Pianist Jim Connerley has been an active member of the Cincinnati and surrounding tri-state jazz community since 1990. He graduated magna cum laude with a master’s degree from the Indiana University School of Music.
He has performed with internationally known jazz artists such as Barry Ries, Don Braden, Antonio Hart, David “Fathead” Newman, Rich Perry, and Delfeayo Marsalis.
Since moving to the Cincinnati area, he has been a member of some of its finest jazz groups, including the Pat Harbison Quintet, the Cohesion Jazz Ensemble, the salsa band Tropicoso, the Brent Gallaher Quartet, and the Dan Faehnle Quartet. Currently, he is a member of the Art Gore Quartet, the John Zappa Trio, and the Gary Gorrell Quartet.
Along with his own jazz trio and quintet, Jim also leads the United Methodist Jazz Trio, an exciting group that performs jazz treatments of gospel songs, hymns, and spirituals. Their album, Spirit Songs, re‑released in 2006, received critical acclaim from both jazz and liturgical circles. Music critic Larry Nager of the Cincinnati Enquirer gave the album 4 ½ stars and called it “music of the highest level.”
He also leads the Vintage Keys Project, a group dedicated to music showcasing the Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos. The group performs classic arrangements by artists such as Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Cannonball Adderley, and Dave Douglas, as well as originals and original arrangements by members of the band.
Bekah Williams has been singing in front of large audiences since early childhood. The daughter of a Pentecostal minister, Williams learned early on that singing was to her family as common as household chores for other children. At age sixteen she was already singing in the recording studio for commercial jingles.
Her live performance schedule over the years has consisted of several different groups: Bekah fronted the Cincinnati based bands “Rough & Ready” and “The Snakehandlers”, the name
being a tongue-in-cheek poke at her Pentecostal background. Shortly after, she joined forces with pianist and vocalist Ricky Nye, and Bekah released her self-titled full-length recording in 2005.