Musicians

Born in Newport Beach, California, in 1958, Howard began playing at age ten, inspired by recordings of Armstrong, Basie and Goodman, as well as those by guitarists Barney Kessel, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt and George Van Eps. As a result of his associating with - and inspiration from - George Van Eps, Alden has been playing the seven-string guitar exclusively since 1992. In Woody Allen's movie, "Sweet and Lowdown," Howard is the guitar player for actor Sean Penn. To visit Howard's website, please click here.

Harry was born in Washington, D.C., in 1966. He has played at jazz festivals and clubs around the world. He has performed with Rosemary Clooney, Flip Phillips, Bucky and John Pizzarelli, and Harry "Sweets" Edison and has recorded with Tony Bennett, Johnny Mandel and Dave McKenna, among others. He lives in New York. To visit Harry's website, please click here.

Joe was born in 1961 and grew up in a musical family. He began playing drums at the age of two. He was a "roadie" for Buddy Rich as teenager, and got hooked on the jazz drumming of Rich, Gene Krupa, Jo Jones and others. He has toured worldwide and has appeared on nearly 50 albums as a sideman, recently debuing as leader on an Arbors album, "Post No Bills." He lives in New York. To visit Joe's website, please click here.

Born in Pasadena in 1955, Dan switched from piano to trombone in the fifth grade. He performs at festivals worldwide and is on many recordings. He has led his own bands and has arranged and composed for others. He was featured in Benny Goodman's last band, and has played in many movies, including "Cotton Club" and "Brighton Beach Memoirs." He lives in Costa Mesa, CA. To visit Dan's website, please click here.

"Versatility, virtuosity and passion" said one of John's collegues. Swingster John Cocuzzi has New Orleans flavor with East Coast class. He plays with passion and intensity on piano, vibes and drums for dance music and more: ballads, burners, and blues; boogie woogie and familiar standards -- all in John's dynamic style and diverse rhythms. His innovation brings new life to old favorites. An intuitive performer, John possesses that musical "fire in the belly," igniting the crowd with skillful improvisation, "telling his story" through high-energy, spirited solos. After more than 20 years working in the D.C. area, John has recently moved to California and is establishing himself in the Sacramento area. To visit John's website, please click here.

"Fast Eddie" Erickson was born in San Francisco in 1948. He began his banjo/guitar career in the San Jose area in the mid '60s and moved to Monterey in 1969 to work at Capone's Warehouse on Canary Row. He has appeared with such noted jazz performers as Jackie Coon, Rick Fay, Dan Barrett, Dave Frishberg and Johnny Varro. From 1978 to 1983, Eddie led the "Riverboat Rascals" show band on board Disney's Empress Lilly Showboat. In recent years, Eddie has been featured with Big Mama Sue at festivals, fairs, and even the "Sancy Snow" Jazz Festival in France. To visit Eddie's website, please click here.

Wycliffe was born into a musical family in Waynesboro, Georgia, in 1967. He started playing piano, but took up the trombone at the age of 12. Gordon was a sophomore at Florida A&M U. when Wynton Marsalis was impressed by his playing. Wycliffe has gone on to become a major young figure in jazz, playing in festivals here and abroad, frequently at Lincoln Center with Marsalis, with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and as the youngest member of the Statesmen of Jazz. He is a composer and arranger as well and also teaches at Juilliard. He lives in New York City. To visit Wycliffe's website, please click here.

Jake's steady beat and skillful accents have graced many big and small bands, including those of Woody Herman, Ted Weems, Duke Ellington, Marian McPartland, Count Basie, Maynard Ferguson, Supersax and the Merv Griffin TV band. Born in Massachusetts in 1932, Jake started playing drums in a marching band at the age of five. He moved to Los Angeles in 1975. He is also a witty and gifted raconteur.

Holly Hofmann is one of the most prominent jazz flutists. She was born near Cleveland, Ohio, and was initially classically trained, studying with the first flutist of the Cleveland Orchestra, at Interlochen, the Cleveland Institute of Music and the University of Northern Colorado. She also studied in New York with Frank Wess and Slide Hampton, who encouraged her to make a career in jazz flute. Later, bass legend Ray Brown took her on tour with him. She has played at festivals across the country. She moved to San Diego in 1985, and is music director of the Jazz in the Park concert series at the San Diego Museum of Art. She is married to jazz pianist Mike Wofford. To visit Holly's website, please click here.

Dick was born in New York City in 1927. He studied at Columbia University and played with Teddy Wilson, Red Norvo, Benny Goodman, and other jazz greats, but he says his best musical education came from working as a studio musician on radio and television in the 1950s, when he had to shift from one style to another as shows came and went throughout the day. He also recorded under his own name, beginning in the mid-1950s for MGM. Dick has stayed in demand as much as any musician around, working for TV, scoring film soundtracks for Woody Allen, and, more recently, as a jazz pianist and organist. To visit Dick's website, please click here.

