Billy Childs

Childs has proven his versatility and musical depth in many styles, whether using his synthesizer to soar over tricky Fusion to create thick, rhythmic beds for a progressive vocal tune, or simply blazing through a straight-ahead number. He's an accomplished songwriter as well, as many of the leaders with whom he used to play discovered -- including Bobby Hutcherson, Branford Marsalis and Freddie Hubbard.