Farnell Newton, Composer/Trumpeter, was born on March 21, 1977, in Miami, Florida, where he was exposed to many forms of music, including jazz, salsa, funk, and hip-hop. Moving to Philadelphia in 1992, he attended the High School of Creative and Performing Arts (C.A.P.A.) and gained more exposure to and experience with the music he truly loves — jazz. While in Philadelphia, Farnell also learned a lot from his uncle, saxophonist/arranger Conny Murray, and from his Uncle Sunny Murray, “the father of avant-garde drumming.”

Re-locating to Denver in 1994, Farnell graduated from the Denver School of the Arts and then moved to Ohio to study at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. At Oberlin, Farnell studied Music Performance with an emphasis in jazz with Wendell Logan and trumpeter Kenny Davis.  Farnell Performed with many musicians, including Aretha Franklin, James Moody, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Hugh Ragin, during his stay at Oberlin.

After graduating from Oberlin Farnell decided to move to Portland, Oregon, where he has performed regularly with groups such as Klezmocracy, Mel Brown, Thara Memory, Cana Son, Johnny Polanco, Ricardo Lemvo, Conjunto Allegre, and Darrell Grant, to name a few. In the fall of 2009 Farnell Newton will be taking the position of Professor of Jazz Trumpet at Portland State University.

 Composer/pianist Ezra Weiss was born on January 16, 1979, in Phoenix, Arizona. There, he was active in community theater, both as an actor and a musical director. He was also involved in band programs, and studied piano with Larry Loeber. After graduating from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Ezra moved to Ohio to study at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

In 2004, Ezra moved to New York City to pursue a Masters in Jazz Piano at Queens College. There, he studied piano with Bruce Barth and Ted Rosenthal. After graduating, he taught for a year at Scottsdale Community College. Ezra currently lives in Portland, Oregon, where he teaches at the Northwest Childrens Theater and at Portland State University. Ezra won the 2002, 2006, and 2007 ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award.