Tribute to Miles Davis Group consists of Art Davis on trumpet, Tom Vaitsas on acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes, Katie Ernst on upright  bass and vocals, and David Hilliker on drums. Performing classic Miles Davis tunes including Four, I Thought about You, Blue in Green, So What, When I Fall in Love, New Blues, & more.

Born into a musical family in upstate New York, David Hilliker grew up with music all around him. Early studies with David Chitambar in New York led to studies later with the legendary Ed Thigpen and John Von Ohlen. His attitude toward the music and the role of the drum chair is to “lay down the groove, swing hard, stay out of the way and make the rest of the band sound better”.

One of Chicago’s leading jazz trumpet artists, Art Davis has been a busy performer and teacher in that city since the early 1980’s. He is currently a professor of jazz studies at Northern Illinois University, where he has been teaching for ten years.

The Chicago Reader refers to pianist Tom Vaitsas as a “local great” who is “massively resourceful.” Tom is one of the most, if not the most, in-demand pianists and keyboardists in Chicago. He is a frequent collaborator and arranger, being an essential part of many projects.

Katie is a bassist, vocalist, composer, and improviser in Chicago. In addition to performing with David Hilliker at this year’s Elkhart Jazz Festival, Katie’s recent creative projects include collaborative trio Twin Talk, chamber duo Wayfaring, and “Little Words,” an original song cycle based on poetry of Dorothy Parker.