PIANO

Jeff Haas learned to crawl in the organ loft of Temple Israel in Detroit, listening to his dad play. He grew up surrounded by classical cats rehearsing chamber music with his dad, Karl Haas. At five, he was at the piano under his dad’s watchful eye. In his early teens, Jeff stumbled upon his first live Motown review (Marvin, Martha, The Temps, Four Tops, Supremes and Little Stevie Wonder) at the MI State Fair. He went rogue. The Motor City music scene became Jeff’s playground, hanging out at the Grande Ballroom, Easttown and the back door of Bakers Keyboard Lounge, where Jeff could catch the jazz vibe even though he wasn’t old enough to get in.

A bazillion hours at the piano and thousands of gigs later, Jeff is a northern MI jazz staple, performing for decades with his trio and a host of jazz legends including 15 years of joyful music making with jazz master, Marcus Belgrave. Jeff is an acclaimed composer who tends to play by his own rules, challenging traditional forms, melody structures and genre blends. His compositional voice organically blends his passion for jazz, R&B, classical and Judaic music. Jeff has spent a majority of his life dedicated to the healing power of music and has been giving back to his communities through his nonprofit called Building Bridges with Music (est.1995), where his quintet uses the universal language of music and storytelling to promote open mindedness and respect. Building Bridges has touched the lives of children in 700+ Michigan public schools over the past 30 years.

BASS

Born in Detroit, MI, a crucible of jazz, Marion Hayden is one of the nation’s finest proponents of the acoustic bass. Mentored by master trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, Hayden began performing jazz at the age of 15. She has performed with such diverse luminaries as Bobby McFerrin, Nancy Wilson, Geri Allen, Regina Carter, Steve Turre, Lester Bowie, David Allen Grier, James Carter, Dorothy Donegan, Joe Williams, Lionel Hampton, Frank Morgan, Jon Hendricks, Hank Jones, Bobby Hutcherson, Larry Willis, Vanessa Rubin, Sheila Jordan, Mulgrew Miller, Annie Ross and many others. She is a co-founder of the touring jazz ensemble Straight Ahead- the first all woman jazz ensemble signed to Atlantic Records. She is a member of the Detroit International Jazz Festival All-Star Ambassadors touring ensemble. She performs with Jeff Haas’ Building Bridges with Music Quintet and leads the Building Bridges program titled “Sister’s in Jazz” that began in 2024.

DRUMS

Tariq was born and raised in Detroit to an artistic family. His mother, double bassist, Marion Hayden, and father, Painter and Sculptor, F. Saffell Gardner, shaped his sound and artistic palate from a young age. From sounds of straight ahead jazz, traditional NOLA Music, and Neo-Soul to Afro-Beat, Reggae and Motown, he has been into it all! He received much classical training in the magnet Detroit School of Arts High School where he drummed in the Wind Symphony and Orchestra and refined his drum set technique (as well as love for latin rhythms) in the University of Michigan Jazz Program under Robert Hurst, Benny Green, and Sean Dobbins. Tariq performs with the Building Bridges with Music Quintet all over the state of Michigan.

TRUMPET

Anthony Stanco is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, and educator from Southeast Michigan. A product of Detroit's rich musical heritage, Stanco spent his early years studying under local heroes such as Marcus Belgrave and Rodney Whitaker. Stanco now leads The Crucial Elements, a nationally-recognized 5-piece ensemble who have served multiple tours with the US State Department's “American Music Abroad” program. He continues to have an active recording career and has released his second record titled “You Know The Feeling”on the Detroit Music Factory label. He has penned many of his own compositions including a five movement suite, select tracks on his records, a commissioned big band work for The Ohio State University’s 40th anniversary of their jazz festival, as well as a studio orchestra arrangement celebrating the life of jazz legend Charlie Parker. Stanco joined the MSU College of Music Faculty in 2021. Stanco has been performing with Building Bridges since 2016.

SAXOPHONES and FLUTE

Laurie Sears, saxophonist and flutist, works with numerous jazz groups, including the Grand Rapids Symphony, Traverse Symphony Orchestra and Traverse Symphony Jazz Orchestra. Some of the national jazz and popular artists that Laurie has shared the stage with include Sarah Vaughan, Mel Torme, Frank Sinatra, Natalie Cole, Aretha Franklin, Liza Minelli, Julie Andrews, Bernadette Peters, Johnny Mathis, Henry Mancini, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations and The Four Tops. While in Chicago, Laurie performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival, with orchestral pops presentations at Ravinia, entertainers at the Chicago Theater and at numerous musical theaters venues. She has maintained an active private teaching studio for over forty years and has been performing with Building Bridges since 2004.