The Paul Abella Trio has one goal in mind when they’re playing for you: to make jazz fun again. Their unique blend of jazz, samba, rock, blues and folk is quirky and joyous. Their members draw on a combined experience which has seen them work in a wild variety of settings, from church worship teams and symphony orchestras to avant-garde jazz and Grateful Dead cover bands.

Guitarist and vocalist Mitch Corso is well versed in a number of genres, including jazz, rock, folk and blues. He has a deep interest in the music of Brazil, Africa, Reggae and plenty of other excellent music from around the world, and his playing bares that out with a style that can and does jump from jazz to rock to samba to the music of West Africa with ease. His originals display a curiosity with odd time signatures and interesting harmonies and are a lot of fun to play. He’s the music director at Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church in Huntley, IL and lives in Chicago with his wife and two kids.

Bassist Bob Ferraris is just as eclectic, having played with a handful of different symphonies in the Chicago area, many rock and R&B bands in Chicago’s south suburbs and even did a stint with Yanni before Yanni “got big.” The only real comparison one can make to Bob’s style is to call him the Jaco Pastorius of the upright bass. It’s been said that there are two kinds of bassists in the audience at Paul Abella Trio shows: those that are Bob’s students, and those that are about to be.  Bob’s a teacher at Lewis University, The Fox Valley Academy of Music and Art and at Brandolino’s Music.  Bob’s called Joliet his home for decades, and at some point, we’ll figure out why.

Vibraphonist Stephen Lynerd is the newcomer to the band. Stephen’s a classically trained percussionist with a love of standards, prog rock and a great sense of humor to boot.  Stephen is rightly finding himself more and more in demand around Chicago, making guest appearances with Shawn Maxwell, LePercolateur, The Chicago Licorice Sticks and plenty of others.  He also leads his own ensemble from time to time.  Stephen’s the music director at First Baptist Church in Downers Grove, where he resides.

Paul Abella is also a percussionist, and in this band, focuses on bongos and cajon. As a bongo player, he is influenced by the masters of the instrument, like Juan Mangual, Dandy Rodriguez and Jack Costanzo. As a cajonist (even Paul has no idea if that’s a word), he’s blazing a trail all his own.  Building on the instrument’s Afro-Peruvian origins and it’s newly found use in the world of flamenco music, he also utilizes the instrument to channel the sounds of the Brazilian pandiero and the drum kit.  Paul’s vision for his cajon playing is to unite the heft and groove of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham and the percussive wizardry of Airto Moreira, Alex Acuña and Don Alias.  Paul is the music director at WDCB in Chicago, a review writer for Chicago Jazz Magazine, and he frequently interviews himself in the bathtub.

And, we shouldn’t forget some of the fine folks who have helped us out through the years: Guitarists Jared Rabin, Marcus Jefferson, Zoey Smulewitz, Freddie Franken, Gary Tu and Dave Miller. Bassists Gary James, Stacy McMichael, Steve Hashimoto and Ryan Carney. They’re all outstanding players, and we hope that you’ll give them an ear (or a gig!) when the opportunity becomes available.