Dr. Jeremy L. George is a native of Sanford, Florida. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Music Education with an emphasis in Percussion Performance from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, Florida. After completing his bachelor's degree, he served as bassist, percussionist, and vocalist on a 9-month international tour with the theatrical production Drumline Live. This live entertainment guild performed 126 shows—traveling to Japan and many cities across the United States. In 2014 Dr. George received his master's degree in Music Education from Florida State University and shortly after was appointed the director of bands at James S. Rickards High School in Tallahassee, FL. His commitment to excellence during his tenure at Rickards landed him the Tom Bishop Award— a prestigious award from the Florida Bandmasters Association that recognizes directors for making a positive difference in a relatively short time. During his tenure as Band Director at Rickards, the Raider band received 16 superior ratings on the district and state levels in the areas of Marching, Symphonic, and Jazz Bands. Before his appointment at Rickards High School, he served two years as Director of Bands at Jefferson County Middle High School and two years as the music teacher at Sabal Palm Elementary. Dr. George recently completed his Ph.D. in Music Education at Florida State University. His dissertation examined the influence of gospel music on jazz pedagogy. During his doctoral studies, he studied under legendary bassist Rodney Jordan. While simultaneously presenting his research at both the FMEA conference and the Arizona State University Desert Skies Symposium. In addition, he has written a Jazz Pedagogy article published in the Florida Music Director in late 2021. As a professional, Dr. George serves as an adjudicator and clinician for the Florida Bandmasters Association and on the state FBA Jazz committee. His professional affiliations include the Florida Music Educators Association, Florida Bandmasters Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America Inc., and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. As a performer, Dr. George has spent the last 11 years as the bassist for recording and touring band; Tallahassee Night's Live—with his last two years serving as musical director. Throughout his playing career, he has shared the stage with nationally acclaimed Grammy Award-winning Gospel, Jazz, Hip Hop, and R&B recording artists such as Ledisi, Kanye West, Jamie Foxx, Marvin Sapp, Dorothy Norwood, Angela Spivey, Pat Row, Eric Roberson, and Jimmy Cozier. Additionally, Dr. George serves as a performing artist for many bass companies such as Anaconda Basses, DR Strings, Gallien Kruger Amps, Aguilar Pedals, Nordstrand Pickups, Igig Cases, and Inearz Audio. As a percussionist, he is a performer, clinician, adjudicator, and educational endorsee of Mike Balter Mallets and Mapex/Majestic Percussion. Dr. George lives in Austin with his beautiful wife Valerie, his three children, Kacey, and twins Jeremy and Jeremiah.

Grant Teeple is a Saxophonist, Jazz Musician, and Educator from Grand Haven, MI. Grant received his Bachelor's Degree in Jazz Studies from Michigan State University. Led by the renowned bassist, Rodney Whitaker, he studied with Diego Rivera with mentorship from other esteemed faculty Randy Napoleon, Etienne Charles, Michael Dease, Xavier Davis, and Randy Gillespie. In May 2022, Grant was awarded his Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies from Florida State University. At FSU, Grant held an assistantship with David Detweiler teaching ensembles, improvisation and applied lessons. In his graduate studies, Grant worked closely with Leon Anderson, Rodney Jordan, and Marcus Roberts, and was invited to play with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the Tallahassee Ballet and several local bands. Grant has since moved to Austin to join the faculty at Huston-Tillotson University, and in addition to performing regularly around town, he has become an integral part of teaching woodwinds and improvisation at the university.

