Formed in 1998 as an offshoot of the Motion Poets, Slide Huxtable is comprised of Mark Miller on trombone, the guitar wizard Dean Magraw will be substituting for Bill Bergmann on guitar, Chris Bates on bass and J.T. Bates on drums.  The group initially played with regularity at St. Paul’s Clown Lounge, but has gigged much more sporadically since Miller moved to New York City in 1999.   Thier CD will be available for sale at this gig at the Artist's Quarter.

Mark Miller grew up in Racine, Wisconsin and attended the University of Minnesota where he studied with Tom Ashworth.  An ever-present sound on the Minneapolis music scene in the 1990s, he was a founding member of the Motion Poets and played with Happy Apple, Latin Sounds, Salsa Del Soul, and the Intergalactic Contemporary Ensemble.  Mark also counts among his credits performances with such legends as Billy Joel, Doc Severinsen, Ernie Watts, Frank Foster, Cy Coleman, Gloria Gaynor, and the Jason Lindner Big Band.  Mark recently completed a three year run on the road with the Billy Joel/Twyla Tharp Tony award winning hit Broadway musical “Movin’ Out”.  His first Broadway tour was with “Swing!” in 2002/03.  A featured soloist at the London, San Jose, and the Discover Jazz Festivals, Mark has toured extensively in 46 states and 17 countries.  He currently resides in New York City.

Dean Magraw will be substituting for Bill Bergmann on guitar
Dean Magraw is more than a guitar virtuoso.  His utter unity with the instrument creates a musical experience that emanates from the stage, but cascades over the room in sheets of rejuvenating spirit. Magraw’s many musical associations have included a long-time duo run with Peter Ostroushko, stints with Ruth McKenzie, Claudia Schmidt and Greg Brown, and an acclaimed 2006 recording with Chicago heavy hitter John Williams.  Dean won the NAIRD 1994 Best Acoustic Instrumental Album of the Year for his solo debut, Broken Silence.

Chris Bates, bass
Originally from Hopkins, MN, Chris Bates grew up studying bass with James Clute and Anthony Cox.  He has played with many great musicians including Lee Konitz, Mose Allison, Joe Lovano, Eric Alexander, Bill Carrothers, Claudia Schmidt, Osmo Vanska, Charles Lazarus, Ira Sullivan, Greg Skaff, Ernie Watts, Dean Magraw, Helene Labarrie, Tony Hymas, Pablo Cueco, Regis Huby, Marcus Wise, Chris Cunningham, Dean Granros, Lucia Newell, Laura Caviani, and Prudence Johnson.  Chris maintains a long-standing relationship with drummer Jay Epstein and performs in the groups Red Planet, Tanner Taylor Trio and Framework with him.  Other groups Chris currently leads / follows are - Enormous, Improvised Explosive Device, How Birds Work, Tampered Seals, Volcano Insurance, Slide Huxtable, Sambo Makti, Klezmerica and Low Blows.  Chris has recorded albums with Kelly Rossum, Klezmerica, Rhonda Laurie, Red Planet, Peg Carrothers, Motion Poets, Low Blows, Willie August Project and Craig Schumacher.

J.T. Bates, drums
Since the early nineties J.T. has been one of the hardest working musicians in the Twin Cities.  He has performed with many nationally and internationally renown artists including: Anthony Cox, Airto, Tony Malaby, Craig Taborn, Michael Formanek, Robert Skoro, Beniot Delbecq, Jim Anton, Dean Magraw, Wessell Anderson, Rodney Whitaker, Dick Oatts, David Freidman, Evan Parker, Carbon Carousel, and Dosh.  With the collective trio, Fat Kid Wednesdays (with Mike Lewis - Saxophone, Adam Linz - Bass), he has performed at many international jazz festivals in the U.S., France and Spain.  Some of these include the San Jose Jazz Festival, the Heineken Jazz Fest (Spain), Son D’Hiver (Paris), Europe Jazz (Le Mans), Festival Dancing in Your Head (Walker Art Center), Minnesota Sur Seine, and the Iowa City Jazz Festival.  J.T. regularly performs around the Twin Cities with many bands including Alpha Consumer, These Modern Socks, Dubsack and the Regional Jazz Trio.  J.T.'s unique and instantly recognizable style, coupled with his ability to play such a wide range of musical styles without so much as a blink, makes him a master at the art of improvising and an extremely powerful element on stage and in the studio.