About Unison

By Myself - Judy Garland , Cry to Me - Solomon Burke, Unit 7 - Sam Jone, Passion Dance - McCoy Tyner

Unison Started With Covid

The individual members of Unison have been touring the world for the past 40 years.

Joanna Pascale - Lyric is paramount for internationally touring vocalist Joanna Pascale who insists that she cannot perform a song unless she can connect personally with its lyrics. Once she’s found that connection, there’s no one who can better convey the emotion of those words more directly and intimately than Pascale. That gift is in ample evidence on Pascale’s latest release, Wildflower, where she’s joined by an all-star ensemble including pianists Orrin Evans and Cyrus Chestnut, harmonica master Gregroire Maret, bassist Christian McBride, and neo-soul singer Bilal.The recording of Wildflower coincided with the end of Pascale’s decade-long engagement at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, which allowed her to hone her voice, style and vast repertoire. A singer of sophisticated taste, profound expressiveness and raw emotion, Pascale is also a gifted educator who is a member of the vocal faculty at the University of Pennsylvania.She’s been featured on recordings by Jeremy Pelt, Tim Warfield, Orrin Evans, Larry McKenna, the Temple University Jazz Band and Garry Dial and Dick Oatts.Pascale made her recording debut with 2004’s When Lights are Low, followed by the 2008 through my eyes and a 2010 duo recording with pianist Anthony Wonsey released on her stiletto records label.In 2017 she was artist in residence at the Kimmel Center for the performing arts in collaboration with 2015 Guggenheim fellow, Etienne Charles and director Ellie Heyman to create a song-cycle inspired by flowers.

Tony Miceli - Internationally renowned jazz vibraphonist Tony Miceli has established himself as one of the primary voices on the mallet instrument, winning hearts and minds wherever he plays. His achievements, however, go much further beyond. A sought-after recording artist, Miceli is an inspired educator who delivers vibraphone master classes the world over, enriching the students of Ireland, Germany, South Korea, Italy, for example, with an accompanying concert finale. Miceli promotes the instrument through his brainchild, vibesworkshop.com, a virtual meeting place and teaching tool for some 4000 student and professional members. He is also the co-creator of the World Vibes Congress, a formal gathering of players who share the desire to bring public awareness to the vibraphone. It is worth noting that Miceli is part of Team Omega, an elite group of vibes players that includes only four others, headliners David Friedman, Joe Locke, and Stefon Harris and Warren Wolf. At All About Jazz, Victor Schermer describes him as

“... a vibraphonist of astonishing virtuosity, musical resilience,
and inventiveness. His vibes playing is nothing short of
phenomenal.”

Lee Smith - Lee’s entire musical history spans well over 40 years. During Lee’s pre-jazz era, he maintained Philly as his home base but toured internationally and recorded with several Philadelphia-based R&B recording artists including the Delphonics, Blue Magic, Brenda and the Tabulations, Major Harris, and Billy Paul.

Lee Smith on Electric Bass Guitar.

In the summer of 1977, a high school friend and fellow musician, Alfred Williams, who was working as musical director for legendary Afro-Cuban Percussionist Mongo Santamaria, invited Lee to audition for Mongo’s group. Lee was hired following the audition. This was Lee’s first time playing Latin music and was one of the most challenging musical experiences he had in his career. He later moved to New York and continued working with Mongo for five years. Lee appears on six of Mongo’s albums: Images, Red Hot, Summertime, A La Carte, Montreux Heat, and Grammy-award-winning Dawn (Amanecer). During the five year period with Mongo, Lee toured all over North and South America as well as extensively in Europe.

After Lee’s stint with Mongo, he moved back to the Philadelphia area due to family health issues that required his assistance. Shortly thereafter Lee received a call from jazz pianist Milton Sealy to play at the grand opening of the Trump Plaza casino.
From 1983 to 1989 Lee worked the Atlantic City circuit. This was Lee’s first steady performance of mainstream jazz. He gigged with Milton as a duo and freelanced with other musicians. During this time it was Milton that strongly suggested Lee pick up the acoustic bass. Around 1986, Lee purchased his first upright bass from drummer Wilby Fletcher. The bass belonged to Wilby’s late uncle. That bass is still Lee’s main bass today.

Lee is self taught on the electric and upright bass. His background of formal music study and education was a major asset to this transition. He transferred his knowledge of music theory from the trumpet to the bass.

For over 30 years, Lee has worked with numerous jazz greats including Cab Calloway, Lionel Hampton, Erskine Hawkins, Benny Golson, Bud Shank, Dizzy Gillespie, Cedar Walton, Donald Harrison, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Greg Osby, Roberta Flack, Sonny Fortune, Odean Pope, Billy Hart, and Sonny Murray. Lee worked with Philadelphia piano great Trudy Pitts for almost a decade. He also performs with the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia under the direction of Terell Stafford.

Byron - Byron Christopher Landham (aka) "Wookie" was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 16th, 1969.
He is the youngest of six children (four girls and two boys). His older brother Robert began studying clarinet and saxophone at the age of 12. Byron, being influenced by his brother and naturally being around all genres of music, took an interest in the drums at the of 7. At the age of 10 he enrolled at Settlement Music School where he studied classical percussion and jazz drumming. The freedom of creative expression in jazz was appealing to Byron, and became his main focus. By the time he graduated from high school, he was a top call on the Philly jazz scene. In 1992, his musical prowess had earned him steady work with some of the finest musicians in the world.
That includes stints with the late great Betty Carter, George Coleman, Bobby Hutcherson, Joey DeFrencesco, Frank Wes, Pat Martino, Cyrus Chestnut, Russell Malone, Ruth Naomi Floyd, Hannibal Lokumbe and the Liberation Orchestra, and most recently a 3 year stint with six time Grammy Award winner Dave Sanborn. Byron Has recorded on at least fifty cd's to his credit as well as co-produced Joey DeFrancesco's Grammy nominated cd "Never Can Say Goodbye" tribute to the late Michael Jackson.
One of Byron's current projects is The Landham Brothers, featuring multitalented reed man and brother Robert Landham. Their latest release on the Straight Street Label is entitled "The Shape of Things To Come" has received rave reviews.
Byron continues to be a strong advocate for jazz education. He's performed drum clinics at several University's and music stores in American and Canada and is currently on faculty at Temple University, Philadelphia (PA), where he serves as an adjunct Professor of Jazz Studies for Drumming. For the past five years he's taught drums and Jazz combo at the "We Love Jazz" summer music camp and jazz festival in Isola Del Cantone (Italy).