Dave Frain

Guitarist David Frain, attended Berklee School of Music in Boston, MA, until 1992, where he studied Jazz Composition and Performance with Jon Damian, John Baboian and Hal Crook. In 1995, he co-founded Zing Recording Studios, Westfield, MA, which is a 32-track commercial multi-room facility. Frain suggests that after spending hundreds of hours recording all genres of music, now it’s time to focus on his own original compositions that he has been creating and polishing since his Berklee training.

John Michaels

Jazz Guitarist John Michaels has performed in the Western Massachusetts area since the early 1990’s. During that time, with both the Interplay Jazz Band and the Valley Jazz Ensemble he has played at some of the region's top clubs and festivals. Originally from Syracuse, New York, John has studied with some of that region's top instructors including Rick Balestra (SUNY Oswego, Hamilton College, Stanley Turrentine) and Joe Jewell (Cal State Fullerton Professor). Since relocating to Western Massachusetts John has also studied with Steve Cardenas (Paul Motian's Electric Be-Bop Band, Joey Baron, Les McCann) and has studied as well as performed with Trombonist Ed Byrne Currently, he has just recorded his first CD as well as starting a non-profit organization that will attempt to enhance the visibility of Jazz musicians on both the regional and national level.

Adam Call

As a composer, arranger and educator, Adam has been studying as well as playing the saxophone since the mid 1990s. He graduated from Westfield State University in Westfield, MA with a degree in Music Education and Jazz Studies. Adam now manages the Massachusetts All State Jazz Band where he is collaborating with his musical director Jeff Coffin of the Dave Mathews Band and plays with the Floyd Patterson group as well freelance work in the Pioneer Valley.

Mark Dunlap

Bassist Mark Dunlap, from Holyoke, MA, studies bass with accomplished NYC Bassists, Santi DeBriano and Joe Fonda, and composition with long-time mentor, Ed Byrne. He is a founding member and serves on the board of the Western New England Double Bass Society, a group of 200 performing double bassists that sponsors bass workshops and concerts in New England. Mark serves as the Chairman for the Holyoke Cultural Council under the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Mark co-leads The Interplay Jazz Band and Frain/Dunlap Jazz Trip and performs in New England and New York. He co-owns the independent recording label and publishing company Simmer Music and recently released a CD with guitarist David Frain entitled "Pull The Shades."

Denny Ray Pelletier

Denny Ray Pelletier, drums, developed strong roots in jazz early on, and his American Indian background and spiritually-centered approach to rhythm help to forge the musical identity of the group. The son of a jazz trumpeter, Pelletier began performing as a drummer in many local social events, dances, and talent shows. He studied with Les Harris Sr., then head of percussion at Boston’s Berklee School of Music, which led to freelance opportunities on the Boston circuit. Years of experience have found Pelletier in a wide variety of musical situations, performing with J.J. Johnson, Ronnie Laws, Michael Omartian, and Anthony Cox. He also has backed Cleo Laine, Peggy Lee, Bonnie Raitt, and Linda Ronstadt with orchestras for musical theatre performances. Pelletier’s recording credits include dozens of radio and national albums, and several children’s television shows including “Zoom” and “Sesame Street.”

J. Russell Nieman

J. Russell Nieman is an import from Los Angeles, the flashpoint of his diverse musical career across many genres. A product of studies with renowned percussionists and composers from around the world paired with the direct mentorship of the Hollywood studio elite as well as formal studies at the internationally esteemed California Institute of the Arts, Russ’ musical life has always been about taking things a bit further – sharing the stage with the likes of Charlie Haden, James Newton, Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, Ron Carter , under the direction of Lou Harrison, performing works by John Cage, Steve Reich and Milton Babbitt among many others. Russ attributes his early-established taste for the eclectic to an opera singing mother, an audio engineer father, and being frequently “lulled” to sleep as a child by high-decibel doses of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana,” the motion picture soundtrack to “Earthquake” and Meco’s “Star Wars and other Galactic Funk.” He’s a little messed up.