About Us

 Bruce earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, which has long been recognized as one of the most well-respected music institutions in the United States.  He has played in New York for a number of years, as well as at venues all over the southeast.  Bruce has also played with the Greensboro Symphony and locally with the Long Bay Symphony.   

Tom Venable has a Bachelors and Masters degree in Performance and Education from:The Manhattan School of Music. He started playing drums professionally at the age of 12. At 15 he was playing with members of the New York Tonight Show Band, Count Basie Band and Frank Sinatra Band.

He is, and has been, a longtime member of Local 802 (NYC) American Federation of Musicians and is actively working in the NY metro area specializing in studio, show and live performance.

Tom is the owner/operator of T..V music recording and production co. a.k.a. HappyRock productions, in the Hudson Valley of N.Y.  

  Bassist Lou Pappas’ career encompasses both Jazz and Classical music. After beginning with orchestras in Colorado and Oklahoma, he moved to New York to accept the position as bassist with the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, from which he retired in 2006. Since then, Mr. Pappas has kept a steady pace of performance with many groups in the New York area, such as the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Taconic Opera Company, and the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra. His jazz work includes freelancing with a number of groups from Albany to Woodstock, New York City, Connecticut and New Jersey; including performances with such jazz greats as David Liebman, Byron Stripling, Randy Brecker, Steve Turre, James Williams, Claire Fischer, Chris Flory, Dennis Mackrel, Billy Cobham, and fellow bassist John Clayton. In addition to his playing schedule, he has been teaching private and college level bass for over 40 years, just recently retiring from Vassar College and the State University of New York at New Paltz.

RICH SYRACUSE STRING BASSIST, ELECTRIC BASSIST, COMPOSER Rich Syracuse has been a mainstay on the New York area scene for more than three decades. While performing at an early age in New York City he was the winner of the prestigious Congress Of Strings Award. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music in New York City. Rich performed with The Group For Contemporary Music under the Conductor Charles Wournin and Harvey Solberger, The Hartford Ballet and the New Jersey Lyric Opera Co. During the early part of his career he performed in Jazz groups featuring pianists John Mehegan, Joey Calderazzo and Ted Rosenthal. After moving to New York State's Hudson Valley in the mid 1980's he began a long-standing stint in the Nick Brignola Quartet playing clubs, festivals, and recording sessions. Besides his years with Brignola, he has performed with Mose Allison, Kurt Elling, Dave Liebman, Brubeck Brothers, Warren Bernhardt, SumiTonoka, David Torn, Mike DeMicco, Peter Levin, Sam Morrison, Bernard Purdy, Vic Juris, Dave Stryker, Chuck Lamb, Jeff "Siege" Siegel, Dena DeRose, John Medeski, Michael Musilliami and Ali Demogli, Rich had been the bassist for Jazz pianist Lee Shaw for over 25 years until her passing.
 

Rich is Professor for String and Electric Bass Studies at Skidmore College in Saratoga, New York, Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut and Bass Professor and Ensemble Coach at The State University of New York at New Paltz. Rich is an Individual member of the International Association Schools of Jazz. Rich has toured throughout Europe, South America, and Southern Africa 

Jeff "Siege" Siegel is a veteran professional of the prolific New York Jazz Scene and has worked with a virtual "who's who" among the most noted of artists.

A member of the Sir Roland Hanna Trio from 1994 to 1999, Siegel's diverse career has also allowed him to share the concert stage, recording studio - or both, with musical legends such as:

• Ron Carter,
• Kenny Burrell,
• Jack DeJohnette,
• Benny Golson,
• Frank Foster,
• Sheila Jordan,
• Helen Merrill,
• Mose Allison,
• and many more  

 Born in Flushing, Queens, NY, drummer Peter O'Brien inherited his musical talents from his father, drummer Bill O'Brien, with whom he began his formal studies of the drums at age five.In 1982, Peter toured the USA with organist Brother Jack McDuff and, from 1984-1985, performed all over the USA and Canada with the Edgar Winter Band. The band featured the legendary singer Jerry LaCroix (the original lead singer for White Trash) and performed the jazzinflected fusion material from Edgar's first ground-breaking record "Entrance," as well as his rock and blues music. During this time, Peter also performed several dates with Roy Buchanan, including a sold-out show at the Beacon Theatre with Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy, and Junior Wells. From 1986-1987, he toured Europe with Mark McMillan. Peter moved to Woodstock, NY in early 1988 and became a member of John Hall's band Orleans. The notoriety created by their hits, "Still The One,"" Dance With Me" created a big demand for Peter on the pop music scene. Peter appeared on seven CD's (four with Orleans, three with John Hall), did three tours of Japan (two with Orleans, one with Hall), and numerous USA tours and dates (including Woodstock ‘94). He was the subject of a feature article published in Modern Drummer's Rhythm and News (Japan). Peter toured with Orleans until 2004. Peter joined saxophonist Eric Person’s Meta-Four in 2001. On Peter’s first gig, the quartet recorded Live at Big Sur (Distinction Records) at the 7th Annual Big Sur Jazz Festival to a sellout crowd. The band had its NYC premiere at the Blue Note in January 2003 and Peter remained with the band for two CDs and three national tours. Peter O'Brien is also a member of pianist John Esposito’s Trio along with bassist Ira Coleman and since 2003 has recorded on a number of other Sunjump Records projects. In addition to his busy performance schedule, O'Brien is an Adjunct Faculty member at Bard College, NY and freelances as a studio session player