Roni Ben-Hur

A voice that is powerful & warm, strong & supple with the perfect touch of seduction. The ability to weave a story so well you get lost in it. A swing feel that will get you moving in your seats. And joy, enough joy to fill the room. This is what separates jazz vocalist Marianne Solivan form the rest. Solivan has a way of making you her best friend when she sings. She gives so much to her audiences in her stories and laughter that you automatically feel at ease with her. She brings alive well-worn songs and introduces you to new material that feels like an old chestnut. Her reputation amongst the Jazz elite in New York is second to none. She is a well-rounded musician that plays with the best and brings out the best in them all. Her first two records both received high critical acclaim in both Downbeat & JazzTimes and her next record Re-Entry is sure to hit the top of the Jazz charts. Solivan is a naturally gifted performer and vocalist who envelops the stage and gives so much of herself to the listener. She is a treasure and will only get better with time. 

Peter Brainin is a Grammy and Latin Grammy winning saxophonist, composer and educator who has toured internationally with Mongo Santamaría, Valery Ponomorev, Hilton Ruiz, Bebo Valdez, Chico O’Farrill, Bobby Sanabria, the Mambo Legends Orchestra, Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (with whom he’s featured on 2 Grammy winning CD’s), Joris Teepe, Willie Colon & Legal Alien, Samuel Torres and John DiMartino as well as with his own quartet and as a guest artist and clinician. In the U.S. he has performed and/or recorded with Wynton Marsalis, Benny Golson, Randy Weston, Harold Mabern, Idris Muhammad, Jerry Gonzalez, George Coleman, Randy Brecker, Candido, Paquito D’Rivera, Israel “Cachao” López, Sheila E., Eddie Palmieri and many other Jazz and Latin Jazz legends. Peter has appeared on over 200 albums including his own as co-leader with Steve Johns (which also feature contributions by Conrad Herwig, George Cables and Ben Monder) and with the quartet Native Soul. A native of the Bronx he twice recieved the BRIO (Bronx Recognizes it’s Own) award for music composition from Bronx Council on the Arts. 

Willie Martinez has been a familiar face in New York City’s eclectic music scene for well over thirty years. As well as being one of the most sought after drummers on the Latin Jazz scene today, Willie is also a gifted composer, arranger and vocalist.

He has imparted his unique rhythmic and vocal styling upon groups performing everything from Gothic Funk at the quintessentially New York City rock club CBGB’s to Afro Cuban jazz on the venerable stage of the Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. He has performed and recorded with artists as varied as the classic Cuban arranger, composer, and bandleader Chico O’Farrill, to legendary jazz saxophonist Bill Easley, to contemporary Pop divas Jewel and Faith Hill.

His performances have been documented on television, video and audio recordings, sharing the stage with a wide variety of artists representing a Who’s Who in the American music industry, including Latin legends Bebo Valdes, Ray Santos and Hilton Ruíz; jazz greats TK Blue, George Cables and Benny Powell; and pop veterans Leon Pendarvis and Barry Eastmond.

When not performing with his highly acclaimed Latin jazz ensemble, La Familia Sextet and the Willie Martinez Quartet; Willie enjoys being a part of some of the hottest projects in town, including the Curtis Brothers’ CuBop, the Bronx Horns, the Nicki Denner Trio and the Ray Blue Quartet.