PATRICIA DALTON
Patricia Dalton is a jazz singer who performs regularly in the Albany area, along with Peg Delaney on piano, Bill Delaney on bass, and Steve Raleigh on guitar. Her repertoire is comprised of American Popular Songbook standards, including Berlin, Gershwin and Porter. She has also had the honor of performing with noted jazz singer Giacomo Gates and legendary composer, conductor, and musician David Amram. She was also mentioned in Roll Magazine in December 2008, describing her frequent collaborations with popular jazz pianist John Esposito.

Whether working in the finest bistros in the Northeast, or preparing exquisite food for friends and family in her own kitchen, Patricia Dalton embraces the pleasures of excellent food.

Her first instructor was her grandmother, Nora Theresa Foley Moriarty, who immigrated to the United States where she cooked in some of the finest homes in early 20th century New England. Later, when Patricia was a child living on the Rockefeller estate, she was allowed to work alongside the chefs, training in how to properly mint a julep and how to prepare salads and entrées tableside.

As an adult, she worked in a variety of upstate New York establishments, including the Gideon Putnam Hotel and The Golden Fox. At the jazz bistro One Caroline Street in Saratoga Springs, she began blending her twin loves of jazz and fine cookery. Frim Fram Sauce, her CD recording, proclaims this affinity to the world. It's a combination of American songbook standards and the original Frim Fram recipes that she and Chef Michael Cunningham of Provence restaurant concocted together.

JOHN ESPOSITO
John Esposito is a New York State native and grew up in a family steeped in musical tradition. John’s first performance experiences were playing harmonica in a blues band as a teenager. He attended SUNY Albany as a composition major .He spent several years after college in Albany as the house pianist at the Gemini Jazz café working with J.R. Monterose and Nick Brignola before joining the Arthur Rhames Quartet. Later, John formed Second Sight, a jazz quintet with Dave Douglas, Jeff Marx, Allen Murphy, Jeff Siegel, and Fred Berryhill. In the nineties John began working with the groups of Franklin Kiermyer and Eric Person as a pianist and arranger. John is on the faculty of Bard College and teaches piano, drums, ensembles, jazz theory, repertoire and advanced composition techniques. Read more >

IRA COLEMAN
Ira Coleman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, raised in Southern France, and thereafter lived in Germany for fourteen years. While in Germany, he studied double bass at Cologne’s “Hochschule für Musik” and subsequently came a move to the US to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Ira graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1985. He has worked with such well-known figures as Cab Calloway, Freddie Hubbard, Betty Carter, Branford Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Jessye Norman and Sting. He was musical director for vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater and toured with her internationally from 2002 until 2009.

Comfortable playing Jamaican rhythms as he is accompanying a gospel choir or performing in a Jazz trio, Ira Coleman has built an international reputation for versatility. Read more >

CHARLES FROMMER
Charles Frommer began playing professionally in his hometown of Bloomington, Indiana before studying with Ran Blake at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Having freelanced in Boston and New York since then, he has done varied work in radio, television and film, as well as touring in and out of the country. In addition to playing with the Hudson Valley jazz groups Inner Door and the Eastern Standard Jazz Trio, he has worked with such diverse artists as Roswell Rudd, John Esposito, Cameron Brown, Natalie Merchant and Dr. John.

PETER O'BRIEN
Peter O'Brien is a New York State native and has been playing the drums since he was able to sit up at the set. After high school, Peter dove headfirst into the New York City jazz scene garnering the attention of drummers Jo Jones Jr., Al Foster, Jimmy Lovelace, and Michael Carvin (with whom Peter studied with in 1978–1979). After a period of sitting in at jam sessions and gigging around the city, Peter went on the road with various showbands touring the US. In 1982, he toured the US with Brother Jack McDuff, and from 1984–1985 all over the US and Canada with the Edgar Winter Band. Read more >

STEVE RALEIGH
Steve Raleigh, guitarist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator, teaches music as an adjunct music professor at Orange County Community College, is on staff at the National Guitar Workshop, Rock Camp, and as senior music instructor at Imperial Guitar & Soundworks in Newburgh, NY. He is also owner and operator of LWR Productions Recording Studio. Throughout his career he has worked and toured with many groups including the Steve Raleigh trio, his quintet Inner Door, Judi Silvano, October Project, Evelyn Blakey, Nick Brignola, Darmond Meader (New York Voices), Clint Holmes, and Tony Martin, as well as opening for Chuck Mangione and Tommy James to name a few. Steve has been credited as assistant producer on two CD releases on the Evidence record label. and produced numerous records including 2 Charles Lyonhart CD's on his own LWR Productions label. Steve has also had one of his solo guitar arrangements published in Just Jazz Guitar Magazine (Feb 2001), released his third solo CD Collage in 2001, released his 4th with his Jazz Quartet "inner Door," a collection of 7 original compositions, and is current working on a live CD with his current band, The Llama Dollies.

LEW SCOTT
Lew Scott is one of the most sought after bassists in the New York area. He has performed with such notables as Clark Terry, Conti Condoli, Frank Rosolino, Joe Lavano, Herb Ellis, George Coleman, Dave Liebman, Jack Sheldon, Peggy Stern, and many others. He has toured with vocalist Melba Moore, Lainie Kazan, and Nnena Frelon. He has also worked with Anita O'day, Mark Murphy, and many others, including Robert Goulet, Vic Damone, Sergio Franchi, Jerry Vale, Al Martino, Eddie Fisher, Florence Henderson, and Lucie Arnaz. Among the groups he has worked with include the Four Aces and the Fifth Dimension. Lew Scott has been performing in the New York area since 1978. In the past Lew was also a competition Cyclist, but now he rides his bicycle around the county just for enjoyment. Read more >

CHEF MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM OF PROVENCE RESTAURANT
Chef Michael Cunningham of Provence Restaurant is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, where he received training in advanced food preparation, flavor development and balance, sauce work, fish preparation, and meat fabrication. He has worked with many notable chefs in his career, including his journeyman experience with Chef Rene Fachette, with whom he was classically trained in the European tradition.  Chef Cunningham developed his culinary approach as he travelled and established restaurants throughout the United States including two of his own highly reviewed bistros in Florida. He is a member of American Culinary Federation and the Chaine Rotisserie Society of New York and was named one of the top five chefs in upstate New York. He has received numerous four-star reviews and Provence was recently named the best French restaurant in the region by Metroland magazine.

Thank you to everyone who brought me to the music. Starting more or less from the beginning: Dorothy, Nora, Miss Jane Byington, Lestor Taylor, Sr. Jane Murphy, John Esposito, Sheila Jordan, Tommy Charlap, Pete Sweeney, Jeff Hess, Giacomo Gates. And thank you to my new friends at Provence: Michael, Jason, all of the gracious staff , owners Susanne and Daniel, and of course Addison. A special thank you to my creative comrade, Chef Michael Cunningham. And a special thank you to my mentors and coconspirators, Peg and Bill Delaney… you make it possible.

This is a promise kept.

Peg Delaney: Piano
Bill Delaney: Bass
Steve Raleigh: Guitar
Chef Michael Cunningham: Hot Stove
Patricia Dalton Fennell: Vocals