Andre Hayward is an extremely gifted trombonist with the sound and clarity reminiscent of the late J.J. Johnson. His gospel-tinged approach is refreshing and will warm the hearts of anyone he comes in contact with. He is by no means a purist and can function in a wide range of musical settings. Born in Houston, Texas in 1973, Hayward's first exposure to the world of music was through his parents, Melvin and Barbara Hayward where musical talent exists on both sides. Hayward began playing trombone and tuba at the age of 11 under the tutelage of Leon Schreiber and 2 years later with Bob Odneal who was lead trumpeter for Maynard Ferguson. Hayward continued playing through high school where he attended the High School for Performing and Visual Arts under the direction of notable jazz educator Robert "Doc" Morgan. He continued to hone his skills with Houston's legendary educator Conrad O. Johnson. It was Conrad's instruction, and the opportunity to work in his big band "The Big Blue Sound," where he really started to gain experience working in an ensemble. ​He landed his first engagement with trumpeter Roy Hargrove for a European tour after being heard at a jam session during a festival while playing with the Texas Southern University Jazz Ensemble. After Hargrove, Hayward performed and recorded with singer/bandleader Betty Carter for five years in her acclaimed "Jazz Ahead"program. Other acclaimed performers include Joe Williams, Slide Hampton, John Lewis, Mingus Dynasty Big Band, Gerald Wilson, Kirk Whalum, Jimmy Heath, The Duke Ellington Orchestra and Illinois Jacquet's Big Band. His most recent performance credits are The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra of eight years. He is also a new member of The San Francisco Jazz Collective led by Joshua Redman. ​ In 2003, he received first place and a $20,000 scholarship at the International Thelonious Monk Trombone Competition in Washington,DC. Hayward is also an educator who has conducted numerous clinics and workshops in various parts of the US and overseas. He serves as adjunct trombone professor at both The New England Conservatory and New York University.

Lee “Sparky” Thomason is a trumpet player, composer, arranger, and educator from Rockdale, Texas. A frequent performer in Austin, Temple, and Waco; he is currently playing with the Temple Jazz Orchestra, the Tonic Big Band and Small Group, the N.O.W. (New Original Works) Jazz Orchestra, Duck Soup, and the Urban Achievers Brass Band, and subbing with anybody else whenever the phone rings. He has been arranging and composing big band jazz charts for the past thirty years. His charts have been performed by numerous high school, college, and professional bands all over Texas and Utah, where Thomason lived for seven years.​He has arranged charts for the Latin groups Mambo Jumbo, Latin Breed, Gilbert Alba, and the Super City Band. Thomason wrote and performed his first full orchestra arrangement of "Someone To Watch Over Me" four years ago with the Temple Symphony Orchestra and wrote his first concert band piece,"In the Days of Royal and Old" as a tribute to his high school band, the Big Blue Band from Tigerland of Rockdale, TX. He has written jazz arrangements for trumpet player Keith Fiala, Austin-based jazz trombone group, the Jazzbonez, and a brass quintet arrangement of his own tune, "Ludis Blues" for the brass quintet, the Brass Connection. Thomason has also recently began writing music for the British brass ensembles, as well.

Dr. Ross Margitza is a pianist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and educator. As a young musician, he studied with his father and grandfather, who were professional pianists in the city of Detroit, Michigan. Ross started playing piano at six years old and trumpet at age ten. He decided he wanted to become a jazz musician after listening to the recording “West Side Story,” by pianist Oscar Peterson. Ross received his Bachelor of Music from Michigan State University, his Master of Music from Northern Illinois University, and his Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Texas at Austin. He performed with musicians such as Russell Malone, Jon Faddis, Phil Woods, Patti Austin, Wess "Warmdaddy" Anderson, Roy McCurdy, Antonio Hart, Lynn Roberts, and Christian McBride. He also performed with the Gerald Wilson Orchestra, Detroit Jazz Orchestra, Glenn Miller Orchestra and Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. In 2009, Dr. Margitza placed second and won the audience favorite award in the Phillips Jazz Piano Competition. Ross performed internationally in Japan, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Spain, and Canada. He also performed in various cities all over the United States including Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York. From 2017 to 2022, Ross was selected as the Director of Instrumental Music at Flintridge Preparatory School from 2017-2022, located just north of Los Angeles. He currently resides in Austin, TX and is the Director of Instrumental Music at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School and also serves as the Jazz Piano Professor at Huston-Tillotson University.

