ELLA GAHNT
The Elegant Ella Gahnt (rhymes with "DuPont"), Jazz vocalist and arranger, has been performing professionally since the age of 18 and is finally living her dream by performing the songs she loves. Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, she has studied piano, voice, guitar, saxophone, and music theory at Granoff, Settlement Music schools, and PCPA - now University of The Arts, and continues private instruction with her husband Leon Mitchell - composer, arranger, vocal coach, and musical director of The Philadelphia Legends of Jazz Orchestra.
Ella has worked as vocalist and music copyist on recordings with many popular artists like Grover Washington, Jr., The Stylistics, and Pieces of a Dream. She was founder/leader, lead and background vocalist, and arranger for Instruments and Voices, an excellent pop/jazz group that performed in the Philadelphia area in the mid 70s. Ella has performed as jazz vocalist throughout the East Coast with many fine jazz groups including the Cullen Knight Trio, the Sam Reed Quartet, the Roger Prieto Sextet, Tony Williams & Friends, the Sam Dockery Trio, the Butch Ballard Trio, the Gerald Smith Quartet, and her own E.G. Trio/Quartet. Ella performed at the CoreStates "Philly Divas of Jazz, Poetry and Comedy" concert with Evelyn "Mama Diva" Simms and several of Philly's finest Jazz vocalists. She performed at the PECO Energy "Jazz 'til Sunrise" Festival, and at the Philly Fall Festival of Jazz. Ella performed an outstanding concert entitled "Just Us" along with vocalist Pearl Williams at the Painted Bride in Philadelphia, PA. In June 2004, she performed a memorable concert in the Perelman Theatre at the famed Kimmel Center during their Annual Summer Solstice Celebration. In March 2005, Ella was named "Jazz Ambassador" by the School District of Philadelphia along with her husband Leon Mitchell and several other Jazz artists and educators.
Ella has appeared at the quintessential Zanzibar Blue, Sofitel Hotel, Glen Foerd on The Delaware, Annenberg Zellerbach Theatre in Philadelphia, and in concert at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, and Haverford College, Haverford, PA. For 2 years, she appeared on both the Bell Atlantic and Mellon Jazz Festivals. Ella performed in the "Scatfight" at The Philadelphia Clef Club, and at the Tony Williams Scholarship Jazz Festival.
Ella is the vocalist with the Philadelphia Legends of Jazz Orchestra which was featured on the 2000 and 2001 Mellon Jazz Festivals, the 2004 Smithsonian Institution's Jazz Appreciation Month Celebration at the Clef Club, the 2004 Collingswood, NJ "Jazz In The Wood" Festival, and the 2004, 2005 & 2006 West Oak Lane Jazz Festivals in Philadelphia. In 2006, Ella also performed stellar full concerts at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, PA, "Art After 5" Series at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Allens Lane Art Center, Cape May Jazz Festival, the Painted Bride Art Center, The Historic Chicken Bone Beach Jazz Festival, the Morrisville Jazz Festival, and the Tenor Love Jazz Festival with a host of All Stars. This past May, Ella and her trio was featured at Kutcher's Country Club in Monticello, NY, and in June, Ella & The Legends appeared again on the West Oak Lane Jazz Festival. During June, July, & August, Ella also appeared with the Clef Club Community Jazz Band at the Clef Club in Philadelphia & Dante's Hall Theatre of The Arts in Atlantic City, NJ.
All of these associations give Ella the chance to blend with different sounds and tell musical stories in her own unique way while honoring the vocal styles of those great divas who trod the path before her like Sarah Vaughn, Carmen McCrae, Betty Carter, Billie Holiday, and her namesake, Ella Fitzgerald.
Some consider Ella the country’s best kept secret, which she hopes to change with “By Request,” the 2nd CD documentation of Ella’s lovely voice. Her first CD “Immaculate Union” is currently in its 3rd rotation on WRTI-FM Temple Public Radio in Philadelphia, PA. Look out for the Elegant Ms. Ella Gahnt -- She's traveling at the speed of swing!

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ARPEGGIO JAZZ ENSEMBLE
Not to be confused with the late 1970s disco group Arpeggio (of "Love And Desire" fame), The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble is an adventurous jazz outfit that has been playing around Philadelphia since its formation in 1979. The Ensemble was founded by Warren Oree, an acoustic bassist, producer and composer who continued to lead the band in the late 1990s. Eclectic and far from predictable, the Ensemble has embraced a variety of acoustic and electric jazz styles (often combining them with African and Middle Eastern music) and has dabbled a bit in R&B. Oree's band has had different lineups over the years; those who played with Arpeggio in the 1990s included pianist/keyboardist Barry Sames, saxmen Umar A. Raheem and Sunni Bey; drummer Greg "Ju-Ju" Jones; and percussionist Doug "Pablow" Edwards. Arpeggio recorded two albums for the Silk Skin label-Le-Le in 1988 and Behind The Mountain Wall in 1992-before providing Z

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Donna Antonow
Was born Donna Marie Sellitti in Paterson, NJ, and began playing the piano at an early age. While still in grammar school she became the accompanist for many school functions. Donna played piano all thru grammar school and high school and eventually attended William Paterson University, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree. While at William Paterson she studied with pianist Gary Kirkpatrick, and performed in various 20th century music ensembles under the direction of Ray DesRoches.
She studied voice with Dita Delman, of the New York City Opera. Donna also had the pleasure of performing at William Paterson with such notables as drummer Carl Allen, and saxophonist Bill Evans.  Her vocal influences are Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Donnie Hathaway. She listened to a lot of R&B singers, but these were the main influences.
Donna’s instrumental influences are Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly, Jimmy Rowles,  Miles Davis, Red Garland, Sonny Rollins.
Donna has performed in and around the New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania area for many years in venues such as “The Deerhead Inn”, in Delaware Water Gap, PA, “Shanghai Jazz” in Madison NJ, “Eighty-Eight’s” in New York City, “Trumpets”, in Montclair NJ, as well as most of the major hotels in New York City and New Jersey.
She also works as a freelance pianist in New York City and Long Island.    
Donna currently resides in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, and continues performing in and around the New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania areas.

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ERIC MINTEL
Pianist and composer Eric Mintel was born on October 8, 1967. As early as age three he could be found sitting at the piano creating his own melodies. Music, especially classical and jazz, were always part of the Mintel household. When his piano teacher was trying to teach him the basics, Eric was already playing compositions like Blue Rondo a la Turk, Take Five and other demanding pieces. In 1993 he formed the Eric Mintel Quartet and began performing original jazz compositions and new interpretations of the American song book.
Additionally a composer of orchestral music, he performed his composition, Millennium Suite (for jazz quartet and orchestra) with the Riverside Symphonia before 5000 concert goers. Millennium Suite has also been performed with the No. Penn Symphony, Spring Garden Band & the New Sussex Symphony.
Eric was the featured guest recently on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on NPR.  The one hour show was devoted to Eric, his music and his work ethic.  The quartet is celebrating the release of their brand new CD "Live at XM"  The Eric Mintel Quartet performed live at XM Satellite Radio World Headquarters' in Washington, DC and their one hour show went into outer space and throughout the country via satellite on Real Jazz XM 70.  The quartet was also featured on the QVC television network where they performed and sold a 3 CD boxed set of Eric's music.
Jazz icon Dave Brubeck says "As long as the music attracts dedicated young musicians like Eric Mintel, jazz will continue to thrive and progress as a voice of freedom. 
The world needs their voices." Dave Brubeck...

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