Izaak Weatherwax LIVE @ The Harmony Room, December 2

Izaak Weatherwax is a young working drummer based in Los Angeles, He has studied with some of the greatest drummers alive today, most Notably; Roy McCurdy, Carl Allen, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, and Kevin Kanner. His influences include the aforementioned drummers as well as; Vernell Fournier, Ed Thigpen, Kenny Washington, Al Harewood, and Joe Farnsworth.

Patrick ‘Putter’ Smith, now in his 80s, has a resume as a jazz bassist going back as far as the '50s, and has amassed a huge list of recording and performance credits alongside Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Duke Ellington, Diane Schuur, Ray Charles, Burt Bacharach, Sonny and Cher, the Beach Boys, the Righteous Brothers, and many more. In his later career, he also became a respected teacher of upright bass at the Musicians’ Institute in Los Angeles. Smith is also known outside the music world for his rare acting role in the 1971 James Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever, in which he played an affable hitman, Mr. Kidd.

Saxophonist, composer, and educator, Ardeshir Pourkeramati draws inspiration from a wide variety of music. Based in Vancouver, Canada, his versatility has driven him to play with various musical groups of different genres. He has worked with bands such as the Vancouver Legacy Jazz Orchestra, Michael Kim’s West Coast Big Band, Jaelem Bhate Jazz Orchestra, The Supersonic Hearts Band, Coco Jafro, Los Duendes, Orquesta Tabasko, and Lambsbreath. Ardeshir also leads his own group, where they play some of his original music.

Pianist Jon Mayer is from the tradition of New York players who are not afraid to express strong emotions from both ends of the spectrum. He is a muscular, blues based pianist on one hand and is entirely at home with a ballad and it’s potential for tenderness. His jazz pedigree is solid, having grown up in New York City during a particularly fertile time in modern jazz evolution. Mayer is represented on a John Coltrane recording `Like Sonny’ on Roulette and on a Jackie McLean Prestige date called `Strange Blues’. He also spent time in the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Band as well as road assignments with Dionne Warwick, Sarah Vaughan, Anita O’Day and Manhattan Transfer. Mayer’s compositions have been recorded by Les McAnn, Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra, Nancy Wilson, Gladys Knight, Ernie Watts and Jackie Ryan.