Jim Ridl is in high demand as a New York City jazz pianist, composer, teacher and band leader. His ongoing residency at the internationally known jazz club The 55 Bar is in its fifth year, where he and his quartet perform his original compositions monthly. Jim performs worldwide with a variety of jazz artists, including The Joe Locke Quartet, The Dave Liebman Big Band, The Paul Jost Quartet and the Mingus Big Band. He has toured with the US State Department American Music Abroad program (’12 and ’15), performing in Russia, South Korea, China, the Philippines, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Slovenia and Malta. As a composer and leader, Jim has released 7 recordings, the latest titled Door in a Field,Volume 2. Jim was a Princeton University Visiting Artist for three separate semesters (’12, ’14, ’16), coaching jazz ensembles in repertoire and performance. Jim continues as adjunct educator in Jazz Piano Studies at The City College of New York and the New York Jazz Workshop in Manhattan. From 1994 – 2004, Jim performed with jazz guitar legend Pat Martino, receiving critically acclaimed reviews of performances around the world, and producing four outstanding recordings: Interchange, Night Wings, The Maker and Nexus. Jim was raised on a farm and ranch in North Dakota, and discovered his love for piano and jazz at an early age. He attended the University of Colorado at Denver, where he earned his Bachelor Degree in Scoring and Arranging, and was awarded its Student Achievement Award for composing “Ocean Sojourn,” an orchestral tone poem, performed with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, James Setapen conducting.

Michael Pedicin

Saxophonist Michael Pedicin has enjoyed a five-decade career as a Grammy-nominated saxophonist, concert performer, educator, and creatively-inspired PhD psychologist.

In his early academic years, he graduated from the University of the Arts with a degree in Composition, which was later followed by a Master’s degree, and two doctoral degrees, one earned in “Cognitive and Creative Arts Psychology,” and an honorary doctorate in music.

Michael was a performing and studio musician in his early professional life, which was later followed as the saxophonist with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, pianist Dave Brubeck, and Pat Martino, etc., as well as always maintaining his own quartet and quintet.

In addition, he has held teaching positions from 1974 to 2015 at the University of the Arts, Temple University, and Stockton University.

Michael continues to record and perform, while also maintaining a creatively-based psychology practice in New York and New Jersey.

Dean Johnson

In the last few years Dean has performed and recorded with numerous groups including the Paul Jost Quartet, various projects with Roseanna Vitro, Bill Mays, Kendra Shank, Hayes Greenfield, and in special concerts with jazz artists Fred Hersch, Jane Ira Bloom and Art Lande.  He also performs regularly with pipa virtuoso Min Xiao-Fen and guitarist Steve Salerno in the Blue Pipa Trio, performing their eclectic combination of jazz, bluegrass and Chinese folk songs.  As bassist for vocalist Roseanna Vitro, Dean has performed as a U.S. Jazz Ambassador in the Balkans, Kazahkstan  and Kyrgystan, as well as a live recording at the Kennedy Center featuring pianist Kenny Werner, and a recording project celebrating the music of Randy Newman featuring Mark Soskin that was nominated for a Grammy.  He has performed, recorded and toured for over six years with vibraphonist Mark Sherman and a quartet including drummer Tim Horner and pianist Allen Farnham.  

Born in Seattle, Washington, in 1956, Dean studied Bass Violin with a number of bassists, including the renowned Gary Peacock. Dean also studied piano and composition at the Cornish Institute, in Seattle, with James Knapp and from 1974 to 1976, attended the Berklee College of Music, in Boston, studying with bassists Rich Appleman, John Neves, and studying theory, composition, and arranging with John LaPorta and Herb Pomeroy.

Since arriving in New York, in 1980, Dean has been busy freelancing with a wide variety of artists in the Northeast, and has had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the United States, Canada, and numerous tours of Europe, Japan, Brazil, Australia, Mexico, and Israel. Some of the eclectic array of artists Dean has been and continues to be involved with over that time include: Dave Liebman, Lee Konitz, Bob Brookmeyer, Randy Brecker, Joe Lovano, Phil Woods, Grover Washington, Dave Grusin, Lew Tabackin, Wynton Marsalis, Steve Kuhn, Dave Samuels, Ron Afiff, Dave Douglas, Paul McCandless, Nguyen Le, Art Lande, Ray Anderson, Walter Norris, Maurizio Giammarco, Bill Mays, Vic Juris, Billy Harper, Art Farmer, Nick Brignola, Ronny Cuber, Rob McConnell, Dave Kikoski, Bill Frisell, Albert Dailey, Mike Metheny, John McNeil, Hayes Greenfield, and Vocalists Sheila Jordan, Jackie and Roy, Mark Murphy, Carol Sloane and Helen Merrill.

Gerry Mulligan however is Dean's most prominent association. Dean spent over 10 years with Mr. Mulligan until his passing in 1996 in a variety of musical situations including the Quartet, Nonet, Big Band, and with symphony orchestras, including the Israel Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.  Dean performed in these Mulligan ensembles in concerts and jazz festivals all over the world as well as numerous recordings along with a number of well-known pianists that were in the group over that time including Harold Danko, Bill Mays, Bill Charlap, and Ted Rosenthal.

 Dean has also taught privately for years and has conducted clinics at the Berklee College of Music, New York University, New Mexico State University, University of Northern Colorado, Ithaca College, and at the Rotterdam Conservatory of Music.

 Prior to coming to New York, Dean lived in Seattle, Washington. On the West coast he worked with a number of different musicians including, Sonny Stitt, Milt Jackson, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Clifford Jordan, Barry Harris, Ted Curson, Richie Cole, Clark Terry, Buddy Tate, Arnett Cobb, Herb Ellis, Barney Kessel, Tete Montelieu, Terry Gibbs, Bill Mays, Art Lande, Julian Priester, and singers Ernestine Anderson and Mark Murphy.