Stacy's concept is original and inspiring. He is completely unpredictable and doesn't bore you with stock licks. In fact he doesn't bog himself down with just playing chord changes, and he plays ideas. He's a true improviser. Eric Reed, pianist & composer Stacy Dillard, raised in Muskegon Heights, Michigan, started playing the saxophone at a rather late age. In his hometown, there isn't much music happening, but only Robert Moore, Stacy's band instructor, and a host of close friends. Athletics was a big part of his life, leading to the late start on the instrument. Stacy attended college at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio to study with Dr. William Denza, Jim Smith, Chris Berg, and Lenard Moses. Very quickly, Dillard acquired the necessary knowledge that would soon put his name out on the local scene. It was a run-in with Wynton Marsalis in Dayton, Ohio that would turn his attention to the New York Scene. After graduation, Stacy took the act to Cincinnati, where he stayed for a short time and made his first recording appearance with Mike Wade on trumpet, drummer Melvin Broach and pianist William Menefield. Maturation was very rapid, finally leading the way to New York. Stacy is a one-of-a-kind musician. Seriously." Roy Hargrove A young saxophonist of serious promise (Ben Ratliff, The New York Times), Stacy has caught the attention of many with his large and rich tone, developed ideas, accurate technique, work ethic, and patience, leading to a number of working opportunities. Dillard has played with Winard Harper, Cindy Blackmon, Lenny White, Norman Simmons, Frank Lacy, Wycliffe Gordon, Eric Reed, Roy Hargrove, Stephon Harris, Ernestine Anderson, Terrell Stafford, Herlin Riley, John Hicks, Frank Wess, Mulgrew Miller, Clark Terry, Victor Lewis, Steve Wilson, Johnny O'neal, Antonio Hart, Russell Malone, Lewis Nash, Mark Whitfield, the Mingus Big Band, and a host of others in different genres of music, including Shirley Ceasar, Alex Bugnon, Stephanie Mills, Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, and more. "Hey man, this (censored) can play. This MF can PLAY! Wynton Marsalis As well as being a sideman, Stacy Dillard is currently leading three bands of his own. cPhyve is the genesis project, along with cPhour, which is stylistically similar to cPhyve. The Other Side is exactly what the name says. The cast of members are the same as cPhyve, but r&b/funk/hip-hop oriented. To sum it all up, Stacy Dillard is a perfect example of the fusing of tradition and innovation, the combination which keeps EVERYTHING fresh, exciting, energetic, theraputic, and more importantly, real. Weblinks: www.stacydillard.com This artist does not have a bio yet. This artist does not have a bio yet. Diallo A. House is a bassist/composer/Visual Artist hailing from Ithaca, New York. House began to cultivate his musical talent long before he received his first bass guitar at age twelve. Like his father Donald, also a bassist House knows the true role of the bass. Leader of House of Sextet, Co-Founder of Brooklyn Circle and Brawlik his larger ensembles. Compositions include: Atiba Blue, Loki's Iris, Anti-Groove, Bossamba Sambossa, Six for JH, Dark, Anacrusis, Bosalilia, The Eddy, Shongo, Mykiss, Xxx. House has worked with the following artists: Brian Jackson (Gil Scott-Heron), Nneka, Ladybug Mecca (Digable Planets), On Ka Davis (Sun Ra Arkestra), R.L. Boyce, Robert Kimbrough, Cameron Kimbrough, She-Wolf, Bill Abel, Johnny Oneil, Dave Leibman (Miles Davis), George Garzone (The Fringe), John Hicks (John Coltrane) Knox Chandler( Cindy Lauper, Psychidelic Furs) Chris Komer (Principal French Horn for New Jersey Symphony - Season Finale) Daniel Breaker (Shrek, Hamilton), Michael "Ebo" Cooper (Third World), Siji (Sanctuary), Masauko Chipembere (Black Sonshine), Mongezi Ntaka (Lucky Dube), Sinhue Padilla (Jaranabeat, Cumbiagra). Driven by a relentless curiosity, Ismail Lawal's playing happily avoids easy categorization. Lawal fell in love with jazz as a teen and immersed himself in the works of the music's most exemplary practitioners. More important than the raw information he gained from his study however, was the intellectual and cultural inquisitiveness which he saw as feeding the vitality of the music. Adopting this inclusive stance, Lawal has gone on to perform in a variety of musical settings, from various African-based traditions to singer-songwriter gigs, and myriad worlds in between.