Pete Gonzales
My musical roots go back to playing guitar at a Catholic Church in Phoenix, Arizona in the early 80's. Later, I became a full time music student and decided to major in music education with emphasis in Jazz performance at Arizona State University. My time at ASU was brief due to personal situations, but it was a wonderful experience to have music lessons with such great musicians and faculty such as Chuck Marhonic, Bob Ravenscroft, Phill Strange and many others! After leaving the college music scene altogether, I played mostly in churches with a few gigs at weddings, festivals etc. I did this for many years until 2000 when the Chapman Stick Bug bit me! Since that time I've found a whole new world of musical expression! I love playing Guitar and Chapman Stick, but the Stick has brought me a whole new approach to performance and composition.

Some of my favorite musicians/singers include: Michael Franks, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Scott Henderson, Frank Gambale, George Benson, Julian Bream, Bobby Caldwell, Al DiMeola and Stanley Clarke to name a few!

Favorite albums:Steely Dan - Aja, Chick Corea - Light Years, Pat Metheny - Travels, Avashai Cohen - Continuo, Brian Bromberg - You know that feeling! .. to name a few!

Darrell Owens
My musical journey started at the age of 9 in Phoenix Arizona when I decided to learn how to play the drums. This was a short lived dream when my 4th grade band teacher decided that the clarinet would be more suited for me. I played the clarinet for 3 years until my instructor came to me at the end of my 7th grade school year and asked if I would take a tenor sax home over the summer and learn to play for the next year. This began my love of the saxophone. I learned to play that summer and loved it so much that I never returned to the clarinet. At Phoenix Union High School I played sax in the marching, concert and jazz bands. We also had a rock ensemble called P.U.R.E which stood for Phoenix Union Rock Ensemble. I ventured into playing the bass in high school and learned enough to play in the jazz band and rock ensembles my last two years in high school. After High School and friend and I put together a 10 piece funk band called JamPak. After that band broke up I did some work with other funk and cover bands in the Phoenix area, but God had a different path for me. I laid down my instruments in the late seventies and thought I would not play again. In 1981 I gave my heart to Jesus at a campus ministry at ASU. A few years later God renewed my desire to play music again and I began to play bass in the worship team. Through the prophetic ministry of a man named Rusty Russell God anointed my voice to sing (something I never thought I would be able to do). I began to lead worship in my church in 1987 and taught myself how to play the guitar. I served as a worship leader for 10 years singing and playing guitar. I started playing the sax again in 2001 when I joined the worship team at Christ Life Church. After about 6 months I was joined there by my high school buddy Tim Freeman and we became the horn section at Christ Life and served there for about two years. It was at Christ Life that we met many of the members of what is now Jacobs Ladder. It has been such a pleasure to be associated with such a great group of men that love God and are great musicians!

Some of my favorite musicians/singers include: Junior Walker, Grover Washington, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Earth Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder, Spyro Gyra.

Favorite albums:

Tim Freeman
I started learning and appreciating music by age 9 at elementary school in Phoenix Arizona. I first learned Baritone Horn, then made the natural transition to Trombone. Continued in High School playing in Marching Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Rock Combos, Pep Bands etc. Attended Arizona State University where I got some private instruction and played in the Concert Band and the Gospel Choir. Also I did many years in the Phoenix area with lots of local groups playing Funk, R&B, Dance Covers, Jazz, Blues, and some Salsa music. Joined the praise and worship team at Christ Life Church where I met the fine musicians of the Jacob's Ladder Jazz project. I am thrilled to be a part of such an awesome endeavor

Some of my favorite musicians/singers include: Stevie Wonder ( vocals and lyrics ) Earth Wind & Fire ( group ) Frank Rosolino & J.J. Johnson ( trombone ) John Coltrane ( sax ) Lee Morgan ( trumpet ) Pat Metheny & Stevie Ray Vaughn (guitar )

Favorite albums:

