quartet and Suleyman Erguner's Classical Turkish ensemble at Akbank Music Festival in Istanbul (2007). His largest work "Odwira" for 12 multi-ensembles (52 instrumentalists) was performed at California Institute of the Arts (March 1995). His Noh piece "Heart Reflections" was performed in Merkin Concert Hall, NY (November 1996)."

"John Lindberg commenced his full-time professional career at age sixteen, allowing for total immersion into his work as a performer/composer, subsequently being mentored by the late great bassist David Izenzon.

The first public performances of his ensemble compositions began in 1975, and in 1980 he recorded his first album focused on his original music, a collection of works for solo double bass, Comin' & Goin'.

Over the last forty-one years he has traveled the globe performing thousands of concerts of creative music, in thirty-six countries on five continents. He has released myriad albums - over one hundred - that spotlight his original compositions for a variety of jazz ensembles, and feature his singularly identifiable bass playing.

His extended works for chamber ensembles combined with improvising artists have been widely commissioned, including works for The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, New York Chamber Ensemble, and Neues Kolner Streichquartett. His catalogue contains over one hundred and fifty published works.

He is renowned as an ensemble leader, a collaborator in special duet settings, a solo double bass performer, and as co-founder of the String Trio of New York with Billy Bang and James Emery. He has worked with a plethora of luminary creative artists, including: Albert Mangelsdorff, Ed Thigpen, Eric Watson, Louis Sclavis, Human Arts Ensemble, Frank Lowe, Wadada Leo Smith, Susie Ibarra, Karl Berger, Anthony Braxton, Andrew Cyrille, Dave Douglas, John Carter, Henry Threadgill, Jack DeJohnette, Regina Carter, Jimmy Lyons, Sunny Murray, Roswell Rudd, Mary Redhouse, Pablo Calogero, Joe LaBarbera, Wendell Harrison, and Kevin Norton.

His work as a producer of numerous recordings, and of powerful cross-genre projects - such as JazzHopRevolution and BLOB - is well established, as is his ongoing work as an educator with a distinctly unique message.

Awards and fellowships in support of his work include those from New Music USA, National Endowment for the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, Chamber Music America, ASCAP, Arts International, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Cary Charitable Trust, New York State Council on the Arts, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Meet The Composer, and a Diploma de Honor from Gobernacion Cordillera, Chile.

Of late, John's disparate extra-musical activities - which include a stint as a community rescue squad ambulance driver, serving as general contractor for a cabin built with carpenter friends in South Dakota, and being engaged as an observational naturalist - have significantly informed his work as a composer and musician.

Released in September, 2016, on Clean Feed Records, are two new albums:John Lindberg BC3, Born in an Urban Ruin and John Lindberg Raptor Trio, Western Edges. Other recent recordings that feature his compositions include the duet with Wadada Leo Smith, Celestial Weather, the duet with cellist Anil Eraslan, Juggling Kukla (released as a limited edition of 300 vinyl LPs), and John Lindberg's TriPolar, [a]live at Roulette, NYC."

"Mikko Innanen is a saxophonist, composer and bandleader from Finland. A deft and adaptable improviser, he thrives in settings that span jazz's past, present and future: be it in freely improvised solos, duos or trios, small and large ensembles playing his own compositions, or working as a sideman interpreting other people's music.

His journey through jazz and improvised music began in Loviisa, in small-town southern Finland, where the contents of his father's comprehensive jazz record collection of jazz records led him to pursue the saxophone further. After starting out in local marching and big bands, he studied at Helsinki's Sibelius Academy, during which time he spent a crucial exchange year at Copenhagen's Rhythmic Music Conservatory.

Currently based in Helsinki, Innanen has spent a lot of time on the road, playing throughout Finland, Europe and the rest of the world. The diversity of Innanen's playing and composition is well documented, with a discography of over 50 records. This active touring and recording allows him to continuously expand his network of collaborators, and to find further opportunities to explore the spontaneous creativity at the heart of his musical vision.

Saxophonist

Innanen is fluent with all the members of the saxophone family but he describes himself as "basically an e-flat guy," nowadays devoting his energies to the alto, baritone and sopranino. Along with the saxophone language of Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, a key early influence was his first sax teacher, Bengt Ingelin, whom Innanen credits with nurturing his understanding of the importance of basic musical fundamentals.

Innanen's own approach seamlessly links the diverse pathways the saxophone has taken through jazz. Within a single solo he can move from being deep in the melody or exploring complex chord changes to playing in free and far-out areas. He switches between horns just as fluently, incorporating special techniques, reeds from around the world and other little instruments if the situation deems it necessary. "If I find a sound I like, I use it," he says. "I don't want to sound like anybody else, but in the heat of the moment I might also listen to my inner Ben Webster, Sonny Rollins or Ornette Coleman."

