Guest Artists

AMOS HOFFMAN (pronounced AH-mus) is an Israeli Jazz Guitarist & Oudist known worldwide as a pioneer in fusing the rhythms and melodic themes of the Middle East with Modern Jazz. 

Hoffman started playing guitar at the age of 6, and the oud a few years later. He studied guitar privately, and later attended the prestigious Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem. His search for new musical experiences led him first to Amsterdam, and then to New York City, where he played jazz with both established musicians and up-and-coming talents like Jason Lindler, bassist Avishai Cohen, and Claudia Acuna.

To date, Hoffman has recorded 5 solo albums: The Dreamer (1999), Na’ama (2006), Evolution (2008), Carving (2010), and his most recent release, Back to the City (2015).  He has also contributed on dozens more for artists in Israel and worldwide including Avishai Cohen, Kiko Berenguer (Spain), and Jan Mlynarski (Poland).  

In 2013, Amos was awarded one of Israel’s most prestigious prizes – The Landau Prize for Arts and Sciences for Outstanding Achievement in the field of Jazz. Now based in the U.S., Hoffman looks forward to creating new musical adventures and reaching an even larger audience.

Whether leading the Tamir Hendelman Trio or as a long-time member of the Jeff Hamilton Trio and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, award-winning pianist-composer Tamir Hendelman is known for his dynamic and sensitive touch, and his imaginative arranging. Tamir Hendelman has toured and recorded with Natalie Cole (Still Unfortgettable), Barbra Streisand (Love Is The Answer, One Night Only: Live at the Village Vanguard), Roberta Gambarini (Easy to Love), and in duo with Tierney Sutton, in venues from the US to Europe to Japan .

As a youth, he moved from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles, winning Yamaha’s national keyboard competition, performing in Japan and the Kennedy Center, attending Tanglewood in 1998 and receiving a Bachelor of Music Composition from the Eastman School of Music in 1993 after studies with pianist/composers Clare Fischer and Billy Childs.

His own latest trio recording, Destinations reached #1 in the US jazz charts and explores his musical influences, while his first recording, Playground features him with John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton with whom he has performed in the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra since 2001.

Tamir Hendelman appears on recordings by Paul McCartney, Michael Buble and Diana Krall. He has performed with Benny Golson, Eddie Henderson, Houston Person, James Moody and Sean Jones and has recorded and arranged for Richard Galliano, Lori Bell, Graham Dechter and Claudio Roditi.

Andrew H. Binder (b.1993) is a bassist and composer from St. Louis, Missouri, currently Adjunct Professor at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, MO and a participant in the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop under the direction of Alan Ferber and Andy Farber.

Andrew holds a D.M.A. from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana in Jazz Performance with a cognate in Music Composition. He also holds a M.M. in Music Composition from the University of Miami Frost School of Music, and B.M.A. degrees in Composition, Jazz Studies and Double Bass Performance from Bowling Green State University.

For bass, Andrew has studied jazz with Willem Von Hombracht, Jeff Halsey, Don Coffman and Larry Gray; Classical bass under Robert Rohwer and Dr. Brian Powell.

For composition, Andrew has studied with composers Stephen Taylor, Christopher Dietz, Mikel Kuehn, Marilyn Shrude, Dorothy Hindman and Lansing McLoskey. He has also received multiple lessons through residency from prestigious composers including Augusta Read Thomas, Martin Bresnick and Christopher Theofanidis. 

Additionally, Andrew has studied jazz composition and arranging with Scott Lavender (arranger for Johnny Mathis) and Gary Lindsay (author of the book "Jazz Arranging Techniques: From Quartet to Big Band").

Some of his accomplishments include winner of the 2018 Ensemble Ibis Competition Graduate division for his piece Brux, winner of the 26th Annual Craig's Keyboards/UT Young Composer's Competition. Andrew has had works performed by new music groups Dal Niente, Ritual Action, and Ensemble Ibis; works read by the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and members of the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra; Finalist in the 2014 Douglas Wayland Chamber Competition Graduate Division; Arrangements recorded and/or performed by University of Studio Jazz Band, Miami Vocal Jazz Ensemble, University of Illinois' Concert Jazz Band and Repertory Jazz Orchestra. Andrew has also participated in the Charlotte New Music Festival and the Dal Niente + DePaul Summer Residency for New Music.

