The Eric Byrd Trio: Eric Byrd - piano Alphonso M. Young, Jr. - drums Bhagwan Khalsa - acoustic bass The Eric Byrd Trio is comprised of musicians whose vision is to glorify the age of traditional jazz while providing an energetic and modern approach to standards and original compositions at the same time. The trio performs regularly at jazz venues in and around Washington, DC. Live performances have included appearances at Blues Alley, the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Twins and Bohemian Caverns. The Eric Byrd Trio has played at numerous festivals throughout the United States headlining the East Coast Jazz Festival, the ARTScape Festival in Baltimore and The Westminster Flower and Jazz Festival. They also appeared weekly at the Café Milano in Georgetown, playing to guests that included Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie. Their international touring began when they were named 2001 Kennedy Center/US State Department Jazz Ambassadors. Selected to represent the USA, they toured Latin America for six weeks in the fall of 2001. Since that time, they have given concerts at the Montreux Switzerland Jazz Festival, headlined the FestiJazz Festival in La Paz, Bolivia, served as clinicians and performers at a week long jazz conference in Lima, Peru and made their first appearance at a world music festival in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The country of Estonia and a return to Bolivia will highlight the summer and fall of 2003. . Eric Byrd - Piano Pianist Eric Byrd has been playing professionally for over 15 years. Along with the principles of swing and be-bop, rousing gospel-tinged chords and trilling blues lines are fundamental elements of his performance style. Byrd has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Mike Stern, Keter Betts,Gary Thomas, Paul Carr, Buck Hill, Ethel Ennis, Charlie Byrd and Ernie Andrews, just to name a few. Along with his own recordings as a leader, he also appears on recordings by Ron Kearns, Lea Gilmore, Ruby Hayes and others. He is currently a half-time Music Professor at McDaniel College, formerly Western Maryland College, where he completed his undergraduate degree. He received his Master's in Music in 2001. He is also the primary composer of the group. Bhagwan Khalsa - Acoustic Bass Bassist Bhagwan Khalsa has become one of the most sought-after acoustic bassists in the DC area. The list of musicians he has performed with is quite extensive: Sonny Fortune, Eric Alexander, Gary Thomas, Cecil Payne, David "Fathead" Newman, Kenny Drew, Jr., Howard Burns and Ron Kearns are just a few to employ his impressive musical services. After completing studies at the prestigious Grove School of Music in Los Angeles, CA, Khalsa has continued to forge a successful sideman career for the last decade, and his original arrangements are essential to shaping the sound of the trio. Alphonso M. Young, Jr. - Drums Drummer/percussionist Alphonso M. Young, Jr. has been a professional musician for over 20 years. His versatile and imaginative style of performance has not only charmed audiences around the world, but has led such noted artists as Vanessa Rubin, Randy Brecker, Bob Berg, George Colligan, Buck Hill, Ira Sullivan, Othello Molineaux, Rebecca Parris and Jon Secada to acquire his talent. He was also the percussionist for the European tour of the Broadway show "Sophisticated Ladies". A music instructor with Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia and on the faculty of Shenandoah University, he plays with the Robert Larson trio, the Howard Burns Quartet and leads the Al Young Trio. His energetic swing style can only be described as breathtaking.