CHARLES LLOYD

Charles Lloyd

Charles Lloyd was born in 1938 in Memphis, Tennessee. He was given his first saxophone at the age of nine, his first teachers were pianist Phineas Newborn and saxophonist Irvin Reason. As a teenager, he played with George Coleman and artists such as Johnny Ace, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Howlin’ Wolf, and B. B. King. He moved to Los Angeles in 1956 to study music with Halsey Stevens at the University of Southern California. At night, he performed at the city’s jazz clubs with artists such as Ornette Coleman, Billy Higgins, Scott LaFaro, Charlie Haden, and Bobby Hutcherson. In 1960 he became music director of Chico Hamilton’s group, writing the music for some of his most revered albums. Following a brief engagement in the Cannonball Adderley Sextet, Charles Lloyd founded his own quartet in 1965 together with Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, and Cecil McBee. The ensemble released numerous acclaimed albums and toured the whole world. At the height of his career in 1970, Lloyd disbanded the quartet and retreated from the jazz scene. During this time he performed in the Beach Boy’s touring band and contributed to several of their studio recordings. He returned to the public stage in 1981, introducing the French pianist Michel Petrucciani on several world tours. In 1988 he formed a quartet with Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson. Since then, Charles Lloyd has been working with various artists in a broad variety of musical formations, among them a duo with Billy Higgins, the New Quartet with Jason Moran, Reuben Rogers, and Eric Harland, and the group Charles Lloyd & The Marvels with Billy Frisell and Greg Leisz. Charles Lloyd received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music and was made a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 2019. In 2023, he received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Jazz Journalist Association and the Jazz Foundation of America.

Gerald Clayton

Gerald Clayton was born in Utrecht in 1984 and grew up in California, where he attended the Los Angeles County Highschool of the Arts. Upon his graduation he received the Presidential Scholar of the Arts Award. Following a year of intensive study with Kenny Barron at the Manhattan School of Music, he graduated from the Thornton School of Music at University of Southern California under the instruction of Billy Childs. In 2006 he won second place in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Piano Competition. He has shared the stage with artists such as Charles Lloyd, Diana Krall, Roy Hargrove, Dianne Reeves, Ambrose Akinmusire, John Scofield, Dayna Stephens, Terri Lyne Carrington, Avishai Cohen, Peter Bernstein, and the Clayton Brothers Quintet. In 2015/2016, he served as music director of the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour, and in 2017 he was the main festival’s artist in residence together with his father, bassist and composer John Clayton, and his uncle, the saxophonist Jeff. Following a commission by Duke University, he and theater director Christopher McElroen developed the multi-media project Piedmont Blues, exploring history and heritage of the blues style from the southeast of the U.S. Gerald Clayton was nominated for four Grammys. His latest album Bells on Sand was released in April 2022.

Marvin Sewell

Marvin Sewell grew up in Chicago with a variety of musical influences, including blues, gospel, soul, rock, and fusion. He taught himself to play guitar by spending his time in the rehearsal rooms of local bands. In high school, he became interested in jazz and was soon performing with well-known artists of the Chicago scene, including Von Freeman, Ramsey Lewis, Big Time Sarah, and Barbara La Shore. After studying composition at Roosevelt University, he moved to New York in 1990. Two years later, he made his first appearance in Jack DeJohnette’s band Special Edition. He also performed with jazz cellist Diedre Murray and bassist Fred Hopkins. Collaborations followed with David Sanborn, Marcus Miller, Jorge Sylvester, Greg Osby, Joe Lovano, George Benson, and Sekou Sundiata, among others. As leader of the Marvin Sewell Group, he released the album The Worker’s Dance in 2005. He first collaborated with Charles Lloyd in 2018 at the Newport Jazz Festival and subsequently became part of Lloyd’s Kindred Spirits band.

Jakob Bro

Danish guitarist and composer Jakob Bro, a former member of Paul Motian’s Electric Bebop Band and Tomasz Stańko’s Dark Eyes Quintet, has released 16 albums as a bandleader to date, performing with Lee Konitz, Bill Frisell, Kenny Wheeler, Mark Turner, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Andrew D'Angelo, Chris Speed, George Garzone, Craig Taborn, and many others. His current projects include collaborations with Palle Mikkelborg, Andrew Cyrille, Marilyn Mazur, Joe Lovano, Joey Baron, Thomas Morgan, Larry Grenadier, and Anders Christensen. Spring 2021 saw the release of his acclaimed trio album Uma Elmo with Arve Henriksen and Spanish drummer Jorge Rossy. Tours have taken Jakob Bro to Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, South America, South Africa, the United States, and throughout Europe. His numerous awards include the Carl Prize, the Danish Music Award, and being named “Rising Star Guitar” by DownBeat magazine’s critics’ poll.