Andrew has performed in a wide variety of groups with high caliber musicians. Some notable musicians he’s performed with include Chip McNeill, Joel Spencer, Tito Carrillo, Larry Gray, Chip Stephens, Mark Tonelli, Jose Gobbo, Dave Stone, and Tammy McCann.

A few formal groups include Perrysburg Symphony Orchestra, Ibis New Music Ensemble, and Bowling Green New Music Ensemble. Andrew has also worked as a bassist for Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, Little Theatre on the Square, and Adirondack Performing Arts Fellowship. Additionally, he's an in demand bassist with jazz groups and R&B/popular music groups.

Mark Tonelli is an internationally-renowned musician and educator based in Decatur, Illinois. He is associate professor of music and coordinator of guitar studies at Millikin University, an Illinois Humanities Road Scholar, and a Fulbright Scholar to Brazil.

Mark enjoys an active performing career, working with a wide variety of artists: American Idol Clay Aiken, Broadway legend Rita Moreno, rock icons The Platters; crooner Bobby Rydell; and jazz musician Peter Erskine. He has been seen on Fox News and in the Emmy- nominated PBS special Marina At West Point.

Mark has had residencies in the major music hubs of New York City, Dallas, and Kansas City. His group has released three critically-acclaimed recordings on the MTonal Music label and performs Mark’s award- winning original compositions, rock pieces reimagined for jazz, and Brazilian gems.

He has performed on three continents, including Ukraine, Holland, Brazil, and Canada and in twenty-five U.S. states. As a Fulbright Scholar, Mark served as a visiting professor at Universidade Federal de Uberlândia in Minas Gerais, Brazil and traveled across the country performing in the cities of São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Goiânia, and Campinas.

For ten years, Mark was the guitarist for the U.S. Army Jazz Knights, touring and performing in the nation's top venues, including Jazz Standard, Blues Alley, Jazz Showcase, Kennedy Center, Jazz Kitchen, and Avery Fisher Hall. With the Jazz Knights, Mark performed with a who's who of jazz legends including Benny Golson, Billy Cobham, Bobby Watson, Rufus Reid, and Bob Mintzer, as well as the Boston Pops and the New York Philharmonic Brass Quintet.

Mark's music has been featured on National Public Radio's (NPR) All Things Considered. He has been a winner or finalist in the Billboard Magazine World Song Contest and the USA Songwriting Competition. Mark is the author of “Everybody's Jazz Guitar Method,” “Way To Play: Jazz Guitar Riffs and Chords,” and “Way To Play: Chord Melody,” published by the FJH Music Company; and “Entrepreneurship in Action: The Power of Student-Run Ventures,” published by Edward Elgar. He has made presentations at major music conferences, including the Jazz Education Network, National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and the College Music Society. He proudly endorses D'Addario Strings and Eastman Guitars.

NYC-based drummer Allison Miller defies all boundaries bringing her individual sound to diverse types of music while preserving their stylistic authenticity. Allison goes from playing with legendary songwriting vocalists Ani DiFranco, Brandi Carlile and Natalie Merchant, to touring with avant- garde saxophonist Marty Ehrlich and legendary organist Doctor Lonnie Smith. She approaches each of these musical situations with her own stylistic identity and a creative, fresh and energetic approach. Allison was chosen as “Rising Star Drummer” in Downbeat’s 53rd Annual Critics Poll.

Raised in the Washington D.C. area, Miller began playing the drums at the age of ten, studying with Walter Salb, and was soon thereafter featured in Downbeat magazine's "Up and Coming" section in 1991. Five years later, after graduating from West Virginia University she moved to New York City to study with Michael Carvin and Lenny White and pursue what has became a fruitful career as a freelance drummer, composer, producer, and teacher. Miller’s talents have landed her gigs in the mainstream music world, with artists like Natalie Merchant, Ani DiFranco, and most recently, singer Brandi Carlile; and her jazz skills have been embraced by everyone from avant-garde saxophonist Marty Ehrlich to organ legend Dr. Lonnie Smith, with a wide range of leaders in between, including Steven Bernstein, Kenny Barron, Erik Friedlander, Mark Helias, Ray Drummond, Peter Bernstein, Sheila Jordan, George Garzone, Mike Stern, Rachel Z, Kevin Mahogany, Bruce Barth, Mark Soskin, and Harvie S.

