Leslie Maclean , pianist, composer, vocalist and teacher, has been a professional musician since the age of 13. While in college, Leslie worked extensively with free jazz proponent Muhul Richard Abrams. Her imaginative and artistic performance at the Midwest Intercollegiate Jazz Festival won her the esteemed American Music Foundation Award, granted to the single outstanding instrumental soloist at the event. Leslie was deemed "the best" by judging panelist Marian McPartland, who presented the award. She has appeared as a warm-up act for jazz legend Stan Kenton, and has appeared at many top Chicago jazz clubs and on television and radio. Leslie has also performed with guitarist Mundell Lowe and drummer Roy Burns. She cites as one of her main influences the music of the Big Bands, and enjoys bringing the ensemble-style articulations of the big band sound into her playing and her arrangements. Her piano style also owes much to her background in classical music and displays a satisfying depth of touch and sensitivity to the piano keyboard. Leslie’s original tunes reflect her wide-ranging musical interests and run the gamut from straight-ahead swing and well-crafted ballads to driving Latin rhythms and jazz fusion. She earned a Master of Music in piano performance at the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University.
	Jerry Pollock, drums/percussion, began his career as a professional musician at the age of 14, and has played all styles of music with symphonic orchestras, jazz bands and ensembles, and theater pit bands. Jerry has also been strongly influenced by the Big Band legacy in part due to his four years of experience with the Illinois State University Jazz Ensemble, and is an exceptionally musical drummer, adding invaluable imaginative touches to any music he performs. His deft brush work is reminiscent of Joe Morello and is a frequent feature of Trio arrangements. Jerry often takes a tuneful approach to his improvisation, combining the timbre of the drums with rhythm in such a way as to suggest the melody line. He studied with Chicago drummers Bob Tilles and Marshall Thompson. Jerry also serves as the Business Manager, and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago. Leslie and Jerry met in January of 1976, when Leslie was auditioning percussionists for her trio. Jerry’s immediate understanding of Leslie’s arrangements and compositions has led to a 27 year collaboration. Married in October of 1977, their obvious chemistry gives the Trio much of its individual sound and character.
	Bob Bowman is a native of Topeka, Kansas and came from a musical family. At age seven he began playing piano and took up the clarinet at age 10. After hearing a bass solo on a Pete Fountain album, Bob realized his true instrument was the bass. While a freshman in high school Bob won the Topeka Jazz Workshop Scholarship and attended the Stan Kenton Jazz Clinic in Redlands, CA. Bob later attended North Texas State University. In 1976 was invited to join the prestigious Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. He toured with them and recorded several albums including the Grammy Award winning, "Live At Munich." In 1979 Bob moved to Los Angeles and joined the highly innovative Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabakin Big Band and recorded many albums, both big band and smaller groups, several of which were nominated for Grammy Awards. In 1981 Bob toured South America and Japan with Carmen McRae. He then free-lanced in Los Angeles with such names as Bud Shank and Freddie Hubbard. Most recently Bob has toured extensively with Concord recording artist Karrin Allyson and is featured on many of her numerous recordings. While playing with the PBT Trio and still touring with Karrin Allyson, Bob currently resides in Kansas City and teaches at the University of Missouri/Kansas City Conservatory of Music's School of Jazz Studies. In addition, he leads the critically acclaimed group, Interstring which includes guitarists Danny Embrey and Rod Fleeman, and drummer Todd Strait.
	Donna Tucker has been blessed with not only a vibrant voice, but also a musical style and enchanting presence both on and off the stage making her an unforgettable talent. Although Donna is a native of Kansas, she began her career in Dallas, Texas as a jazz singer/pianist/ as well as working as a TV commercial actor, voice over narrator, and recording jingles. ARTHUR'S, a well known jazz club in Dallas, was home to Donna and her trio...including Pat Coil, well known jazz pianist and composer; Dan Grogan, bass, and Tim Grogan, drums. "Home" meant 11 years, 5 nights a week. During those years in Dallas, Donna performed with the North Texas State University One O'Clock Lab Band, Dallas Jazz Orchestra, and Woody Herman's band. Over a period of 6 years, Donna appeared on numerous nationally recognized telethons, i.e. Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, National March of Dimes, as well as an opening act for Joan Rivers. The BIG BAND sound became an important part of Tucker's work as she began performing/ producing concerts that again included North Texas State One O'Clock Lab Band members, with Lou Fischer, bass player, arranger, and conductor.... also Neil Slater, director of jazz studies at North Texas was on board as Donna's pianist with the concert series. In 1999, Donna began a long running contract with the Westin Tokyo in Tokyo, Japan. She spends several months a year there performing 6 nights a week in the penthouse club, Compass Rose. Through out the years, she has truly created a following from "around the world". Guests of the hotel call ahead to book their travel plans with one question being..."Will Donna Tucker happen to be there during our stay?" No other entertainer in the 10 years history of the hotel has been contracted as many times as Donna Tucker. Jazz studies has become an important component in Donna's innate creativity. After moving back to Kansas...to be near family, Tucker was hired by Friends University as an artist-in residence to develop a vocal jazz ensemble. The success was overwhelming and well-known vocal jazz ensembles, including NEW YORK VOICES, praised the work of the students and gave credit to their director for having guided the students with great professional ease. One of Donna's passions is to give to students what she has collected over the years as a singer and musician. "I truly believe that a student of jazz, whether it be instrumental or vocal.... cannot learn unless they are exposed to those professionals out there 'doing it'! The same is with the choral directors who are so frustrated as to the process of stylizing vocal jazz. The concept is a different "listening" and too many vocal music education majors are not exposed to vocal jazz studies. That's the area I have so much reward in coaching. Throughout the year, I have calls from choral directors who I have met during summer camps. As a clinician, I emphasize to the teachers how important it is for they themselves to become a"listener" of jazz BEFORE they begin teaching the students." Donna has recently signed with KippieJosh Jazz records, and her next CD entitled "Right as the Rain" will be released in late 2006.

Craig Akin was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1973. At an early age, he began piano lessons and continued for two years. In sixth grate, Craig
began playing trumpet in the school bands and would continue playing in many ensembles for years to come. Upon reaching high school, he picked up electric guitar and studied theory and harmony and occupied the guitar chair in the school stage band, while continuing to play trumpet in the concert and marching bands. After graduation in 1991, he left the area to major in music education in Gunnison, CO. Not long after Craig arrived, the only bass player at the college left, and knowing Craig’s ability on guitar, the director of jazz asked him to play electric bass in the big band and faculty jazz combo. The summer of 1993 brought him to the University of Kansas to finish his music degree and pursue the double bass. He was soon the bass player for many school groups and became well known among the Lawrence community. This led him to pursue the music scene in Kansas City where he would sit in at jam sessions and study with local area players. Since then, Craig has maintained a full-time schedule playing many different styles including Motown, blues, jazz, big band, pop, Christian, rock, and salsa. Craig is equally adept in electric and double bass. Craig began playing frequently with the Leslie Maclean Trio in 2005.