Here are the links to Web sites of some friends and people I respect:

Steve Duke Trio — An exciting new trio I am involved with featuring Steve Duke on saxophones and Marlene Rosenberg on bass. Steve has played with Joe Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Wess, Roland Hanna, Grady Tate, Zoot Sims, and Charles McPherson. Marlene has played with Kenny Barron, Frank Foster, Stan Getz, Albert "Tootie" Health, Joe Henderson, Marian McPartland, Cedar Walton, Wallace Roney, David "Fathead" Newman, Monty Alexander, Kevin Mahogony, Frank Morgan, Frank Wess, Joe Williams and Nancy Wilson. They are both professors of music at Northern Illinois University.

Larry Gray is a fabulous musician who incidentally plays double bass. In addition to having played with an impressive number of jazz greats, Larry is an accomplished composer and arranger. As if creating magic on the bass is not enough, he is an excellent cellist. If you are still not convinced, he also plays good guitar, flute and piano.

Nick Tountas — Nick has performed as a double bass player at numerous festivals and concert venues throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. He has collaborated with many of the top artists in jazz, including Dizzy Gillespie, Ira Sullivan, Buddy Childers, Lee Konitz, Charlie Rouse, Kenny Garrett, Buddy DeFranco, Herb Ellis, Carl Fontana, Bill Watrous, Adam Makowicz, Marian McPartland, Larry Novak, Judy Roberts, Patricia Barber, Gary Novak, Ed Soph, George Marsh, and others. Judy Roberts' recording "In The Moment" featuring Nick's playing has been nominated for a Grammy. Nick's new CD "Hopalong", featuring Rusty Jones (drums), myself, and Larry Novak (piano) can be ordered through the website. Nick also appears on my CD "Travels and Dreams".

Rusty Jones — Check the Web site of the great Chicago drummer Rusty Jones. His playing credits wouldn't fit this page, I'll just mention 6 years with pianist George Shearing. Every gig with Rusty is pure joy, both musically and personally. The only downside is that his jokes often have us (the rest of the band) laughing out loud, to the point of not being able to play. You can also check Rusty's playing on my CD "Travels and Dreams".

Steve Hashimoto — On top of being one of the busiest and most versatile bassists in Chicago, Steve is is an accomplished wordsmith. His weekly chronicles of the Chicago musicians' life "News From The Trenches" are witty, opinionated, sometimes controversial, but NEVER boring. Steve's other literary opus is The Book of Jobbing. BOJ is hilarious, check it out! Steve was also kind enough to appear as a guest on my CD "Travels and Dreams" , write the liner notes and design the booklet.

Dennis Tousana of Absolute Audio — A top-rate sound engineer in Chicago. Dennis knows his equipment, but more importantly he knows the music. Contact him if you care about your sound.

Trevor Sadler of Mastermind Productions — Trevor is a Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His work truly enhances any recording.

Steve Ramsdell is an excellent Chicago guitarist, equally versed in jazz and classical idioms. Check out his website for bio, schedule and more.

Carl Schulze — A wonderful vibraphonist, composer, and arranger from Holland. Carl plays and writes with a distinctly modern and personal sound. He has played with too many people to list here. Check his Web site. A great friend and one of my personal heroes. Carl's new CD, featuring top Dutch jazz musicians, has been released in September 2003.

Jean Louis Van Dam — Another connection from the time I lived in Holland. Here's a gentleman of the piano whose ears are always open, and whose musical ideas flow effortlessly. From the first time we played together, I felt at the same time comfortable and challenged. Knowing Jean Louis personally, one can see the same qualities that are so apparent on stage: a gentle soul with great musical passion. The Web site is in Dutch. An English Web site is coming soon.

Hein Van de Geyn — One of the greatest bass players in the world, in my opinion. Hein has played with hundreds of top class musicians. More importantly, he has an instantly identifiable style: intensely lyrical and melodic, while hard swinging at the same time. A true jazz poet. Check my tribute to him: The Poet (for Hein)

Kathy Kosins A delightful singer from Detroit. Kathy is equally at home singing standards and modern jazz, all with warmth, swing and precise intonation. She is also an acomplished composer: check out her CDs!

Libby Larsen — Libby Larsen is one of America's most prolific and most performed living composers of concert music. A great lady with a wickedly quick mind, boundless energy, open ears, and an enviably productive pen.

Jan Bach — How many living people can claim to have studied orchestration and counterpoint with Bach? Yours truly can! I was fortunate enough to catch Dr. Bach's last 2 semesters of teaching at Northern Illinois University while doing my master's. Here's a master craftsman (he, that is) who has written for just about every conceivable combination of instruments, including the world's first (to my knowledge) steel-pan concerto. Incidentally, to the delight of us musicians, the world of comedy has lost a would-have-been star.

Andy Gütte — A good friend from Hannover, Germany. Andy is a vibraphonist and a bandleader, specializing in mainstream jazz. I had the pleasure of recording a CD with his band. One microphone, like in the old days! No punch-ins, editing, or any other messing around with the recording. A scary and also very rewarding experience.

Danny Marcovich — A great luthier and good friend on the other side of the Atlantic. If you need guitar or bass guitar work done in Western Europe, I heartily recommend him. Danny lives and works in Amsterdam, Holland. He is an exceedingly friendly guy, completely devoted to his craft. Besides his own work, he has cooperated with the famous builder of bass guitars Michael Tobias. Danny's work has graced the instruments of many musicians on both sides of the ocean, most recently the jazz legend Jim Hall. Tel:(+31-20) 618-2440

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Jazzreview.com — A good site featuring CD reviews and lots of other jazz-related information