Kill The Bass

Lyman Medeiros is one of the most in-demand bassists in Southern California working with legendary artists such as Diane Schuur, Alex Acuna, Eric Marienthal, Mary Clayton, Lew Soloff, Byron Stripling, Jim Rotondi, Joe Magnarelli, Kenny Rankin and Plas Johnson to name a few.   In 2001 he joined the band of Concord Recording Artist Steve Tyrell and has been performing with the popular vocalist ever since. In 2003 he toured with popular vocalist Michael Buble and appears on his live CD/DVD Come Fly With Me. Lyman has performed on five continents and over twenty countries at such world-renowned venues as The Hollywood Bowl, The Walt Disney Concert Hall, Blue Note Tokyo, Blue Note Milan, Blue Note NYC, Ronnie Scott’s (London), Boshoi Theater (Moscow), The Montreaux Jazz Festival, The Cape Town Jazz Festival, and the Vitoria Jazz Festival (Spain) to name a few.   He has been seen by millions performing on television programs such as The Tonight Show, Today, Late Night With David Letterman, The Talk, and Dateline NB

Mike's interest in jazz developed because of his desire to attend the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) where the school day was split equally between academics and the pursuit of the student's art. He auditioned successfully on upright bass and began a fruitful period of rapid development in jazz knowledge and skill, while winning group and individual awards at competitions at the Berklee College of Music and Monterey Jazz Festival annual school competitions, including a scholarship to Berklee's presitigious five-week jazz workshop led by critically acclaimed drummer Terri-Lynne Carrington and a seat two times as bassist in the Monterey Jazz Festival's Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, playing at the North Sea and Monterey Jazz Festivals and at the Kennedy Center. Mike's professional performing career also began in his High School years when he started going to and playing at jam sessions in Los Angeles clubs at night. Eventually, he began gigging as a side man and leader making a name for h

Jeff Pedraz is a Philadelphia native bassist, composer and educator. He is an accomplished musician who possesses both virtuosity and versatility on both the Double bass and Electric bass and has worked in an array of musical situations ranging from orchestral to more modern genres and beyond.   Jeff’s life changed forever upon his introduction to the rich and colorful jazz community in Philadelphia in the late 1990’s at Ortlieb’s Jazz Haus, which had a house band consisting of jazz masters Shirley Scott, Bobby Durham, Mickey Roker, Arthur Harper, Sid Simmons, Mike Boone, and Byron Landham.   Soon after sitting in on various jam sessions Jeff worked his way into the rotation of house musicians and had the opportunity to perform with many artists including Jimmy Oliver, Cecil Payne, Sam Dockery, Trudy Pitts, Billy James, Tim Warfield, John Swana as well as many others. It was at Ortliebs where he received much of his formidable training as a jazz musician.

Leon Boykins has developed a reputation for tastefully blending musical tradition with innovation. With several studio projects as a sideman, and countless worldwide performances under his belt, bassist/composer/educator Leon Boykins is an established figure in the next generation of creative musicians. During his time in New York City he has shared the stage with many musical greats including Terell Stafford, Orrin Evans, Donny McCaslin, Gilad Heckselman, Pascal Le Boeuf, Allan Harris, Shai Maestro, Ben Schachter, Dick Oatts, and John Swana. As an in demand sideman Leon prides himself in interpreting the artistic vision of each artist that he makes music with.   Currently Leon is residing in Brooklyn NY where he is preparing a music education curriculum for high school aged students. He is also maintaining a busy performance schedule and continuing to pursue a devoted interest in songwriting and music production. Performance dates and music links can be found at www.leonboykins.com  

  Madison Rast was raised in North Carolina and attended theNorth Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. He earned his bachelor's degree in music performance, then attended graduate school at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. where he received a masters degree in jazz performance. Madison moved to Philadelphia in September 1999 and now teaches at Bucks County Community College and Temple University.   He performs on a regularly at clubs in and around Philadelphia and often in New York. Madison has played with countless musicians known well in both the New York and Philly areas, including John Swana, Bootsie Barnes, Bobby Watson, Orrin Evans, Mickey Roker, Terell Stafford, Barry Harris and Jimmy Heath, and Sean Jones.