One of the most influential drummers of all time, Steve Gadd set a new standard in contemporary drumming techniques and performance, and in doing so launched a thousand imitators. Recording so many legendary drum tracks like; " Aja"," Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover" and "Nite Sprite", there is no drummer alive today who in some way has not been effected by Steve Gadd. His influence is still very much felt and can be heard in the playing of everyone from Vinnie Colaiuta to Carter Beauford. And still to this day there is no one who can get "inside" a tune and find the "pocket" quite like the great Steve Gadd. Stephen Kendall Gadd was born April 9, 1945 in Rochester, NY.  Steve's Uncle, a drummer in the army, encouraged him to take drum lessons at the age of seven; by the time Steve was 11 he had sat in with Dizzy Gillespie. Studied music at Eastman College, Rochester, playing in wind ensemble and concert band, and at nights in a club with Chick Corea, Chuck Mangione, Joe Romano and Frank Pullara. After college, drafted into army and spent three years in a military band. After the army, gigged and worked with a big band in Rochester. 1972, formed a trio with Tony Levin and Mike Holmes, going to New York with it. The trio fizzled out, but Gadd began to work extensively as a studio musician. Healso played with Corea's first Return to Forever. 1970's and 1980's, toured internationally, recorded with Paul Simon and with Al DiMeola's Electric Rendezvous Band.  By the end of the 1970's Gadd was the most in-demand and probably the most imitated drummer in the world. In Japan transcriptions of his solos were on sale, and all the leading Japanese drummers were sounding like him. Chick Corea commented, "Every drummer wants to play like Gadd because he plays perfect . . . He has brought orchestral and compositional thinking to the drum kit while at the same time having a great imagination and a great ability to swing."  After graduating from Eastman, Steve was drafted into the Army. While carrying out his three-year tour of duty, Steve ended up playing drums in the military band. After leaving the Army, Steve began gigging with a big band in the Rochester area and in 1972, formed a trio with Tony Levin and Mike Holmes. It was after relocating to New York City that Steve became one of the most sought after studio musicians in town. It was as a studio musician that Steve came into his own and worked with such musicians as Chick Corea, Paul Simon, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, Aretha Franklin, Carly Simon,  Bob James,  Nancy Wilson and Joe Cocker to name a few.  In the 70's and 80's, Steve Cut five albums with Chick Corea, several albums with Al DiMeola including Al's Electric Rendezvous, and recorded and toured with Gato Barbieri, George Benson, Stanley Clarke, Steely Dan, Joe Cocker, Maynard Ferguson, Roberta Flack, Jim Hall and of course, Paul Simon.  In 1976 Steve became a member of the group Stuff with Gordon Edwards, Richard Tee, Eric Gale, Cornell Dupree and Chris Parker, while continuing his heavy schedule of studio work. Towards the end of the 70's, Steve had not only become one of the most in-demand drummers, but he had also become one of the most imitated, and revered drummers in the world. The 90's saw Steve become Eric Clapton's first call drummer, solidifying Steve's reputation as one of the most accomplished and skilled drummers of his generation. Today Steve is just as busy as he ever was with one of the most intense recording and touring schedules in the business, spending time in the studio and on the road with Eric Clapton, James Taylor, and his own group; STEVE GADD BAND. Steve's influence on the drumming community can be heard in players from all walks of life, whether they know it or not. His feel, imagination, and abilities are the signatures of his trademark sound. Few others can manage to get inside a tune like Steve Gadd."   

