Sam Bardfeld

In addition to his work as a member of the Jazz Passengers, Sam has recorded and/or performed as a sideman with Bruce Springsteen, John Zorn, The String Trio of New York, D.D. Jackson, John Cale, Johnny Pacheco, Debbie Harry, The BBC Concert Orchestra, Jimmy Bosch, Harvie Swartz and Eye Contact, The Mahavishnu Project, Septeto Roberto Rodriguez, The Soldier String Quartet and numerous others. His debut CD, Taxidermy (CIMP195) received a four-star rating from Downbeat Magazine and was voted "One of The Best Jazz Albums of 2000" by critics at CODA and Cadence Magazines. Sam is also the author of a critically acclaimed instructional book Latin Violin: How to Play Salsa, Charanga and Latin Jazz Violin (Gerard & Sarzin, 2001). He has toured extensively in festivals and concert halls throughout Europe and North and South America.

Curtis Fowlkes

Trombonist Curtis Fowlkes maintains an active and diverse career: in addition to playing with the Jazz Passengers, his collaborators include artists like Bill Frisell, Don Byron, John Zorn, Harry Shearer, Marc Ribot, Jeb Loy Nichols, Sheryl Crow and Cibo Matto. His travels between the spheres of rock, jazz and pop also influenced his solo career, which debuted with a 1999 release on Knitting Factory Records.For more info on Curt visit:
www.curtisfowlkes.com/

Brad Jones

For the past fifteen years, New York born bassist/composer Brad Jones has cultivated a strong presence in the N.Y. music scene earning him a reputation as one of the most in-demand bassists in the area. He has worked with some of the most innovative and celebrated artists in music that include Ornette Coleman, Elvis Costello, Elvin Jones, Deborah Harry, Muhal Richard Abrams, Uri Caine, John Zorn, David Byrne, Carlos Garnett, Marc Ribot, Bill Ware, Vernon Reid, and the Jazz Passengers. In the past few years, he has been mainly touring and recording with trumpeter/composer Dave Douglas in several of his projects as well as playing in the groups of guitarist/composer David Gilmore, and pianist/composer Anthony Coleman. In 1997, he released his debut cd as a leader on the Knitting Factory label entitled "Uncivilized Poise" with his band, Aka Alias. He has recently recorded another CD with his new project "The Brad Jones Quartet" and is planning to record the next Aka Alias CD some time in the Fall of 2003.For more info on Brad visit:
www.www.bassjones.com

Roy Nathanson

Roy Nathanson has a varied career as a saxophonist, composer, band-leader, actor and teacher. He is leader and principal composer of the Jazz Passengers, a six piece group that he founded with Curtis Fowlkes in 1987. They have toured Europe many times and played at major festivals in Finland, Germany, Italy, France and Switzerland—as wll as the J.V.C. Festival in New York, the De Maurier Festival In Canada and in clubs and concerts throughout the U.S. and Canada. The band has also recorded eight albums. In 1994, the band released an original vocal album, Jazz Passengers In Love which was produced by Hal Willner and Huge Dwyer for which Mr. Nathanson, composed a variety of songs. A number of guest vocalists were featured, including Jimmy Scoff, John Kelly, Freedy Johnston, Bernard Fowler, Jeff Buckley and Deborah Harry who is now functioning as a full time member of the band. Since the summer of 1995 The Jazz Passengers, have toured Europe and America with Ms. Harry, and an occasional guest appearance by Vocalist Elvis Costello. With this configuration, the "Passengers" have released two albums. "Individually Twisted" (with Ms. Harry and Mr. Costello), and "Live In Spain" featuring Ms. Harry. The band performed orchestral arrangements of their repertoire with Ms. Harry and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in March 2001.

Mr. Nathanson also co-leads a due with keyboardist, composer Anthony Coleman with whom he has also toured the U.S. and Europe. Their third album I Could've Been A Drum was released on John Zorn's "Tzadik" label.

As an independent composer he has scored the work of monologuist David Cole. Their work, "Deep in a Dream of You" premiered at Chicago's Goodman Theatre in 1990 and had its New York premiere at the Joseph Popp Public Theatre in April 1993. This was their third collaboration. He has scored several works for PBS, and films by Jacob Burkhardt and Tamara Jenkins as well as numerous theater productions for playwright Roy Dobbins and others. He has written children's songs for the HBO series Happily Ever After. Several of his songs will be featured in Karole Armitage's adaptation of "Sheherazade" at the Florence Opera House, and songs that he has written or arranged have appeared in Robert Altman's film Short Cuts and Chantal Akerman's Histoires D'Amerique. He scored the animated film Jay Street directed by Suzan Pitt which premiered at the New York Film Festival in October '95. A film scene album of his "Klezmer" based scene for the 1996 feature film Camp Stories featuring MIN Gould and Jerry Stiller was released on "Knitting Factory Works."

In 1997 he arranged a Serge Gainsbourg song for the Jazz Passengers and Deborah Harry for a Virgin France compilation, and set a poem by Edgar Allen Poe which was released on a Poe compilation produced by Hal Willner.

Mr. Nathanson received two "Meet the Composer" grants in 1996 and 1997 to create a new work with children. The work "Dreams of Someday" was co-written by the children of P.S. 188 in Queens and performed by their chorus and band trained by Mr. Nathanson. It was also performed as part of the Texaco Jazz Festival in June 1997.

