In the past decade he has moved on to solo and ensemble music that realize his autobiographical continuum through sound (Improvisational Form, C.M.E. compositional system, Fifth Dimensional Music , Hope Arch Unitary Meditational Reality Poetry ). And more recently he has moved into the direction of a personality-based improvisational music style to get closer to what Jazz music really was and is: an interpretation of a tradition or traditions and "swing" via the point of view an individual's emotional memory and life inside and outside of an ensemble and then transmitting that to some sort of audience; a performance music.

The son of a Pakistani (Sindhi) immigrant Shaikh was born and raised in Cleveland, OH where he began studying music by way of the piano at the age of three. After a decade he began the saxophone studies that have carried out until the present day. In 2000, Shaikh moved to New York City to study Jazz and Psychology at the New School University. Since then he has had the opportunity to perform and record with many including: Cecil Taylor, Jackson Moore, Brandon Evans, Jackson Krall, Mat Maneri, Randy Peterson, Matt Moran, Nasheet Waits, Nate Wooley, Anthony Braxton, Carlos Icaza, Daniel Carter, Mike Pride, Dynamite Club, Chris Jonas and Leland Scott Davis. He has also had the opportunity to tour outside of the U.S. presenting music to audiences in Japan, Australia and Canada.

Shaikh currently resides in Brooklyn and acts as co-curator of the New Languages Festival. www.newlanguages.org

Dan DeChellis (pianist) first came to the attention of the jazz / improvised / new music world in 1996 with the release of his solo recording debut "Shapes" on the Sachimay label. This recording earned him immediate critical praise and led to appearances throughout the Northeast. Since then DeChellis has released five more CDs on Sachimay and has continued to increase his reputation as one of today's busiest and most compelling improvisers. He has performed as a soloist, leader and sideman at the Roulette (NY), Knitting Factory (NY), The Middle East (Boston), Sculler's Jazz Club (Boston), Harvard University, New Langton Arts (CA), The Zeitgeist, ABC NO Rio, Autumn Uprising Festival, the Big Sur Experimental Music Festival and as an organizer and performer at New York's, Improvised and Otherwise Festival.

Born October 14,1970, DeChellis grew up in Whitehouse Station, NJ. He began piano studies at age five and quickly developed interest in a diverse range of musical styles. From 1989 to 1997 DeChellis received his master's degree in classical piano. At the New England Conservatory DeChellis worked closely with legendary composer/pianist Ran Blake and improviser Masashi Harada. DeChellis sites influences as diverse as Paul Bley, Brian Eno and the music of Anton Webern.

DeChellis's music seeks to blur the boundaries between contemporary classical and improvised music. Whether he is performing solo or accompanied by electronics, voice and acoustic instruments, he masterfully combines standard piano virtuosity with extended technique and explosive bursts of energy. His recordings have been reviewed in The Wire, Cadence, Signal to Noise and Keyboard Magazine. Among the many fine musicians he has collaborated with are: Gerry Hemmingway, Sabir Mateen, Daniel Carter, Dee Pop, Rueben Radding, Ravish Momin, Ernesto Diaz-Infante, Jeff Arnal, Chris Forsyth, Anita DeChellis, Brian Moran, Toshi Makihara, Masashi Harada, Matt Hannafin, Bhob Rainey, Tatsuya Nakatani.