2025 Artists and Ensembles

Daniel Bruce is a jazz guitarist who developed his unique voice through a decade in Chicago's vibrant jazz scene before transplanting to Ohio, where he now serves as founder and co-director of the Hingetown Jazz Festival in its third year while continuing to perform nationally with artists including Seamus Blake and the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra.

Howie Smith is a versatile jazz musician, composer, and professor emeritus at Cleveland State University who has performed and presented concerts worldwide with renowned artists from Dizzy Gillespie to the Cleveland Orchestra while serving as coordinator of jazz studies for nearly three decades.

Bobby Ferrazza is a Cleveland-born jazz guitarist who studied with legends Bill deArango, Joe Pass, and Pat Martino, has performed with world-renowned artists including Joe Lovano, Donald Byrd, and Joey DeFrancesco, and has taught at the Oberlin Conservatory since 1988.

Anthony Taddeo is a Cleveland-based drummer, composer, and educator who has performed with notable artists including Frank Wess, Ron McClure, and Bobby Selvaggio, leads multiple projects including Alla Boara and TMT Trio, and serves as co-director of JazzFest Academy Saturday Morning Program while being featured on over 30 albums throughout his career.

Christopher J. Coles is a Cleveland-born saxophonist based in the Greater Akron area who serves on faculty at Kent State University and other institutions, won the 2017 Knight Foundation Arts Challenge for his composition "Nine Lives," and has performed with notable artists including Grammy winner Slide Hampton while leading his own quartet Gleam and appearing regularly with ensembles throughout Northeast Ohio.

George is a Cambridge, Ohio native who studied in the Columbus Youth Jazz Orchestra and Michigan State University Jazz Studies Program under Rodney Whitaker, has worked with notable artists including Johnny O'Neal, Wessell Anderson, and Houston Person, and serves as director of the Midwestern arts initiative Appalachian Muse while remaining active nationally as a bandleader and educator.

Anthony Fuoco is a pianist, composer, and educator at Baldwin Wallace University who performs with groups including the Pulse Quartet and Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, co-released the album "Finding Home" with William Wedmedyk in 2020, and was featured on NPR's "Jazz Night in America" for his 2019 performance with Joe Lovano.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.

Jevaughn Bogard is a Cleveland-born saxophonist who leads the jazz fusion band Abstract Sounds, blending jazz, funk, soul, and gospel into an accessible yet boundary-pushing sound, having overcome open heart surgery during college to tour nationally and recently record horns for Beyoncé's NFL Christmas Day halftime show while performing at major festivals across the Midwest.

Abstract Sounds

SmokeFace is an Akron-born professional bassist and producer with over 15 years of experience who has performed with high-profile artists including MGK, Gucci Mane, and Migos at major festivals, while specializing in groove production, songwriting, and comprehensive music production services from tracking to mastering.

Tim Powell is a Cleveland-area bassist who performs on both string and electric bass as a member of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, while pursuing his passion for fishing, particularly for smallmouth bass.

Pulse is a Cleveland-based jazz quartet featuring Anthony Fuoco (piano), Dustin May (drums), Aidan Plank (bass), and Brad Wagner (saxophones) that blends jazz, classical, popular, and world music elements to create melodic and harmonically subtle soundscapes, having released their debut album in February 2025 on Panoramic Records.

Dustin May is an Ohio-based drummer known for his work with the Cleveland jazz quartet Pulse, serves as adjunct jazz faculty at Kent State University, and maintains an active freelance career in Northeast Ohio performing with artists including Bobby Selvaggio while also playing with the trio OHM alongside Dan Bruce and Jordan McBride.

Amber Rogers is a nationally recognized arts leader, nonprofit consultant, and community builder whose work bridges music, policy, and grassroots engagement. As a founder and co-director of the Hingetown Jazz Festival, she brings decades of experience developing innovative cultural initiatives, guiding organizations toward sustainable growth, and creating spaces where artists and audiences connect in meaningful ways. Her leadership has shaped multiple nationally recognized programs, and her strategic vision continues to strengthen the region’s creative ecosystem.

Bill Ransom is an internationally acclaimed drummer and percussionist who has toured and recorded with artists including Aretha Franklin, Diane Reeves, Gerald LeVert, and currently Beth Hart, while serving as faculty at Cleveland State University since 2007 where he teaches drums, mallet and hand percussion, and jazz combo, bringing his well-rounded experience across jazz, R&B, blues, classical, and rock to both performance and education.

Led by founder Kevin Robert Martinez, Reclamation Band is modern jazz with an open rural backdrop. Its unique combination of composed and improvised elements evoke an array of moods and styles, resulting in an engaging and immersive live Jazz experience.

Reclamation Band

Led by acclaimed alto saxophonist Bobby Selvaggio, this powerhouse trio brings together three of Northeast Ohio's most accomplished jazz artists. Selvaggio, praised by Joe Lovano as "one of the few young saxophonists on the scene today that captures you with his strong presence, focus, and sound," has earned critical acclaim with his recent release stories, dreams, inspirations: for my boy receiving 4 stars from DownBeat. As Director of Jazz Studies at Kent State University and a veteran of New York's premier venues including the Village Vanguard and Birdland, he continues to be a leading voice in contemporary jazz.

