Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.

The sound of the vibes: nostalgia tinged, meditative, romantic, haunting, and yet capable of scintillating percussive crescendos! Pair it with lush, yet laconic guitar comping and underpinning it with a powerful, melodic bass line and you have the RIDGEWAY STUDIO ENSEMBLE. This instrumental trio has left the studio and has been exciting audiences around Chicago in the last year with performances of iconic standards from the Great American Song Book , Tin-Pan Alley, familiar Latin jazz tunes, and punctuated with Bebop and Modern Jazz excursions, plus original compositions.

The Ensemble aggregates 150 years of musical performing experience, with Bob Fahlstrom (Vibes, Piano), Matt Levinson (Guitar) and Bob Becker (Bass & Guitar) who have been working and jamming in the Chicago area for 5 decades.

Bob Fahlstrom studied percussion with Ed Poremba (Lyric Opera Orchestra) at Roosevelt University, and harmony and theory with Jack Hubal, the great Chicago bebop pianist and teacher, who convinced him to buy a vibraphone. In the late 1970’s Bob began his Jazz performance career playing drums and vibes with Chicago area jazz artists such as bassist Steve Hashimoto, tenor Saxophonist Mike Finnerty, guitarists Akio Sasajima and David Cherry, as well as jazz groups led by pianist Jack Hubal. He can be seen on YouTube videos of the “Jack Hubal Jazz Show” playing drums and vibes.

Matt Levinson has played guitar for over five decades, and studied with the late, great Chicago jazz guitarist Frank Dawson. He has performed with a wide range of big bands around Chicago, including Wendell Brenner’s Sidemen, the Highland Park Jazz Band, and John McGahan’s Stardust Big Band and Jazz Sextet. From 2005-2016 he co-led a pro-am jazz jam every Sunday night at Big Joe’s Bar in Chicago, where he and Bob Fahlstrom met. Since 2015 they have developed a repertoire along with Bob Becker (Bass) culminating in the Ridgeway Studio Ensemble.

Bob Becker has been preforming on jazz guitar, classical guitar, electric bass, and string bass for over five decades. He toured as jazz guitar soloist with the Manhattan Pops Orchestra under the direction of Richard Hayman and was the guitarist in backup bands for Roy Clark and Tennessee Ernie Ford. Bob has also performed shows with the Four Lads, the Ink Spots, the Harmonicats, and Chicago’s own Jimmy Damon. He has played classical guitar for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Opera Theater, and the Royal Danish Ballet. Bob was on the faculty of the Chicago Musical College for eleven years where he developed the curriculum for jazz guitar and electric bass. Bob has performed as a freelance musician, working in the Chicago area “doing it all” – wedding parties and ceremonies, industrial shows, and jazz gigs. He performs as a soloist, and in ensembles ranging from duos to big bands.

Following their well-received duet performance at a Café Carpe open-mic Saturday a few years ago, they are returning with a highly polished trio. Come out and hear the collective sounds of 3 souls who have dedicated the largest part of their lives to jazz and want to share the joy!

Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.