The Northcoast Jazz Collective is one of the premier jazz bands in the Cleveland area. Voted "Best Jazz Group" by readers of The Free Times in 2008 and readers of Scene Magazine in 2009, the NJC has performed at nearly every jazz club and festival in Northeast Ohio.

Together as a unit since 2003, featured members are Dan Maier, piano, Tim Lekan, acoustic bass, Dave Frank, reeds, and leader Mark Grey on drums. Collectively, these members bring a great wealth of musical experience and knowledge to the group. Gallo has worked with groups that include Archie Shepp, Paroah Sanders, Chick Corea, Carla Bley, Kai Winding, Bill Watrous, and Charles Moffett. Maier has performed with Clark Terry, Gary Burton, Junior Cook, Urbie Green, Howard Roberts, Dakota Staton, and Harold Danko -- to name a few.

The band plays straight ahead, modern jazz that is creative, emotional, and accessible. Most of the music in their repertoire consists of original compositions and members’ arrangements of classic jazz. Their approach and style of writing and performing consists of the collective influences and history of not only the member’s experiences on the 1960s and 1980s New York jazz scenes, but also the modern feel of their present jazz experiences in Cleveland.

As Peter Chakerian of Cool Cleveland, wrote: “The NJC radiates charm, warmth, and the sort of instrumental intuition that only comes from regular gigging….They're one of the gems of the Northeast Ohio jazz scene.”

http://www.northcoastjazzcollective.com/index.html