KAIT DUNTON is a Los Angeles-based jazz keyboardist, composer and bandleader with eight albums of genre-pushing original music and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media and Spotify. Kait’s joyful energy and playful spirit combined with her raw emotional style have garnered her a devoted fanbase of nearly 140,000 Instagram followers, 70,000 monthly Spotify listeners and 25,000 TikTok followers.
2023 was a period of artistic and personal growth for Kait, during which she performed at the 66th Monterey Jazz Festival, released two full length albums, toured with her band and enjoyed a residency at the famed Baked Potato jazz club in Los Angeles. Additionally, Kait has always loved to sing and is delighted to introduce more of her voice along with her keyboard playing.
Kait’s style ranges from sensitive to soulful to shredding, and throughout it all, she invites her audience to live in the moment right alongside her. Fans have called her a “joy bomb” and remark on her ability to be playful, passionate and precise all at once.
Kait has cultivated her signature sound over many albums and releases. From her first album in 2008, Real & Imagined —now a fan favorite with over three million streams—to her most recent single, “this one’s for you” – with nearly three million views on Instagram – Kait has evolved from an acoustic piano purist to a confident multi-keyboardist and is fast becoming known for her love for and facility on the classic vintage keyboards like the Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Clavinet and Hammond B3 – as well as her nuanced and sensitive touch on the acoustic piano, which she has been playing since age 3.
Her music has received 4.5 stars in DownBeat magazine, has reached top ten on the Jazz Week radio charts (three times!), and has been heard on KCRW and KJAZZ. Her compositions and playing style reflect her myriad musical interests including jazz, classical, pop, singer-songwriter, rock, R&B, funk, soul, gospel, Brazilian, and Latin.
In addition to composition and performance, Kait is also an active recording artist and educator. Her playing appears extensively on the Mister Rogers movie, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, as well as in The Lego Movie 2, Downsizing, Empire, and ABC’s The Little Mermaid Live! Kait was an early member of Snarky Puppy during their formative years in Texas, appearing on their sophomore record, The World is Getting Smaller. She records often for film, television and other artists, and has taught at the University of North Texas, USC’s Thornton School of Music, Musician’s Institute, Chaffey College, and most recently at Los Angeles College of Music (LACM) in Pasadena, where she developed their new Piano Performance program and served as the inaugural chair.
“Dunton brings a Technicolor sensibility to everything she touches.” – DownBeat
“…genuine instrumental soul… every note pops with sensation.” – PopMatters
John Schroeder is a guitarist, producer and solo artist based in Los Angeles. He has toured with the likes of Frankie Valli, played in the Dancing with the Stars house band and works as a session musician playing all sorts of stringed instruments on records, movies and TV shows. Recent session credits include ABC’s “Women of the Movement” and BBC’s “Death in Paradise.” As a producer he has produced two French language records for the band Pomplamoose. The first of which – ‘En Francais’ – has garnered tens of millions of streams and views on youtube. Upcoming productions include a full length record with singer-songwriter Nataly Dawn and a single with saxophonist Grace Kelly.
Jake Reed is an LA-based drummer and top call recording artist for nearly any musical situation, from big band swing to contemporary hip hop. Artists and producers worldwide are drawn to his his deep love and knowledge for all things drum, his mastery of craft, and his extensive knowledge of drum recording methods and techniques. Jake’s signature sample pack “Super Dead Drums Vol. 1” has garnered global reach and was recently sampled by the rapper Logic.
Jake has performed/recorded with Katy Perry (“All You Need is Love” cover single), Seth MacFarlane, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Larry Goldings, Anthony Wilson, Adam Levy, Bob Mintzer, Bill Holman, Johnny Mandel, Bill Cunliffe, Bruce Forman, Les McCann, Freda Payne, the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Synowiec, Kait Dunton, Mako, Ellis Hall, Tommy Torres and others. Jake also records frequently for film & TV, including the movie Paint (starring Owen Wilson) and streaming series Cobra Kai and The Old Man.
He has a BM in Jazz Studies from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (’07), as well as, an MM and DMA from the University of Southern California (’13), where he was Peter Erskine’s teaching assistant for five years. He is the author of Jazz Drumset Etudes, Vol. 1 (Alfred Publishing, Inc). He plays Gretsch drums, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, and Remo drumheads.
Learn more at jakereedmusic.com
“Jake is my first choice for all playing and teaching recommendations.” — Peter Erskine
“Jake Reed is a fantastic young drummer who excels at bringing the best to every situation. A true accompanist and textural master of time and dynamics, he always supports and drives the ensemble musically and in an intuitively sensitive way. I have been on tour and in the studio with him and am always impressed by his maturity, command and artistry. A most valuable player in my book!” — Bruce Forman
“Jake Reed is a well rounded, team playing, swingin mofo!” — Bob Mintzer
DAN LUTZ – A veteran of the Los Angeles session scene, bassist Dan Lutz is known for his versatility, groove, and dependability – and his facility on both electric and upright bass. The Philly native is active in a variety of genres including jazz, gospel, rock, R&B, and pop. Among the artists with whom he’s collaborated are Josh Groban, Lizz Wright, Kirk Whalum, Patti Austin, Jonathan Butler, Michael Bublé, Larry Klein, Robben Ford, and Oleta Adams. Lutz has also worked extensively in commercials, movies, television and on Broadway shows including Hamilton, Wicked, and Frozen.