On tour from Chicago to celebrate their recent release, “Stone Forest/Sun Shower”. Featuring Drew Hansen (trumpet), Katie Ernst (voice/bass), Artie Black (tenor), Sam Hasting (guitar), and Gustavo Cortiñas (drums). They focus mainly on original compositions as well as some of their favorite tunes from the jazz cannon. Katie is an active bandleader and collaborator. Artie, composer and educator, established himself as an important part of the creative music scene. Sam is known for leading his own jazz trio, in addition to his work as accompanist. Gustavo has become one of the most sought out drummers in Chicago, performing and recording.

Drew Hansen is a Chicago trumpet player making a name for himself as a thoughtful composer and adventurous improviser who combines seemingly disparate influences into a cohesive musical statement. Drew earned his degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where he studied with Chicago trumpet luminary, Tito Carrillo, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Charles Daval, and founding member of the Canadian Brass, Ronald Romm. Drew was a member of both the Concert Jazz Ensemble under Chip McNeil and the Latin Jazz Ensemble under Tito Carrillo.

As a bandleader, Drew leads several ensembles of varied instrumentation. “Room Full of Chairs,” featuring Drew on trumpet, vocalist and bassist Katie Ernst, and saxophonists Artie Black and Dustin Laurenzi, is inspired by the haiku of Chicago poet, John O’Connor. Freely improvised compositions lend a soundtrack to O’Connor’s evocative poems. Drew’s quintet, the primary outlet for his more traditional compositions, alternatively features Artie Black and Katie Ernst (singing Drew’s original lyrics), alongside guitarist Sam Hasting, bassist Mike Harmon, and drummer Matt Carroll of Ohmme.

Drew’s debut album, "Stone Forest/Sun Shower," combines these various groups into one musical amalgam. The resulting record is full of lyrical compositions inspired by chamber music, haiku, jazz, and folk music. Drew’s deep interest in harmony, texture, and melody inform the album’s rich sounds, carrying the listener from one track to the next.

Aside from a busy career as a freelancer, Drew also maintains an active role as an educator both privately and in various schools across the Chicagoland-area, teaching brass technique, music theory, and improvisation. Drew can be reached at drewhansenmusic@gmail.com. http://www.drewhansenmusic.com

Ernst has performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, and Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, among others. The Chicago Reader identified her as "one of the brightest lights on Chicago’s jazz scene, and she isn’t close to hitting her creative ceiling."

In addition to performing with trumpeter Drew Hansen, Ernst is an active bandleader and collaborator. Her duo 'Wayfaring' (co-led with clarinetist James Falzone) has been featured at the 2016 Hyde Park Jazz Festival, the 2017 Earshot Jazz Festival and their debut album "I Move, You Move" is currently available via the Allos Documents label. Katie composes and performs with the band TWIN TALK, alongside co-leaders Dustin Laurenzi (saxophone) and Andrew Green (drums). Twin Talk tours frequently throughout the US. Katie's bass and vocals can be heard on MacArthur Fellow and pianist Jason Moran's recent album Looks of a Lot, a project that began as a commission for Moran from Chicago Symphony Center and encored at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. The album was included in the New York Times 'The Playlist' as a new album to hear. Katie holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies & Contemporary Media and a Bachelor of Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.

Artie Black is a saxophonist, composer, and educator based in Chicago. Originally from Butler, Pennsylvania, he was first inspired to pursue a career in music through lessons with Dr. Terry Steele, professor of saxophone at Slippery Rock University. Artie graduated with a degree in music education from Messiah College in 2010. After graduating from Messiah, he continued his studies at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, earning a Master's degree in Jazz Studies in 2012. At Indiana, Artie studied saxophone with Tom Walsh and worked as an Associate Instructor with legendary jazz educator David Baker.

Artie moved to Chicago in 2012, where he quickly established himself as an important part of the creative music scene. He has appeared at the Chicago Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Festival and as a part of the Next Gen Jazz Series, and has played as a leader and sideman at The Green Mill, Andy's Jazz Club, Constellation, and dozens of other Chicago venues. Recent highlights include the release of Chant, a new recording by Artie's group Black Diamond, and a tour in Mexico with Gustavo Cortiñas' Snapshot.

In addition to his passion for performance, Artie is fascinated by the learning and teaching process. He maintains a busy schedule of private saxophone instruction, and also joined the faculty of Wheaton College as an adjunct professor in Spring 2014. His goal as a teacher is to inspire his students to find joy through learning for themselves.

Sam Hasting is a Chicago based guitar player. He's known for leading his own jazz trio, in addition to his work as accompanist in jazz / folk/ rock/ Latin / pop settings with many groups.

A graduate of Loyola University New Orleans (BM Jazz, Minor in Philosophy, Magna Cum Laude, 2011), and Northwestern University (MM Jazz, June, 2013), Gustavo Cortiñas has developed a successful career in the US for close to a decade, leading and accompanying ensembles in renowned stages and festivals in North America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. “Cortiñas' music is uplifting, robust, melodic, and gets your body moving; it's an exciting blend of the artist's musical influences from jazz and Latin American, including his native Mexico" (DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE). This can be heard on his records as a leader, "Snapshot" (July 2013), "a Smörgåsbord of the moods and nuances that make up the human experience... an idiosyncratic album that intrinsically fuses the personal to the universal" (Lissette Corsa, Jazziz Magazine); and "ESSE" (Origin Arts 2017): "With the cohesive and captivating Esse, Cortiñas has created superb work that balances refreshingly inventive ideas with high-caliber musicianship. This exquisite and continuously gripping record is a testament to Cortiñas’ triple threat of skills as dynamic performer, agile bandleader and brilliant composer." (Hrayr Attarian, Chicago Jazz Magazine). During his time in Chicago, Gustavo has become one of the most sought out drummers, performing and recording with Kitt Lyles' Real Talk, Erik Skov's Liminality, Imagery Converter, Emily Kuhn's Helios, Roy McGrath Quaret, and the Carla Campopiano Trio, among other ensembles. Cortiñas is a member of the Chicago Jazz Composer's Collective, performing regularly for their monthly residency at Chicago's very own Green Mill. Currently, with a grant from the Mexican National Endowment of the Arts (FONCA), Gustavo is working on his third and most ambitious project as a leader: a musical journey which traces through thirteen compositions, the poetic and tragic history set by Eduardo Galeano in his book: "The Open Veins of Latin America".