Jon Heidmann
I had my first piano lesson when I was in third grade. I never really learned how to read sheet music though…I used to ask my teacher how to play a certain part of a difficult piece. By watching and listening, I would go home and play it by ear. Henceforth, I found it easier just to listen to something and play it. I was introduced to organ a few years later. These were not jazz organs, but large pipe organs. It wasn’t until much later that I discovered the blues-gospel-soul-R&B and with it, a whole new world. I have been involved in “praise and worship” groups, since working at a camp in Colorado in the early 90’s. Then, at Grand Canyon University, I was on the chapel praise team. It was then I joined the early stages of a new church called Christ Life Church in Tempe. They were meeting in a hotel at that time. As a first time visitor, I was up on the keyboard and didn’t look back. For 12 years I was involved in various aspects of music at Christ Life, where I met the others involved in Jacob’s Ladder. For the past two years I have been (and continue to be) at Life Link Church and part of the Vertical Worship team, under the direction of the talented Senior Pastors, David and Cheree’ Wright.

Some of my favorite musicians/singers include: There are too many to mention, so I’ll try to pick a few who have really inspired me. There are keyboardists like David Benoit, Stevie Wonder (I LOVE the clav as a rhythm player!) and Herbie Hancock. The gospel influence of Israel Houghton and New Breed as well as Fred Hammond have played a LARGE part in my musical sphere. There are classics from the likes of Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, Stevie Ray Vaughn…and classics from the likes of Michael McDonald, Earth Wind and Fire (everyone else mentioned these guys…I didn’t want to be left out!), The Doobies and the Eagles. Throw in some 80s stuff (Phil Collins and Genesis, Journey and lots of others from the decade of the synth) and you have a virtual cornucopia of musical randomness. Oh, one more. I have to mention Josh Groban…INCREDIBLE. My wife introduced me to this amazingly talented musician. Been to both of his Phoenix concerts…

Favorite albums: What’s on my playlist at the moment, besides Jacob’s Ladder? Four80East, Bona Fide, Down to the Bone, U-Nam, Marion Meadows, Euge Groove, Sade

Joseph Gonzales
My first instrument was the alto saxophone, which I picked up when I was about nine years old; that didn’t last too long though because I think I put it down as quickly as I picked it up. I guess I just never fell in love with it! It was not until I was about eleven that I discovered the drums. There was just something about the way the beats were put together. The sound of the bass, the crack of the snare, and the crash of the cymbals, I was drawn to it. I had grown up listening to my dad play the guitar and was starting to wonder if music would ever be a part of my life as it was part of his. But finally it found me! I started by watching every move the drummer at my church would make and would mimic his every movement in my seat. I found myself drowning out every noise and every voice in that place and focusing only on the drummer. I finally got the courage one day after church get on the drum set having no clue where to start. Do I hit the snare first or the bass or do I hit the hi-hat what do I do? One of the pastors actually showed me how to start out with a basic beat. That basic beat became the backbone and foundation of how I play now, of course with a lot more funk and syncopation! I received my first drum set from my Parents as a graduation present after completing eighth grade. I will never forget that day at Guitar Center! I continued on all throughout high school playing in both the marching band on the drum line and for the youth service and main sanctuary at our church on Sundays and Wednesdays. I have had many influences and many mentors throughout this experience, none who stand out more than my dad “Pete Gonzales”, Jason Eldridge, and Dennis Williams. My dad has always taught me that good is the enemy of great! “Never be satisfied with knowing that you are good, strive to always become better”! I thank God for all of his blessings for keeping me strong when I have been in the storm and for never giving up on me. I thank my amazing and beautiful wife Ellen for being my encourager, my best friend and my #1 fan. And I thank my parents for always believing in me no matter what and for always pushing me even when I wanted to lie down. Finally I want to thank all of the members of Jacob’s ladder for being such a great group of guys to work with and to share the same interest, the love of music!

