Jessie Kilguss - vocals
Jessie Kilguss grew up on a farm just outside of Providence, RI. She's a classically trained actress who honed her acting and singing skills at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and the prestigious Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Her first acting job was as one of the "afflicted girls" in Nicholas Hytner's screen adaptation of Arthur Miller classic "the Crucible" starring Daniel Day Lewis and Winona Ryder. She had the pleasure of working with Marianne Faithfull and Mary Margaret O'Hara in Tom Waits', Robert Wilson's and William Burrough's "The Black Rider" in London and Sydney, Australia. She also toured the UK and the US in Shakespeare's "As you Like It" directed by Sir Peter Hall.
She recently discovered her love for writing songs. She feels privileged to have recorded her first album with Gold-Record-winning producers Super Buddha (Blondie, Scissor Sisters, Rufus Wainwright). She goes back in the studio to begin work on her second album this fall.
Dan Siegler - Keys
Dan Siegler is a composer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist from New York City. Siegler has made music for films including Ted Demme's Monument Avenue. He is a BMI recipient of the Olman Scholarship Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He co-produced Puzzle, founding Fishbone member Christopher Dowd's solo debut, featuring Jeff Buckley. Siegler's work has also been featured on the album Sun Machine, by Morley and he has written songs with with Ruff Ryder recording artist L.T. Siegler's TV work includes music for HBO's Entourage and other clients including Fox, and Pepsi. He is currently working on the score for the upcoming documentary The Other Side of the Street, about the life of legendary journalist Jimmy Breslin.
Dan Siegler's debut CD, Errors, a collection of his critically praised scores for modern dance, was released in 2006. His collaborations with the choreographers Pam Tanowitz and Yanira Castro have been produced by The Guggenheim Museum, Central Park Summerstage, Dance Theater Workshop and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival with grants from Meet the Composer and the Jerome Foundation.
Wayne Batchelor - Bass
Wayne Batchelor began his career as a jazz bassist at London's Guildhall School of Music, on the post-graduate jazz degree course alongside rising UK jazz stars Steve Williamson (saxophone), Jason Rebello (keyboards), & Cleveland Watkiss (vocals). There followed an eight-year long successful career on London's jazz scene, during which time Wayne traveled the world as a member of sax-player Courtney Pine's band, Jason Rebello's Quintet, and pianist Julian Joseph's Quartet. Wayne has also played with jazz guitarist Ronny Jordan's band, supporting Barry White's UK tour, and touring to Europe, the USA and Japan. Ronny and his band also played with Guru in New York at SOBs. Other UK collaborations included work with ex-Jazz Messenger Jean Toussaint, pianist Stan Tracey, alto saxophonist Pete King, vocalist Tina May, the Jazz Warriors, the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra (including a world tour and television work) Melba Joyce and Bernardo Sassetti (Portuguese jazz pianist).
Soon Wayne's name became known on the international circuit and has played with artists such as Eddie Harris, Clark Terry, Art Farmer, Billy Childs, Gene Harris, Joey Calderazzo, Terrell Stafford, Les McCann, Marlena Shaw, Will Downing and Jonathan Butler, and in Europe with South African pianist Bheki Mseleku.
In 1995, following eight years of work and study, Wayne decided to return to education, this time at the invitation of Reggie Workman, Coordinator of Instruction in the Mannes Contemporary Music program at Manhattan's New School. Studying under the tutelage of Buster Williams, Since 1998 Wayne has gigged or toured with Carlos Garnett, Monty Alexander, Chico Freeman Bobby Watson, Ernest Ranglin, James Williams, Kirk Whalum, Sly Dunbar, Ron Blake, and Ernie Watts. More recently he's worked with Jimmy Heath on the QE2 Transatlantic Jazz Cruise (Tribute to Oscar Peterson), Houston Person, Wycliffe Gordon, Frank Wess, Hilton Ruiz, John Hicks, Ingrid Jensen, Carmen Lundy, Mark Murphy, Andy Bey, Jeanie Bryson, R&B vocalist, Miki Howard and the great Allan Harris. Wayne also joined vocalist Nnenna Freelon's working band in 1998 and since then has worked with her at the Iridium and Blue Note jazz clubs in New York and Milan, Umbria Jazz in Italy, Jerusalem Jazz Festival in Israel as well as other festivals all over the world, including the Fujitsu Concord Jazz Festival in Japan and with the Takana Miyamoto trio, a special concert at Washington's Kennedy Center with Take 6 and a gala concert with George Benson at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Wayne is also featured on Nnenna's album 'Soul Call' which was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards, 'Live' recorded in Washington DC at the Kennedy Centre and Blueprint of a Lady, Sketches of Billie Holiday which was also nominated for a Grammy.
Rob Heath - Drums
Brooklyn based drumming mastermind Rob Heath writes, plays, tours and records with many artists including: Aaron Lee Tasjan, The Madison Square Gardeners, Scott Comanzo and Cheap Nothing, Super Bombastik, Julia Haltigan, Mike Clifford, Jeremy Mix, Will Hawkins, and of course Jessie Kilguss. More information can be found at www.robheath.net and www.myspace.com/robheathdrums.
Steven Elliot - Guitar
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