FOUNDER

Composer Patrick Zimmerli’s principal aspiration is to write music that will endure for many centuries to come. Cognizant of the tragic nature of existence, he gravitates toward eternal, life-and-death themes. Having created numerous large- and small-scale works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, jazz groups, and mixed ensembles, he aspires to join the ranks of composers such as Vivaldi, Brahms, Coltrane, Bird, and numerous others whose works touch and transform the lives of their listeners long after their creators have ceased to roam the planet earth.

Among literary titans whose works he has set to music are Alan Seeger, Gwendolyn Brooks, Sappho, Tahirih, Rilke, and Shakespeare. 

Since winning the Thelonious Monk Composers Competition in 1993, he has released 12 albums of his own music, including collaborations with Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, and many others. His music has been performed at Carnegie Hall and Town Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, Salle Pleyel in Paris, Sala São Paolo in Brazil, the Vienna Konzerthaus Grosser Saal, the SF Jazz Center, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. He currently divides his time between Paris and New York.

FOUNDER

Harold Bott is a musical polymath of the rarest order, whose interests span classical, jazz, electronic, and world music traditions. During his undergraduate years at Columbia University, he immersed himself in New York City's vibrant music scene, performing as a jazz guitarist while hosting his own contemporary music radio show on WKCR. His classical foundation deepened through years of study with the late composer Jacques-Louis Monod, who dedicated his final composition to Bott in recognition of their musical friendship.

Bott's artistic range extends from church music to contemporary electronica. He has served as a choir director and organist, while simultaneously appearing in clubs performing electronic music. His concert repertoire includes classical piano and guitar performances, and his work as a producer and writer has yielded recordings across multiple genres, some of which have garnered millions of streams on Spotify.

This versatility is further enriched by his intensive study of South Indian percussion under master drummer Ganesh Kumar. An extremely keen intellect, Bott's musical explorations are informed by his broader pursuits, including deep engagement with classical literature, mathematics, and technology. This interdisciplinary approach has established him as both a preservationist of traditional forms and a highly unusual thinker pushing musical boundaries.

PROJECT MANAGER

Recent Princeton graduate Anson Jones is a singer, composer, and songwriter from New York City. Described by Downbeat Magazine as having “all the right tones,” she shone as a vocalist from an early age, winning 6 Downbeat Magazine Student Music Awards before attending Princeton. There, she studied jazz composition, and won both the Louis Sudler Prize and the Isodore and Helen Sacks Memorial Prize in Music.

She received a 2022 Fulbright Scholarship and Harriet Hale-Wooley Award to live in Paris as artist-in-residence at the Fondation Des États-Unis and compose a suite of music for jazz nonet. She also won the John Wallowich Award for songwriting from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets.

Jones has performed internationally at venues such as the Mercury Lounge, Les Disquaires, and the Litchfield Jazz Festival. She has performed alongside jazz musicians such as Orrin Evans, Rudresh Mahanthappa, and David Lopato. Her first EP, A Way With Words, was released on Ropeadope’s Modern Icon Recordings and got a 4 1/2 star review from Downbeat Magazine, landing it on Downbeat’s “Best of 2022” list. Her second EP, Unspoken, was co-written and produced by songwriter Jesse Harris, and released this past May on Secret Sun Recordings.

DIGITAL MEDIA ASSOCIATE

Joshua Bieber is a Jazz Pianist, Composer and Educator based in Inwood, NYC. Having graduated from The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in 2019, Bieber has since garnered extensive experience working and performing in the New York music scene.  Joshua has performed at festivals such as the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, Jazz In The Valley (Hudson Jazz Festival), Harlem Nights Jazz (Uptown Night Market) and venues such as the Cotton Club and Rockwood Music Hall.

Joshua has performed extensively with his own groups, notably at his weekly residency at “Melody’s Piano Bar” in NYC since 2022. Under the tutelage of esteemed musicians such as Sam Yahel, Dave Kikoski, Kirk Nurok and Reggie Workman, Joshua has developed a unique musical personality that can be characterized by a loving embodiment of the jazz tradition with an introspective flare for classical and contemporary composition. Joshua’s influences are wide ranging and stretch from Sonny Rollins and Barry Harris to Gustav Mahler and Shostakovich, even to songwriters such as the Beatles and Paul Simon. With his distinctive voice, technical prowess, as well as an eclectic collection of influences, Joshua Bieber is an emerging force making a dynamic contribution to the NYC jazz landscape.

PIANO

NYC-based pianist David Cook has worked across genres from jazz to pop to blues and everything in between for nearly 25 years, as musical director, producer, sideman and leader.

As a sideman he has played in bands led by Mark Guiliana, Lizz Wright, Gretchen Parlato, Alan Ferber, Jared Schonig and more. He is currently the musical director for Taylor Swift, Benson Boone, Cyndi Lauper, Thomas Rhett, Maren Morris, Shoshana Bean, Shayna Steele, Blu DeTiger and several other artists.

He also served as featured artist and associate producer for Nicole Zuraitis’ 2024 Grammy-Award winning album How Loves Begins.

And as a leader he has released 3 critically acclaimed jazz records, Loyal Returns (Sunnyside), Pathway & Scenic Design (Brooklyn Jazz Underground).

Originally from Columbus, David is a graduate of the University of Michigan school of music and serves as adjunct professor in the jazz department at Montclair State University’s John J. Cali school of music.

BASS

Christopher Tordini is an in-demand bassist on the New York City music scene, where he performs with established jazz icons as well as a diverse range of emerging musicians. He has toured and recorded with Andy Milne’s Dapp Theory for over 5 years, and has also played in bands led by other renowned artists such as Greg Osby and Jeremy Pelt. Tordini plays often with drummer Ari Hoenig, with the Becca Stevens Band, and is a key collaborator in projects led by drummer/composer Tyshawn Sorey and trombonist/composer Michael Dessen.

A graduate of the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, Tordini forged strong professional relationships with several faculty members there, including Rory Stuart and George Garzone, with whom he continues to collaborate. Recently, Tordini has performed and recorded with prominent bandleaders such as Chris Speed, John Hollenbeck, Steve Lehman, Okkyung Lee, Tigran Hamasyan, Jo-Yu Chen, Mike Pinto, Andrew D’Angelo, Jim Black, and Yaron Herman. He has played at New York City’s most prestigious jazz venues, including the Blue Note, the Village Vanguard, the Iridium, the Jazz Standard, Smalls, the Jazz Gallery and the Stone, among many others.

DRUMS, PERCUSSION

Satoshi Takeishi, a drummer, percussionist, and arranger, is a native of Mito, Japan. He studied music at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Whether behind a drum set, a hybrid percussion set, or computer-based electronics, Japanese-born musician / improviser Satoshi Takeishi strives to "connect contrasting elements beyond genre in quest of the essence" in his performances. After attending Berklee College of Music, he lived in Colombia, South America, and Miami, FL before arriving in NYC in 1991. He has performed and recorded in a vast variety of genres, displaying styles such as jazz, rock, contemporary classical, avant-garde, experimental electronic, and world music. Takeishi continues to move among a wide range of musical environments and constantly strives to integrate his diverse musical experience and knowledge.