Tariqh Akoni has managed to pack an impressive array of musical experience in his 37 years. A native of Santa Barbara, Tariqh studied contemporary classical composition at the University of California at San Diego before deciding to pursue performance at the Berklee College of Music. A highlight of his experience during his years at Berklee was his private studies with jazz luminaries Jerry Bergonzi and Rick Peckham. Since moving to Los Angeles in 1997, Tariqh has amassed an extensive and eclectic resume. He has worked with such distinguished artists as: country singers LeAnn Rimes and Lee Ann Womack; jazz icons George Duke, Tom Scott and Bobby Watson; pop artists Jennifer Lopez, Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera and the Backstreet Boys; and classical artist Josh Groban. He has also appeared with a host of greats including Babyface, Al Jarreau, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, and Luther Vandross. He has toured nationally and internationally, most recently as the Musical Director and Conductor for Josh Groban. Please visit www.tariqh.com for more info.

Andy Abad is best known for his passionate guitar playing while on tour with Clay Aiken, Marc Anthony and the Backstreet Boys, as well as his equally impressive recordings with Bonnie Raitt, Marc Anthony, and Ricky Martin. Andy is currently composing music for TV as well as working on a solo project.

Ross Bolton, based in Southern California, is currently a regular member of Al Jarreau's band and has recorded or performed with Rick Braun, Yolanda Adams, Cassandra Wilson, Dave Koz, Anastacia, Warren Hill, David Benoit, The Beach Boys, Sheena Easton, Jeffrey Osborne, Nell Carter, Donny Osmond, and many others. A few of Ross' TV and movies credits include The Jimmy Kimmel Show, Everybody loves Raymond, The Larry Sanders Show, Fridays, Two Guys, A Girl & A Pizza Place, Casper, Switch, and The Jeff Foxworthy Show. Ross has been on staff with the LA Music Academy for many years and has conducted seminars and clinics around the world. His popular video on Funk guitar and recent CD Rom are sold internationally, receiving praise from many major trade publications. Guitar Player magazine has regularly featured Ross as a guest columnist. Please visit www.rossbolton.com for more info.

Jody Fisher grew up studying guitar with his uncle, jazz guitarist Sid Fisher, who had spent many years as an RCA recording artist. After moving to the West Coast as a teenager, Jody continued taking lessons with some of the top players living in the Los Angeles area, including Herb Ellis, John Collins, and Louis Speigner. Today, he is primarily known as a jazz artist living in the Southern California area and has recently worked all over the United States, Canada, England and Germany. His newest CD Impromptu has received critical acclaim. Jody has published over twenty instructional books about jazz guitar with Alfred Publishing, Workshop Arts Publications, and Mel Bay Publications. Four of his books have appeared in the Smithsonian Institute's Folkways Exhibition in Washington, DC. Jody has also written for most of the major guitar magazines, including Guitar Player, Just Jazz Guitar and Finger Style Guitar. As an educator, Jody has held the positions of Professor of Jazz and Studio Guitar at the University of Redlands, in Redlands, CA, the University of La Verne, in La Verne, CA, and the Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts (ISOMATA), in Idyllwild, CA. He has performed with Alphonso Johnson, Betty White, Big Joe Turner, Bo Diddley, Bobby Troupe, Brandon Fields, The Coasters, Dennis Miller, Don Rickles, The Drifters, Harry Connick Jr., Jan and Dean, Joe Diorio, John Abercrombie, John Williams, Mike Stern, Rosemary Clooney, The Shirelles, The Spinners, and many others.

Bruce Forman’s guitar style has been an important part of the international jazz scene for more than two decades. He has been featured as leader as well as sideman at most of the prestigious festivals and concert venues throughout the world. His numerous recording and performing credits include Bobby Hutcherson, Ray Brown, Freddie Hubbard, Richie Cole, Joe Henderson, Barney Kessel, and many others. Known for his swinging bop-style phrasing and inventive harmonizations, his ability to work in a variety of settings keeps him in constant demand. Among his many credits, his guitar work is featured throughout Clint Eastwood’s Academy Award winning film, Million Dollar Baby. He has conducted numerous music workshops at conservatories, universities and camps across four continents, is a founding Resource Team member for the IAJE and a longstanding member of the Monterey Jazz Festival Education Program. In January 2000, he founded JazzMasters Workshop, a music-mentoring program that is free-of-charge to student-age musicians, which was recognized by the Jazz Journalists Association with an award for “Service To and Beyond Jazz”. Bruce’s music publications include The Jazz Guitarists Handbook, Jazz Band Guitar and the video Jazz Guitar Soloing. He also has thirteen recordings as a leader and is featured prominently on Ray Brown’s 2002 release Some of My Best Friends Are Guitarists.

Bill Fowler got his first blues job because he knew ninth chords. Since then he has toured with The Pointer Sisters, Raquel Welch and Ben Vereen. He has appeared with Jermaine Jackson, Ronnie Laws, Willie Bobo,Lainie Kazan and most recently with Lou Rawls. His recording credits include many TV and film soundtracks, as well as albums with Ray Charles and Johnny Halliday. He recently played with the Jazz Tap Ensemble, based on Miles Davis' "Solea" from Sketches of Spain. Bill began teaching guitar and music classes over twenty years ago.

Steve Gregory has been playing the guitar professionally since he was seventeen. While a student at California State University, Northridge, he was the recipient of the Shelley Manne Memorial New Talent Award given by the Los Angeles Jazz Society. Steve soon landed the gig with Ray Charles and began touring the world. Since then, he has also toured extensively with pop icon Frankie Valli. He has performed and/or recorded with Thelma Houston, Brian McKnight, Michael Buble, Diane Reeves, Patti Austin, Marilyn McCoo, and many others. Steve is active as a freelance session guitarist and has just recorded a series of two instructional DVDs on blues guitar. Check out www.stevegregory.net for more information.

