In his two decades as an integral member of New York City’s improvised music community, saxophonist and composer Tony Malaby has emerged as a wholly unique and singular voice. DownBeat’s “80 Coolest Things in Jazz” article said “[Malaby] is a formidably accomplished soprano and tenor saxophonist with enviable tone and an endless font of compelling ideas [who] steers his music away from perfection” and “his considerable gifts as a melodist tend to sneak up on you.” JazzTimes called him “a hero of today’s improvised music scene.” These accolades are unsurprising given the number of projects Malaby has been involved in since arriving in New York in the early 1990s.

Pianist-composer-educator Angelica Sanchez moved to New York from Arizona in 1994. Since moving to the East Coast, Sanchez has collaborated with such notable artists as Wadada Leo Smith, Paul Motian, Richard Davis, Jamaladeen Tacuma, Nicole Mitchell, Rob Mazurek, Tim Berne, Mario Pavone, Ben Monder amongst others. Sanchez leads numerous groups, including her trio which features Michael Formanek and Billy Hart. Her latest project “Float The Edge” features Michael Formanek and Tyshawn Sorey and has garnered wide critical acclaim. Her new piano duo “How to Turn the Moon,” with Marilyn Crispell was voted as one of the top 50 best recordings in 2020 by the NPR critics poll. Her most recent recording “Sparkle Beings,” was chosen by The New York Times as one of the top ten Jazz recordings of 2022.

Percussionist Tom Rainey’s voluminous recording credits easily place him on the A-list of drummers closely identified with the New York City modern creative jazz scene from the late ’80s onward. He has performed at festivals and clubs throughout North America and Europe with a wide range of artists, including John Abercrombie, Ray Anderson, Tim Berne, Jane Ira Bloom, Ted Curson, Marc Ducret, George Gruntz, David Torn, Mark Helias, Fred Hersch, Andy Laster, Joe Lovano, Carmen McRae, Mike Nock, Simon Nabatov, New and Used, Matthias Schubert, Tom Varner, WDR Big Band, Ken Werner and Denny Zeitlin. Tom Rainey received a National Endowment for the Arts grant to compose and perform a concert of music for percussion and drums featuring Dave Samuels and Arto Tuncboyaci. Tom Rainey recorded his debut album as a leader, “Pool School” for Cleanfeed Records in May 2010. The CD also features Mary Halvorson on guitar and Ingrid Laubrock on saxophone. The trio’s follow-up CD “Camino Cielo Echo” was just released on Intakt Records.