Gene Perla & Friends

Joining us from Norway, saxophonist Petter Wettre attended Berklee College of Music and continues to perform on the international stage. One of his accomplishments was to transcribe the solos of both Steve Grossman and David Libman from the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine recording Live at The Lighthouse. Petter has had solid contributions to the jazz scene having numerous meetings with international jazz stars over the past few years including David Liebman, Joey DeFrancesco, Kenny Wheeler, Adam Nussbaum and others.

Oscar Williams II was born in Mississippi and grew up in Kansas City where he began developing his approach comprised of gospel, blues, and funk. Oscar then attended William Paterson University where he studied with the late Mulgrew Miller. His power and spirit on the piano has brought immediate recognition from Bobby Watson, and he was soon discovered by trumpeter Wallace Roney. Mr. Williams has been making his mark on the world stage alongside the great players of the jazz idiom including Paquito D' Rivera, Joe Chambers, Bill Goodwin, Vincent Herring and others.

Gene Perla was raised in New Jersey where he studied classical piano and trombone. After attending Berklee School of Music, he moved to New York City and began his musical career as a jazz bassist. He has performed and/or recorded with Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Elvin Jones, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Chuck Mangione, Joni Mitchell, Buddy Rich, Sonny Rollins, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, Stone Alliance, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, and others. He is currently playing his basses, producing records for his PM Records label, running an Internet design and hosting company, and teaching music business and other subjects at Lehigh University and The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.

Nic Cacioppo had his early professional performance experiences in Philadelphia and upon graduating high school he moved to New Jersey to study Jazz Performance at William Paterson University. There, he was mentored by world renowned musicians including Mulgrew Miller, Bill Goodwin, Kevin Norton, and Harold Mabern. During college, Cacioppo started performing in New York City and North Jersey in a variety of settings. After graduating in 2013, Nic has had the honor of performing with Johnny O'Neal, Viktorija Gecyte, Alexis Cole, Adam Niewood, and many others.