The Mike Frost Acoustic Trio features Dave Williams on drums, Mark Berls on Acoustic Bass and bandleader Mike Frost on Saxophone. Though Frost's name may be familiar to you from his successful sextet, the MikeFrostProject, this formation is inspired by the classic trios of Sonny Rollins to the more recent recordings of Branford Marsalis, delving into repertoire from the straight-ahead era through the progressive post-bop era.

The more basic,and more exposed, instrumentation of this trio allows for the band members to explore the music more freely and without the constraints of typical, larger jazz combos. The trio set up allows Berls, Frost and Williams to showcase a different style of playing and face a different set of challenges to perform at the top of their game because it is so raw and doesn't have the 'safety in numbers' setting offered by the larger combos these fellas have played with before.

Why did Frost choose Berls and Williams to take on this voyage? "Because they show up to my house to rehearse..."he says with a laugh. "Mark really challenges me by selecting tunes I wouldn't normally choose...his tastes are so diversified. It helps me hear new artists and push myself artistically." and as for Williams on drums, "There is such a driving force in Dave's playing..it pushes me to play on the same level, with the same intensity. Dave keeps me on my playing toes."

Mike Frost is a Chicago born saxophonist and a working musician for 30+ years. As a student attending DePaul University he studied under jazz legend Joe Daley. After college, he began performing professionally in 1985. For 22 years Mike was the Director of Entertainment for Premier Yachts Inc., providing and creating all of the entertainment for their dinner cruise ships at Navy Pier in Chicago. He performed with his own groups aboard the Odyssey cruise ship for much of that time. One of those groups, The Mike Frost Project, became nationally recognized with the release of its first recording “Nothing Smooth About It” in 2004. The second CD, “Comin’ Straight At Ya”, (2006) made the first round nomination ballot for the Grammy Awards. In 2008, the group released “LIVE”, a compilation of live recordings from their performances at clubs they make regular appearances at like Andy’s Jazz Club, The Jazz Showcase, and Trio’s Jazz Club. All 3 of the bands recordings have received national airplay and were ranked in the Jazz Week jazz charts for several months respectively. For the past 20 years, Mike has been a voting member in the National Academy Of The Recording Arts And Sciences. Mike lives in Chicago with his wife Noelle where he teaches and performs on a regular basis.