group bios

Todd Bishop (b. 1967) of Portland, Oregon, has been performing and teaching professionally in the US and internationally since 1985. He has led jazz, avant-garde and indie rock groups and produced six CDs of original music for Seattle's Origin Records and for independent release. With his unique multi-layered, organic percussive approach, he is a compelling musician, and has thrilled audiences with visceral performances owing as much to the influence of Olatunji or Keith Moon as to the jazz masters.

He released two CDs with the jazz power trio Flatland. The Satellite is a largely groove-oriented album with early Bishop arrangements of two Don Cherry tunes, and produced by Tony Lash (Elliot Smith, Dandy Warhols). The second CD, Origin of Species, bore Bishop's stamp as producer and arranger, highlights including several dark, cinematic soundscape pieces, and “Malheur”, a propulsive drum solo. The group was a significant regional presence from 1998-2002, and shared bills with such acts as Galactic, Charlie Hunter, Wayne Horvitz, and Herbie Hancock's Headhunters.

Next came the ambient, delicately-textured free improvisations of Lower Monumental, which released Mayday Session, a live broadcast performance on Seattle's Sonarchy Radio. Features a spontaneously-rendered Bishop composition, “Headlights.”

The movie-music/international pop-oriented Pop Art 4 is Bishop's most ambitious project to date. In 2009 the group released 69 Année Érotique — the music of Serge Gainsbourg, and made European tours in 2009 and 2010. Several additional CDs are in development, including free interpretations of the music of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo, Lalo Schifrin's Dirty Harry soundtrack.

Bishop is also the author of the blog Cruise Ship Drummer!, one of the leading Internet sites on jazz drumming.

 Bishop studied classical percussion with Charles Dowd at the University of Oregon, and, under scholarship, jazz studies with Gregg Field (Count Basie) and John Thomas (Woody Herman, Chick Corea) at the University of Southern California. He also completed six national tours with DCI-affilliated drum and bugle corps, including, in 1986, the famous Santa Clara Vanguard, which finished second nationally that year. He was instructed by drum corps greats Ralph Hardimon, George Tuthill, and Fred Sanford, as well as leading rudimental specialist Alan Keown.

Also accomplished in visual media, he is a prolific photographer, and is one of the major providers of photographic imagery for Origin Arts. As a painter, Bishop creates richly textured abstract landscapes echoing Oregon farm country and wilderness in oils. He is represented by the Provenance gallery (Eugene, OR), and his work has been collected by buyers on four continents.

Born Weber Ribeiro Drummond in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on February 17th1962. It wasn’t until mid 90’s that Weber adopted the stage name Weber Iago as a homage to the Roma People, also known as Gypsies.

Iago has spent all of his musical life researching different types of sounds, ultimately dedicating most of his endeavors to uniting elements of Classical, Jazz and Brazilian Music.

In Brazil, Iago spent years developing his craft as a concert pianist as well as a composer, writing mostly piano and chamber music works.

In the early 80’s he began developing a strong interest in Jazz which prompted his move to the U.S., more precisely Los Angeles, in 1987.

Once in the U.S. Iago began working with notable musicians such as Moacir Santos, one of Brazil’s greatest composer and arranger.

In 1989, Iago had the opportunity to record with great flautist James Newton.

In 1990, Weber Iago moved to the Monterey Peninsula where he resided until the end of 2008 when he moved to Vancouver, Washington . During the time he spent in the Monterey Peninsula he formed different ensembles over the years. The most important in his career was the sextet Zen-Blend in 1991, which was ,then, categorized as Esoteric Jazz.

Also in the 90’s Iago ( still under the name Weber Drummond) recorded two CD’s with great Brazilian guitar player Romero Lubambo. Those titles are “Face to Face” and “TWO”.

Iago has participated as a pianist and band-leader in Jazz festivals all over the world: Brazil, Mexico, U.S.A. , France and Belgium, as well as shows and interviews in the most important Jazz radio stations in the country such as KRML in Carmel and KCSM in San Mateo, both in California. Iago has also performed extensively as a solo artist and sideman in Italy, Luxembourg, Italy and New York, Japan and Czech Republic.

Weber Iago has released several cd’s over the years, like “Children of the Wind” with Adventure Music and “Spring Will Stay Here” with Mogno Music.

Since 1991 Iago has made constant appearances at the Monterey Jazz Festival. The most recent one was in 2005 with the Carla Bley Big Band, which featured Carla, herself , Steve Swallow and Billy Drummond.

Iago has recorded and performed with great Jazz luminaries such as Paul McCandless, Ali Ryerson, Kenny Stahl, Claudia Villela , Charles Loos, Marcia Maria, Alex Acuna and Alphonso Johnson.

