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A fine pianist influenced by Oscar Peterson, Johnny O'Neal actually started his career playing gospel piano in church while a teenager. Inspired by Peterson, Art Tatum, and Bud Powell, O'Neal started exploring jazz in 1976 and after impressing Ray Brown, found his way into Milt Jackson's group. Other important jobs followed (with Sonny Stitt, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, and Buddy DeFranco), and in 1982, O'Neal moved to New York and soon recorded his debut with Concord. After playing regularly with Clark Terry, he was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1982-1983) and has mostly led his own groups ever since. Johnny O'Neal has recorded as a leader for Concord, Parkwood, and Justin Time (1995), taking three effective vocals on the latter set. ~ Scott Yanow

A jazz and classical acoustic bassist noted for his subtlety and versatility, Dave Young was raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, later relocating to Toronto in the hopes of pursuing a career in music. He first attracted notice in collaboration with guitarist Lenny Breau, whom he joined in 1961; exiting Breau's band a half-decade later, Young went on to perform and record with such renowned figures as Clark Terry, Zoot Sims, Moe Koffman, Nat Adderley, and Oscar Peterson. After spending decades as the bass accompanist of choice for performers traveling through Toronto, Young led his first recording date, Fables and Dreams, in 1993. Two years later, he recruited a group of pianists including the aforementioned Peterson, Mulgrew Miller, Tommy Flanagan, and Renee Rosnes for the acclaimed Two by Two, the first in a series of bass and piano duets. ~ Jason Ankeny

A top mainstream jazz drummer for decades, Terry Clarke was born in Vancouver in 1944 and performed on the Vancouver jazz scene from the early- to mid-'60s before heading south to the United States to join saxophonist John Handy's band as well as the backup group for vocal pop-soul superstars the 5th Dimension. He returned to Canada in 1970, living in Toronto and becoming an in-demand drummer there, participating in numerous recording sessions and also becoming a mainstay in the city's jazz clubs. The mid-'80s found Clarke back in the U.S., this time in New York City, where he worked with many jazz luminaries of the day. He returned to Canada in 1999 and continued his high-profile work over the next decade, earning Drummer of the Year honors from the Canadian National Jazz Awards for four years in a row, 2002 through 2005. His debut album as a leader, 2009's Juno Award-winning It's About Time released by the Blue Music Group label, featured appearances by Jim Hall, Joe Lovano, and Greg Osby, in addition to Clarke's working trio with saxophonist Phil Dwyer and bassist Don Thompson. Clarke is an adjunct professor of jazz at the University of Toronto and was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2002. He has appeared on over 300 albums throughout his career, and has worked with the likes of Thad Jones, Jay McShann, Art Pepper, Oscar Peterson, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Helen Merrill, Toots Thielemans, Oliver Jones, and Ken Peplowski. ~ Dave Lynch