Jazz Club

Half Pint Jones is a colorful five-piece project of sophisticated funk, jazz, and rock sprinkled with the musical flavors of New Orleans.  Based in South Bend, Indiana, these five musicians have come together to express a new, organic, manner of story-telling and musical improvisation, while maintaining a completely relatable sound.

Organissimo's goal is to extend the tradition of the classic organ-led combos of the 1960s into the modern age. Buildling upon the foundation laid by past masters, but incorporating modern elements, organissimo focuses on cultivating a true group sound. With Jim Alfredson on hammond B3; Joe Gloss on guitar; and Randy Marsh on drums.

Legendary drummer Billy "sticks" Nicks, a former member of the Motown Group, Junior Walker and the All Stars, brings his jazz organ combo to Trio's for an evening of smooth, souful  jazz.  With Billy Nicks on drums, Jackie Ivory on keyboards, Joseph Szaday on bass and John Wallace on guitar.  Visit Billy's website at www.billynicks.com.

Enjoy the smooth vocals and piano style of Ron Wiggins and his quartet.  After traveling with the late Bobby Helms, Marty Robbins, and Jimmy Dean, he spent a number of years appearing in numerous clubs on the West Coast.  Ron also composed and performed for various movies and television.  His talented group consists of Wes Speake on tenor sax, Rich Dziubinski on drums and Bruce Drudge on acoustic bass.

Herb's group is the Trio's house band and features some of the best jazz artists in the midwest with Roger Harris (Chicago) on piano, Lannie Turner (Gary) on drums, Rich Cohen (Indianapolis) on saxophone, Herb (South Bend) on acoustic bass and Janet Hines Norris (South Bend) on vocals. This is a group with incredible talent, energy and style that performs a mix of traditional, smooth and soulful jazz.  

Chris Greene brings to the table new interpretations with a wholesome willingness to explore and redefine the past. "Acoustic jazz with a garage band mentailty".  With Chris Greene on saxophones, Damian Espinosa on piano, Marc Piane on acoustic bass and Tyrone Blair on drums.

Danny, who has performed with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Rogers, Henry Mancini, Doc Severinsen, Clark Terry, Louis Bellson, Natalie Cole, Styx, The Moody Blues, and many others, will be accompanied by Hugh Little on piano, Darrel Tidaback on acoustic bass and Mark Ott on drums. Visit Danny's website at www.dannybarber.com.

Come out and hear the Mike Frost Project play songs from their recently Grammy-nominated CD, Coming Straight At You. With Mike Frost on saxophone, Bill Boris on guitar, Steve Frost on trumpet, Dave Bernat on drums and Tom Vaitsas on organ.  Visit their website at www.mikefrostproject.com. 

"Scott has the harmonic insight and technique of modern jazz, as well as a clear understanding of the legacy of the jazz language, but at least as important as this is that he doesn't trade these attributes for lack of feeling or musicality.  He always swings freely and surely and with purpose."  - Bobby Broom, guitarist with Sonny Rollins.  Joining Scott will be Ron Perrillo on piano, Denniss Carroll on bass and George Fludas on drums.

Chicago sax man Maxwell is a tasty player with a great sense of jazz running through his work.  He shines brightly with sets of music that let him shine. Check him out. With Shawn Maxwell on saxophone, Matt Nelson on piano, Graham Czach on bass and Brad Dickert on drums.  Visit their website at shawnmaxwell.com.

Organissimo's goal is to extend the tradition of the classic organ-led combos of the 1960s into the modern age. Buildling upon the foundation laid by past masters, but incorporating modern elements, organissimo focuses on cultivating a true group sound. With Jim Alfredson on hammond B3; Joe Gloss on guitar; and Randy Marsh on drums.

With Jim Pickley on piano, Darrel Tidaback on acoustic bass, Dan Degucz on drums and Venitia Sekema on vocals.

Alison Ruble is a dynamic performer. She has established a reputation in jazz circles as a versatile singer with a warm, engaging sound and a respected bandleader with acclaimed groups. Her style and repertoire give a generous nod to the classic jazz standards, but also incorporate more modern strains, producing a poignant blend of music that is at once familiar and surprising. Chicago is currently home base, where she appears regularly at The Green Mill, Jazz Showcase, Pops For Champagne, Katerina's, Pete Miller's and Andy's Jazz Club. Ruble's debut release, This Is A Bird (Origin Records), expands her work to a broader national and international audience. The project brings together some of the Chicago music scene's most forward thinking players for a set of re-envisioned jazz standards.

Jazz Guitarist (and Mishawaka native) Frank Portolese has been active in the Chicago area as a performer and teacher for over 25 years. He has performed in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Detroit, Florida, Hawaii, the UK, Paris, Switzerland and elsewhere.  His performing credits include Eddie Harris, Les McCann, David Baker, Shelley Manne, Jamey Aebersold, Ira Sullivan, Catherine Russell, Claude “Fiddler” Williams, Bobby Shew and many others. His pop performing credits range from Sammy Davis, Jr. to Clay Aiken. In performance Frank is currently focusing on his trio which features Brian Sandstrom (bass) and Rusty Jones (drums) and on presenting and recording arrangements and improvisations on solo jazz guitar.

Rob's group is influenced by many styles of music from traditional jazz to free jazz,  from popular music to classical music.  What makes this band different is how it ties all of these influences into a traditional jazz quartet.  The band prides itself on playing as a unit in the spirit of true improvisation. Featuring Rob Denty on saxophone, Cliff Schmitt on bass, Tim Mulvenna on drums and Tom Vaitsas on piano.  Visit Rob's website at www.robdenty.com

Herb's group is the Trio's house band and features some of the best jazz artists in the midwest with Roger Harris (Chicago) on piano, Lannie Turner (Gary) on drums, Rich Cohen (Indianapolis) on saxophone, Herb (South Bend) on acoustic bass and Janet Hines Norris (South Bend) on vocals. This is a group with incredible talent, energy and style that performs a mix of traditional, smooth and soulful jazz.  

Half Pint Jones is a colorful five-piece project of sophisticated funk, jazz, and rock sprinkled with the musical flavors of New Orleans.  Based in South Bend, Indiana, these five musicians have come together to express a new, organic, manner of story-telling and musical improvisation, while maintaining a completely relatable sound.

Organissimo's goal is to extend the tradition of the classic organ-led combos of the 1960s into the modern age. Buildling upon the foundation laid by past masters, but incorporating modern elements, organissimo focuses on cultivating a true group sound. With Jim Alfredson on hammond B3; Joe Gloss on guitar; and Randy Marsh on drums.

Combining a profound sense of the past with a distinctive flair for the present, and offering exciting innovations for the future, pianist Bradley Young takes the standard definition of "virtuoso" to unique and promising new places on the musical horizon. Drawing upon a remarkably diverse series of historical and modern piano influences, Bradley has established himself as a dynamic player, composer and band leader in every genre from blues, soul, and boogie woogie to traditional and contemporary jazz. Joining Bradley at Trio's will be Jason Ellis on bass and Bob Rummage on drums.

Come out and hear the Mike Frost Project play songs from their recently Grammy-nominated CD, Coming Straight At You. With Mike Frost on saxophone, Bill Boris on guitar, Steve Frost on trumpet, Dave Bernat on drums and Tom Vaitsas on organ.  Visit their website at www.mikefrostproject.com.