Lila Ammons with the StableMates (Dale Alexander, Gary Raynor, Jay Epstein)

Lila Ammons, a native of Chicago, has had many musical influences from family to a myriad of musicians and from the musical styles of Mozart to Monk. And she has inherited an illustrious legacy through the gifts of her grandfather and uncle: Albert Ammons (piano) and Gene Ammons (tenor sax). Ammons was previously based in New York City where she attended graduate school at the Manhattan School of Music, and for 13 years performed opera, oratorio and recitals around the US and Europe. It was then that she began her international travels through music. But, she had other musical passions and decided that she needed to pursue them. In 1997, excited to work on her new craft, she packed up and left New York for Minneapolis, Minnesota to be near family and there, she has cultivated a career in jazz.