The Players
Ed Cherry
One of the most respected Jazz guitarists on the New York scene, Ed Cherry started his professional career playing in Dizzy Gillespie’s band in 1978. Following Gillespie’s death in 1993, Cherry launched his solo career. In addition to recording five studio albums he has worked with Dr. Lonnie Smith, Paquito D’Rivera, Jon Faddis, John Patton, Hamiet Bluiett, Henry Threadgill, Paula West and Peter Bernstein. When not touring nationally or abroad, he can be found playing the clubs of New York City with his own Ed Cherry Trio and teaching guitar. Cherry plays several Wilkies, including a Paramount, an 18” Atlas and a custom guitar designed around an original Charlie Christian pick-up.
Tony DeCaprio
Tony DeCaprio began his career as a teenager touring with Tom Jones. His evident virtuosity led to him working along side James Moody, Tommy Tedesco, Steve Kuhn, Peter Erskine and Elvis Presley. Today DeCaprio is a world-renowned Master instructor. His books Gateway to Guitar Improvisation and Strategic Picking and the Improvised Line are classics for students of advanced jazz guitar. DeCaprio plays a Wilkie Paramount.
Faton Macula
Faton Macula was born in Mitrovica, Kosovo. Jazz was not his first home. He grew up studying classical music and gigging with rock bands. In 2000, his song Telat was a number one hit on Kosovo’s pop charts, but he fell hard for Jazz when a teacher played him records by George Benson and Joe Pass. Macula began appearing at Jazz festivals across Europe and eventually his friend and mentor Mark Whitfield invited him to New York City to continue to further expand his career. Macula has worked with Jazz and pop artists such as Marc Anthony, Shakira, Faith Hill, Missy Elliott, Carl Thomas, Gladys Knight, Mary J. Blige, James Genus, Gregory Hutchinson, Dave Kikoski, Donald Edwards, Mark Whitfield, Jim Pryor, Ravi Coltrane, Allan Harris and many more.
Macula continues to perform, record and teach guitar in New York City. Macula plays a Wilkie Paramount.
Ted Ludwig
Acclaimed seven-string jazz guitarist Ted Ludwig has been a part of the New Orleans Jazz scene since 1997. He earned his Bachelor and Masters Degrees from the University of New Orleans Jazz Studies Program, under the direction of the legendary pianist Ellis Marsalis Jr. He has received numerous awards for his outstanding musicianship and creativity. He has performed with notable contemporaries such as Ellis Marsalis, Peter Bernstein, Bob Dorough, Larry Coryell, Nathan East, Nicholas Payton, Howard Alden, Mundell Lowe, Rick Margitza, Julian Labro, Steve Masakowski, John Ellis, Tony Dagradi, Mike Pellera, Jason Marsalis, Ron Eschete’, Johnny Vidacovich, Herlin Riley. He has released 4 albums as a leader and many more as a versatile sideman and co-leader. Ludwig teaches regularly and maintains a full schedule of live concerts. Ludwig plays a 7-string Wilkie Northern Flyer.
Maxim Cormier
Maxim Cormier is an international award-winning Canadian guitar virtuoso and composer. He has released five albums of his genre-bending instrumental recordings. Described as “a revelation”, Maxim’s performances are influenced by classical, Jazz, and world music, impressing audiences across Canada, Scotland, England, Australia, and France. He is trained in classical, Jazz, and world music and has a Bachelor of Music from Dalhousie University in guitar performance. Cormier plays a custom 15” Wilkie.
Quinn Bachand
From the age of 11, Quinn Bachand was playing folk festivals across Canada with Daniel Lapp, Ashley MacIsaac and Natalie MacMaster, as well as recording albums with his sister Qristina and his Django-inspired band, Brishen. Since graduating from Berklee College of Music, he has joined Jeremy Kittel’s Kittel and Co., and continues to tour and record with his band Brishen. He also appears regularly at workshops and music camps. Bachand plays a Wilkie Paramount.
Gord Stevens
From the 1960s until the mid-1980s Stevens ran the famed Gord Stevens Music in San Jose, where many Bay Area musicians of the 1960s and 70s took music lessons and bought their instruments. After his music shop closed, he turned the upstairs into a recording studio which he ran until his retirement. Stevens can be heard playing violin on Moby Grape’s 1971 album 20 Granite Creek. Stevens plays a Wilkie 10-string mandolin.
Davis Joachim
Davis Joachim’s experiences in the arts spanned 5 decades. He began his
career as a concert guitarist and chamber musician, and would eventually play more than 1000 concerts in over 20 countries around the world. He did frequent studio work for the CBC and Radio Canada, and on any given day could be found performing with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Opéra de Montréal or the Société de Musique Contemporaine de Montréal. He most recently was a professor of arts administration at Bishop’s University and produced and hosted weekly jazz radio shows on CIDI-FM. Joachim passed away in October, 2020. He was loved and highly respected by all who knew him. Joachim played a Wilkie Northern Flyer.
Meredith Axelrod
Delightfully engaging and unassumingly comic, Meredith Axelrod envisions the limitless potential of early twentieth century music, whether it be Ragtime, Music Hall, Pop Standard, Boogie Woogie, Tin Pan Alley, String band, Jazz, Country, Blues or even Jug Band music, and embodies the spirit that brought the music into existence in the first place. Her vocal style is unusual, probably because she learned to sing by listening to how folks did it a century ago – through the medium of cylinders and 78-rpm records.
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The dominant theme throughout her expansive repertoire, is that, whatever the genre, these are songs she learns from the original sources (records and / or sheet music) which were released between the 1890s and the 1930s. Part of the allure of old time music, indeed any music throughout the history of recorded music, is hearing the original recordings as played and sung by the original performers in their heyday, loving what they’re doing and doing it because it means something to them in that moment, never because of nostalgia, and Meredith brings the same unbridled passion, earnest devotion and candid vitality to all of her music; she has found possibility and joy in the treasures of cultural folklore.
Meredith plays a one-of-a-kind Wilkie archtop made specially for her.