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The Inventions Trio brings together the talents of two classically-trained masters of jazz and improvisation and a classically-trained cellist to present programs that explore the intersection of chamber music and jazz. Inventions grew out of Mays' and Stamm’s long association and duo work together, followed by the recent commission from Drs. Howard Horn and Frank Osborn of Mays’ three-movement "Fantasy for Cello, Trumpet & Piano."
The Inventions Trio is a new perspective on both art forms. Stamm, Mays, and Horn find the chamber music in jazz and the jazz in chamber music by performing fresh interpretations of classical and jazz themes. Combining their experiences, these three musicians not only share their music, but also speak to the audience about the art and craft of what they do and how they do it. In doing so, they bring the listener into the process as a participant, showing what it means to be alive in both traditions. Improvisation is the heart of jazz, just as it was a central part of European classical music for centuries. Bach and Mozart paved the way for every great jazz master to assert a unique voice. Have you ever wondered what a conversation between Johann Sebastian Bach and Charlie Parker would be like? We'll never know what they might have said to each other, but we can hear their dialogue in music. In Mays’ words: “Whether playing Borodin or Bird, Bach or bop, the aim is to make the music come alive in a new way, find great melodies, be true to the composer’s underlying harmonic scheme, let the music swing, listen intently, play honestly, always honoring the rich traditions from which we’re drawing and building upon.” Trumpeter Marvin Stamm, pianist Bill Mays, and cellist Alisa Horn impart a different perspective to the music of composers like Rachmaninoff, Debussy, and Borodin with the melding together of classical music and jazz. Performing this rich repertoire, the trio illuminates the elements that audiences from all genres treasure, sharing their music from the stages of clubs, concert halls, festivals, and performing arts centers throughout the world. Marvin Stamm, Bill Mays, and Alisa Horn explore and give new life to this wide and wonderful world of music.
Along Came Betty (Benny Golson)
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 (Photo by Judy Kirtley) Marvin Stamm is a graduate of the well known North Texas Lab Band program. Upon graduation, Marvin joined the Stan Kenton Orchestra for two years, serving as trumpet soloist. After working in show bands in Reno, Nevada, for two years, Marvin joined the Woody Herman Orchestra, touring the U. S. and traveling extensively abroad to Europe and Africa. Marvin moved to New York City in 1966 where he spent twenty-three years as a major New York City studio musician, recording with many of the major Jazz and popular artists. During this time, Marvin was also a member of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, the Duke Pearson Big Band, and the American Jazz Orchestra led by pianist and composer John Lewis. He also performed for a period with singer Frank Sinatra and with the Benny Goodman Septet. Eschewing the studio scene in 1990, Marvin currently travels much of the year as a Jazz artist with the Marvin Stamm Quartet, the Marvin Stamm/Bill Mays Duo, and the Inventions Trio. He also appears as soloist with symphony orchestras and performs as a member of the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band and the Westchester Jazz Orchestra. Marvin has also been involved in Jazz education for many years and spends a good deal of time working with young musicians. Current CDs are By Ourselves - the Marvin Stamm/Bill Mays Duo; The Stamm/Soph Project;The Stamm/Soph Project - Live at Birdland.
Bill Mays' artistry is beyond category. With deep roots in jazz, gospel, pop and classical music Bill’s eclectic career as a pianist, composer and arranger spans more than four decades. On hundreds of recordings, Bill’s concert and recording credits include work with artists as diverse as Ron Carter, Al Cohn, Buddy DeFranco, Benny Golson, Freddie Hubbard, Al Jarreau, Barry Manilow, Shelly Manne, Red Mitchell, Gerry Mulligan, Art Pepper, Bud Shank, Frank Sinatra, Sonny Stitt, Toots Thielemans, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Sarah Vaughan, Phil Woods and Frank Zappa. Bill’s keyboard work has been heard on numerous movie soundtracks and TV shows, among them Adaptation, Annie, Being John Malkovich, CBS Early Morning, Consenting Adults, Dallas, Fargo, Frida, Fur, Gremlins, Interview With The Vampire, Knot’s Landing, Kojak, Ladykillers, Late Night with Jay Leno, Mission To Mars, Name That Tune, Rocky, Shaft 2, Simone, Sleepless In Seattle, Superman, The Alamo and Wolf. Much respected for his compositional and arranging talents Bill has written saxophone quartets, suites for flute and piano, double bass and piano, music for the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Aureole chamber ensemble, the Woody Herman Band and incidental music for TV and film (Anamorph, Hamlet, Looker, Tribeca). He is a recipient of grants from Meet The Composer, the N.E.A., Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, is a Grammy nominee, a Steinway Piano Artist and a PennPat roster artist. His recent work on Palmetto Records (http://www.palmetto-records.net/) documents his long-standing piano/bass/drums trio with Martin Wind and Matt Wilson (Summer Sketches, Going Home, Live At Jazz Standard) and The Inventions Trio.
Alisa Horn is originally from Memphis, Tennessee, where she studied with Professor Peter Spurbeck at the University of Memphis. She completed her Master of Music in Cello Performance at Northwestern University with Professor Hans Jorgen Jensen in 2006 and received her Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from the University of Michigan where she studied with Professor Anthony Elliott. Alisa was the Second Prize Winner in the 2006 WAMSO-Minnesota Orchestra Volunteer Association’s Young Artist Competition and won the University of Michigan Concerto Competition performing Ernest Bloch’s "Schelomo." She was a regular member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago in 2004-2005 and was appointed the principal cellist of the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra during the summer of 2006. Alisa has given numerous solo and chamber music performances throughout the country and recently performed Miaskovsky’s Cello Concerto with the Oakville Chamber Orchestra of Ontario, Canada. Alisa and pianist, Jue He, recorded the Rachmaninoff and Miaskovsky Sonatas for Cello and Piano and the duo was featured on McGraw-Hill’s Young Artist Showcase, WQXR-FM in New York City. Alisa is currently living and working as a free-lance artist in New York City and performs on Broadway in the 2009 Tony Award-Winning Musical and 2010 Pulitzer Prize Winning Drama, "Next to Normal."
Alisa Marvin Bill 
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