Maurice Patrick Byers music supervisor/composer
Maurice Patrick Byers began music as an aspiring concert pianist studying with Olegna Fuschi. He studied composition with Louis Mennini, Robert Ward and Karel Husa, and orchestration with Sir Leo Arnaud, with whom their collaboration on the documentary "Amazon!" resulted in an invitation to the Royal Geographic Society for a presentation of the film and music. The film aired on The Discovery Channel and was the first film score to utilize a Peruvian samponia. The 1982 national tour of "Jazz Is", music composed and arranged by Mr. Byers, aired on National Public Television. A journey to find an "African Mozart" produced two films, African Adagio, and Symphony in Soweto, both airing on NC PBS 1992, followed by the composition "Music for Soweto MAMS", for viola and orchestra made possible with an NEA composers grant. Mr.Byers is resident composer for the Laguardia Arts High School in New York City. With a Surdna Foundation fellowship Mr.Byers travelled to Vietnam, 2002, to create a dance score for Tran Van Lai's October Ballet Company. Collaborating with US Probation in Washington he created "Share the Fame" for Native American youth on reservations for their music and dance. Mr.Byers' opera, "Incident at San Bajo"was produced by Riverside Opera Ensemble.
Charli Persip master drummer
Charlie Persip, later Charli Persip (born July 26, 1929), is an American jazz drummer. Born in Morristown, New Jersey as Charles Lawrence Persip, he changed his name to Charli Persip in the early 1980s. After playing with Tadd Dameron in 1953, Persip toured and recorded with Dizzy Gillespie's big and small bands between 1953 and 1958. He then joined Harry "Sweets" Edison's quintet and later the Harry James Orchestra before forming his own group, the Jazz Statesmen, with Roland Alexander, Freddie Hubbard, and Ron Carter in 1960. Around this time, Persip also recorded with several other formidable jazz musicians, including Lee Morgan, Dinah Washington, Melba Liston, Kenny Dorham, Zoot Sims, Red Garland, Gil Evans, Don Ellis, Eric Dolphy, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and Gene Ammons. Persip was also the drummer on the legendary "Eternal Triangle" recording, Sonny Side Up (Verve Records), featuring Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt. From 1960 to 1973 he toured as a drummer and conductor with Billy Eckstine.
Along with his performing activities, Persip has earned a reputation as an educator. Since 1974, he has been instructor of drums and music for Jazzmobile, Inc. in New York. He is currently (2008) Associate Professor at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in Manhattan. Persip also currently leads Supersound, his jazz big band that was started in the mid-1980s as Superband. Supersound’s first album was recorded on the Stash label, and was titled Charli Persip and Superband. The group’s second album, Superband 11, and third album, No Dummies Allowed, were recorded on the Soul Note label. Their fourth album is Intrinsic Evolution. (From Wikipedia) More info at: mySpace.
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Nik Munson musician
Originally from Capron Illinois, Nik Munson attended the North Carolina School of the Arts, majoring in voice. He has performed with the Carolina Theater Company, and toured with the Agnes De Mille Heritage Dance Theater. Mr. Munson has been a featured vocalist with the West Deutsche Rundfunk Big Band in Cologne, Germany, The Loren Schoenberg Big Band, the Puck Dance Orchestra, Vince Giordano and the Night Hawks, and the Rainbow Room Orchestra. He has sung for American Public Radio in broadcasts from The Vineyard Theater, performed with The New Paul Whiteman Orchestra at the Kool Jazz Festival, the McCarter Theater, and the Keswick Theater, and has sung in many small group settings in the United States and Europe. In addition to his performance experience, Mr. Munson works as a voice over actor, a voice teacher, and heads OperaAudio recording in New York City