Samir LanGus is a Grammy nominated musician, born and raised in the city of Agadir, Morocco. Music has always been a part of the constant variety of street sounds of his city, from merchants to entertainers and calls to prayer. LanGus began learning Gnawa, a traditional, spiritual trance music, at an early age from the Gnawa masters of Morocco especially Maalem Hamid El Kasri. 

For the uninitiated, Gnawa music is the ritual trance music of Morocco’s black communities, originally descended from the enslaved people and soldiers once brought to Morocco from Northern Mali and Mauritania. Often called “The Moroccan Blues”, Gnawa music has a raw, hypnotic power that fascinated outsiders as diverse as writer/composer Paul Bowles, jazz giant Randy Weston and rock god Jimi Hendrix. The music is utterly singular, played on an array of unique instruments — from the lute-like sintir that the band leader uses to call the tune, to the metal karqaba, castanets with which the kouyos (chorus) keep time and pound out clattering, hypnotic rhythms. The music believed to heal people possessed by jinn, or spirits in all night ceremonies called lila.

But “Gnawa is not just the music,” says Samir. “It’s the culture. You can’t play just the sintir, you also need the karqaba (karakeb is the plural of karkaba) to have the Gnawa spirit.” He describes the sintir, a stringed percussion instrument made of wood and camel skin with goat gut strings, as a “powerful instrument” with an amazing sound. “You feel it in your heart,” he says.

LanGus makes great use of this traditional repertoire, and adds his own, contemporary spin with additional jazz instrumentation. Taken as a whole, this exciting new artist fuses a centuries old North African tradition with the pulse and attitude of New York City now. He would like to collaborate with diverse musicians improvising new sound that respects the Gnawa tradition.

You’ve heard this before, but the whimsically named Jonathan Scales Fourchestra is really tough to describe. Veering from in-your-face, jaw dropping chops and passion, to those quiet moments when the background noise disappears and you hold your breath to take in a soundscape of solitude, the power trio of electric bass (E'Lon JD), drums (Maison Guidry), and steel pans (Jonathan Scales) combines elements of jazz, classical, and progressive rock, peppered with Latin rhythms and soulful outbursts of funk. From club and festival stages across North America and Europe, and tours of Africa, Southeast and Central Asia as a Cultural Ambassador for the US Department of State, to their NPR Tiny Desk Concert featuring Béla Fleck, the Fourchestra’s live shows make even the most jaded listeners forget where they are… even if just for a precious moment.

This may seem an odd thing to say, but on the verge of releasing their eighth studio recording, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra is only now truly embracing their identity as a group. For many years, Jonathan’s live band was a fluid lineup of top-notch musicians, and even included an “all-star” version with bassist MonoNeon (Prince, Nas), drummer Sput Searight (Snarky Puppy, Snoop Dogg) and percussionist Weedie Braimah (Trombone Shorty, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah), as well as a number of other marquee players. Now, however, the Fourchestra is a decidedly indivisible band, and Jonathan is writing for the trio, not just the pans.

Orlas draws its name from the Portuguese word for 'shores' or 'coasts.' Crafted by the dynamic collaboration of Victor Chicri and Vic Delnur, a father-and-son musical journey unfolds. This fusion encompasses, samba-jazz, bossa nova, disco-funk, and more, resulting in a captivating and genre-defying musical experience.

Starting out in the vibrant '70s, Chicri, both maestro and pianist, has been a true musical dynamo. From recording to producing and performing live on stage alongside Brazilian greats like Gal Costa, Seu Jorge, Bebel Gilberto, Simone, Emilio Santiago, and more. He's taken his music worldwide, with a noteworthy performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival where he shared the stage with the Quincy Jones orchestra. Along with celebrating many productions that received gold and platinum awards, he has been recognised with a Latin Grammy.

Throughout his career, Vic Delnur, multi-instrumentalist and record producer, has toured the world with former psychedelic indie rock band, Water and Man. He has distinguished himself as a producer and live performer, collaborating with notable artists such as Sessa, Mahmundi, Luciane Dom, and Trella.

