Musicians

Born in Switzerland, where he started his piano studies at age 5, MANU KOCH attended Berklee College of Music and relocated to New York in 2000 where he still lives today. After three decades of working and touring with top artists in contemporary music, Manu’s exposure to diverse genres and cultures has shaped the unique vision behind Filtron M. Working extensively in New York’s Brazilian music scene and various local African artists, he has additionally toured, recorded and collaborated with Angélique Kidjo, Claudia Acuña, Benny Rietveld, Lionel Loueke, Cindy Blackman-Santana, Prasanna, Mahmoud Ahmed, James Chance and The New York Gypsy All-Stars. He also appeared in concert with top international artists such as Dave Liebman, Trilok Gurtu, Roy Hargrove, Ingrid Jensen, Mino Cinelu, Lonnie Plaxico, Sekouba Bambino and Hüsnü Şenlendirici.

Born and raised in the Bronx, NY, DAMON BANKS has evolved into a “world musician” in the truest sense of the word. As a bassist, his ability to creatively adapt, and remain open-minded helped yield many performance opportunities with some of the most forward leaning, musical trendsetters in history like Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Peter Gabriel, Caetano Veloso, Angélique Kidjo, Hassan Hakmoun, Marc Ribot, Wadada Leo Smith, The Neville Brothers, Andre de Shields, KRS-ONE, Brooklyn Raga Massive, Yungchen Llamo, Phyllis Hyman, George Howard, Karsh Kale, Bernie Worrell, The Frankfurt Ballet, The Weather Girls, Eric Gadd, "Butch" Morris, Saul Williams, Angela Bofill and currently South Indian carnatic violinist Arun Ramamurthy. As a composer his original work includes all of the compositions on his 2014 debut recording ‘Travelguides’.

HARVEY WIRHT was born in Suriname where he started his music career. He continued his studies at Berklee College of Music and has since then recorded over 40 albums including “Life Overflowing” with John Tchicai and Charlie Kohlhase, awarded outstanding album in the Boston Awards 2000. Harvey has worked with multi-Grammy winners, Angélique Kidjo, Harry Belafonte, Lauryn Hill, Ziggy Marley and performed at the NAACP awards, the Jay Leno Show, The Late-Night show with David Letterman, Good Morning America and the Peace ball for the inauguration of President Obama. Harvey Wirht has received the “honorary order of the yellow star” from the Surinamese government and is the founder of the band Caribbo with ATN Stadwijk featuring Hall of Fame inductee steel pannist Andy Narell.

ELSA NILSSON, a Swedish-born flutist and composer based in Brooklyn, merges jazz, improvisation, and conceptual storytelling in her music. She has collaborated with renowned musicians such as Jon Cowherd, Chris Morrissey, Karl Berger, Robert Dick, Jamie Baum, and Bill Frisell. Her Atlas of Sound series, inspired by nature, includes Coast Redwoods (2022) and the upcoming Project Oasis (2024). Elsa also explores the intersection of jazz and spoken word in Pulses, featuring the voice of Dr. Maya Angelou. A recipient of multiple grants, she has performed at major jazz festivals worldwide and teaches at The New School. Her performances have captivated audiences at venues like Blue Note, Winter Jazzfest, National Sawdust, and Earshot Jazz Festival. Deeply committed to artistic exploration, Elsa’s work blends diverse influences, pushing the boundaries of jazz while fostering a sense of connection between music, nature, and storytelling.