Quantum Katz 3pm
George Anderson – Bass
George Anderson is a professional musician and entertainer. His background is Gospel, Jazz, R & B/ Funk, Rock, Country and Classical. He attended the University of North Texas Music School, performed in the acclaimed One O’clock Lab Band, and was the principal bassist in the NTSU Symphony. He was also a member of the Fort Worth Symphony and has played concerts with the Dallas Symphony. He has performed with many renowned artists including concerts with Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Marvin Hamlisch, Chuck Berry, The Coasters, The Fifth Dimension, Doc Severensen, Bob Hope, Jay Leno, Willie Nelson to name a few. As a bassist, he performed for several television specials including the ABC national broadcast of the Texas Sesquicentennial with Johnny Cash, Jimmy Dean, Freddy Fender, B. J. Thomas and the Gatlin Brothers. He also performed with Ella Fitzgerald on the Good Morning America Show and with Della Reese on Channel 13. George also worked as a producer, songwriter, and performer on the groundbreaking "To The Extreme” CD by Vanilla Ice. He produced his solo debut CD "Faces", which was in the running for a Grammy award in the "The Best Contemporary Jazz Album" Category.
Currently George is recognized as one of the busiest studio session bassists in the Dallas/ Ft. Worth metroplex. He has recorded numerous local and national radio and television commercials including ESPN, CNN, Coors Light, and Coke. He is also playing on Channel 8 News and Channel 11 News. He has also played on many local, national and international artists’ recordings. George worked as a writer, producer, and bassist on the “To The Extreme” CD by Vanilla Ice. As a music producer, songwriter, composer/ arranger he has worked with many diverse artists. He has worked as music director for many corporate functions, which include awards banquets for Dr. Pepper, Frito Lay, and Sally’s Beauty Supply, national conventions for Kawasaki, Century 21, Caldwell Banker.
George’s work also includes movie soundtracks and documentaries. He has also done volunteer work with community groups such as the Boys and Girls Club by writing and producing the “Say No To Drugs” song, and has been a guest speaker for Black History Month.
Gerald Jones – Mandolin
Gerald Jones, a native Texan, has been involved with the performance, production, and teaching of music for more than 40 years. He’s played live or recorded with Jerry Douglas, Mark O’Connor, Vince Gill, Sam Bush, Tanya Tucker, Grand Master Fiddle Champion Jim “Texas Shorty” Chancellor, Hank Thompson, Red Steagall, and many others of many genres-- R&B, Funk, Blues, etc. Gerald plays guitar, mandolin, and banjo with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Bluegrass Band. He is on the board of the Allegro Guitar Society, which presents classical guitar performances in Dallas, Fort Worth and Las Vegas. He also writes and performs many Allegro Guitar Society outreach programs each year. He invented the Acoustic Plus electronic banjo pickup used by Earl Scruggs, Bela Fleck, Alan Munde, Bill Keith, and others. A multi-instrumentalist on banjo, mandolin, guitar, violin and dobro, Gerald has won banjos at the Winfield Banjo Championship. Gerald co-founded the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, Frisco Bluegrass Festival and Acoustic Music Camp, an instructional institute for acoustic musicians. Gerald teaches at many camps across the country each year.
Reggie Rueffer – Violin/Fiddle
Reggie Rueffer studied for a Music Education degree at NTSU, eventually transferring to SMU on a full scholarship. He joined the band Mildred, wrote and performed an eclectic, XTC-inspired rock for five years, culminating in the CD “Whippersnapper,” which won best album in the Dallas Observer Music Awards. A year later, Reggie and his brother Chad formed Spot, signed a deal with Ardent Records out of Memphis (Alex Chilton's label), and recorded an eponymous CD with John Hampton (Prod/eng/mix for the Gin Blossoms, The Raconteurs, The White Stripes, and many others), enjoyed video spins on MTV, and released a cutting-edge (at the time) audio-visual CD, entitled AVCDEFG, featuring remixes and live tracks with interviews and video footage.
Reggie began playing jazz/classical gigs with Christopher McGuire, and this continued for many years, keeping him in books and school fees. After college he freelanced with a myriad of C/W bands, the biggest one being the great Ray Price.
Reggie joined the Charley Pride band playing fiddle, acoustic guitar and some bass for 13 years. Then he formed the rock band The Hochimen, with musicians he met playing jazzy originals and comedic improv with Paul Slavens (Ten Hands). Since then they have recorded two CD's, Totenlieder and Tierra del Gato, Reggie snf Chad also released two CD's with their C/W band, The Insiders, including Me and My Heart and My Shoes , and a CD of Chad's, Be Where You Are Now.
Cara Wildman - Percussion
Cara Wildman is a well-respected percussionist, pianist, dancer, and bodhrán player from Dorchester, TX. Cara’s talents have led her to perform in a variety of musical ensembles and genres around the world including in Puerto Rico, Argentina, Mexico, Ireland, Canada and across the United States. She has performed with Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps, Celtic Thunder, The Irish Memory Orchestra, Joanie Madden (Cherish the Ladies), Oisín Mac Diarmada (Irish Christmas in America), Máiréad Nesbitt (Celtic Woman) and Donal Lunny. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Music Education from Texas Christian University, and a second Master's in Irish Traditional Music Performance from the University of Limerick in Ireland. Cara has studied with bodhrán greats Jim Higgins, Eamon Murray, Martin O'Neill, Cormac Byrne, Colm Murphy, Colm Phelan, and Junior Davey, among others.
Cara's playing has garnered international accolades including winning the 2016, 2018, and 2019 Senior Bodhrán Champion for the Limerick and Midwest Fleadhanna, and placing 1st at the 2021 All-Ireland Fleadh Fest—the first American ever to win this category. Donal Lunny described her playing as having "great taste...as an artist she can be immersed in her playing while retaining perspective on its contribution to the music. The development of the bodhrán is an exciting work in progress. I think Cara is at the front edge of this development..."
Russ Hewitt 5pm
Combining lightening guitar runs with unique rhythms provides the electrifying combination of sound and feels in Russ Hewitt's original music. Russ explains his style of play as "Fusing Spanish, Flamenco, Jazz, Latin, Cuban and Brazilian together simultaneously without worrying about what particular rules that go with each style. This allows me the freedom to create without boundaries." Holding a performance degree in Classical guitar from University of North Texas, Russ is a voter for the Grammy's and Latin Grammy's. Russ Hewitt’s recordings have resulted in multiple Top 40 Smooth Jazz singles, Grammy consideration, and received reviews and press from all around the world, including the cover of CUTAWAY Guitar magazine out of Spain, and a three-page feature in Italy's biggest print guitar magazine - Guitar Club magazine. His latest recording, 'Chasing Horizons,' has won over two dozen international awards from various establishments including Global Music Awards, Intercontinental Music Awards, One Earth Awards, LIT Talent Awards, Indie Music Channel Awards, Josie Awards, and One World Music Radio Awards. Russ was also part of the 2023 class inducted in the INDIE MUSIC HALL OF FAME.
Russ has also played and recorded worldwide with symphonies, orchestras and philharmonics with his original music, a rare feat for any musician.