nostatic trio +

Core musical instigators Gary Mendell and Todd Richmond first met in 2007 via the ubiquitous craiglist musicians pages. After playing shows on and off with a couple of different lineups, the summer of 2010 saw the birth of the nostatic trio +. The concept was to have a pool of musicians that came together for different shows, each contributing their musical influences into a stew that was anchored in jazz but liberally seasoned with funk, soul, pop, and whatever else floated through their transom.

Gary Mendell is a late bloomer musically, having raised two sons (one a touring musician, the other in art school) and diving into keyboards to make up for not having the prototype "lessons as a kid" past. His style is part Monk, part Winwood, part everyone else he's heard (and that is a lot of parts). You're likely to hear a Herbie Hancock riff followed by a TV commercial theme followed by a bit of 60's rock keys.

Todd Richmond cut his teeth as a funk/rock/blues guitarist in the 70's and 80's (with some bluegrass and banjo mixed in), and switched to bass and jazz in the late 80's. He's played and recorded with big bands and small ensembles, most notably four years with Japanese guitar whiz Kaz Takeda. After an original alternative rock project and various jazz casuals, he put the nostatic concept together with Gary. Also viewing himself as a late (and perpetual) bloomer, Todd spent time this year studying with Victor Wooten and continues to figure out new things he can do with the bass.

Rachell Romeo is a highly sought-after reed player, moving seamlessly between jazz, funk, blues and soul. A veteran of the San Francisco and Los Angeles, music scenes, with nostatic she tears it up on tenor and soprano. Her solos are a constant highlight in live shows, and the conversations between sax and bass are lively and worth a listen.