Jim Burns, guitar

Started playing drums and guitar around age fifteen playing in rock bands in and around upstate New York, and later devoted full time to the guitar after discovering Jazz and the Contemporary jazz rock music of the early 1970's.

Main influences on the Guitar: John McLaughlin, Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino, Emily Remler, Joe Pass, Allan Holdsworth, Pat Metheny, Ralph Towner, Jim Hall, John Abercrombie, Jack Wilkins,
Ed Bickert, Jimmy Raney. Non-Guitar music Influences: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Keith Jarrett, Gary Burton, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Bill Evans, Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler to name a few. Have Studied guitar privately with Rob Cheramy in Victoria, BC and also with Bruce Foreman during summer jazz studies in Port Townsend, Washington. Theory Studies with Don Thompson and Hugh Fraser, Victoria.

James Hill, saxophone

Jazz has been and is still a life-long passion. Listened to swing, rhythm & blues and big band records at an early age, then cool, hard-bop and soul recordings. Played in swing groups in his teens, and became involved in organizing jazz-related programs for about 20 years as a volunteer for the Saskatoon Jazz Society and the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival. Reecommitted to learning to play jazz about ten years with concentrated practice, jazz workshops, private lessons and rehearsing and performing with a jazz trio and the Big Band while still in the Yukon and, now in Vancouver with the formation of Jazz Con Brio. Primary listening and influence includes such greats as Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, Chet Baker, Art Blakey, Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Jim Hall, Keith Jarrett and, of course, Paul Desmond and Cannonball Adderley, as well as many of the newer mainstream jazz artists.

Jerry Boey, trumpet

Played in small combos in southern Saskatchewan since early teens, and in a dixieland jazz group while in university. Although lacking in early formal training, he has studied with many excellant musicians over the years and attended jazz workshops when possible.

Early influences were Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, Booker Little, and
Lee Morgan and more recently Kevin Elaschuck, Guido Basso, and Dave Douglas.