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Thomas Wendt - A graduate of the Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, Thomas Wendt has been a professional musician since the age of 14. Based in Pittsburgh, Thomas is an active member of the current Jazz scene playing with groups led by Joe Negri, Dwayne Dolphin, Mark Strickland, Kenia and the latin Jazz group Salsamba in addition to leading his own groups including the sextet, Firm Roots. He is also a member of the newly reformed Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra. Thomas has played with many visiting international Jazz greats including Clark Terry, Donald Byrd, David “Fathead” Newman, Benny Golson, Monty Alexander, James Moody, Jimmy Heath, Christian McBride, Curtis Lundy and Geri Allen. Recently Thomas has played with NEA Jazz Master Hubert Laws at several major Jazz festivals and with pianist Alan Broadbent for the Nyack, NY library Jazz series, as well as traveling with alto saxophonist Jim Snidero. He has recorded with Gene Ludwig, Sandy Staley, Maureen Budway, Steve Davis and Jay Ashby, Joe Negri, David Budway, Ron Affif, Freddy Cole and Sean Jones (w/ the Pgh Jazz Orch.), Gloria Reuben and Brazilian vocalist Kenia. Thomas has been on the faculty of The Afro-American Music Institute since 1998 and Duquesne University since 2015 where he teaches drums, chamber Jazz ensemble and Jazz history. 

Ron Affif – Ron Affif learned all about passion from his mother Marlene, and discipline and endurance from his father Charlie Affif, a fiercely competitive middleweight boxer who numbered Miles Davis among his fans and close friends. “He had all these records around the house that my brother, Mark, started listening to. Mark had a guitar in the house. I guess I was around 12, and I picked up the guitar. I just had an urge to play an instrument.”|

His uncle, Ron Anthony, was a superb guitarist who worked with the likes of George Shearing and Frank Sinatra. “When I was 12, Uncle Ron gave me my first guitar lesson.” Affif played music with friends through high school. When he turned 18, rather than take the music scholarship offered by Duquesne University, he moved to Los Angeles to be near his uncle, who had offered to let Affif sub for him on dates he couldn’t make. 

Eventually Affif moved to his current home, New York City, drawn because it’s “where all the other guys are, and that’s what brings out the most of what you have. When I first came to New York [guitarist] Gene Bertoncini gave me some solid advice. He said to let the singers know I did that kind of work, because a lot of the joints they work don’t have pianos, and when the jazz gigs dry up for a minute, they’ll have work for you.” That singing quality is what distinguishes Affif from most of the other high-octane guitar-slingers, and informs his phrasing with a sense of rhythm and pace all too rare on the instrument, as he allows each note to blossom and recede with a breathlike purity and relaxation that belie his fiery chops. 

Jeffrey Grubbs - Jeffrey Grubbs, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, comes from a family of music-loving non-musicians. He started as a violinist through his public elementary school at age nine and later switched to the double bass at age 18. He went on to pursue his musical training at Youngstown State University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the University of Southern California. He was also fortunate to be a recipient of the Music Assistance Fund (now the Sphinx Organization) Orchestral Fellowship, which gave him the opportunity to perform as a full-time member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for two years. 
From there, Grubbs went on to win a position in the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra in 1991 and has now been a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra since 1996. In addition to his orchestral achievements, Jeffrey Grubbs is also an accomplished jazz bassist. He has performed and recorded with many touring internationally-known jazz artists and is currently actively performing in the Pittsburgh jazz community.

Jeffrey Grubbs has served as a faculty member of Carnegie Mellon University, Florida International University, Clark-Atlanta University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Slippery Rock University. He also served as associate professor of jazz double bass at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  

Dave Budway - Max Jazz Recording Artist David Budway is one of the most versatile pianists on the New York music scene today. While deeply rooted in many styles, his masterful command for Modern Jazz has propelled him into the midst of present day jazz pioneers. 
As a Classical pianist, David has performed countless recitals. He studied extensively with Ruth Slenczynska, Dr. Carole Riley, CDP, Gerald Jennings, and performed in Master Classes with Artur Balsam, Warren Jones, Eugene List and Sheila Paige. Born in Pittsburgh, PA , David grew up listening to the improvisations of his father Leo Budway, and became interested and well versed in the style of Arabic music. Later he earned his Masters Degree in Piano Performance and Percussion at Duquesne University where he also studied Jazz Composition and Arranging with Dr. John Wilson. David went on to be adjunct professor at Duquesne and Carnegie Mellon University for 15 years before moving to New York. In 1992, Mr. Budway made his solo debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with them on many occasions including special performances with the late Marvin Hamlisch.

Since moving to New York, David has performed at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, The Kennedy Center, The Village Vanguard, Birdland, The Blue Note, The Jazz Standard and The Hollywood Bowl with both Liza Minnelli and Hubert Laws. David's Trio is currently in residence at the famed Carlyle Hotel in New York City. Mr. Budway's recording credits as both a leader and a sideman include artists Branford Marsalis, Michael Brecker, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Hubert Laws, Stanley Turrentine, Jimmy Heath, Christiane Noll, Ravi Coltrane and Eric Leeds. David has toured worldwide with Stanley Turrentine, Hubert Laws, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Regina Carter and Liza Minnelli.

As a composer, David has several albums to his credit. His release “A New Kiss” on the MaxJazz label was awarded 4 stars in Downbeat Magazine. His song “Love You Tonight” reached number one on WBGO's playlist in 2012. Most recently the disc was charted at number four in Canada. Other releases include “Brief Encounter to Last a Lifetime”, “The Music I Hear”, “Bud Way”, “Jazz... the Budway”, and his latest release “3 Budways” with siblings Kathy and Maureen Budway. “Sweet Candor”, Maureen Budway's release in 2015 on the MSG Jazz label received 4 ½ stars in Downbeat Magazine. Honoring his late sister, David and his wife Brianne Higgins have recently opened MAUREEN'S JAZZ CELLAR in Nyack NY. The intimate venue features Jazz, Classical, Cabaret, Acoustic Music , Comedy and Rock and Roll. Mr. Budway's newest cd, “The Jazz Piano Man” features original songs co-written with lyricist Lou Tracey. David was a proud recipient of two prizes in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition. He has scored the music to the motion pictures “Lift”, and “Giant Steps” starring Billy Dee Williams, and has been published in Downbeat Magazine’s Masterclass section : Contemporary French Music’s Influence in Jazz Harmonies.