Sam Noto - Trumpet

Renowned trumpeter Sam Noto began playing professionally in his mid-teens playing casuals and clubs in and around his native town Buffalo, New York. He eventually received his first big break when he was asked to join the Stan Kenton Band in 1953. He was a member of the band for seven years. After leaving Kenton Sam worked with a number of name big bands including  Count Basie, Woody Herman, Louis Bellson and The Boss Brass. In the seventies Sam Noto recorded a number of albums for Xanadu Records under his own name featuring such players as Joe Romano, Barry Harris, Sam Jones, Jimmy Rowles, Billy Higgins. Sam  also participated on recordings for Xanadu featuring musicians such as Al Cohn, Dexter Gordon, Charles McPherson, Blue Mitchell, Kenny Drew and Red Rodney. Sam Noto leads his own quintet  and has a new CD due out in the fall of 1999.

Mark Eisenman - Piano

Mark has worked with some of the leading names in jazz, including singers Mark Murphy and Ernistine Anderson, to instrumentalists Nat Adderly, Woody Shaw, Pat LaBarbera, and Rob McConnell. His trio was a finalist in the Alcan Jazz Competition in Montreal in the summer of 1987. He has appeared on recordings with Alex Dean ("Dreamsville" and "Both Feet"), and Joe Coughlin ("Second Debut"). He has contributed his writing skills to the above and seems to be the main contributor to the Alex Dean Quintet's recorded repertoire. His composition "Sweet Spot" is also featured on "The Revellers". His playing has been described as a "soloist of great precision and a real sense of style." Mark Miller, Globe and Mail, March 1990.

Steve Wallace - Bass

Steve is perhaps the most sought after bassist on the Canadian scene. He has toured the United States and Europe with Oscar Peterson, Russia with Fraser McPherson, and Canada and the United States with Oliver Jones and the Concord All Stars. He has recorded with Rob McConnell, Sam Noto, Fraser McPherson, among many other leading artists. He has worked with virtually every name that has come through Toronto in the past fifteen years, including Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, George Coleman, Pepper Adams and Red Rodney.

Jerry Fuller - Drums

Jerry Fuller was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1939. He studied drums privately with Jim Blackley, and studied harmony & arranging at Westlake College in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. Jerry worked all across Canada and settled in Toronto in 1963. Besides doing a great deal of studio work, Jerry has been very active on the Toronto Jazz scene for over 35 years. Jerry has been a first call drummer for many years working with over 150 visiting jazz musicians in Toronto including: Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, George Coleman, Hank Jones, "Slam" Stewart, James Moody, Milt Jackson, Kay Winding, Pepper Adams, "Blue" Mitchell, Lee Konitz, Paul Desmond, Art Pepper, Tom Harrell, Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw, etc. Jerry's recording credits include sessions with Duke Ellington, Mel Torme/Boss Brass, George Shearing, Oscar Peterson, Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw, Kirk MacDonald Quartet, Lorne Lofsky Trio, Moe Koffman, Peter Appleyard, Brian Dickinson Trio and many others.

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