Biography

Guymon Ensley - bandleader / trumpet / fluegle horn

If River Rouge, Michigan native Guymon Ensley Hoggatt had his way, he would have had a trumpet stuck in his "jibs" even before he was born. However, Henry Ford Hospital didn't offer music lessons with prenatal care at the time, neither did Northrup Elementary School . . . not until the forth grade anyway. The trumpet was his instrument of choice even earlier, when his parents Lloyd and Gertrude Hoggatt bought him his first toy trumpet, clad in a thin cardboard carrying case which he proudly carried with him on the first day to school after Christmas vacation was over. The other boys brought toy cap guns and monster robots and the like.

It seems that music was always going to be Guy’s career choice even when he was a student at River Rouge High School. “I really wasn’t that good at anything else. I always had a love for music, and it came fairly easily to me." At an early age in his basement with his school issued cornet, he pretended to be the lead trumpet player in Earl Van Dyke’s Motown Review Orchestra while playing along with the LIVE IN LONDON Temptations album, as well as other tunes from that era. He also admired trumpeter Doc Serverensen of the Tonight Show Band and Hugh Monsquella, composer of “GRAZING IN THE GRASS." Admiring these noted musicians were kept on the down low though, because formal music studies took the front seat while in high school.

The form and direction of Guy’s musical career changed over time. While attending Western Michigan University, he attended his first Jazz Lab Band class for the first time and then, it was on! About the same time, he joined the R&B group, ASIKARI, and for two years, he got a taste of that jazzy “front line horn section, Earth Wind & Fire and Kool & the Gang action.” It rocked!

A career change took Guy's life in an entirely different direction before he picked up his horn again. When he did, he worked as a studio musician for many years and performed with several local R&B and big bands, playing lead and solo trumpet. He hooked up with the R&B band, LYFE, led by guitarist Eddy Senay, of Sussex Records. During a musically thin time, he wrote and continued performing his works with local ensembles. It wasn’t until 1999, when he decided to focus entirely on music, classic jazz for the most part. He sought assistance and was referred to saxophonist, Sam Sanders. "Sam's studies were concentrated on jazz improvization, classic jazz and bebop. Sam would not be bothered with anyone but those who were serious. He started with the pure basics of the dominate seventh chord changes and insisted that you complete certain phases before moving to the next. If you were to return to a weekly lesson without having it right, he’d lean back with that Sam Sanders grin and that’s all you’ll have to see, to know that you’d better have it right the next time. It was so intense, that it was necessary to put almost everything on the back burner and bring forward, the techniques and exercises that he prescribed.” Guy continued studies with noted musicians, Marcus Belgrave, Rayce Biggs and Wendell Harrison.

For the months that followed, Guy performed with bands of various genres, from Latin Jazz to R&B and from Big Band to chamber ensembles and solo performances with piano accompaniment. But like a magnet, classic jazz and be-bop kept pulling on him. In 2001, on the advice of veteran drummer and educator, Charlie Bannister, Guy formed his band, GEQ the (Guymon Ensley Quintet). At a time when jazz groups are short lived, GEQ is still kickin’ it out. Since the release of their first CD entitled, HERE PUT THIS ON, in August of 2003, the band has four major tours under their belt . . . on the bill with such internationally known artist as Yolanda Adams, Jefferey Osborn, The Isley Brothers, The Whispers and Frankie Beverly.

In February, 2006, Guy released his first solo CD entitled "MEET GUYMON ENSLEY." The extended play work bares four hot contemporary jazz songs, three of which are Guy's compositions.

Guymon Ensley received a nomination during the 2006 Detroit Music Awards for "OUTSTANDING JAZZ COMPOSER" and " OUTSTANDING JAZZ INSTRUMENTALIST."

DISCOGRAPHY

2006 - Guymon Ensley - "Meet Guymon Ensley"
2003 - GEQ - "Here Put This On"
2000 - In The Pocket Band - "Old School Medley"
1984 - Freddie Hubbard "Live w/ MPJMA Repertory"
1978 - Lyfe - "All Original"
1972 - Asikari - "The Asikari War Chant"

SOME FUN STUFF . . . ABOUT GUY

BIRTHDAY: May 5th
BORN: Detroit, Michigan
HEIGHT: 5'11"
WEIGHT: 200
MARITAL STATUS: Single
FAVORITE MUSIC: Straight Ahead Jazz
ARTIST MOST ADMIRED: Wynton Marsalis
FAVORITE MOVIES: Glory, Mo Better Blues, Harlem Nights, Shawshank Redemption, The Pursuit Of Happyness, Dirty Dozen, Training Day, Saving Private Ryan, Officer And A Gentleman, Malcom X, Crimson Tide
FAVORITE BOOK: The Purpose Driven Life
FAVORITE TV SHOW: The Cosby Show
FAVORTIE FOOD: Pasta
LEASE FAVORITE FOOD: Soggy broccoli
FAVORITE DRINK: Herbal Tea
HOBBIES: Weight training/biking, cooking, gardening
FAVORITE DAUGHTER: Tulani - "my one and only baby girl"

GUY'S GEAR

GETZEN - Custom Series, Genesis 3003 B flat Trumpet - "PONCHO"
GETZEN - Custom Renaissance, B flat Trumpet - "SAM"
GETZEN - Custom Series, 3895 Fluegel Horn - "TONI"
GETZEN - Eterna, Fluegel Horn - "WENDY"
GETZEN - Eterna, 994 Bass Trumpet -"SCOAGIE"
E. M. WINSTON - B flat Pocket Trumpet -"THE GHERK"
E. M. WINSTON - B flat/A flat Piccolo Trumpet - "HARTFORD"
SAMSON - Airline, UHF Wireless System

Phil Lesky - keyboards

As a professional musician at the age of twelve, Phil had been playing piano for only four years. His formal training on the keyboard and studies in music theory and composition, lends itself to Phil excelling in the genre of Jazz. His continued studies at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids Michigan, with Dr. Bruce Early, contributed to his winning numerous jazz competition awards.