Horizon Trio is a Cleveland-based ensemble featuring veteran drummer Carmen Castaldi (ECM artist with Joe Lovano), trumpeter Garrett Folger, and pianist Anthony Fuoco, whose debut recording seamlessly integrates composition and improvisation into atmospheric performances that showcase each member's distinctive musical voice.

Carmen Castaldi is a Cleveland-born jazz drummer who studied at Berklee School of Music alongside Joe Lovano, spent decades as a sought-after sideman working with artists like Keely Smith and Sonny Stitt on the West Coast, and recorded the acclaimed album "Trio Tapestry" with Lovano and Marilyn Crispell in 2019.

Ashton Thomas is a Lorain, Ohio native and drum virtuoso who graduated from the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, has played on over 100 recordings and toured worldwide with artists including De'Sean Jones, Jessica Care Moore, and the late Amp Fiddler, while serving as a drum instructor since 2009 across jazz, R&B, gospel, and hip-hop genres.

Led by accomplished pianist and composer Andru Dennis, Mana Cannon showcases the dynamic fusion of Northeast Ohio's diverse musical talent.

Andru Dennis' Mana Cannon

Matt Ferraro is a saxophonist and woodwind specialist with over 40 years of experience in the Cleveland-Youngstown-Pittsburgh area who has performed with legendary artists including Smokey Robinson, Tony Bennett, and the Temptations, while maintaining an active teaching career and leading his own quartet, The Matt Ferraro Group (MFG).

Aidan Plank is a double bassist, electric bassist, and composer with 27 years of performance experience who serves as bassist for the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, leads the collaborative ensemble Pulse, and has worked with artists including Joe Lovano, Maria Schneider, and Terence Blanchard while currently serving as Assistant Teaching Professor of Jazz Bass at Bowling Green State University.

Howie Smith – saxophones
Bob Ferrazza - guitar
David Thomas – Hammond organ
Bill Ransom – drums & percussion

Dave Thomas is a Youngstown-born pianist and organist who was an original member of R&B group "Sweet Thunder" and has performed with legendary artists including Dizzy Gillespie, James Cleveland, and Grover Washington, while serving as an educator at multiple institutions including Cleveland State University and co-authoring the Coretta Scott King Award-winning book "A Child's First Book of Spirituals."

Kevin is a Northeast Ohio jazz musician and composer who earned degrees from Columbia College Chicago and DePaul University, toured nationally with the Chicago Afrobeat Project, and since returning to Ohio in 2010 has become a mainstay in the regional jazz scene while also serving as orchestrator for the Canton Symphony Orchestra.

Tim McDonald is a Cleveland Heights-born saxophonist who developed his passion for Black American Music through local swing and blues groups in high school, now leads his own quartet exploring original compositions with global folk influences while serving as a member of Ernie Krivda's Fat Tuesday Big Band and teaching jazz combos at his alma mater Cleveland Heights High School.

Bobby Selvaggio is a leading alto saxophonist and Director of Jazz Studies at Kent State University who earned acclaim from Joe Lovano and Kenny Werner, has recorded multiple critically-acclaimed albums including the 4-star Downbeat-reviewed "stories, dreams, inspirations: for my boy" (2023), and continues to tour extensively while dedicating himself to keeping jazz alive in Northeast Ohio.

Garrett Folger is a Cleveland-based freelance composer, educator, and performer who graduated from Baldwin-Wallace University and has performed internationally at venues like Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, collaborating with groups including the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra while leading his own ensemble that interprets his original compositions.

Abstract Sounds is a Cleveland-based jazz fusion band led by saxophonist Jevaughn Bogard that blends jazz, funk, soul, gospel, and dance into high-energy performances, having opened for notable artists like Kid Capri and Mark Lettieri while making jazz accessible through their crowd-friendly approach influenced by Snarky Puppy and Herbie Hancock.

Aaron is a multi-talented musician, producer, engineer, and video editor based in Northeast Ohio who brings his diverse technical and creative skills to various musical projects while maintaining his faith as a central part of his artistic identity.

Andru Dennis is a North Canton-born pianist and composer who studied at Tri-C's jazz program and the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the University of Hartford, has performed with notable artists including Christian McBride and Wynton Marsalis, and currently performs throughout Northeast Ohio while teaching piano with a focus on presenting music as a language and the joys of improvisation.

Led by Cleveland-area bassist Tim Powell, this trio showcases the rich musical diversity of Northeast Ohio's jazz community. Powell, who performs on both acoustic and electric bass with the prestigious Cleveland Pops Orchestra, brings orchestral precision and versatility to the intimate trio setting.

Rock Wehrmann is a jazz pianist in-demand across the Midwest as a performer, producer, musical director, and accompanist who serves as a first-call musician for Playhouse Square, the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, and the Cleveland Pops while teaching jazz studies at the University of Akron and Cleveland State University.

Brad Wagner is a multi-reed player (saxophones, flutes, clarinets) and composer who earned a BM in Jazz Studies from the University of Cincinnati and performs with Pulse, the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, Ernie Krivda's Fat Tuesday Big Band, and numerous other ensembles while freelancing with orchestras including the Cleveland Orchestra and backing artists across jazz, rock, and pop genres.