Composer & improviser

Innanen's improvising and composition spring from the same source - a dedication to melody and a strong rhythmic foundation. Yet from this base he branches out in multiple directions, from interpreting traditional swing and blues-tinged, and sometimes even schlager-esque melodic themes to setting his own texts to music, exploring more theoretical concepts or reaching for the abstract and unknown. "As in life, in music you need to find a balance between beautiful and ugly, cerebral and carnal, sacred and profane, and fun and serious."

His explorations have ranged from small-scale settings to much larger contexts. The former include solo saxophone performances on a small raft in the middle of the River Aura in Turku, the digital solo project F60.8. and improvised sax/drum duos with Mika Kallio, Simo Laihonen, Andrew Cyrille, Han Bennink and Andrew Barker. His work in ensembles shows a similar range: Mikko Innanen & Innkvisitio, Gourmet, Delirium, Tonight at Noon, Innanen/Piromalli/Hauta-aho/Lovens, Mr. Fonebone, Nuijamiehet, his 12-piece band Mikko Innanen 10+ (the latter even including with a full chorus for one performance), and several trio formations, such as PLOP, The Curators, Mikko Innanen Trio with Joe Fonda and Lou Grassi, Mikko Innanen with William Parker and Andrew Cyrille, Innanen/Sooäär/Bennink Trio, and Triot.

Bandleader & collaborator

When leading, he works to challenge and inspire the other musicians, to give them a reason and purpose for playing his music. He strives for the maximum result in his performances yet realizes that the outcome is always unknowable: "You have to accept that it is what it is, that it couldn't be any other way."

Innanen is an active bandleader, but he is equally at home contributing as a sideman and a featured soloist. His skills and taste as a band member have been trusted by, among others, Stefan Pasborg, Kalle Kalima, Mika Kallio, Teppo Mäkynen, Wadada Leo Smith, Henrik Otto Donner, TUMO, Seppo Kantonen, Per Zanussi, Jori Huhtala, Triade, Ibrahim Electric, Pekka Tuppurainen, Jussi Fredriksson, Iro Haarla & Ulf Krokfors, Admiral Awesome, Espoo Big Band and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra.

Live & in the studio

In the studio or as well as on the bandstand, Innanen seeks to capture openness and take advantage of spontaneity. Though he has an extensive discography, with over more than two dozen records under his own name and a couple few dozen more as a collaborator, he particularly enjoys being in the moment of performance with others, engaging in the direct communication that emerges in front of an audience.

He has performed throughout Europe, though his touring schedule has taken him as far away as South America, Asia and North Africa. In 2008 he began making extended stays and gigging regularly in New York City. These visits culminated in two mini-festivals in Brooklyn in 2012 and 2013, featuring his collaborations with a wide range of world-class improvisers."

"Iro Haarla (b. 1956) is a Finnish jazzpianist, harpist, keyboardplayer, a composer and a groupleader. She studied piano and composing at the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki in the 1970's and has since worked as an important actor both in the Finnish jazzgroups and as a solo artist.

Iro Haarla had an important role in the music of her spouse, drummer Edward Vesala, especially in Sound & Fury -band from 1970s till the death of Vesala in 1999. Haarla's piano and harp were an essential part of the sound of Sound & Fury and the arranging work she did was vital for the activity of the band. The later work of Haarla reveals well how important her input to Sound & Fury has been.

Iro started the 21st century with soloconcerts and a duo album with saxophonist Pepa Päivinen. The British record label November released the album Yarra Yarra (2001) of the duo and it got great feedback around the world. Another duo partner for Haarla in the beginning of the 21st century was saxophonist Tapani Rinne. They didn't release any actual duo album but Haarla featured on Rinne's solo album Nectic. Later the pianist has featured in RinneRadio and played as a sideman in the new band of saxophonist Jorma Tapio, Rolling Thunder.

The productive co-operation with bassist Ulf Krokfors started also as a duo project. The album Heart of a Bird (TUM 2003) consists of compositions of both of the musicians and the moods of these compositions go together seamlessly. Haarla's and Krokfors' bandproject Loco Motife introduced complitely different moods on it's album Penguin Beguine (TUM 2005) that was recorded in the beginning of 2004. The entity of the album is a tour on different moods, from straight jazz to more freer expression and a ballad sang by vocalist Johanna Iivanainen. Penguin Beguine was awarded with the Emma Award in 2005 as the Jazz Album of the Year and was also a nominee for the Teosto Prize.

