“Mehler’s touch is as nuanced as Bill Evans’s, and his phrasing draws on both jazz and classical music without directly importing licks from either. The subdued certainties of his playing bring acrowded room to total silence.”—John Fordham, THEGUARDIAN Elan Mehler has released 11 albums as a leader, featuring such musicians as Bill Frisell, DaveDouglas, Becca Stevens, Scott Robinson and has garnered stellar reviews from such publications as The New York Times, The Guardian, Jazz Times, and Downbeat. Elan has brought his projects to clubs and festivals worldwide including Birdland, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and theNorth Sea Jazz Festival. This sextet, featuring some of the most original and celebrated living jazz musicians heads intothe studio next week

Francisco Mela is a favorite amongst jazz's elite instrumentalists, among them, McCoy Tyner Trio, Joe Lovano “Us Five”, Kenny Barron, Quincy Jones All Starts, Esperanza Spalding, John Scofield, Cooper Moore, William Parker, Ingrid Laubrock, Gary Bartz, Bobby Watson, George Garzone and the Fringe. He moved to Boston in 2000 and quickly began as a thereafter at Berklee College of Music, Mela rapidly made a name for himself on the Boston scene, becoming the house drummer at the legendary Wally’s Cafe ́Jazz Club. It was at Wally’s that Mela began developing a concept for his own band, one that would feature the sounds of modern jazz with the traditional music he grew up with in Cuba. Fellow Berklee faculty member and world-renown saxophonist, Joe Lovano, heard Mela and was immediately impressed, hiring him shortly after to play in his quartet. Since 2005, Mela has been an integral part of Joe Lovano’s quartet and his new group, “Us Five,” a two-drummer quintet. Their 2009 Blue Note Records recording, titled Folk Art, was considered by many critics to be Lovano’s most adventurous to date. In 2009, he was tapped by jazz legend McCoy Tyner to join his trio. Said Tyner of his new young drummer, “Mela is just a fantastic player. He has his own style and his own sound, which is what I look for in a drummer.” Mela has released ten albums, Melao, Cirio, Tree of Life, Fe, Ancestros, MPT trio Volume one, Music frees Our Souls Vol 1, 2 and 3 with Master Bass player Willian Parker and Cooper More, Causa y Efecto Vol 1 and 2 With Zoh Amba. affirming Mela’s unique niche in the melting pot that is now New York’s “jazz and Avant-Garde” scene. Mela is also a faculty member at Berklee College of Music and Mentor of the International Free Jazz Residence Sounds of Freedom in collaboration with Record Label 577. Recently, Mela has recorded an album with the extraordinary Grammy-winning bassist, Christian McBride.