Fine Wine Trio

R.B. KAPP

Robert Kaplan, from Highland Park, New Jersey, was unloading tires from a tractor-trailer one day when he decided to leave home. With a school mate's old Dodge and a silver sparkle Ludwig drum kit, he was off to the Catskill Mountains to make a gig. Then he became the blues in Parkersburg, West Virginia, school music at Berklee in Boston, life music on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and how to use a piece of rope as an emergency fan belt on a VW in Mexico, which is called improvising.

One observer remarked, "The only musician I know who has gone from playing drums on some of world's most abstract music (on records with Marion Brown, Dave Burrell, Noah Howard and Gato Barbieri), drumming and singing with Dexter Gordon in Mexico, to placing in the top ten finalists of the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Vocal Competition, and world tours with bassist Gene Perla and the Fine Wine Trio. Some jazz magazine should pick up on this guy's story by now."

Anyway, Robert became Bobby, who became R.B., who says, "Best of luck on everybody's transtitions out there. You know, there is always a new song to be sung, everywhere."

GABRIEL HERNANDEZ

Gabriel Hernández Cadenas was Born in Camagüey Cuba on 17 July 1964, and started his piano education at seven years old in "Luis Casas Romero" Music Conservatory in Camagüey, Cuba. At fifteen he completed his theory and professional pianist education and also received the EGREM Prize (Recordings and Musical Editions Enterprise) for the Best Musical Orchestration of annual recordings.

He has been involved in the well-known "Jazz Plaza" festivals presented annually in Havana, Cuba which led to becoming a member of the Leon Thomas and Dizzy Gillespie musical groups. These bands performed in many International Jazz Festivals including Montreaux, Montreal, Jazz Jamboree (Poland), Jazz Danubio (Bratista-Checkoslovakia), London Jazz Fest, Heverkusen (Colon-Munich, Germany), Milky Wey (Amsterdam), Jazz Rue, Ciamuferon (France), Jazz Fest Ottawa, Toronto, Becomo (Canada) as well as concerts in Budapest, Madrid, Islas Guadalupe, Martinique, Moscow and others.
In 1985 Gabriel was honored with the UNEAC (Writers and Cuban Artist Union) Best Condecoration and was inscripted in the "Greatest Music Personalities and Cuban Art" publication. He was designated as a jury member of The National Commission of Evaluation of the Music National Institute in Havana, Cuba along with Chucho Valdez, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Orlando Vistel.

Gabriel has shared the stage with many great musicians including Roy Hargrove, Jean Carter, Chucho Valdez, Tito Puente, The Fine Wine Trio and many others.

GENE PERLA

Gene Perla grew up in northeastern New Jersey attending public school grades 1-12. After one year of post graduate study at New York Military Academy he entered the University of Toledo majoring in civil engineering and business. He then attended Berklee School of Music and Boston Conservatory before heading to New York City.

At age five Gene's musical studies began with classical piano. Upon entering high school he was given a trombone which he played for five years culminating in marching on Fifth Avenue in New York City as part of the Memorial Day Parade. During high school he became aware of jazz and was thrilled to attend the first New York performance of Ted Heath's big band at Carnegie Hall. It wasn't until his last year at TU that his interest in music became primary.

After struggling with too many notes, and thanks to Charlie Haden's performance on Ornette Coleman's "The Shape Of Jazz To Come," Perla, at 24, switched to the bass as his main instrument. Not long after arriving in the City his talents became in demand and he found joy in performing with artists such as Willie Bobo, Carlos "Patato" Valdes, Nina Simone, Woody Herman, Sarah Vaughan, Elvin Jones, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis and Frank Sinatra.

As an educator Mr. Perla has taught at William Paterson University, New School University, Center for the Media Arts and is currently at Lehigh University. Sound design has been a significant endeavor yielding credits on Broadway shows, theme parts and custom installations.

Having a business sense, Gene has continuously expanded his activities to include music publishing, record labels, recording studios, promotional firms, Internet design and hosting and computer networking businesses as vehicles for his ideas.