Don Friedman was born in 1935 in San Francisco, started playing piano at age four and began lessons at five with a private teacher. Although he had no exposure to jazz he taught himself to improvise. His family later moved to Los Angeles and he soon began to hear the bands which fueled his love for jazz. By the mid 1950s L.A. was the capital of West Coast Jazz and Don became a part of it as he worked around town with various groups. In 1958 he moved to New York, where he played with most of the major musicians, including Scott LaFaro, Pepper Adams, Booker Little, Charles Lloyd and Herbie Mann.

Since then Don has continued to be in demand in New York City as a jazz pianist and educator, while regularly touring the United States, Europe and Japan with top-flight groups. Friedman is at home playing both classic and avant-garde jazz. Collectors snap up his recordings in America, Europe and especially in Japan, where he has a remarkably large and loyal fan base. His new trio is appearing in and around New York City and has recently toured Japan.

Don is graciously standing in for Fred Hersch, who is unable to perform due to illness.

Bill Mays is beyond category with deep roots in jazz, gospel, pop and classical music. His eclectic, prolific career as a pianist, composer and arranger spans five decades and he is heard on hundreds of recordings as well as on TV and movie sound tracks. His concert and studio credits include a who's who of modern music, from Benny Golson to Gerry Mulligan to Sarah Vaughan.

Bill tours and records in many diverse configurations such as with his newly-formed Inventions Trio, with cellist Alisa Horn and trumpeter Marvin Stamm, as a solo pianist, and with his Trio, which includes bassist Martin Wind and drummer Matt Wilson. In addition to leading his own bands his resume includes some of the most important musicians of the era: Ron Carter, Al Cohn, Eddie Daniels, Ray Drummond, Benny Golson, Mel Lewis, Charles McPherson, Bob Mintzer, Gerry Mulligan, Rufus Reid, Maria Schneider Orchestra, Marvin Stamm, Clark Terry, Toots Thielemans, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Paul Winter and Phil Woods. He has played such notable New York venues as Birdland, the Blue Note, Bradley's, Carnegie Hall, the Guggenheim Museum, Iridium, Jazz Standard, Lincoln Center, MOMA, Smoke, Steinway Pianos, the Village Gate and the Village Vanguard.