Allison is currently celebrating the release of her second solo leader album, BOOM TIC BOOM (Foxhaven Records, March 2010). This album pays homage to and is inspired by all of the important women in Millers life. The album features pianist Myra Melford, violinist Jenny Scheinman, and bassist Todd Sickafoose. Together, they musically collaborate, creatively expounding on compositions written primarily by Miller and Melford.

She also leads or co-leads several other bands, including EMMA, with singer/songwriter Erin McKeown; TILT, with pianist Taylor Eigsti and bassist Jon Evans; and Agrazing Maze, with trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, pianist Enrique Haneine, and bassist Carlo DeRosa. Miller has also been recognized by the Showtime network, which featured her music in the series The L Word, and by the US State Department when she was chosen to tour East Africa, Eurasia and Southeast Asia as a Jazz Ambassador.

Allison also produced the critically acclaimed children's album. Ask the Planet (2009). Organized by the Biomimicry Institute, Ask the Planet connects environmentalism with song, while educating children about respecting the environment and learning from nature's plan.

Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet

“Kurt Rosenwinkel’s music is the sound of the future - just like bebop once was”
– Chicago Tribune

“Kurt Rosenwinkel is a genius - he really is, and Caipi is music to heal the soul”
– Eric Clapton

Kurt Rosenwinkel has been a distinct and prominent creative voice at the forefront of modern music for nearly three decades. The American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer has gained international recognition for his deft artistry and unabated individualism since he first appeared on the New York music scene in 1991. His legacy as the pre-eminent jazz guitar voice of his generation is plainly evident on his eleven albums as a leader, each one the inspiration for legions of musicians young and old across the globe. Kurt’s aesthetic vision and multi-genre facility has caught the ear of some of modern music’s most prominent stars; collaborations with Eric Clapton, Q-tip, Gary Burton, Paul Motian, Joe Henderson, Brad Mehldau, and Donald Fagen are but a few highlights from a remarkably diverse and extensive catalog of over 150 sideman recordings. In the winter of 2016, Kurt formed the independent music label Heartcore Records with the focused intention of signing and promoting a new generation of musicians whose exacting standards match his own. Heartcore has also allowed Kurt to flourish in yet another dimension of music making, that of the record producer. He self-produced his eleventh album, 2017’s “Caipi”, and was more recently involved as a producer and guitarist on Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Pedro Martin’s 2019 release “Vox”.

The future looks intensely bright for Rosenwinkel, who is consistently busy as a sideman and leader of several projects. With plans to tour and release new material from his improvising trio Bandit 65, Brazilian rock/fusion band Caipi, and a forthcoming live solo album, this visionary artist doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon.

Fred Hamilton

Guitarist and Composer

“There is nothing better than the joy I feel when creating music in the moment with like minds and good friends. Taking chances, embracing the unexpected and having fun! Concert halls, jazz festivals, clubs, recording studios, and music classrooms are where I explore the many colors of my musical life.”

Fred is a Professor Emeritus at the University of North Texas, where he taught jazz guitar and improvisation. He grew up in Denver, studied guitar with Jim Atkins, played guitar in the NORAD Band in Colorado Springs and went to the University of Northern Colorado for Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in composition. He also was on the faculty at Bowling Green State University and St. Francis Xavier in Nova Scotia.

Some of the artists Fred has recorded with are Art Lande, Spike Robinson, Rob Mullins, David Friesen, Ed Soph, Dan Haerle, Kenny Wheeler, Marc Seales, Shelly Berg, Ndgu Chancellor, Lou Fischer, Pat Coil, Steve Houghton for labels which include Rabbit Ears Entertainment, Capri Records, Origin Records, Summit Records and North Texas Jazz. In 2022 he began a project of writing and filming video jazz guitar books published by Guitar by Masters on the web at guitarbymasters.com. Other music, books and collaborative works are published by UNC Jazz Press, Mel Bay Publications and Alfred Music.