April 29-30, 2005

Dick has had a busy musical career beginning in the early 50s and has functioned as pianist, organist, arranger, conductor and composer.  His versatility in all of these areas has resulted in over 100 albums recorded under his own name and many more in support of other artists.  While developing a masterful ability for improvisation in his own piano style, Hyman has investigated the earliest periods of jazz and ragtime and has researched and recorded the music of Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, Zez Confrey, Eubie Blake, Fats Waller, and other early figures.  Additionally, he has had a prolific career as a studio musician and has won seven Most Valuable Player Awards from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.  He has served as composer/arranger/conductor/ pianist for many of the Woody Allen films. 

BYRON STRIPLING, trumpet
Westerville, OH

With a contagious smile and captivating charm, this trumpet virtuoso has ignited audiences internationally.  As soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra, he has performed frequently under the baton of Keith Lockhart as well as being featured soloist on the PBS television special, "Evening at Pops," with conductors John Williams and Mr. Lockhart.  Currently, Byron serves as artistic director and conductor of the highly acclaimed Columbus Jazz Orchestra.  Since his Carnegie Hall debut with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops, he has become a pops orchestra favorite throughout the country including Boston, Cincinnati, Seattle, Baltimore, Minnesota, St. Louis, Vancouver, Utah and The American Jazz Philharmonic, to name a few.  An accomplished actor and singer, Byron was chosen to star in the lead role of the Broadway bound musical, "Satchmo".  He has played and recorded extensively with the bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, Louis Bellson and Buck Clayton. 

Growing up in Rhode Island, a state that has produced such notable tenor sax stars as Scott Hamilton and Paul Gonsalves, Harry was introduced at a young age to the great traditional tenor saxophonists. From early on, his roots have been firmly based in the school of tenor sax playing made famous in the 1930s and '40s by Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young and later, Stan Getz and Zoot Sims. At age fourteen, he made his debut at the Newport Jazz Festival. At age seventeen, for his first performance in the New York area, he substituted for the great Zoot Sims, performing with such jazz venerables as Ruby Braff, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Bunch and George Masso. Since then he has gone on to perform at jazz festivals worldwide, including the JVC Jazz Festivals in New York, Saratoga Springs, Waterloo Village and Nice; the Soho Jazz Festival of London and the Rome Jazz Festival. John S. Wilson, New York Times, is quoted, "Mr. Allen is loose and confident, making positive entrances that launch him on solos that have a compelling flow. Even when he takes on a dark, lush ballad coloration...his lines are strong and clear."

Jay is a rare bird . . . he is one of the most sought after jazz bassists in the world, he is a renowned poet and songwriter, a widely acclaimed performer of his own songs, and has even written for the Op-Ed page of the New York Times. He is an autobiographical poet whose songs reflect his life in and out of music. He has played for most of the Pop and Jazz stars of the last 30 years, from Judy Garland to Carly Simon, James Brown to James Taylor, Zoot Sims to Michael Brecker, Duke Ellington to Dave Grusin. He performed his own compositions as the regular musical commentator on PBS's "11th Hour," and has appeared on The Today Show, the Tonight Show, and David Letterman. Three times Jay has been named the Most Valuable Bassist in the recording industry by the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Frank is a graduate of Boston University's School of Music and started at the top with his first professional job as drummer with the Stan Kenton Orchestra. He has played with Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Harry James, Stan Getz and many others plus touring with Andre Previn for 8 years along with 20 albums with Previn. As a freelance musician he has performed on more than 200 motion picture soundtracks. Capp leads the renowned jazz orchestra, Juggernaut, which is kept busy doing concerts, jazz festivals, parties and dances as well as recording on the Concord Jazz label