Jay Fort - Woodwinds. Jay Fort's distinctive woodwind sound is a mainstay in the band. A graduate of the Masters of Music Program at Southwest Texas State University in Composition, he is now Jazz Band Director at San Antonio College. Some of Jay's most notable musical accomplishments include a stint with the original Navy Show Band, as well as being an alumni jazz tenor of the North Texas State University One'Clock Lab Band. He was also lead alto in the Artie Shaw Big Band and with Mac "Guitar" Murphy of the Blues Brothers. Recently, he has traveled to the Paul Hindemeth Foundation in Switzerland with the Southwest Mysterium to play one of his original compositions, co-written with Carol Cisneros and dedicated to the Rain Forest. He has performed with the Elias Halsanger Quintet, Cecil Carter, Armin Marmolejo, and Doug Hall, as well as the Jazz Nomads, a Hard-Bop shout-out to all Hard-Boppers in the Central Texas area. His original project, Nuclear Hamsters, is ongoing and gives him a forum for his unusual compositional spins, as well as his outerspace inspired improvisation - "crossunder music".
Rene Saenz - Woodwinds. Rene Saenz is an active woodwinds professional in the San Antonio area and plays all the national shows including Johnny Mathis, Bob Mintzer and a host of others. A graduate of the NTSU One O'Clock Lab Band, he also frequently plays with the San Antonio Symphony. He has played for national commericals such as Coca Cola, WalMart, Exxon, etc., and makes regular appearances at San Antonio's Jazz Alive! series. Rene has played with Jazz PR and other Latin-based bands and has led a combo under his name through many concerts at jazz festivals around the Southwest Region.
Rob Blakeslee - Trumpet, Flugel Horn. Rob Blakeslee is the primary trumpet talent for Nine Winds Records, and is on recordings and tours of Vinny Golia, Michael Vlatkovitch and others in that stable. He is a frequent guest in Vancouver at Coastal Jazz and Blues Society's du Maurier Jazz Festival and well as Earshot Jazz in Seattle. He was Professor of Jazz Studies and taught trumpet, jazz ensmbles and improvisation at Oregon State University in Corvallis. He has been the driving energy behind the Creative Music Guild in Portland and coordinates many of their efforts to produce concerts of New Jazz Music with a multitude of guest artists. Recently he has played concerts in Chicago and New York to support hs new Nine Winds release, Spirit of the Times.
Paul Armstrong - Trumpet, Flugel Horn. Paul Armstrong has come to the CO2 from the Northwest, where he played trumpet with Jim Knapp, Buddy Catlett, Brad Allison among others. Paul's stint in the Air Force Band left him musically stronger and possessed of a strong team player spirit. While in Austin, he has played with Julianna Sheffield, Millenium Swing, Tony Campise, and is starting his own swing project, Swing Shift with Paul Stevens. Paul is finishing his graduate work at Southwest Texas State University in Sound Recording Technology. He is a composer and arranger, as well as a father of three and in order to play drives crazily everywhere from his home in Pleasanton, south of San Antonio.
Terry Landry - Woodwinds. Terry Landry is active as a professional saxophonist in the sessions and studios of Los Angeles, where he has been a member of the house bands on NBC's The Martin Short Show, The Jeff Foxworthy Show. He has appeared with Stevie Wonder, Sheila E., Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle,Lou Rawls, Celia Cruz, Rosemary Clooney, and many others. Also a graduate of the fabled One O'Clock Lab Band at the University of North Texas, Terry now holds the position of Saxophone Artist Relations at Rico International, where he educates musicians worldwide, from beginners to famed masters, in finding comfortable, consistent means to achieve their jazz saxophone sound. He has consulted with such luminaries as Wayne Shorter, Charles Lloyd, James Moody, Lew Tabackin, Jerry Bergonzi, and more. Currently he is working on an album with his modern/Latin jazz quintet, which is of the modern, post-Coltrane harmonic tradition, incorporating the rich textures and rhythms of Brazilian and Afro-Brazilian music.
Larry Spencer - Trumpets, Flugel Horn. Larry Spencer has been a consistent contributor to the CO2, not only as lead trumpet, but as composer and arranger as well. He is an extremely busy top call player in Dallas, and enjoys a wide variety of gigs from shows, to big bands, to salsa, to combos, pop, session work, and classical quintet. Another graduate of the North Texas State University One O'Clock Lab Band.
Chris Searles - Drums/Percussion. Chris Searles is a very busy young drummer covering territory ranging from progressive jazz to experimental pop. Recently toured with Abra Moore and Sheryl Crow. Because of his intelligence and creativity, he is highly sought after as drummer or percussionist in many different realms. Chris says he enjoys underwater water sports, loves dancing, dining out and show tunes. TV a must.
Oliver Rajamani - Tabla, Dumbek, Percussion. Oliver Rajamani has come to be known in the Austin region for his sensitive and moving tabla and dumbek playing. Originally from Madras, India, he has been a gentle and persuasive percussion workshop leader at Becker Elementary as well as Parkside Community School. A member of the percussion ensemble RUPAK with Aloke Dutta, and a frequent collaborator with dancers, he now concentrates on his own band, The Gypsies, with Mohammed Firoozi appearing regularly at The Mercury on 6th Street in Austin, Texas.
