Bill Ohashi:

Experienced, prolific and well-heeled trombonist in the New York City and international jazz, chamber classical, show and Latin fields is extensive, giving his leadership qualities focus and his musical concept and intelligence order and definition.

Bill's arranging style and watchful direction give 'The Bridge Sextet' its characteristic sound, all of which stems from Bill's many influences from his years of associations with such important groups and great leaders such as Slide Hampton, Bruce Fowler-Frank Zappa, Machito's Big Band with Celia Cruz.

Bill's versatility stems at it's beginnings from the exposure to exceptional, broad-based music taught in the NYC Public School system of the sixties performing in the All-City & All-Boro Orchestras.

Subsequently, after switching from an Electrical Engineering major at the prestigious Univ. of PA, he added to his parent's consternation by following his daylight Julliard & Mannes Conservatory studies with late night gigs and sessions with such well-known artists as Kenny Dorham (Minton's & NYU), Roy Eldridge (Small's Paradise & Bowman's Showplace), Charlie Mingus (East Village Inn & his Loft), Jack DeJohnette (The Dom), Jakie Bayard (The Electric Circus), Carla Bley (Upsurge Sound), George Cables-Lenny White (Slug's) and Art Blakey's Messengers (All Over).

After graduating but still retaining a burning desire to play on the NY scene as a professional, Bill found himself getting his steady salaries mainly from working commercial pop bands and contracting backing orchestras for popular artists such as Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, Marvin Gaye, The Spinners, Aretha Franklin, The Four Tops, Jay & the Americans, Rock Galas at Madison Square Garden-NYC, as well as an occasional Broadway Show ('Man of La Mancha'), or in steady, good-paying Latin-Salsa Orchestras like Eddie Palmieri, Hector Lavoe, Larry Harlow or 'Chocolate'.

His experience in clubs, concerts, recordings and traveling began to expand Bill's creative arranging and improvisational skills as the assignments became more plentiful & challenging; Gil Evans, Chuck Israels, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, The Band, Yoko Ono, James Taylor, Chico O'Farril, Joe Farrel & Subs on Saturday Nite 'Live' to name a few.

After a limited release of Bill's first Fusion-Jazz recording "The Keeper" in 1980 (on Adelphi Records), a move to the West Coast did little to elevate his career, until a call from the road by the inimitable Ray Charles showed that 'The King of Soul' knew better than to let Ohashi's formidable talents sit idle.

Now, once again immersed in the creative furnace of NYC by relocating back again since 1988, Bill's new assignments continue when it is possible for him to temporarily reschedule his work with 'The Bridge'. But offers like those from Tito Puente, Randy Sanke (the Carnegie Hall Orchestra), Johnny Colon, Wynton Marsalis, Typica '88, The Enormous 'Bones, Bennie Green, Barry Harris and numerous other great artists continue to keep Bill at work on his beautiful musical expression.

Teruo Nakamura-"The Song of the Birds" This milestone recording of Japanese-Bassist Teruo Nakamura for Kitty Records in early 1979 is innovative and important to Bill Ohashi's career in two regards. It is his first major recording with the remarkable soloist, Herbie Hancock. Secondly, arranger Shiro Mori uses Bill's talents on the Alto, Tenor & Bass trombones to create a quasi-big-band, tapestry as a backdrop to punctuate the inspired exclamations of Mr. Hancock. The musical outcome is quite a marvel.

David Schnitter

(Courtesy of Muse Records, Inc.) A youthful Jazz veteran steeped in the traditional 'big-sound' styles of Gene Ammons, Sonny Rollins, Jimmy Heath & Dexter Gordon while still searching and fluently fine tuning his own, hard-bop, post-modern edge. He has early on served his apprenticeship for over a decade with the powerful, legendary 'Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers', spending years with trumpeter Freddy Hubbard's Band as well as continuing exhaustive tours in Europe with; Johnny Griffin, Dizzy Reese, Dexter Gordon and many other greats. He is quite in demand in NYC when musicians need a genuine virtuosos voice and commanding tenor saxophonist. For more information about David Schnitter, see his official web site and more info by clicking here...

