A California native, Howard Alden began playing at age ten, inspired by recordings of Armstrong, Basie, and Goodman, as well as those by guitarists Barney Kessel, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, and George Van Eps. Soon Alden was working professionally around Los Angeles, playing in groups ranging from traditional to mainstream to modern jazz. He has won accolades from critics and musicians alike, including Benny Carter, Flip Phillips, Mel Powell, Bud Freeman, Kenny Davern, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, and George Van Eps, as well as notable contemporaries such as Scott Hamilton and Ken Peplowski. A Concord Jazz recording artist since the late ’80s, Alden has proved himself to be an artist of astonishing virtuosity and originality on the many records he has released.
The leader of DjangoSphere, Kit Eakle is known as one of the most original improvising violinists on the west coast. He has been a member of the Hot Club of Marin, the Sons of Emperor Norton, FiddleJazz, and the Eakle Brothers, and has shared a stage with Dan Hicks, Martín Fierro, Joe Craven, Mads Tolling, David LaFlame, and Paul Mehling. In addition to being a performer, Eakle has developed a high profile in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he established a concert series, Point Richmond Jazz, featuring many of the finest jazz violinists in the world. He is also listed on the faculty of the California Jazz Conservatory, teaching a course on the history of jazz violin.
Cost: $20