At the end of 2005 Iago was commissioned by the Carmel Bach Festival to write a composition uniting different musical genres such as Classical and Jazz. The result, Jazz Concertino for Piano and String Orchestra was premiered on July 9thof 2006 in Monterey, California.

Iago is also an experienced educator. In that role he travels constantly to give clinics and workshops in different parts of the globe. Some of these events have been Jazz Camp West, California Brasil Camp , Stage de Musique Bresilienne in Brussels ( Belgium) . He is also in the faculty of the renowned The Jazz School in Berkeley, California.

Weber Iago has written Music for theatre plays such as “Bar Lies” by Ana Luca and arranged songs for “Kepler’s Project” by Nina Wise. For Ana Luca Iago has also composed an original score to accompany her novel “ Letters to a Love Unsung”.

As a producer Iago has recently accomplished the project titled “Caminhos Cruzados” , a CD by the Russian-American vocalist Masha Campagne.

Over the years Weber Iago has received countless commissions by different artists as well as musical institutions, such as Hidden Valley Music Seminars which commissioned him “Children of the Wind “ in 1997 and “Songs and Dances “ in 2007 , the latter, a piece for voice, piano, flute solo and flute choir, featuring Claudia Villela on voice and Keith Underwood , flute.

Also in 2007 he was commissioned by the Vento Trio to write a piece for them. The piece “Que bons ventos te trazem” was premiered early that year and was sponsored by the American Composer Forum under the umbrella of the program titled Encore.

2013 touring band

Born a last century’s fall, Olivier Stalon waited around 20 springs to take his first lesson with Maarten Weyler in Antwerp.

When he was able to use 2 strings and less than fifteen centimetres of his guitar, he decided to try to use the entire surface off his bass neck and became a pupil of Michel Hatzi at Brussel’s Conservatory.

Thanks his new skills, he played with different bands, combo & big-bands in several conservatories & workshops.


His instructors were Pierre Vaiana, Eric Legnini, Richard Rousselet, John Ruocco, Diederick Wissels, Kris Defoort.

As electricity became more and more expensive; Olivier bought an upright bass. And, the owner’s manual was written in Czechoslovak, he asked Jean-Louis Rassinfosse and Bart Denolf for some instructions.

Simultaneously, he started his career with musicians, singers, bands from Belgium, France, Germany and Tunisia. One thing leading to another, he toured with those artists all around Europe and Africa. Simultaneously he transmitted his experience and culture to Belgian, Tunisian and Luxemburgish students.

Olivier played in different clubs & festivals in Belgium & abroad:
Audi Jazz Festival (B), Black Diamond (Dk), Brussels Jazz Marathon (B), Festival Confluences (B), Francofolies de Spa (B), Frameries Jazz Festival (B), Galele de Jazz – Brasov (RO), Gouvy Jazz Festival (B), Images of the Middle East Festival (Dk), Jazz à Liège (B), Jazz Tour des Lundis d’Hortense (B), Mons en Jazz (B), Namur Jazz Festival (B), Ploiesti Hot Jazz Summit (Ro) Sibiu Jazz Festival (Ro), Camelia Lounge (Or).

Currently he plays the bass and is member of :
 Alain Pierre Acoustrees, Al Cardboard Orkesta, Commander Grek, Fox, Giacomo Lariccia Quintet, Hughes Maréchal, Marc Mangen Trio, qUETZAL, Todd Bishop’s Pop Art 4 (Europe).

Jean-Paul Estiévenart was born in Belgium on March 14, 1985. His grandfather observed that he loved the trumpet, so he learns to him the first steps. At the age of 6, he begins to study this instrument at the St. Ghislain Academy. Ten years later, he discovers jazz and he decides to devote himself to it. He took lessons from Richard Rousselet, François Descamps, Fabrice Alleman and Fred Delplancq.

He freelances in the young Belgian jazz scene with colleges on different occasions in clubs.

Jean-Paul Estiévenart has collaborated and collaborates with Dré PaIlemaerts, Nicolas Thys, Stephane Belmondo, Harry Beckett (UK), Elton Dean (UK), Robin Verheyen, Steven Delannoye, Joachim Badenhorst, Philippe Aerts, Mimi Verderame, Sal La Rocca, Erik Vermeulen, Reggie Washington, Michel Hatzigeorgiou, Fred Delplancq, No Vibrato, the Wrong Object, Marockin Brass, Flat Earth Society, Brussels Jazz Orchestra, Paolo Fresu...

In 2006, Jean-Paul Estiévenart won the Django d’Or 2006 (young talent award) and he was chosen to participate at the European Youth Jazz Orchestra 2007, under the direction of the dDanish saxophonist and composer Lars Møller, to represent his country, Belgium.

Nowadays, his own project is : 4in1, a group with Lorenzo Di Maio (guitar), Sam Gerstmans (double bass) and Toon Van Dionant (drums); their first album came out in October 2008.