After performing for over 7 years together, Brian Cruse - double bass, Justin Smith - guitar, & CJ Wolfe - drum set & mbira, have grown into a tight knit jazz trio that explores a wide variety of sounds and textures.  Coming from a variety of backgrounds and performing in a wide array of genres, the members of the J.Smith trio blended these influences to create a unique sound for con legno, their first full-length album. Consisting entirely of original compositions, the album features everything from more traditional bop & ballad influences to various blends of odd time signatures & instrument combinations. 

NEW ALBUM OUT 3/10/2015!!!!  Our new record features pieces written by all band members, drawing on jazz, rock & African influences.  B-Snap-tet features Brendan Schnabel on sax along with the members of Brian Cruse & the J.Smith Trio - Justin Smith, guitar - Brian Cruse, upright bass - CJ Wolfe, drums.  Check out our new album on BANDCAMP 

Fado is often described as portuguese blues. Songs are often mournful, embodying the profound, bittersweet yearning of "saudade". But fado, which means fate or destiny, interprets many sides of life, and exactly what makes it fado has a great deal to do with the depth of the emotion expressed, whether the song be whimsical or tragic.  Leah Kruszewski, guitar - Bernadette Stephens, vocals - Brian Cruse, bass

Luray is banjo-inspired indie rock fused with classic country and folk, created and performed by Shannon Carey. With production help from brother Sean Carey (of S. Carey and Bon Iver), Luray's debut album, The Wilder creates strange and lovely bedfellows of sound. Banjos, vibes, pedal steel, and ambient vocals make up this once bluegrass-picking songwriter's newly roused approach to making music, and the end result is somewhere between the likes of Iron & Wine and Emmylou Harris.

Richmond, VA's Afro-Zen Allstars' primary inspiration is the the haunting and danceable sounds created during Ethiopia's "Golden Age" (late '60's-mid '70's). This is music that takes hold of both mind and body and never let's go, and Afro-Zen Allstars present it in updated form with compelling new arrangements and world-class soloists.

 

Established by guitarist/arranger George M Lowe, Afro-Zen Allstars features the formidable talents of past and present members of such luminary Richmond ensembles as Bio Ritmo,   No BS Brass!, Rattlemouth, Fado Nosso, Glows In The Dark, Hotel X, Monk's Playground, The Flavor Project, Ululating Mummies, and more. 

quux collective is a new music ensemble made up of classically trained musicians who perform music for saxophones, percussion, bassoon, bass, electronics, clarinet, didgeridoo, and theremin among others.  Performances involve a mix of acoustic and electroacoustic music, which is a blend of acoustic instruments with computer programs, CD soundtracks, and various other electronic media.  In addition to playing bass in quux, Brian also helps compose and arrange for the group.    

Cover to Cover Concert Series is an ongoing project that performs 4-5 albums per year front to back.  The core band consists of Grant Oliver (gtr),  David Robbins (keys), Brian Cruse (bass) & Bentley Cobb (drums).  The group is lead by Matt Schofner (vocals) & Maggie Roop, with a number of special guest featured at each performance. 

Specializing in early to mid twentieth century jazz standards, The River Trio performs at some of Richmond's most picturesque venues including Country Club of Virginia.  The River Trio features Demas Boudreaux on piano, Brian Cruse on bass & CJ Wolfe on drums. 

Super64 brings the experience & energy of veteran musicians to straight ahead standards, rocking blues, and cool takes on rock and pop tunes.  Led by Randy Burton (guitar) and Bob Lambert (harmonicas), the group plays in a variety of settings, focusing mostly on private events & local wine shops.  

The band name is pulled from front-woman & songwriter Leslie Moruza Dripps.  But, Moruza isn't only a name: the term is also Puerto Rican slang for mish-mash, uncategorized or hither-thither.  Treat yourself to discovering that Moruza is a tad, er, moruza: Indie-jazz-influenced-singer-songwriter-loeder-based-piano-pop.  In short, music your ears can love.