ensemble bios:

royal hartigan is a percussionist who has studied and performed the musics of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. His publications include Blood Drum Spirit: Drum Languages of West Africa, African America, Native America, Central Java, and South India , articles in Percussive Notes, World of Music, Annual Review of Jazz Studies, and The African American Review; and three books with CD/DVD: West African Rhythms for Drumset, Dancin' On The Time, and West African Ewe Rhythms for Drumset. He travels to West Africa each summer to teach, perform, and do research. He was chosen as a J. William Fulbright research scholar through the U.S. State Department, conducting research on traditional Philippine kulintang and kalinga music at the University of the Philippines in 2006. This project will continue in 2008-09 through a grant from the Asain Cultural Council.

Wes Brown (bass) has performed and toured with a wide range of musical personalities. Wes plays acoustic and electric bass, keyboard, percussion and African flute. Wes has appeared on over two dozen records with various artists and has toured the world with legendary pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines and numerous other jazz, African, and reggae bands.

David Bindman , saxophonist and composer, creates works that draw on the motion of dance, that explore the complexity of melody and time unbound yet relating to tradition, and that have improvisation at the core. His work can be heard on the recordings The Way of the Saxophone (innova) and Far Side of Here (Omnitone) by the Brooklyn Sax Quartet, among others. In addition to leading his ensemble, Bindman has performed or recorded with Wadada Leo Smith, royal hartigan, Kevin Norton, Ehran Elisha, Adam Lane, Bill Lowe, Anthony Braxton, Joe Fonda, Fred Ho, Talking Drums, JUBA, and many others. He has collaborated with poet Tyrone Henderson and visual artist Quimetta Perle, creating the multimedia pieces "The Madman" and "Strawman Dance", and recording the CD Strawman Dance (Konnex).

Art Hirahara is a jazz pianist/composer, originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, now residing in Brooklyn, NY. He received his Bachelor of Music degree in Electronic and Computer Music from the Oberlin College Conservatory in Oberlin, OH, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in jazz piano performance at California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, CA. Art has served as a "Jazz Ambassador" on a seven-week tour of the Middle East, where he performed, lectured and conducted workshops with local musicians. Art regularly performs in Europe and Asia.