He is well versed in the lineage of jazz piano and bares the knowledge from extensive study of transcriptions of the works of jazz great, Charlie Parker. Phil is accomplished in both Classical and Jazz piano, but he has performed extensively across the lines of music genres with such artist as Marcus Belgrave, and Chuncho Valdes, Jr. He also performed with international recording artists, Dionne Warwick, and The Drifters.

PHIL'S GEAR

KORG - Triton Studio 88 Piano
MACKIE - Powered Monitors
KAWAI - GS Series Piano

Bang Glenn - drums

As a native of Detroit, Bang Glenn was inspired by the ground jarring percussion section of a Thanksgiving Day Parade band at a very early age. At the tender age a seven, he was presented his first pair of drumsticks by his father and at the age of eleven, his first drum by his older brother. His love affair with percussion began at that time and everyone around him knew it.

While attending the Arts Program in school, he was exposed to different genres of music, Jazz, Rhythm and Blues and Classical. Participating in as many music opportunities as he could, Bang received a wealth of musical knowledge. He excelled and pursued further music studies in a higher education setting at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio.

Bang's love for jazz heightened, leading him to seek the knowledge from such jazz greats as Marcus Belgrave, Roy Brooks, Carnell Glenn Jr., Charles Northington, Harry Shuman, Sam Sanders, Clifford Sykes and John Washington.

Moreover, he has been afforded the privilege of performing with the following artists: Atmosphere, Andre Black, Michael Bolton, Ron Conolie, Beverly Crawford, Celine Dion, Jessie Dixon, Exousia United Methodist Church, Steven Ford, The Marvin Jones Trio, Donnie McCurklin Kos Kat, Earl Klugh, Jerome Perry, Straight Gate Church, Randall Wilson, Cee Cee Winans and Marvin Winans.

Josh Linkner - electric & acoustic guitar

For over 20 years, jazz guitar has been Josh’s passion. He’s performed internationally in various settings ranging from traditional jazz clubs to cruise ships to concert halls. Heavily influenced by Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass and Kenny Burrell, he brings a pure and traditional style to GEQ. He studied Jazz Composition at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, Mass. and Jazz Performance at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida.

In addition to jazz performance, Josh is an accomplished entrepreneur. He is the CEO and Founder of ePrize, the largest interactive promotion company in the world. Servicing 73 of the Top 100 brands in 36 countries, Josh led the firm from inception to being ranked the #1 provider of games, contests and sweepstakes in the US. The company currently employs over 350 professionals in Detroit, New York City, Chicago, Dallas, Las Angeles and London. Josh has won numerous business awards, including the 2004 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, the 2006 Automation Alley CEO of the Year, Crain’s 40 under 40 and has been included on the Inc. 500, the Fast Company Fast 50 Reader’s Choice, PROMO 100 and Inc. Magazine’s Top 10 Entrepreneur of the Year.

Jeff Ponders II - soprano / alto / tenor saxophones

This 20-something college graduate from Wharton University, with a degree in Management & Entrepreneurship, is making a mark on the world. "It's been an interesting time after graduation... getting used to bills, responsibility, and all those other 'grown-up' things, but I wouldn't trade my experiences for the world!"

Outside of spending hours in the practice room on his horns, Jeff plays saxophone with the noted R&B group, "Hot Sauce," You'll can find him spending even more hours establishing his empire (business planning & consulting, taxes, music production, and more) and his limited free time handling his external business interests. He admits that he charishes "stealing away" every blue moon, but such times are rare.

In a nut shell, Jeff will aways profess that he loves what he does, that is, having fun, investing in the future and especially kicking it with his frat (A PHI A). Just watch out when JSaxxy hits the mainstage and the empire takes off!..

Ibrahim Jones - upright & electric bass

It would be a gross understatement to say that Ibrahim is a "good" musician. As a product one of the finer high schools in Detroit, MI, Cass Technical, "Ib" (as he's called by his closest friends) excelled in music performance . . . not only on the bass, but on the piano, trombone, clarinet and baritone horn. Being the son of his greatest influence, noted trumpeter Felton Jones, it was almost a requirement that he be diverse in his music studies. As a serious student of the bass at the young age twelve, Ibrahim has studied with an array of noted bassists, including Ralph Armstrong, Marion Hayden and John Kenady (of the Detroit Sympnony Orchestra).

His accomplishments lead him to road performances with the internationally acclaimed, saxophonist, James Carter. "My very first show on the road with Mr. Carter was tough because he writes such great music and pound for pound, he probably is the best saxophone player alive."

Ibrahim spends his well deserved spare time dabbing in electronics, construction work and he throws a bowling ball or two. He presently teaches at the Plymoth Educational Center in the City Of Detroit.