Robben Ford (born December 16, 1951) is a blues, jazz and rock guitarist with a diverse career. He was born in Woodlake, California and raised in Ukiah. He taught himself guitar when he was 13 and considered his first influence to be Mike Bloomfield. At 18 he moved to San Francisco to form the Charles Ford Blues Band (named after his father, who was also a guitarist) featuring his brothers Mark (mouth harp) and Patrick (drums).
How many artists / producers can count Jay Z, Snoop Dogg and Pharell as fans as well as drum and bass’ finest Andy C, Hype and Pendulum; enjoy heavy rotation in the hands of dub-step royalty such as N-Type and Skream; and have each release enthusiastically supported by Annie Mac and Zane Lowe? This is what Saul Milton and Will Kennard, producing under the name Chase & Status, have achieved in 5 years...
Robert Glasper was raised in Houston, Texas. His mother was his first and strongest musical influence. Mrs. Glasper not only played piano and sang gospel music in the family's church, she led a band that worked the city's jazz and blues club circuit as well. By the age of twelve, young Robert was playing piano in that church. "Gospel music is built on emotion and spirituality; you go to church and leave crying," he smiles. "It definitely just gave me that sensitivity and knowing how to reach people and knowing how to be in tune with your feelings and the emotion of the music.
Michael Beach is a San Francisco-based musician. The formative years of his musical career were spent in Melbourne, Australia where he released several EPs with Electric Jellyfish (Ecstatic Yod, Twin Lakes) as well as his debut LP, Blood Courses (2008). Michael has toured the USA three times with Electric Jellyfish (2007, 2008, and 2010) and once solo (2008). He has toured Australia twice with Electric Jellyfish (summer 2009 and winter 2009) and once solo (2009).
Sidestepper began as a solo studio project in 1996 for main man Richard Blair, who had first gone to Colombia in 1993 to work with renowned folk singer Totó La Momposina -- the two had met at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studios where Richard worked as an engineer. The result was the first album, 1997’s Southern Star featuring the Latin drum and bass tune ‘Maine’. The project soon developed into a production and writing duo with colombian songwriter Ivan Benavides, and has since become a full live band.
There are 2 groups known as Fourplay, 1) An American smooth jazz group, 2) An Australian string quartet: 1. Fourplay is a jazz group, founded around 1990, in the USA. Current members are: Bob James (keyboards & programming), Nathan East (bass & vocal), Chuck Loeb (guitar) & Harvey Mason (drums & percussion). Loeb replaced Larry Carlton who himself had replaced the founding guitarist, Lee Ritenour in '98.
Jazza is a very fresh jazz pianist and the best saxophonoe player you can find in the 070 in Germany.
Mzaza is an alternative group of musicians playing folk fusion music inspired by the likes of Lhasa de Sela, Radio Tarifa, Manu Chao, Édith Piaf and Yasmin Levy. Current members are: Pauline Maudy, Greta Kelly, Jordan Stamos, Stephen Cuttriss, Tim Johannessen, Andrew Vievers. In the past Miranda Deutsch played guitar for this group. Mzaza explores the cross roads between ancient and contemporary melodies from France, Spain, the Balkans and the Middle East.
Wolfgang Muthspiel (born March 2, 1965 in Judenburg, Austria) is an Austrian guitarist and composer most associated with jazz and brother of the trombonist and pianist Christian Muthspiel. He started playing the violin at six and began study of the guitar as a teenager. After studying classical and jazz guitar in Graz, he completed his studies at the New England Conservatory and the Berklee College of Music. His high reputation, even in young years, made him the replacement of Pat Metheny in Gary Burton's band.