Revered by musicians ranging from the late Michael Brecker to heavy metal guitarist Alex Skolnick, organist Larry Young’s iconic Unity has stood as a benchmark since its 1966 release. Revisiting the music from Young’s Blue Note classic had long been a passion project for drummer Chris Hovan and trumpeter Mark Russo, quietly simmering for years. Tickets for tonight are $20 each.

Featuring:

Mark Russo - Trumpet
Pete Mills - Saxophone
Jon Eshelman - Organ
Chris Hovan - Drums

This event will also be livestreamed on BOP STOP's Youtube Channel at showtime. Accessing the stream is free but donations are encouraged and directly support the band.

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Mark A. Russo is a freelance jazz trumpet player and educator in the greater Cleveland area. He holds degrees in Music Performance in Jazz Studies from Bowling Green State University and in Music Education from Kent State University and is a seasoned educator and clinician in the Greater Cleveland and Akron area.

As a performer, Mr. Russo has worked for Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and has performed extensively with such local groups as Bobby Selvaggio's 11 Piece Collective, The AVENUE from Cleveland Music Group (CMG), and has shared the stage with such artists as Ken Peplowski, Curtis Fuller, Benny Golson, Carl Allen, Ingrid Jensen, John Bailey, Marvin Stamm, Allen Vizzutti, Randy Johnston, Wayne Bergeron, and Mike Lee. He has also recorded albums as a sideman with the likes of Bobby Selvaggio, Kevin Scaley, Jeremey Poparad, Asher Barkin and Lou Armagno.

A native of Toronto, Canada, saxophonist Pete Mills has been praised by critics for his “virtuosic,” “gorgeous,” and “versatile tenor-kick-butt” playing (David Franklin, JazzTimes). His discography includes the 2025 release For the Record with his B3 4tet, as well as four other albums as a leader. Mills has received grants from the Greater

Columbus Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts and was awarded the North Carolina Arts Council Jazz Composer’s Fellowship. As a sideman, he appears on over a dozen recordings and performs regularly throughout the U.S. and Canada. Based in Columbus, Ohio, he is a featured soloist with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra. Pete holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the University of North Texas, and currently serves as Director of Jazz Studies at Denison University

Jon Eshelman is a gifted pianist and organist, having studied with the legendary Stanley Cowell at William Patterson University. As an organist, he maintains an active schedule in Columbus working with a wide variety of artists including Pete Mills, James Gaiters, and Reggie Jackson. Eshelman and Hovan have worked regularly with Kent guitarist Bob Niederriter for almost a decade. Eshelman recently released his first piano trio album as a leader, Too Many Things Going On All at Once Blues, featuring George DeLancey and Zach Compston.

A respected photographer, journalist, and musician, Chris Hovan has played in a variety of Northeast Ohio venues over three decades with such jazz artists as Rich Holsworth, Josh Smith, Francois Roland, Larry Ross, Jackie Warren, Jeremy Poparad, Bobby Selvaggio, Mark Russo, DANJO Jazz Orchestra, Just Jazz, and the Jazz Shepherds. He has also shared the stage with such national artists as Tony Monaco, Arturo O’Farrill, Brian Lynch, Alex Harding, and James Carter. Hovan’s groups include his Generations Quartet with Mark Russo and the Organic Trio, which has featured organists Clif Metcalf and Jon Eshelman, along with guitarists Larry Barris, Chandler Carpenter, and Tim Mirth. These ensembles have performed frequently at The Bop Stop, The Treelawn, and Con Alma in Pittsburgh. Hovan also performs as a percussionist with the horn-based ensemble Funkology and Doobie Brothers tribute band, China Grove.