Mark began playing jazz as a teenager in Daytona Beach, Florida. Continuing his education in Boston and New York, Mark studied with Hall Overton, Herb Pomeroy and Jaki Byard, before moving to California in 1966.

A key phase in Mark's education was a year spent in Woody Shaw's quartet. "Every night was serious school," says Mark.

Mark spent significant time working with Joe Henderson, Blue Mitchell, David Liebman and Harold Land, composing all the while. Joe recorded two of Mark's tunes on "Canyon Lady," the late tenor giant's only Latin jazz album. Mark returned the favor by playing two of Joe's classic compositions, "Inner Urge," and "A Shade Of Jade," on his 2000 release, "Serengeti."

His interest in Latin jazz led to work with Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, Moacir Santos, Francisco Aguabella, Pete Escovedo, and Cal Tjader (including Cal's Grammy-winning Concord Jazz recording "La Onda Va Bien").

Mark has continued to pursue the Latin side of his craft, attending Centro Nacional de Escuela de Arte in Havana, Cuba in 1997.

Twice, Mark has been the recipient of a National Endowment For The Arts Grants (1975 and 1977) and was awarded a "Jammie" as Best Bay Area Jazz trombonist, 1983-1984 (no, he no longer plays trombone).

Mark Levine has played/recorded with:

Woody Shaw, Mongo Santamaria, Joe Henderson, Willie Bobo, Bobby Hutcherson, Hubert Laws, Moacir Santos, Freddie Hubbard, Cal Tjader, Wallace Roney, Tito Puente, Jerry Bergonzi, Milt Jackson, Francisco Aguabella, Harold Land, David Liebman, Blue Mitchell, Pete Escovedo, James Moody, Art Farmer, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Fortune, Eddie Harris, Stefon Harris, Eddie Henderson, Conrad Herwig, Clark Terry, Ingrid Jensen, Charlie Rouse, Bobby Watson, Chet Baker, Mark Murphy, Art Pepper, Julian Priester, Bobby Shew, Enrique Pla and Poncho Sanchez

Mark's compositions have been recorded by:

Joe Henderson, Blue Mitchell, Cal Tjader, Tito Puente, Pete Escovedo, Mongo Santamaria, Nuyorican Soul, Joanne Brackeen, Moacir Santos, Tom Lellis, Poncho Sanchez, Esencia, Chuck Clark, Jerry Rusch, Mike Morris, and Houston Person.

Stephanie and Bernie have played together at various locations in and around the city of Redding since October 2009. These tunes are the result of countless hours of live shows. The arrangements and even improvisations captured by these recordings were formed in many a small dark corner in low-lit restaurants or wine bars. Bernie’s effortless finger-picking brings a clear tone and emphasizes the beauty of the original music of these American classics. Stephanie’s vocals are just as fresh and intentional. They bring a lightness and infuse forgotten romance into a modern vocal style. Bruce, who’s played bass professionally since age 16, opens up a depth of sound and consistency only possible with decades of performance experience. This album makes magic happen. Once “Dream A Little Dream” is released, it will be available for purchase on iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon, and local stores in Redding such as Enjoy the Store, The Music Connection, and Eagles’ Nest Bookstore.

Jonathan began playing the electric bass at the relatively late age of twenty-one, but after only a year and a half on the instrument he was accepted into the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts on a performance scholarship. Over the next five years he was able to study with such incredible players as Bruce Gertz, Jim Stinnett, and funk guru Anthony Vitti, and also had the opportunity to perform with some the best young musicians in the world.  

After finishing at Berklee in ’01, he immediately put the experience to good use by co-founding and later recording with the group Pimp the Cat, the members of which included Mark Greenberg, (Dickey Betts, Ronnie Earl), and Steve Grzeskowiak, (Angelique Kidjo). He also began touring with Favored Nations recording artist Johnny A, an experience that both enriched his overall musicality and allowed him to take the stage in some of the finest rooms in the country including The House of Blues, L.A. and The Fillmore East.
 Jonathan traveled with and wrote for the national touring act Global Funk for four years. In that time the group performed over 600 shows, released two full-length albums, (Keep on Pushin’ and Bogo), recorded for CMH Records, (Up All Night with the Talking Heads compilation), opened for such well known acts as Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Ozomatli, Spearhead, Oteil Burbridge and the Peace Makers, Garaj Mahal, The Isley Brothers, Liquid Soul, Maceo Parker, and Robert Walters, and played some the nation's most prestigious festivals including the Monterey Jazz Festival, the New Orleans Jazz Festival, High Sierra Music Festival, BerkFest, the Baja Bash, the Riverbend Festival, the Oyster Ridge Music Festival, The Shakedown Festival and Atlanta's Harvest Festival. Jonathan has also had the opportunity to play and/or share the bill with Larry Coryell, Jeff Sipe, B.B. King, Robert Cray, Bill Wyman, Huey Lewis, Morelli Coryell, Dave Mason, Brian Jordan, Rick Parnel (of Spinal Tap), John Staton, and many others.