The Fire at Keaton's Bar & Grill, was Mr. Nathanson's CD released under his own name by Six Degrees Records in March 2000. It is a story of a fire in a mythical bar and features performance by many of the collaborators he has worked with in his career, including Charles Earland, Ms. Harry, and Mr. Costello. It has been performed at Arts at St. Ann's in New York City and at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

As an actor he has performed in films by Chantal Akerman, Jim Jarmusch and Elaine May as well as a variety of downtown N.Y. theatre projects. He was featured in a starring role in the children's film "Wasserman" directed by Peter Lilienthal.

His sideman credits include four years recording and touring with The Lounge Lizards, work with Marc Ribot's Rootless Cosmopolitans, Charles Earland and The Shirelles. He has also perfomred in special projects including a recent saxophone quartet concert in Brussels with Steve Lacy and Ned Rothenberg in which each of the four musicians contributed an original composition.

For information on Roy Nathanson's radio drama, "You're the Fool" or his saxophone quartet, "Cradle Dreams," visit: www.nextbigthing.org

E.J. Rodriguez

Throughout the years EJ Rodriguez (Percussion/Drums) has played and toured with bands such as The Jazz Passengers, The Brooklyn Funk Essentials, Marc Ribot Y Los Cubanos Postizos, and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe. He has studied Latin and Afro-Cuban polyrhythms in Brasil and Cuba and his birthplace, Puerto Rico.

Bill Ware

Vibraphonist Bill Ware III was born in East Orange, New Jersey on January 28th, 1959. After graduating from Columbia High School, he entered Montclair State University. There he completed an Arts Degree (1982) majoring in Music Theory and Composition.

During his collage years, Bill also studied at the Harlem Jazzmobile Workshop under the direction of Dr. Billy Taylor. At the workshop, Bill had the opportunity to learn from many prominent Jazz educators including Barry Harris, Frank Foster and Jimmy Owens, and performed as a feature soloist in the Workshop Jazz Ensemble.

After graduating college, Bill was then invited to become an adjunct-faculty member of the Music Department at William Patterson College in New Jersey, where he enjoyed teaching Latin Jazz Bass. The Jazz Mobile Workshop also asked him to join their education team as a music theory tutor. Drawing from these varied experiences, he also continued teaching privately to students of all ages.

In addition to his studies and teaching, Bill continued to play professionally with numerous bands up and down the east coast. Then in 1986 with the assistance and tutelage of Cuban master drummer Roberto Borrell he put together a Latin Jazz band, AM Sleep. Together with associates from William Patterson College and the Workshop AM Sleep released their first album "Las Sombras" (Creageous Records) and toured the northeastern states.

The next year, 1987, Bill connected with Roy Nathanson and Curtis Fowlkes and became a charter member of the now international renowned jazz group The Jazz Passengers. This line up has continued for ten years, produced 7 CD's and toured extensively throughout Europe, The United States, Canada, and China.

As well as his work with the Jazz Passengers, Bill has achieved a reputation as a bassist and pianist on the Latin music circuit recording with artists including Roberto Borrell, Bobby Sanabria, and Chico Mendoza. 1990 saw B.Ware extend his experience and influence again when he joined up with a group of New York musicians and headed to Yokohama, Japan for a three month engagement. From this collaboration Bill Ware and the Club Bird All Stars were born. On returning to the U.S., Bill produced, wrote, and recorded "Long and Skinny" (Knitting Factory Works) with the Club Bird All Stars receiving rave reviews.

Upon moving from New Jersey to New York City, Ware began to investigate the emerging "acid jazz" scene. From this scene, the band Groove Collective emerged including Bill and the horn section from Club Bird as charter members. After several months of gigging and touring, the Groove Collective was signed to a Warner Bros./Reprise record deal, produced by famed record producer Gary Katz. Katz impressed with Bill's talents, recommended him to Donald Fagen who was looking for a percussionist to record and tour with his band Steely Dan. From 1993-1995 Bill toured and recorded as a percussionist with Steely Dan in the U.S. and Japan.

In 1995 Bill worked on several projects including the Steely Dan live CD "Alive In America", and the second Groove Collective CD "We The People". Also, an important addition to the numerous musical collaborations saw it's birth in the Knitting Factory Tap Room's "Late Night Hang". This series features groups in a weekly format. Every Wednesday night, Bill along with fellow Jazz Passengers Brad Jones and E.J. Rodriguez began gigging under the banner "JP trio" (which is later changed to "Vibes") .

1996 was distinguished by U.S. and European tours with the Jazz Passengers. In 1997 Ware has also released his second CD with his acid jazz studio project act Groove Thing for Eight Ball records. This release features Blondie star Deborah Harry, who has become a temporary fixture in the Jazz Passengers.

In 1997 tragedy struck Bill's life and a tumor was discovered in his spinal column! But thanks to the Jazz Fund of America he was back working after a 13 day recovery! Determined as ever he continued his feverish work tempo and produced his trio's first CD "Vibes". He also participated in the film score of "Excess Baggage" actress Alicia Silverstone's first production effort., and toured China for the first time with the Jazz Passengers.

1998-99 saw the continuation of the trio "Vibes" , which produced their second CD "With Drawn". The Jazz Passengers w/Deborah Harry(which contains the trio as the rhythm section) was very active these years making an appearance on The Conan O'brian Show ,and touring both the U.S. and Europe." Vibes " also distinguished the year performing it's first tour in Europe.

His work continued with Groove Collective. They signed to a new label, Shanakie Records and the group produced 3 CDs "Dance of the Drunken Master" "Declassified" and "It's All in Your Mind" (including 2 Ware produced tracks) For more info visit:
www.geocities.com/newyorkvibes/