Some of my favorite musicians/singers include: The Temptations, Luther Vandross, Earth, Wind and Fire, Boyz II Men, Joe, Fred Hammond, Deitrick Haddon, Marion Meadows, Urban Knights, Richard Elliott, Dave Weckl, Chris Botti, Sade, Alicia Keys, Tone Tony Toni, Brian McKnight, Eric Marienthal, Dave Matthews Band, P.O.D., Thousand Foot Krutch, Cold Play, Maroon 5, Donell Jones, Montell Jordan, Musiq, Pieces of A Dream, Peter Mathers, and of course Jacob’s Ladder!

Favorite albums: Too many to list!

Andrew Ferrell
The idea of seriously playing a musical instrument entered my brain by chance. When I was 11, one of my best friends suggested that I learn to play the guitar. He had a bass and thought that it would be a good idea to be in a band together. Playing an instrument like the guitar seemed illusive to me since I thought that they costed thousands of dollars. When I entered a local pawn shop I hastely realized that this was not the case. I purchased my first guitar and amp for $100. That was it for me. From early adolescence onward my life was filled with learning, playing, and creating music. My middle school friends and I formed a group in the 7th grade called Vehicle. We were a group throughout high school and still reunite when the stars are aligned just right. We played original progressive jazz, funk, blues, and hard rock. Also during my formative years, I played in school jazz bands from 7th thru twelfth grades, the Elgin Community College Youth Jazz Band, and the Illinois All-State Jazz Band. At the collegiate level, I played in the NAU lab band and I emphasized in jazz studies at Mesa Community College. Music is amazing and mystical. It is humbling and teasing as it flaunts its infinite complexities; to understand it completely is impossible. Music is the great communicator. Across the world, people can relate to the subtle and elated emotions that music elicits.

Some of my favorite musicians/singers include: The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Allman Brothers Band, Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Stevie Wonder, Phish, King Crimson, Nick Drake, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Pat Metheny, Medeski, Martin, and Wood, Sergio and Odair Assad (insane), Clifford Brown, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Bill Evans, Bela Fleck, Ludwig Van Beethoven, John McLaughlin, L. Shankar, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Mike Alderfer, Ryan Murphy, Dan Siakel, etc, etc ...

Favorite albums: Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds: Live at Luther College, A Perfect Circle: Mer De Noms, Shakti: A Handful of Beauty, John Coltrane: Life at Birdland, Allman Brothers: A Decade of Hits, Sergio and Odair Assad with Nadja Salerno Sonenberg, Bela Fleck: Tales From the Acoustic Planet, Phish: Junta, L. Shankar: Eternal Light, Radiohead: Kid A, Opeth: Ghost Reveries, Stevie Wonder: Talking Book, Nick Drake: Five Leaves Left, Yo-Yo Ma: Solo, Pat Metheny: A Map of the World, Joe Pass: Virtuoso, Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major (Waldstein), etc, etc...

Curtis Clark
The beginning of my music interest began with entry level piano lessons at the age of about nine or ten, I then became interested in learning and playing guitar and was taught basic chords on an old nylon string acoustic guitar, slightly advancing later unto a used Epiphone steel string, and then at about age 15 or 16, I was using an electric les Paul copy I had purchased with funds earned washing dishes in an old coffee shop in Hollywood California. Having had grown up in Southern California in the L.A. area it was impossible to have not been swept up in the huge music scene of the 70’s and 80’s, It was at about this time frame (about sixteen years of age) that I had the rare and unusual experience of having had several Rock Guitar lessons with the late, great Randy Rhoades (circa: 1975- 1976)

Some of my favorite musicians/singers include: Jacobs Ladder, Sean Clark, Sandy Lineweaver, The Bad Plus, Avishai Cohen, The Jazz Mad Lab, David Benoit, John Tesh, Stanley Clarke, John Patitucci, Rufus Reid, Randy Rhoads, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, Chris Squire, Yes, Rick Wakeman, Carl Palmer, ELP, Uriah Heep, Spirit, Mountain, Deep Purple, John Paul Jones, John Entwisle, Black Sabbath

Favorite albums: Any and all from the above list which seems to go on forever !