Mike Clark

A drummer who not only is at the stylistic forefront of music, he is a musician who plays with an almost symphonic concept. Mike is best known for his innovative, classic Fusion-Jazz recording with the Herbie Hancock Band, "Chameleon", as well as his years of work in the UK with Phil Collins & Genesis. More recently, he has played and recorded extensively with Wayne Shorter, Lonnie Smith. Eric Kloss, Chet Baker & Nat Adderly. Mike spectacularly inventive drumming contributes an exciting dynamism to Bill Ohashi's "Fantasia/Ugetsu". Mike is dynamite! Learn more about Mike here: MikeClarkMusic.Com and at DrummersWorld.Com

Harris Simon

An international competition and award winner (1983-Kaiser, Plano International Jazz Piano Competition), also having performed in numerous Jazz Festivals (Kool JF, Edinburgh JF, Poori JF, Montreal JF, Warsaw JF& Montreux, of course). He can be found performing with Art Farmer, Barry Levitt, Clifford Jordan, Sonny Fortune, Bob Mover, Cecil McBee, Victor Jones & Pete LaRocca. Harris' brilliant chording and inventive solos lend a beautiful, gleaming finish to Mr. Ohashi's, "Fantasia/Ugetsu" CD.

1. (1)"TOM PIERSON" by trombone Pierson's Recording Orchestra. CD & Tapes/Applause Records, Inc.-#APCS 1014
2. "THE KEEPER" by Bill Ohashi Albums & Tapes/Adelphi Records, Corp.-AD-7842
3. GALAXY DUST by Carlos Frenzetti (featuring Lew Soloff & George Young) CDs, Albums & Tapes/Inner City Records*Division of MMO Music Group)-IC-1113
4. "MR. FOSTER" by Al Foster-(feat. Tom Harrel, Bob Berg, Ron Carter, 'Onaje' Allen Gumbs, Bob Mintzer & composed by Miles) All Media Sony-Nippon Columbia-#YX 7399ND
5. "MANHATTAN SPECIAL" by Teruo Nakamura (featuring Herbie Hancock, Art Webb, Shiro Mori, Carter Jefferson & Lani Groves)/Polydor-@PD-1-6119-also'Song of the Birds' in Japanese Polydor K.K.# MKF-1014
6. "DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY" by Jermaine Jackson All Media/Arista-#AST-9875
7. "GET UP & GET DOWN" by Tony Vitale all Media/TON-MAR Records-#TM123
8. "MOTHER NIGHT" by Mother Night (featuring Gary Pribek Comp. & Arrangement by Bill Ohashi) Albums & Tapes/Columbia-#KC-31304
9. "CHAMELEON" by Franki Valli & the Four Seasons All Media/Motown records, Inc.-#MW-108-1A
10. "THE HIT MAN" by Eddie Kendricks All Media/Tama Records, Inc.-#T6-33851
11. "CAN YOU FEEL IT?" by Ray Baretto (featuring Barry Finnerty, Todd Anderson, Cliff Carter, Eddie' Gua-Gua' Rivera, Richie Morales, Neil Stubbenhaus, Googie Coppola & Cissy Houston) all Media/Atlantic Records Co.-# CD-19198
12. "MOSTLY BLUES" by Lionel Hampton MNS Records, Corp.-#MHC-312314-T
13. "COPLAND SPECIAL" & "MAKE MY HOME WHERE I HANG MY HAT" by Johnny Copland (feat. Arthur Blythe, Joe Rigby et. al) All Media/Rounder Records ("Cpl'd.Spc'l."*Winner of JC Handy Blues Award-1981)#R-2025 & Rounder Records-#R2030
14. "CHEVERE" by Jorge Dalto (featuring stars galore) All Media/United Artists Records-#UA-LA-671-G
15. "RAW SUGAR" by Kenny Brawner & Brawner Bros. Albums & Tapes/Unite Artists-Pyramid Records-#UA-LA 928-H
16. "The Jazz Orchestra" by Thad Jones-Mel Lewis (featuring Jon Faddis, Joe Farrel, Jerry Dodgion, Jerome Richardson, Randy Brecker et. al.) Solid State-SS-947004002A
17. "THE ALEXANDER REVIEW" by Mark Dimond All Media/Fania-Vaya Records, Inc.-#VS-46
18. "For You" by Eddie Kendriks TAMA Rec.-Motown Records, Corp., #t6-335S1
19. Johnny Ortiz "Johnny Ortiz Y Taibori" - Trombone
20. Various Artists "Blues Masters, Vol. 17: More Postmodern Blues" - Trombone
21. Various Artists "Texas Blues Guitar" - Trombone
22. Johnny Copeland "When the Rain Starts Fallin'" - Trombone
23. Johnny Copeland "Texas Twister" - Trombone
24. Johnny Copeland "Make My Home Where I Hang My Hat" - Trombone
25. Johnny Copeland "Copeland Special" - Trombone