No Boundaries

Arti Dixson is a dynamic force in the music world, seamlessly blending his talents as a world-class drummer, innovative educator, groundbreaking inventor, and dedicated philanthropist. Arti was inducted into the New England Music Hall of Fame in 2025 and “No Boundaries” was voted New England Music Album of the Year for 2026. His career is a testament to the transformative power of rhythm, expressed through his work as a celebrated musician and community leader.

Jack DeJohnette is known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, John Abercrombie, Alice Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock and John Scofield. Jack was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2007. He has won two Grammy Awards and been nominated for five others.

Ron Carter’s appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy Awards, and is also a cellist who has recorded numerous times on the instrument. In addition to a solo career of more than 60 years, Carter is well-known for playing on numerous iconic Blue Note albums in the 1960s, as well as being the anchor of trumpeter Miles Davis’s “Second Great Quintet” from 1963-1968.

Christian Sands became a Steinway artist in 2012. In 2014, Sands cited as influences McBride, Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Garrett, and Marcus Roberts, because “They’re coming from the tradition of bringing people into the music, but also moving it forward into new directions”. In the same year, Sands became an American Pianists Association Jazz Fellowship Awards Finalist. His composition “Be Water II” was nominated for the Best Instrumental Composition Grammy Award in 2020.

Brian Torff’s professional career began in 1974 when bassist Milt Hinton offered him the opportunity of touring with Cleo Laine. During the late 70s, Torff recorded and performed with pianists Mary Lou Williams and Marian McPartland, and toured Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong with jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli. He played in pianist Erroll Garner’s last group and worked in the big bands of Oliver Nelson, and The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra.In 1979, Brian Torff joined in a duo with pianist George Shearing.

Yehuda Hanani is an international soloist, recording artist, Israeli-American cellist and Professor of Violoncello. He is especially sought after as an interpreter and elucidator of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and his recording of the six suites (Townhall Records) has been critically hailed for its personal relationship with the score. He has also been at the forefront of thematic programming and has directed the innovative chamber music series Close Encounters With Music, based in the Berkshires, since 1990 in cities across the U.S. and Canada.