In 2005 ECM relesed Haarla's solo album Northbound where played, besides Haarla and Krokfors, a few Norwegian jazzlegends. The album got great feedback and later Manfred Eicher, who had produced also Haarla's first solo album, produced another great album, Vespers, from the Finnish-Norwegian quartet that was released in 2011. In 2006 Haarla was awarded with the official recognition prize of Finnish jazz field, the Georgie (Yrjö) Award."

"Kalle Kalima (b. 1973 in Helsinki, Finland) began his journey into sound with piano lessons at the age of six. Five years later he switched over to the guitar and has never looked back. He studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and at the Hanns Eisler Conservatory in Berlin under the guidance of Raoul Björkenheim and John Schröder to name a few. After taking up residence in Berlin, Kalima has experienced a revelation in his attitude towards free music.

So far Kalle has worked with trompeter Tomasz Stanko, sax player Juhani Aaltonen, pianist Heikki Sarmanto, bass players Sirone, Teppo Hauta-Aho, Carlos Bica & Ed Schuller, guitarist Marc Ducret, composer Simon Stockhausen, drummer Tony Allen and singer Linda Sharrock. He is also playing with Jimi Tenor, finnish underground pop star. Last years have been busy years for Kalima, touring mostly in Europe but also in Africa, Asia and USA."

"Ulf Magnus "Uffe" Krokfors (born November 20, 1966 in Helsinki ) is a Finnish jazz bassist.

Krokfors became known in 1989 as a bassist in various groups of Edward Vesala ; Among other things, he was involved with Vesala's group Sound & Fury on the CD Ode to the Death of Jazz, but also participated in the Vesala Klaani and 1999 in the quartet with Vesala, the saxophonist Kari Heinilä and the vibraphone player Severi Pyysalo. In 1990 he also started playing in Raoul Björkenheim's jazz rock group Krakatau. Since the late 1990s, he worked together with the drummer Markku Ounaskari.

Since 2000, Krokfors also began to compose; as a result, 2003 released the album Heart of a Bird with pianist and harpist Iro Haarla and saxophonist Rasmus Korsström. With Harlaa he formed the improvisation ensemble Loco Motife, whose album Penguin Beguine 2005 appeared.

With Juhani Aaltonen and Tom Nekljudow Krokfors forms the Juhani Aaltonen Trio. From this formation appeared in 2003, the album Mother Tongue and 2006 Illusion of a Ballad."

"John Lindberg commenced his full-time professional career at age sixteen, allowing for total immersion into his work as a performer/composer, subsequently being mentored by the late great bassist David Izenzon.

The first public performances of his ensemble compositions began in 1975, and in 1980 he recorded his first album focused on his original music, a collection of works for solo double bass, Comin' & Goin'.

Over the last forty-one years he has traveled the globe performing thousands of concerts of creative music, in thirty-six countries on five continents. He has released myriad albums - over one hundred - that spotlight his original compositions for a variety of jazz ensembles, and feature his singularly identifiable bass playing.

His extended works for chamber ensembles combined with improvising artists have been widely commissioned, including works for The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, New York Chamber Ensemble, and Neues Kolner Streichquartett. His catalogue contains over one hundred and fifty published works.

He is renowned as an ensemble leader, a collaborator in special duet settings, a solo double bass performer, and as co-founder of the String Trio of New York with Billy Bang and James Emery. He has worked with a plethora of luminary creative artists, including: Albert Mangelsdorff, Ed Thigpen, Eric Watson, Louis Sclavis, Human Arts Ensemble, Frank Lowe, Wadada Leo Smith, Susie Ibarra, Karl Berger, Anthony Braxton, Andrew Cyrille, Dave Douglas, John Carter, Henry Threadgill, Jack DeJohnette, Regina Carter, Jimmy Lyons, Sunny Murray, Roswell Rudd, Mary Redhouse, Pablo Calogero, Joe LaBarbera, Wendell Harrison, and Kevin Norton.

His work as a producer of numerous recordings, and of powerful cross-genre projects - such as JazzHopRevolution and BLOB - is well established, as is his ongoing work as an educator with a distinctly unique message.

Awards and fellowships in support of his work include those from New Music USA, National Endowment for the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, Chamber Music America, ASCAP, Arts International, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Cary Charitable Trust, New York State Council on the Arts, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Meet The Composer, and a Diploma de Honor from Gobernacion Cordillera, Chile.

Of late, John's disparate extra-musical activities - which include a stint as a community rescue squad ambulance driver, serving as general contractor for a cabin built with carpenter friends in South Dakota, and being engaged as an observational naturalist - have significantly informed his work as a composer and musician.