Rebecca Kilgore is one of America's leading song stylists intent on preserving the vocal jazz of the 30s and 40s. Rebecca has performed with a number of small and large bands over the years and brings warmth and vibrancy to the music wherever she goes. In 2002, Rebecca joined musical forces with Eddie Erickson and Dan Barrett, to form her new band, BED (an acronym for members Becky, Eddie and Dan). Their audience-friendly humor combined with jazzy, jivey swing makes BED a favorite with listeners of all ages. To visit Rebecca's website, please click here.

Born in Australia in 1970, Nicki began her musical training on piano at the age of four and soon took up the flute as well. She switched to double bass at 15 because her sister, alto sax player Lisa, wanted a bass in her group. She moved to New York in 1994, and has since performed at the Newport, Lionel Hampton and Berlin jazz festivals, among many others. She plays regularly at the Iridium Jazz Club in NYC with guitarist Les Paul. To visit Nicki's website, please click here.

He has recorded over 75 albums under his own name, and has also appeared on recordings with Etta Jones, Lena Horne, Lou Rawls, Dakota Staton and Horace Silver. He is a recipient of the Eubie Blake Jazz Award. Two recent recordings on the HighNote label are "Dialogues" with bassist Ron Carter and "Sentimental Journey." He has played at Lincoln Center and at many festivals here and in Europe. Born in 1934, Houston grew up in Florence, SC, and lives in Croton Falls, NY.

Ed toured with Benny Goodman's sextet in 1973. From 1975 to 1985, he was manager, co-owner and bandleader at Eddie Condon's Club in New York. He has appeared in hundreds of concerts, festivals, and jazz parties here and abroad and has led his band in performances with symphony orchestras. His most recent CD is "Lionel, Red and Bunny-A centennial celebration of Lionel Hampton, Red Norvo and Bunny Berigan." Born in 1937, he lives in Brooklyn, NY. To visit Ed's website, please click here.

John spent 23 years with the Jim Cullum Jazz Band as both its pianist and principal arranger, writing over 1,000 arrangements before leaving in 2002 to pursue a freelance career. He has recorded many CDs for Arbors Records and as a sideman has recorded with John Allred, Allan Vaché and others. His long association with the singer Banu Gibson began in 1990. Born in 1946, John lives in San Antonio.

Richard is one of the busiest bass players in the Los Angeles area. Born in Kansas City, he moved to L.A. in 1977. He performs at festivals, concerts, and nightclubs. He has recorded with Rosemary Clooney, Plas Johnson, Buddy Collette, Al Viola, Gerald Wiggins, and others. In 1995, he founded the UFO-BASS recording label to document the music of often-overlooked West Coast musicians. To visit Richard's website, please click here.

Allan Vaché was born in 1953 in Rahway, New Jersey. He is the younger brother of cornetist Warren Vaché, Jr. During his years in the New York area, Allan performed with Bobby Hackett, Wild Bill Davison, Bob Wilber, and Lionel Hampton. His clarinet studies were with David Dworkin of the Metropolitan Opera and Kenny Davern. In 1975 Allan joined The Jim Cullum Jazz Band. Allan appears on all Riverwalk Jazz broadcasts recorded up until 1992, when he left the Cullum band to pursue a free-lance career. Since then, he has appeared as a solo performer at jazz parties and festivals around the US and abroad. In 1993 Allan moved to Orlando to perform at Walt Disney World, Church Street Station and Rosie O'Grady's. He has numerous recordings on the Audiophile, Jazzology, and Arbors Jazz labels.

Warren has played and recorded with such artists as Rosemary Clooney, Benny Carter, Hank Jones, Benny Goodman, Gerry Mulligan, Woody Herman, Ruby Braff and Bobby Short. He has played at many festivals and in concert halls in the USA and abroad, including the Newport Jazz festival, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Hailing from a musical family, Warren has recorded over 35 albums under his own name. He lives in Rahway, NJ, where he was born in 1951. To visit Warren's website, please click here.

Joe Wilder is respected in the worlds of both jazz and classical music. Born in 1922 in Colwyn, PA, he played in the bands of Les Hite, Lionel Hampton, Jimmie Lunceford, Lucky Millinder, and Count Basie. On the classical side, he has played with the New York Philharmonic and the Symphony of the New World. He spent many years in theater bands on Broadway and in studio orchestras. He has played in concerts and festivals worldwide. He was recently named a 2008 National Endowment of the Arts "Jazz Master," along with Quincy Jones, Candido and Gunther Schuller. He lives in New York.