Saxophonist, composer, and educator David Bixler is a multi-faceted artist, having received critical acclaim for both his playing and his writing. He actively leads several projects that serve as platforms for his diverse musical interests. His latest recordings include In the Face of Chaos with Bixler, Bocatto, Cowherd, and Sturm, and Blended Lineage with his nine-piece Bixtet. As a sideman David has performed and toured the world with the orchestras of Chico O'Farrill, Lionel Hampton, and Toshiko Akiyoshi. He is also active as a composer in both the jazz and classical worlds, and recently premiered The Hughes Project, musical ruminations on the poems of Langston Hughes for jazz quintet and string quartet. He is the host of Liner Notes with David Bixler, a new podcast centered on conversations with jazz musicians.

Ariel Kasler is a musician and Alexander Technique teacher based in Bowling Green, OH, and London, ON, Canada.

Ariel currently is a full-time Instructor at Bowling Green State University, where he teaches jazz piano and guitar, as well as related ensembles and courses. He also serves as the artistic director of the annual Orchard Guitar Festival.

Chris Finet is part of the faculty of NAU’s School of Music. He teaches double bass along with directing the jazz ensembles and teaching jazz improvisation courses.

Writer, musician, and teacher Rob Wallace holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has performed and recorded with musicians from around the world. His recordings can be found on the pfMentum and Ambiances Magnétiques record labels. He is the author of Improvisation and the Making of American Literary Modernism (Bloomsbury) and co-editor (with Ajay Heble) of People Get Ready: The Future of Jazz is Now! (Duke). He is one of the co-curators of the Interference Series and is a Lecturer in the Honors College at Northern Arizona University.