Currently he is a member of the Sacramento based funk group The Bumptet, and has joined a new jazz influenced groove project called Big Sky.  Jonathan endorses Zon Guitars as his instruments of choice.

The CHARLES VALONA TRIO has performed throughout Northern California for the past decade, performing Jazz, Pop and Latin music. 

The Trio, which consists of Charles Valona, (guitar, vocals and percussion), Bruce Calin, (acoustic bass) and Dan Kinkle (drums and percussion), is regularly featured at Win River Casino, Anselmo's Winery, Turtle Bay, Rolling Hills Casino, Weddings, Grand Openings and Special Events. 

 Bogg Jazz Quartet is currently the resident ensemble at both Cafe Coda and The Maltese in Chico, CA, and has performed at venues from California to Washington including Sufi Mediterranean Cuisine in San Diego, and Fat Cat in Tahoe.

The Usual Suspects Little Big Band was formed several years ago by saxophonist Jeff Jones just for the joy of playing music with some of the best jazz musicians in the greater Redding area.  The band's playlist is a varied one with something for every taste. Contemporary arrangers and tunes predominate, but standard jazz songs are also represented.

The band's name is derived from the fact that the area's jazz community is relatively small. Bands of different configurations going by different names will often have some of the same players. The players in the Usual Suspects are many of these first-call musicians that you see and hear everywhere in the Redding area. The rhythm section includes Cleveland Boney and John Gonsalves on piano, Bruce Calin on bass, Bernie Baker on guitar and Dwayne Corbin on drums.  Paul Senn and Dick Morris are on trumpet and Joe Larsen,  Mark Gouvea and Jesse Lindberg play trombone. The saxophone section is comprised of Dave Short, Mitch Hawley, Frank Eller and Jeff Jones.

Dave Elke is a performing musician, guitar instructor, producer, engineer and program coordinator for the Butte College recording arts program.  He performs regularly throughout northern California, and is a first call guitarist because of his ability to play styles such as funk, jazz, rock, and anything in between.  He also holds a Masters degree in guitar performance from California State University Chico, and has helped countless students realize their potential as musicians.  

Victor was born and raised on the East Coast, but has lived in the Mount Shasta area of Northern California for many years. He was introduced to the saxophone in junior high school, beginning a love affair that carried him to the Wilmington School of Music in Delaware and from there to the Army, where he played and toured with the 9th Infantry Rock Band while stationed in Fort Lewis, Washington. Victor's sound is deeply satisfying, and he is willing to break barriers and take the sound to its fullest. 

Allison, a former folk singer who has taken a decidedly jazzy turn, has been singing, composing and playing guitar most of her adult life. She met Victor, a jazz saxophonist, vocalist and arranger, a few years ago when he was invited to play in her one-girl band. The match was unmistakable, and together they created a union of musical forms uniquely their own. Blending the sounds of jazz, folk, Latin, blues and R&B in original material and classic standards, they put an entirely new twist on contemporary music.

The incredibly talented, Eric Peter has been performing professionally for over 35 years. Utilizing both regular and seven stringed guitars, Eric has performed on countless stages throughout Northern CA in every style imaginable. A two time CAMMIE award winner (Chico Area Music Awards. One for jazz and one as “Best Guitarist”), critics have described his playing as “Flawless” (Chico News and Review) and “Phenomenal” (Chico Enterprise Record). Jazz Connection Magazine writes, "His lyrical and rhythmical guitar artistry holds the sound together to create an exciting montage of fantastic music!" Holding both a Bachelor of Arts and Master’s Degree in Music from CSU, Chico, Eric plays solo gigs (demonstrating his mastery of the loop machine), leads his own bands, and lends his guitar mastery to various jazz musicians all over the area, including Charlie Robinson, Rocky Winslow, Greg D’Augelli, Jonathan Stoyonoff, Holly Taylor, Susan Schrader, Shigemi Minetaka, Chuck Epperson Band, Hot Flash and many, many more.