In their live performances, they are joined by Sarah Maciel (vocals), Felipe dos Santos (bass, percussion), Eric Maciel (electric guitar) and Thiago Dom (drums). Together, this ensemble blends Brazil's musical heritage with a bold, modern sound that transcends borders.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and based in New York City, Emiliano Messiez , a Latin Grammy Nominee composer, pianist and music director, is one of the most in-demand tango pianists in the US. With a versatile and unique style, he is equally adept in classical music, jazz, tango, rock and Latin American Rhythms. He has performed worldwide including such venues in the United States as Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and The Houston Opera Theater, among others.

Most recently, (October 2021), Messiez released a new CD as the pianist for Underground Tango Ensemble, a quartet based in New York City. The CD, "El Charrúa," is a Tango tribute to the music of Latin Grammy winner, legendary composer and master bandoneonist Raúl Jaurena, his close, personal friend. All the music on the album was composed by Jaurena and arranged by Underground Tango Ensemble. It was launched at Merkin Hall in New York City and at the Philadelphia Argentine Tango School.

​Messiez is the pianist for the Broadway and West End hit show “Forever Tango”, a show that has been seen by more than eight million people worldwide. He has also served as the music director and pianist for the successful shows "Impact" and "Tango Buenos Aires", created by Mario & Daniel Celario, and is the creator of "Barolo Tango," a live tango show based in Argentina.

A prolific composer of original music, Messiez has created the music for the musicals “The Guava Tree,” that was commissioned by Creede Repertory Theater in Colorado and “Bordello,” which is still in development but has already received recognition from the National Alliance of Musical Theater with the 2020 Writers in Residence Award, the 2021 Eugene O’Neil Theater Center Festival and The Broadway Bound Theater Festival. He is currently composing the music for "Casa Alfonsa" the second musical commissioned by Creede Repertory Theater in Colorado. Emiliano is the orchestrator of the musical "Ghost in the Machine" by Janine Robledo. 

A highly respected musician, Messiez has created several different projects since coming to the United States. They include the "Típica Messiez" (a 10-piece Tango Orchestra), the "Romo-Agri-Messiez Trio" (Latin Grammy Nominated), a Tango trio formed by Horacio Romo on bandoneon, Pablo Agri on violin and Messiez on piano, "Cello & Piano" a duet of original music with cellist Amy Kang, the "Tango Duet" with Bass-Baritone Federico De Michelis, and the "Tango Dueling Pianos" a unique and never-seen-before concept featuring two tango pianists, a show that he shares with pianist Pablo Estigarribia.

​Messiez has performed with some of the world’s top musicians such as 14-time Latin Grammy winner Paquito de Rivera, Diego El Cigala, Dino Saluzzi, Concha Buika, Raul Jaurena, Fernando Otero, Diego Urcola and Pedro Giraudo, among others. With Jose Luis Infantino, he recorded an album titled "Silencio" in 2004 which received a UNESCO Prize for music, given to musicians whose work has contributed to the enrichment and development of Latin-American Music. 

​His natural musical talent was apparent at a very early age. Messiez began playing the piano by ear at the age of 3. From there, he dedicated his life to the piano, studied and graduated from the National University of the Arts (UNA - Universidad Nacional de las Artes) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He later joined the faculty there, teaching courses in Counterpoint, Harmony and Music History in the Department of Composition. He also attended and graduated from Berklee College of Music’s Escuela de Music Contemporánea (EMC) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was honored to receive two different scholarships to study with the distinguished Spanish composer Antón García Abril at the University of Santiago de Compostela.

Zacchae’us Paul was born on November 20, 1998, in Atlanta, Georgia. During his high school years, he excelled in the chorus and Jazz band. He has toured the US and Canada with Puerto Rican singer-songwriter “ILE” and has worked with “Music in the Park ATL” music festival from 2015 till present day. In 2017 he started his own festival called “Come Back Jazz Festival”. After high school, he decided to study Latin music in San Juan, Puerto Rico at Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico and now Full Sail University in Winter park, Florida. In late 2017 he founded a company entitled “WETHEHANG LLC”. With this company, he began to start monthly jam sessions and midnight shows with his big band that featured local artists/bands. Inspired by the likes of Snarky Puppy, Kendrick Lamar and Marvin Gaye. Paul self-released his debut EP “TWLG” in late 2016, followed by a few singles in 2017 - 2019 such as GMM, Autumn Leaves, Might Not Get it, Hadiya’s Idea and Colored Girls World.