Bill Manning - Drums; Bill attended Boston's Berklee College of Music on scholarship, and earned a B.A. in Music from University of Southern Maine. He is currently the Percussion Instructor and Director of the jazz ensembles in Scarborough and maintains a private teaching studio at The Drum Shop in Portland. He is a seasoned drummer and percussionist, with over 30 years experience and has a wide variety of musical experiences and genres.  When not musically involved, Bill enjoys spending time with his wife Pat, dog Sasha and is an avid fisherman.  

Herb Maine-Bass; Herb Maine has been a well-known acoustic bassist in the New England region for the past three decades.  Originally from North Reading, MA, Herb began playing bass and tuba in the school system there and was playing professionally at age 15. He attended college at Lowell State University majoring in performance.  Along with Novel Jazz, he plays regularly around Maine with pianists Mickey Felder and Kenny Gaspar.  He has also performed with the late great trumpeter, Herb Pomeroy.  Herb resides with his family on Great Chebeague Island off of mid-coast Maine.

Mickey Felder-Piano; Mick Felder can't remember when he wasn't playing the piano. Mick Felder studied classical piano in New York with Charles Ragusa, and jazz with Charlie Banacos and Scott Oakley. At age fifteen, his first professional group "The J-Five" performed jazz standards in New York's Catskill Mountains. During the late 60's he took a musical detour into folk music, playing guitar and singing in small clubs in New York. Moving to Maine in 1971, he and four other talented musicians formed the popular bluegrass band "Wild Mountain Thyme" which performed throughout the state for many years. Mick returned to jazz in the late 70's and has been performing in concerts, clubs and restaurants throughout Maine ever since. 

Mike Mitchell-Trumpet, Cornet, Flugelhorn; Mike Mitchell has been playing trumpet since his childhood days in the eastern Maine town of Calais.  He studied at both the University of Maine at Augusta’s Jazz Studies program and the University of Miami’s Jazz program. He studied trumpet with Chuck Winfield (of Blood, Sweat and Tears), Don Stratton, and Bob McCoy.  Although the music of Miles Davis and Chet Baker strongly influences his playing, Mike’s musical interests and experiences range broadly from traditional New Orleans to the outer limits of Ornette Coleman and Lennie Tristano.  He is also an avid student of the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, frequently contributing arrangements of their material for the Novel Jazz Septet.   Beyond music, Mike is a behavioral healthcare administrator and clinician with a passion for family, fly fishing and good barbecue.

Nathaniel Johengen- Reeds;  Nathaniel Johengen is a Portland-based, freelance saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. He is well-versed in all aspects of jazz performance with extensive experience in ensembles, both small and large.  He has been directed and adjudicated by world-class musicians and educators, including Sean Jones, Nate Jorgensen, Ellen Rowe, and many others. Nathaniel has been playing professionally since 2020 and currently studies at the Osher School of Music at the University of Southern Maine with Dr. Christopher Oberholzter and Professor K. Barry Saunders, where he is studying for his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance with a concentration in Jazz Saxophone.  Nathaniel teaches saxophone, performs public and private events and does recording sessions.