Musician and composer Michael Landau was born and raised in Los Angeles. He grew up with the music of The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Cream and The Band. His grandfather arranged and played woodwinds during the swing era with the Dorsey Brothers and Benny Goodman. In his early teens, Michael quickly became very interested in jazz and electric jazz music. Weather Report, Pat Martino and Jaco Pastorius were some of his early obsessions. From this diverse blend of influence, his sound and path began to take shape. His current group focuses on the improvisation and spontaneity of live shows. “I live for those live moments when the sound and emotion becomes this monstrous force bigger than the individual musicians, it becomes a unique creation and feel, exciting and calming at the same time, difficult to describe but I’m addicted to it.” The following is a brief timeline of events over the years. Michael starting playing guitar at age 11, at age 16 he began playing the L.A. club scene with an R&B band and shortly after he toured the west coast with Robben Ford which included band members Jimmy Haslip and Russell Ferrante. At age 19 he joined Boz Scaggs for a world tour and by the age of 20 he started to do session work on the recommendation of long time friend Steve Lukather. Some session highlights over the coming years would include Pink Floyd, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, BB King, James Taylor, Ray Charles and Rod Stewart. There is a complete session discography at allmusic.com with over 700 records and soundtracks listed. In 1984 Michael toured again and recorded with Joni Mitchell. This tour was called “The Refuge Of The Roads”. The band featured Vinnie Colaiuta, Larry Klein and Russell Ferrante. In 1989 he released his first solo album “Tales from the Bulge”, an instrumental record initially released in Japan and on Creatchy records in the US. Wayne Shorter, Steve Tavaglione, Vinnie Colaiuta, Carlos Vega, Steve Lukather and Jimmy Johnson were among some of the players on this release. In 1991 he formed the band “Burning Water” with brother Teddy Landau, David Frazee and Carlos Vega. They put out 4 discs of original material and toured in Japan and the US. It was also around this time that he started to record and tour with James Taylor. In 1993 he won the readers poll for Best Studio Guitarist in Guitar Player Magazine. In 1994 Michael formed “The Raging Honkies”, a naughty little trio with Teddy Landau and Abe Laboriel Jr. They released 2 discs and toured Europe and the US. 2001 saw the release of “Live 2000” and a studio album “The Star Spangled Banner” on his own indie label “Unconscious Records”. His most recent album, “The Michael Landau Group Live” was released in October ’06 on Tone Center Records. Here’s a quote from a review by John Kelman: “The Real Question, when a studio ace comes out of hiding and releases two hours of visceral material, is this: who is Michael landau when he’s in total control of the situation? While his stylistic breadth elsewhere would suggest that this is only one part of the answer, “Live” posits him, amongst other things, as a powerful torchbearer for Jimi Hendrix, While the late Stevie Ray Vaughan was most often saddled with that accolade, Landau’s broader language more accurately represents where Hendrix might be today, since the late guitar icon was clearly moving towards his own view of jazz in the final days before his tragic passing in 1970.” Michael currently tours and performs with his own group and a new band with Robben Ford, Jimmy Haslip and Gary Novak called “Renegade Creation”. He can also be seen live with: Hazey Jane, Kirk Fletcher, The Jazz Ministry, Stolen Fish, Michelle Branch and James Taylor. He has produced and or mixed some selected artists and side projects including: Scott Henderson, The Jazz Ministry, Kirk Fletcher, Hazey Jane, The Dusty Meadows Band and Stolen Fish. Michael’s current heroes and influences are Kirk Fletcher, Dustin Boyer and Derek Trucks. He likes sandwiches, old things, the earth, playing music and spanning time with his beautiful wife Karen.

Travis Carlton started playing the bass around thirteen years old. He started on guitar a few years earlier playing mostly blues and rock, but soon gravitated towards the bass. During his high school years in Lebanon, Tennessee, Travis started playing bass in local rock bands. Around fifteen he started listening to more jazz and funk discovering music from The Meters, Bootsy Collins, Miles Davis, Herbie Handcock, Jimmy Smith, ect. In 2001 after a vist to califonia to see family, Travis decided to go to the the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California. There he took lessons for the first time on bass studying with great teachers such as Dave Keif, Ernest Tibbs, Putter Smith and Carl Schroder among others. Shorly after graduateing, Travis started playing bass for his father (Larry Carlton) on the road, who he is still curently touring with. Travis also toured with Sara Barellies in the spring of 2003 opening for Maroon 5. Travis has also gotten to play with Greg Mathieson, Jeff Babko, Toss Panos, Billy Kilson, Greg Bissinett, Mike Landau and Jr. Robinson.

Walt Fowler, originally from Salt Lake City, Utah was born into a legendary musical family led by his father, renowned jazz educator, Dr. William L. Fowler. He kicked off his professional career as a trumpet player at the age of 19, when he joined Frank Zappa and the Mothers in 1974. In 1975, Walt and his brothers, Bruce, Steve, Tom and Ed formed "The Fowler Brothers Band," and released two jazz albums to critical acclaim. Following their release, Walt’s musical career continued to escalate as he toured with prominent artists such as Billy Cobham, Johnny Guitar Watson, Ray Charles, Buddy Rich, George Benson and Diana Ross.   In the mid 1990’s, Walt began a new venture orchestrating major motion picture soundtracks. He is credited as an orchestrator and/or featured soloist on blockbuster films such as The Lion King, Backdraft, Gladiator, Shrek, Ocean’s 12 and 13, The Bourne Supremacy, The Da Vinci Code, Pirates of the Caribbean 1,2, 3 and 4, The Good Shepherd, Transformers 1, 2 and 3, The Simpsons Movie, and most recently, The Dark Knight , Angels and Demons and The Amazing Spiderman 2  to name a few.   In addition to orchestrating, Walt has been performing with James Taylor since joining his band in 2001 for the “Pullover” tour. Walt has also performed live and/or recorded with an illustrious list of artists which includes James Brown, Roberta Flack, Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Yazawa, The Doors, Edgar Winter, Manhattan Transfer, Fishbone, Paula Abdul, Billy Childs, Banned From Utopia, Toto, Andy Summers, Allan Holdsworth and most recently Steve Gadd.  The Steve Gadd Band has just finished recording their second studio album scheduled for release in 2015.