Based in Austin, Texas, Daniel Dufour is a musician with extensive performance and teaching experience across the region as well as national and international appearances. Daniel earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Percussion Performance from Sam Houston State University and a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies from The University of Texas at Austin. As a band leader, Daniel has released multiple recordings. Distance (2017), Silsbee (2019), and Convergence (2020) feature all-original compositions; Daniel’s release of Standards (2020) is a collection of standard repertoire book-ended by free improvisational pieces. He has an extensive discography as a sideman, notably on Red Willow by Sean Michael Giddings (2021), Standard by Aubrey Logan (2021), and Caminando Con Papi by Pete Rodriguez (2013). ​ Daniel’s credits include many jazz festival appearances throughout his career: the Corpus Christi Jazz Festival, Jazz'S Alive Festival in San Antonio, the SHSU Bill Watrous Jazz Festival, Utopiafest, LuluFest, the Syracuse Jazz Festival, and the Festival De Arte Nuevo (Chihuahua, Mexico). He has shared the stage with world renown musicians such as Aubrey Logan, Andre Hayward, Alex Claffy, Mike Sailors, Rotem Sivan, Lynn Seaton, Pete Rodriguez, Gracie Terzian, Michael Weiss, Luther Allison, Marcos Valera, Benny Benack III, John Dokes, Elias Haslanger, Dr. James Polk, and Randy Brecker. He is currently the professor of drum set at Huston-Tillotson University, where he teaches applied lessons and studio classes. Daniel also instructs privately and has worked as a clinician and adjudicator at colleges and high schools across the country since 2015. Daniel can be found most nights playing in venues across the Austin, Houston, and San Antonio areas. He is an artist for Salyers Percussion, Aquarian Drum Heads, Zildjian Cymbals, and Canopus Drums.

Dr. Brian Pardo has performing/recording credits that include Jack McDuff, Chuck Israels, John Clayton, Stan Getz, Eddie Harris, Charles McPherson, Arthur Blythe, Barbara Dennerlein, Paul Hanson, Mark Levine, Rebeca Mauleón, Claudia Gomez, Tony Monaco, Paul McCandless, Bonnie Raitt, Audra McDonald, The Shirelles, Coco Lee, Tom Waits, Train, and many others. He has performed at the Monterey, San Francisco, Russian River, Clearwater, San Jose, Stanford, and JVC jazz festivals. His 2014 album, It’ll Always Be Home, features members of the Yellowjackets, Santana, Tower of Power, the Roy Hargrove Group, the Bobby McFerrin Group, the Mariah Carey band, and Kitaro. Dr. Pardo has also composed and produced music for film and television, including work for Paramount Pictures, PBS, Comedy Central, Apple Computers, Wells Fargo, The Ford Motor Company, Century 21, and Levi’s Apparel. Dr. Pardo has held faculty appointments at Texas State University, the University of California Berkeley, California State University East Bay, the California Jazz Conservatory, Mills College, Temple College, Central Texas College, and Diablo Valley College. For 11 years, he was Director of Jazz Studies at the Bentley Upper School in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been a clinician for Sibelius, Yamaha, Brian Moore Guitars, and the Jazz Masters Series, and is on the faculties of Jazz Camp West and the Lafayette Summer Jazz Workshop. Dr. Pardo holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance from the University of Texas at Austin, a Master of Arts in Music Composition from Mills College in Oakland, CA, a Bachelor of Arts in Music Theory and Composition from Haverford College in Philadelphia, PA, and a teaching credential from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He studied guitar with Pat Martino, Bruce Saunders, Allen Hanlon, Fred Frith, and Tuck Andress, and studied music theory and/or composition with Mark Levine, David Bernstein, Fred Frith, John Mills, Harold Boatrite, Annie Gosfield, Alvin Curran, and John Davison.

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