Dave Hill, originally from Washington State, began his serious music studies while attending the Cornish School of the Arts in Seattle. Over the years he has worked with Chick Corea bassist Jimmy Earl, the legendary, "Three Dog Night", smooth Jazz recording artist, Gregg Karukas and fusion extraordinaire Frank Gambale, as well as many others. In addition to his live performances, he has also worked as a staff transcriber for REH Instructional Videos. He has also been featured in Guitar Player magazine in the "Sessions" column. Look for his original contemporary Jazz group "The Dave Hill Quartet", playing around the greater LA area. Finally, Dave's first book for Hal Leonard publishing, "The Licktionary" is on the shelves now. Please visit www.davehillmusic.com for more info.

Art Renshaw was born the only child to two successful fine artists. Musical education: University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Art is currently a solo artist on Rocket City Records, with his latest CD Dreamtime receiving critical acclaim in Jazz Life Magazine as a "groundbreaking solo electric" record. He is a touring artist in Europe and Japan and has performed his music to enthusiastic crowds on four continents. Art has played alongside some of the greatest musicians the industry has to offer, including jazz legends Joe Pass and Lenny Breau. He has appeared on educational videos by Warner Bros. and REH, including Chop Builder with Frank Gambale. Art is an endorser for Gibson guitars and regularly performs at the jazz club Tournesol in Los Angeles.

Jamie Rosenn studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he received a Bachelors Degree in Music studying with jazz luminaries Jimmy Giuffre, Ran Blake, Mick Goodrick, George Russell and Bob Moses. After completing his studies in Boston, Jamie moved to California where he attended the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia. At CalArts, Jamie studied with Charlie Haden, Leo Smith and Joe LaBarbera and was a featured performer and composer on the '94 and '95 CalArts Jazz CDs. Since receiving his Master’s Degree from CalArts, Jamie has been an active member of the Los Angeles jazz scene. In 1996, Jamie was chosen by the United States Information Agency to be an artistic ambassador and perform in a duo that took part in a seven week tour of the Middle East and South Asia. Jamie currently performs as a member of the trio JoE-LeSs shOe with Jason Harnell and Matt Otto, who released their self titled CD in 2007. Additionally, Jamie co-leads the organ trio Option 3 with Joe Bagg and Mark Ferber, who released their debut CD Points Subtracted in early 2008.

German Schauss is an in-demand guitarist, composer, and educator who has participated in numerous musical situations ranging from funk to musicals to his own solo projects as well as teaching at Berklee College of Music. He has written several articles for Mel Bay and is developing an advanced Rock Guitar course on Shredding Techniques for the National Guitar Workshop’s online school called Workshoplive.com. German endorses Parker Guitars, Laney Amplifiers, DiMarzio, DR Strings, Maxon, PreSonus, Dunlop, The Guitar Wheel, Rocktron and Morley. He has played clinics and concerts all over the world, including Musikmesse Frankfurt and the NAMM show and is a four-time recipient of the ASCAP Plu$ Award.

Steve Trovato is versatile and highly knowledgeable in popular genres of guitar music and has studied with jazz greats Tal Farlow, Chuck Wayne, and Pat Martino. He has extensive recording experience and can be heard on countless television and motion picture scores. Steve’s credits include composing and producing music for First International Pictures, National Lampoon, and guitar on a re-recording of the famous television western theme Bonanza for NBC. He has authored twenty-one instructional books published by Warner Brothers and Hal Leonard and three instructional videos. He is currently a regular contributor for five international music publications including Guitar Player, Guitar One, Axe, Guitar Club, and Guitar World. Steve has performed in concert with Robben Ford, Scott Henderson, Albert Lee, Albert Collins, Jerry Donahue, Norman Brown and Jeff Berlin and is an artist/clinician for and endorses Roland Corporation, Thomastik-Infeld strings, Groove Tubes, Larivee Guitars, Fender Music Amplifiers, G&L Guitars and Carvin Guitars.

Dave Pozzi has been a Los Angeles based free-lance artist since 1979, recording and playing with artists like: Henry Mancini, Mel Torme, Celine Dion, David Foster, Johnny Mathis, Jeff Hamilton, Rich Little, Charlie Shoemake, Mellissa Manchester, Marvin Stamm, Bobby Shew, Pete Christlieb, Don Menza, Roy McCurdy, Bob Cooper, Jeff Berlin, Diana Krall, Billy Childs, and others. Big band credits include Ray Anthony, Bob Crosby, Bill Watrous, Louie Bellson, Bob Florence, and Doc Severinsen. Dave is featured as a soloist on recordings with John Patitucci, Nick Brignola, Dick Berk, Bob Magnusson, Ray Pizzi, and Milcho Leviev. Other recording work includes radio and TV commercials, TV shows like The Osbournes, and numerous demos and record dates.

After receiving a master's degree from the Eastman School of Music, Howie moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a musician/composer/arranger. He soon took a slight detour to go on the road where he played lead trumpet with the Woody Herman Orchestra. After two years, he moved back to LA, and has since performed on countless TV and movie soundtracks, commercials, Broadway shows and recordings. Howie has performed with Tony Bennett, George Benson, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Natalie Cole, Linda Ronstadt, and Mel Torme, to name a few. In addition to performing, Howie has been an active composer/arranger/orchestrator getting his first big break as the musical arranger for the Joan Rivers late night talk show, where he composed for a 16-piece big band 5 nights a week. Howie is currently scoring his fourth movie and, in 2002, received his doctorate in music from the University of Southern California.