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Igmar Thomas
Trumpeter, Composer and Arranger
Igmar Thomas is a visionary artist and linchpin of the modern vanguard.
His fluency in swing and knack for transmuting the
genres of the African diaspora make him one of the
most sought-after minds in contemporary music.
An alumnus of Berklee College of Music and former
student of trumpeters Nicholas Payton and Roy
Hargrove, Thomas’ role varies from sideman and
section leader, to bandleader and musical director
on international tours for artists like Esperanza
Spalding and Kamasi Washington.
For more info: igmarthomas.com
Lyndon Rochelle
Drums
Gifted with a soulful groove that would
make anyone get up and dance, Lyndon Rochelle has
been enlisted by many of today’s most unique artists.
Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Rochelle started
as a young child on the pots and pans. By age five, he
was holding down the drum chair at his grandmother’s
church every Sunday morning. Rochelle is an alumnus
of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. During
his time at Berklee, he developed his sound by studying
the greats. While in Boston, he met and befriended
the 2011 GRAMMY® Award winner for Best New Artist,
Esperanza Spalding. As a result, he has performed
all over the world, including at such notable events
as the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for President
Barack Obama, the opening slot for Prince’s Welcome
to America tour and several European tours with
Esperanza Spalding. Since returning to Los Angeles,
Rochelle has lent has talents to such artist as James
Torme, The RZA, Andy Allo (guitarist/vocalist for
Prince), Erick Darrius (#1 on Billboard’s Contemporary
Jazz Charts) and a host of others ranging from jazz
to Hip-Hop and beyond. Rochelle believes in giving
back to the music community through education.
He teaches privately and through his local church.
In addition, he was hand picked to teach and mentor
at the Swarnabhoomi Academy Of Music in Chennai,
India, during the spring of 2011. He loves the drums,
but, more importantly, he loves people. His passion
for both music and life are on full display every time
he sits down to play.
For more info: musicians.allaboutjazz.com/Lyndonrochelle
Ben Williams
Bass
Acclaimed Grammy-winning bassist,
composer and bandleader Ben Williams is perhaps
best known for his work in the jazz world, specifically
as the longtime bassist of guitarist Pat Metheny’s
Unity Band. Williams has racked up a long list of
accomplishments within this world, winning awards
and performing with the likes of Wynton Marsalis,
George Benson, Maxwell, Robert Glasper and
Pharrell, among others. However, all those add up
to just one side of this dynamic, multi-faceted artist
who these days is thinking well beyond his work as
a bassist. On his sociopolitically charged new album
I AM A MAN, Williams steps into the limelight as
bandleader, singer and songwriter as he connects
the issues of the past and today.
For more info: benwilliamsmusic.net
Jamael Dean
Piano
Pianist and producer Jamael Dean is a
jazz prodigy who has collaborated and performed
with the likes of Kamasi Washington, Thundercat,
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Carlos Niño. Dean's
music reflects the dual influence of his Los Angeles
contemporaries and jazz ancestors, including
Sun Ra, Alice Coltrane, Herbie Hancock and soul
jazz drummer, Donald Dean — who is also his
grandfather. L.A., he says, is “the only place I can
go in the same day to a jam session with music
from the 20s and 30s, to another session with
music in the 40s through the 80s, and after that,
play music with my friends from that era onwards."
For more info: www.stonesthrow.com/artists/jamaeldean