Home: Personnel Washington's Finest azz has come a long way from its roots in New Orleans’ fabled Storeyville. Today, the art form is taught in universities and performed in concert halls like the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and Lincoln Center in New York City. In addition to their impressive performance resumes, two respected jazz educators perform in John Cusick’s Jazz City quintet. And the youngest member of the group, who has already made a name for himself around Washington, is well on his way to earning his master’s degree in jazz studies. Ken Hall, guitar, received his master’s degree in jazz composition from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. In 1991, he toured the former Soviet Union on a State Department tour and has performed with jazz luminaries including Max Roach, Archie Shepp, Cecil Bridgewater and Slide Hampton. A faculty member of the National Guitar Workshop, he has taught jazz guitar at Amherst College, the University of Massachusetts, and Westfield State College. Alvin Trask first heard trumpets in college bands in his native Baton Rouge, La. It was a sound he couldn’t forget. After playing in high school, he went on to earn a degree in classical trumpet performance at Louisiana State University. In 1989, he studied at the Thelonius Monk Institute in Dolo, Italy, and while attending graduate school performed and recorded with the Howard University Jazz Ensemble, one of the finest big bands in the region. He has performed with notable jazz vocalists and musicians including Marlene Shaw, Stanley Cowel, Delfayo Marsalis and Grady Tate. He is an adjunct professor of music at Trinity College in Washington and chair of the Performing Arts Department of St. Stephen and St. Agnes High School in Alexandria, Va. Eric Wheeler began playing the bass at age ten. He studied music through the D.C. Youth Orchestra program and at age thirteen was accepted at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. There, his passion for jazz exploded under the tutelage of jazz saxophonist Davey Yarborough. After graduating Duke Ellington in 2000, he was accepted into the music program at Howard Universtiy, where he is now a master jazz studies major. He performs at various venues in the Washington area including Twins Jazz, the Bohemian Caverrns, H.R. 57, the Kennedy Center and Blues Alley.