Miguel de la Cerna, a Chicago native, is a multifaceted pianist, conductor and music director. He is most known for his jazz arrangements for singers but also has been accomplished in classical music and musical theater.
Most recently he has received critical acclaim for his arrangements and direction of the “The Sirens of Song a tribute to Nina Simone/Dinah Washington” starring Dee Alexander that played the Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park. He also made three appearances at the 2007 Chicago Jazz Festival including one solo piano set that was very well received. Other 2007 highlights include music director and arrangements for The Chicago Jazz Institute “Young Lions” concert as well as the WVON “Friends For a Cure” benefit featuring the soprano Jonita Lattimore.

Mr. de la Cerna returned to his hometown Chicago in 2000 after many years cutting his teeth in the New York and European free-lance scene. Before then he was featured pianist and arranger for the “ELDEE YOUNG QUARTET" that made extensive tours of Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. He still tours of Europe and Asia yearly as music director for “ALICE DAY AND FRIENDS”.

He served as music director/arranger for the Chicago legend OSCAR BROWN JR., 2000-2005 performing with him extensively in Chicago, New York City and the Caribbean. He was also the music director and arranger for the tribute to Oscar Brown Jr. that played the main stage of THE CHICAGO JAZZ FESTIVAL 2006 receiving critical acclaim for his innovative arrangements of Mr. Brown’s songs. He currently holds the position of music director and arranger for both Dee Alexander and Bobbi Wilsyn. His arrangements have also been showcased on WLS-TV “CHICAGOING” and WGN-TV “SINGSATION” and WTTW-TV “CHICAGO TONIGHT”. Chicago radio audiences heard him on  WFMT as accompanist to the internationally acclaimed soprano Jonita Lattimore playing the music of Robert Schumann and Dr. Lena McClin.  

Miguel de la Cerna is third of three generations of Chicago pianist. His grandfather, General Morgan, moved to Chicago with Henry “Red” Allen during Allen’s residency in Chicago in the 40’s and also accompanied the great Billie Holiday on many of her tours. His aunt, Gloria Morgan, was well known in Chicago for her warm singing and her accompanying skills. He is married to violinist Sylvia Morris. They have 2 children, Maximo and Isabella.

Harrison Bankhead is one of the most versatile bassists in a town that has cultivated some of the best bass players in the world. Ranked with such notables as Wilbur Ware, Fred Hopkins, Ray Brown, Milt Hinton and Malachi Favors, Bankhead’s sensitive and immensely creative bass lines and solos have accompanied a diversity of bands that include big band and bebop ensembles. He is probably most widely known for his work with members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), whose relentless experimenting with improvisatory music has earned them worldwide acclaim.He has performed with Fred Anderson, Ernest Dawkins in "Chicago 12"; with Nicole Mitchell and Hamid Drake in Indigo Trio and Mitchell, Edward Wilkerson and Avreeayl Ra in Frequency, with Wilkerson's 8 Bold Souls and many other groups. Bankhead has made recordings with Malachi Thompson's Africa Brass band and with Roscoe Mitchell Trio, with with whom he recorded No Side Effects.

Ernie Adams, Percussion:
12 years and 2 cds with ramsey lewis. 8 years with stanley turrentine with a one night concert with special guest dizzy gillespie. Tours with joe williams, wyndham hill flautist douglas spotted eagle, patricia barber with stefon harris, saxophonist art porter, dianne reeves, percussionist bill summers. Concerts with jazz singer kurt elling, la session legend jimmy stewart, violinist karen briggs, bassist billy dickens, saxophonist steve cole, jazz guitarist phil upchurch, baabe irving iii- mid-'80's keyboardist for miles davis, saxophonist von freeman, melvin rhyne-original organist on the wes montgomery trio’s first 3 recordings, keyboardist bobby lyle, jazz saxophonist richie cole, james moody with bassist rufus reid, buster williams, singer ursula dudziak and joe zawinul, slide hampton, frank morgan, arturo sandoval, claudio roditi, jazz organist charles earland, trombonist wycliff gordon, pianist michael wolff, trumpeters marvin stamm and clark terry, pharoah sanders, ahmad jamal, saxophonist james spaulding, the bodeans. Gigs and cd with kenny drew jr. Tour and cd with anthony jackson. Clinic with bassists victor wooten and steve bailey. Organ concert and clinic with jack mcduff and joey defrancesco. Trumpeter orbert davis, vocalist grazyna auguscik, saxophonist red holloway, larry coryell.  Jazz, funk and worldbeat concerts under his own name.

Recordings: over 60 plus recordings: in particular: recorded al dimeola’s 1998 cd "the infinite desire", “flesh on flesh” in 2002 and “consequence of chaos” in 2006. Also a live dvd in 2004. Recorded ramsey lewis' 1999 cd "apassionado" and 2002 cd “meant to be” with nancy wilson.  Ramsey's tv show “legends of jazz” with kurt elling and al jarreau.

Performed and co-wrote the soundtrack and appeared in the 1995 motion picture "a family thing" starring robert duvall and james earl jones.  House drummer and co-writer for akalibrio, producer of music of the “intellipop” persuasion.  House drummer for acoustic chicago. Recorded michael cunningham’s cd with bassist jimmy haslip of the yellowjackets and ny guitarist mike stern.  Involved in the chicago/milwaukee and national jingle scene for the past 25 years.

Teaching experience: from 1995 to 2003 became a ravinia jazz mentor-a program that allowed me to go into chicago's inner-city high schools to tutor young drummers and percussionists to prepare them for professional gigs as well as impart on them lessons in life skills.

Drum professor at the university of illinois-chicago.