The church and music have always gone hand-in-hand. It is the place where artists like modern rock’s Bono of U2 and R&B/jazz savant Lizz Wright began by singing in the choir, pop music’s Whitney Houston and hip hop’s Kanye West first touched audiences, and country music’s Dolly Parton and bluegrass’ Alison Krauss were first embraced. The church and music have a great deal in common. They both encourage communal gatherings and participation, and they also both transcend any delineations th …

The first impression you may have of Marcus Horatio Mitchell is that he is a handsome, young man with dreamy, brown eyes, a happy-go-lucky disposition, and a sunny smile that could melt the Arctic glaciers, but this handsome 24-year old has more than just good looks to his credit. He has the music chops and astute business sense of an artist who can give smooth jazz, and the burgeoning urban jazz market, the lift to bring it notoriety in the way that Smokey Robinson gave to Quiet Storm. …

Jack Prybylski (pronounced purr-bill-ski) began playing the saxophone in elementary school and just never stopped. All through school and college, making music played a significant role in his life. Encouraged by his parents and teachers, he became a dedicated student and pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in music education and music performance at the State University of New York in Buffalo where he graduated. He spent the ‘90s as a saxophonist in the jazz jamband ThemJazzbeards and played …

Fusion guitarist Richard Hart is a well known studio and touring musician in jazz circles having worked with "Chuck Datillo, Larry Nance, Tony Molina, Ansley Dunbar, Ron Eschete, Tom Scott, Heath Brothers, Kirk Whalum, Russell Malone, McCoy Tyner, and Mel Torne," he roll calls. His musical experiences inspired him to create his own songs and release an album of original material called Fearless Shores on Innervision Records. "I wanted to incorporate all the great influences of t …

Tim Cunningham’s current album Manchester Road, on TAWC Records, makes peace with grieving wounds and nurtures those relationships with family, friends, and God. His smooth jazz compositions and liquid saxophone lines were inspired by his feelings toward his family. Songs like "Sadie," an ode to his young daughter Sadie, and "Wintress," a tribute to his niece Wintress, are prime selections that show how music can speak with emotional depth. He reflects, "’Wintress’ was my niece …