Released in September, 2016, on Clean Feed Records, are two new albums:John Lindberg BC3, Born in an Urban Ruin and John Lindberg Raptor Trio, Western Edges. Other recent recordings that feature his compositions include the duet with Wadada Leo Smith, Celestial Weather, the duet with cellist Anil Eraslan, Juggling Kukla (released as a limited edition of 300 vinyl LPs), and John Lindberg's TriPolar, [a]live at Roulette, NYC."

"Janne Tuomi was born in 1973 in Tampere, Finland. Coming from a family of musicians and music educators, it was only natural that this first-born began playing the piano at the age of six. But the infatuation was not to last as percussion soon lured him away from the ebonies and ivories.

Tuomi commenced studying at the Conservatory of Tampere in 1995 and further honed his skills at the Carl Nielsen Academy of Music in Odense, Denmark. After undertaking a study trip to New York City, Tuomi graduated from the Conservatory in 2000 with honours.

In 2001 he travelled to Los Angeles to take private lessons from John Bergamo and Brad Dutz. Five years later, Tuomi passed his degree examination with honours with a solo concert at the contemporary music festival Tampere Biennale.

During his professional career Tuomi has acted as a free jazz drummer, classical percussionist and everything in between. He has performed with guitarists Antti Kotikoski, Raymond Boni, Sakari Luoma and Marzi Nyman, saxophonists John Zorn, Daunik Lazro, Jone Takamäki and Jorma Tapio, pianists Iro Haarla and Seppo Kantonen, bass players Ulf Krokfors, Sampo Lassila and Claude Tchamitchian and numerous others.

Apart from recording and performing various styles of music with a burning passion, Tuomi teaches percussion both privately and at the Palmgren Conservatory in Pori. He is also experienced as a theater musician.

Janne Tuomi's critically acclaimed debut solo cd 'Approaching' was released in 2004 by Ektro Records (Pori). His sophomore effort 'elg' came out in 2008 by Muzik Zaman (San Francisco).

The third album, 'Resonance', was released also in 2008 by Future Music Records (UK)."

"Three time Danish Music Awards-winner Stefan Pasborg is a highly energetic drummer from the melting pot of Copenhagen, and after getting a snare drum, a cymbal and a high-hat at the age of three from renowned jazz drummer Alex Riel, he has developed into one of the most personal and versatile young european drummers / bandleaders - from groove to abstract !

He has performed and recorded with musicians like: John Tchicai, Marc Ducret, Wadada Leo Smith, Ellery Eskelin, Tomasz Stanko, Ray Anderson, Tim Berne, Palle Danielsson, Anders Jormin, Miroslav Vitous, Michael Formanek, Majid Bekkas, Goran Kajfes, Carsten Dahl, Jesper Zeuthen, Alex Riel, Juhani Aaltonen, Dawda Jobarteh, Ståle Storløkken, Mikko Innanen, Liudas Mockunas, Kjetil Møster, Annisette, Carsten Dahl, Jesper Zeuthen, Alex Riel, Lotte Anker and Peter Friis Nielsen among others.

He has toured the most of Europe and in USA, Canada, Africa and Asia - in more than 40 countries, on 5 continents, from Shanghai to Vancouver, from Monte-Carlo to Moscow, from Varanger to Casablanca, and from New York to São Paulo - both as a leader and as a sideman.

He is the founding member of successful bands like: Ibrahim Electric, Pasborgs Odessa XL, Toxikum, The Firebirds, Free Moby Dick, Magic Spirit Quartet, Delirium ... and he plays regularly in duo-settings with kora-virtuoso Dawda Jobarteh (Gam) and pianist Carsten Dahl (DK)... Besides his many bands and projects, he also performs solo-concerts regularly. He is also the founding member of the record label and collective ILK Music.

At Danish Music Awards 2004 he was voted ʻNew jazz-name of The Yearʼ, and his release ʻToxikumʼ was voted ʻJazz Discovery of the Yearʼ.

His first release as a leader - TriplePoint (ILK 2007) - was selected into worldwide TOP 5 'Best Debut Albums of 2007' by the American magazine The New York City Jazz Record, and his release 'Pasborg Odessa X-tra Large' received a Danish Music Award in 2011.

In 2011 Stefan Pasborg was chosen to be Artist-in-Residence at Copenhagen Jazzhouse, and in 2012 the national Danish television (DR) showed 5 documentary programs about him and his bands / projects.

Pasborg has won prices like f.ex. the Soloist-prize at 16th European Jazz Contest 1997 in Germany, the 1st Prize at 5th European Tournament of Improvised Music 2001 in France, Jazznytprisen 2012 in Denmark And finally one of the most prestigious music-prizes in his native Denmark: Gudmanprisen in 2017. He has received grants for artistic work from among others: Danish Arts Foundations, Danish Musicians Union, Norden, KODA, DJBFA."