Brittany Biala, saxophone,
leads a trio featuring
Helen Orzel, keyboard,
and Jonny Kaminek, bass.

With 14 years of experience, Brittany graduated with a BM in Jazz Studies on tenor saxophone in 2017. Her sound has been uniquely shaped by her father’s vast collection of vintage American horns and early exposure to funk, as well as her abiding love for Dexter Gordon and John Coltrane and the influence of Chris Potter and Joel Frahm. She currently performs with many ensembles, including the 7th Street Big Band, Bitches Brew, Amy Unauthorized, the Brittany Biala Jazz Combo and many freelance jazz combos.

Helen Orzel, the secret love child of Wonder Woman and Ludwig Van Beethoven, was raised by a pack of lions and a piano. She studied classical performance at CSU Northridge then later in Germany and Serbia, played and toured, but alas… classical music wasn’t her destiny. The answer came to her in a bar. Sitting in Cafe Stritch, she heard a live performance of Herbie Hancock’s Butterfly and decided immediately to dump her long-time lover Rachmaninoff. Jazz School in Berkeley followed, and much more followed that, and here she is. Rachmaninoff & Monk can sometimes be heard bickering in her playing, but it’s a productive kind of mess, for sure! She plays in and writes for Hey Earl, Hits Like a Girl, and Nonfiction, and is working on a new fusion project with William Bohrer and Brent Elber.

Bass player Jonny Kaminek.